Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Hasan Azizabadi ¹
• seyedmohammad hosseini ²
• Mohammadhasan Fathi Nasari ³
• Zahra Tahami ⁴
• Mohammadbagher Montazer torbati ⁵

¹ Corresponding Author, Department of Animal Science, Faculty of agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran. E-mail: Hassan.azizabadi@birjand.ac.ir

² Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran. E-mail: shosseini@birjand.ac.ir

³ Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran. E-mail: hfathi@birjand.ac.ir

⁴ Expert of Agricultural Research Center, Khorasan Razavi, Iran. E-mail: Tahami6690@yahoo.com

⁵ Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran. E-mail: montazer.torbati@birjand.ac.ir

Abstract

Objective: he poultry industry, as a major contributor to animal protein production, continually seeks novel, accessible, and cost-effective feed resources to enhance growth performance, carcass quality, and bird health. The use of food industry by-products, such as whey powder as a protein source and corn gluten as a source of both protein and energy, represents a practical strategy to reduce feed costs while potentially improving gastrointestinal health in poultry. Given the pivotal role of gastrointestinal health in nutrient utilization, growth, and feed efficiency of broiler chickens, evaluating the combined inclusion of whey powder and corn gluten in broiler diets is both scientifically and economically justified. This dietary approach may optimize growth performance, improve the essential amino acid profile, enhance the biological value of dietary protein through greater nutrient absorption, and promote bone quality by increasing mineral deposition. Moreover, the combination of these ingredients may provide a nutritionally balanced diet with adequate energy and high-quality protein. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of different inclusion levels of whey powder and corn gluten on growth performance, tibia bone characteristics, and serum mineral concentrations in Arian broiler chickens.
Method: An experiment was conducted using 585 one-day-old male Arian broiler chicks arranged in a completely randomized design with a 3×3 factorial structure. The experiment consisted of nine dietary treatments with five replicates per treatment and 13 chicks per replicate. The dietary treatments included: (1) 0% whey powder + 0% corn gluten (control), (2) 3% whey powder, (3) 6% whey powder, (4) 3% corn gluten, (5) 6% corn gluten, (6) 3% whey powder + 3% corn gluten, (7) 3% whey powder + 6% corn gluten, (8) 6% whey powder + 3% corn gluten, and (9) 6% whey powder + 6% corn gluten. Growth performance parameters, including feed intake, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio, were recorded periodically throughout the experiment. Tibia bone characteristics—namely ash content, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium concentrations, length, weight, and width—as well as serum mineral concentrations, were determined at 45 days of age. Data were analyzed using SAS software.
Results: Chicks receiving diets containing 6% whey powder exhibited significantly higher average body weight and feed intake compared with those fed diets without whey powder (P<0.05). In contrast, inclusion of corn gluten at the 6% level resulted in the lowest average body weight and the highest feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). No significant interaction effects between whey powder and corn gluten were observed for average body weight or feed conversion ratio. However, interaction effects between different levels of whey powder and corn gluten, compared with the control treatment, significantly increased tibia bone ash, calcium, and phosphorus contents (P<0.05). In contrast, varying levels of whey powder and corn gluten did not significantly affect serum concentrations of calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, or iron.
Conclusions: Based on the results of the present study, the combination of 6% whey powder and 3% corn gluten demonstrated consistently better outcomes with respect to growth performance and tibia bone characteristics in Arian broiler chickens. These inclusion levels were associated with increased tibia mineralization, particularly calcium and phosphorus deposition, which contributed to improved bone quality. Although these findings provide consistent evidence supporting the potential benefits of this dietary combination, they are specific to the Arian broiler strain and the conditions of the present experiment. Therefore, the inclusion of 6% whey powder and 3% corn gluten may be considered a suitable dietary strategy for Arian broiler chickens, warranting further validation under different production conditions.

Keywords

• Arian strain
• Broiler chickens
• Corn gluten
• Tibia bone
• Whey powder