Table 2.

Relative organ weights, short-chain fatty acids, jejunal histomorphology, and tibia mineral content of different strains of broiler chickens.

Items	B	D	H	M	E	SE	P-value
Days to 2.2 kg BW	36	50	42	44	50
Bodyweight, kg d 48	3.15a	2.06c	2.20b,c	2.55b	2.35b,c	0.11	<0.01
Organ weight
Gizzard, g/kg of BW	9.47c	15.44a	16.07a	15.71a	10.28b,c	0.84	<0.01
Small intestine, g/kg of BW	30.48b	34.54a,b	30.44b	36.61a	37.88a	1.33	<0.01
Short-chain fatty acids, μmol/g
Lactic acid	4.04	5.30	3.22	5.70	4.38	0.8	0.22
Acetic acid	63.52	57.64	65.67	65.99	66.4	3.75	0.47
Propionic acid	3.30	3.51	2.75	3.53	4.07	0.44	0.34
Valeric acid	3.60	3.97	3.26	3.09	4.38	0.40	0.17
Butyric acid	11.84	10.87	10.79	11.72	11.38	1.50	0.98
Total SCFAs	86.29	81.29	85.67	90.03	90.25	50.27	0.75
Histomorphology
Villus height (VH), μm	2,943.75	2,824.63	2,615.47	2,870.49	2,309.93	162.43	0.06
Crypt depth (CD), μm	412.02	375.62	457.54	456.04	454.35	34.60	0.40
VH:CD ratio	6.95a,b	7.94a	5.91a,b	6.53a,b	5.08b	0.64	0.05
Tibia mineral content
Tibia ash, g/kg of BW	1.24b	1.44a	1.43a	1.49a	1.39a,b	0.05	0.01
Tibia ash, g/g tibia weight	0.24	0.26	0.27	0.26	0.26	0.01	0.06

^a–cMeans in the same row with different superscripts differ (P < 0.05).

n = 8.

Abbreviations: B, conventional broiler chicken; D, H, M, and E, slow-growing broiler chickens.