Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Mahdi Afra ¹
• Bahman Navidshad ²
• Farzad Mirzaei Aghjeh Gheshlagh ²
• Nemat Hedayat Ivarigh ³

¹ M.Sc. Graduated Student, Department of Animal Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil - Iran

² Associate Professors, Department of Animal Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil - Iran

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Animal Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil - Iran

Abstract

This experiment was carried out using 200 Ross 308 broiler chickens in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 4 replicates. The true metabolisable energy of the barley hulls were determined using cecectomized roosters.The dry matter, true metabolisable energy, ash, ether extracts, crude protein, crude fiber, NDF, ADF, Ca and total P content of barely hulls were: 92%, 978 kcal/kg, 3.53%, 4.26%, 12.26%, 12.6%, 52.1%, 23.5%, 0.9% and 0.6%, respectively. The experimental diets were consisted of a control hulls free diet and four diets containing 0.75 or 1.5 percent barley hulls with particle sizes of less than 1 mm or between 1-2 mm. The barley hulls improved weight gain and feed conversion ratio and particularly the diet contained 1.5 percent barley hulls with particle size of 1-2 mm was more effective in this respect (P < 0.05). The same trend was observed in gizzard weight (P < 0.05). Dietary barley hulls improved dry matter, crude protein and ash digestibility (P < 0.05). All the barley hulls contained diets reduced feed cost per kg weight gain of broiler chickens, which could be a surprising finding. The results of the present study suggest that including barley hulls with 1-2 mm particle size at 1.5 percent of the diet could positively affect performance traits and feed cost of broiler chickens.

Keywords

• Barley hulls
• broiler
• carcass characteristics
• Digestibility coefficients
• Particle size
• Performance traits

20.1001.1.20096776.1395.18.3.15.8