Table 2.
Growth performance, ileal digestibility, and jejunal morphology of broiler chickens fed diets containing chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) concentration at 0 or 1 g/kg with or without dexamethasone (DEX).1,2
| Item | 0, g/kg COS |
1 g/kg COS |
SEM |
P-value3 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No-DEX | DEX | No-DEX | DEX | COS | DEX | COS × DEX | ||
| Day 20 to 27 | ||||||||
| Day 20 BW, g/bird | 750 | 750 | 750 | 750 | 21.2 | 0.85 | 0.95 | 0.85 |
| Day 27 BW, g/bird | 1,127 | 841 | 1,226 | 993 | 11.4 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.03 |
| Gain, g/bird | 378 | 91 | 477 | 243 | 18.8 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.02 |
| Feed intake, g/bird | 619 | 399 | 708 | 526 | 30.6 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.55 |
| Gain:feed, g/kg | 627 | 236 | 674 | 487 | 20.2 | <0.01 | <0.01 | <0.01 |
| Jejunal morphology4 | ||||||||
| VH, μm | 926 | 742 | 902 | 862 | 34.1 | 0.07 | <0.01 | 0.02 |
| CD, μm | 76 | 144 | 74 | 101 | 7.9 | 0.01 | <0.01 | 0.02 |
| VH/CD | 12.3 | 5.55 | 12.2 | 8.65 | 0.621 | 0.02 | <0.01 | 0.02 |
| Ileal digestibility | ||||||||
| DM, % | 65.1 | 58.2 | 67.2 | 63.7 | 0.68 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.02 |
| Energy, % | 69.6 | 62.8 | 71.7 | 68.0 | 0.70 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.04 |
| IDE, kcal/kg | 3,561 | 3,142 | 3,655 | 3,375 | 37 | <0.01 | <0.01 | 0.07 |
On day 0 after hatching, birds were divided into 2 groups with 16 replicates each, and were fed control diet and COS supplemented diets, each with an initial body weight of 61 g/bird. The final BW on day 13 after hatching was 707 and 720 g/bird for birds fed control diet and COS supplemented diet, respectively. The feed intake was 857 and 879 g/bird for birds fed control and COS. The feed efficiency was 755 g/kg and 750 g/kg for birds fed control diet and COS-supplemented diets, respectively.
Data are least squares means of 8 replicate cages with 7 birds per cage.
P-value according to main effects of COS, DEX, and a COS × DEX interaction.
CD, crypt depth; IDE, ileal digestible energy; VH, villus height.