Comparación de campo de altas dosis de dos fuentes de lignocelulosa en dietas de cría de reproductoras de pollos de engorde

Resumen

Eubiotic lignocellulose and fermenatble fiber in poultry diets has attracted considerable interest due to its potential benefits such as gut health, transit time regulation, microbiome stabilization, butyric acid production in the hindgut as well as pathogen adhesion reduction. In the poultry industry, especially in the rearing phase of broilers, the inclusion of lignocellulose in feed formulations could provide benefits such as improved performance, reduced mortality and improved uniformity of the flock. In this study, the effects of two different sources of dietary lignocellulose on production parameters and mortality in broiler breeders during the rearing phase were investigated under field conditions. Two treatments were designed. Treatment 1 consisted in a diet containing 6 % of lignocellulose 1 in the feed during 3 consecutive flocks. Treatment 2 consisted in the same previous diet, except the use of a different source of lignocellulose (called lignocellulose 2) during 6 consecutive flocks. Both flocks where matched by season and time. A covariance statistical analysis was performed to determine statistical differences between treatments. Body weight, feed intake, uniformity, mortality and return on investment of female and male chicks from hatching to 21 weeks of age were measured and calculated. The results showed no statistical differences in body weight, uniformity, feed intake and male mortality. However, treatment 1 showed a statistical trend towards a reduction in female mortality (3.8 vs. 5.0 %, P=0.1). The return on investment showed a 2.8:1 (treatment 1 vs. 2), with treatment 1 being more profitable than treatment 2. This field study showed that it is feasible to compare additives under field conditions, taking into account some experimental design considerations. More studies evaluating the effects of additives on gut health under field conditions are needed because of confounding effects and the challenges of poultry operations.