Table 5.
Length and weight of the small intestine (SI)1 in birds fed differing levels of oat hull inclusion at day 21 and day 35.
| Diet | SI length day 21 (mm) | SI weight day 21 (g) | SI length day 35 (mm) | SI weight day 35 (g) | Gizzard weight (g) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control—no oat | 1,636a,b | 42.4 | 1,959 | 66.5 | 26.1b |
| 30% dehulled oat | 1,559b | 39.7 | 1,980 | 72.1 | 27.0b |
| 30% oat, 7% hull | 1,515b | 36.1 | 2,001 | 71 | 28.2b |
| 30% oat, 17% hull | 1,607a,b | 38.1 | 2,011 | 68.1 | 28.6b |
| 30% oat, 27% hull | 1,722a | 40.6 | 2,079 | 77.6 | 32.9a |
| SEM | 44.4 | 1.82 | 62.7 | 3.6 | 1.06 |
| P-value | 0.031 | 0.291 | 0.734 | 0.292 | 0.005 |
a–c Means within the same column with no common superscript differ significantly (P ≤ 0.05). 1-way ANOVA and Duncan post-hoc test were used to differentiate between means.
1
Small intestine is defined as the portion between the beginning of the duodenal loop and the ileal-cecal-colonic junction.