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Abstract
1. Experiments were conducted to measure the effect of xy‐lanase supplementation on the performance of broilers fed on wheat‐based diets containing high and low extract viscosity wheat (experiment 1), baking and feeding quality wheat (experiment 2) and with variation in wheat content (experiment 3).
2. Xylanase supplementation improved food conversion ratios by 2·2–2·9% and body weight gain by 0·2–2·5%. This was independent of wheat characteristics but slightly dependent on the wheat content of the diet. These effects were related to a lowering of digesta viscosity.
3. Differences in extract viscosity of wheat were not reflected in broiler digesta viscosity.
4. Reduction of digesta viscosity resulted in only a slight improvement of litter score. Reduced intestinal viscosity decreased relative pancreas weight and to a lesser extent relative small intestinal weight.
5. Baking quality wheat Baldus gave better performance than the feed quality wheats Apollo and Slejpner.
6. It was concluded that xylanase supplementation of wheat‐based diets invariably had a positive effect on broiler performance.
