Influence of an Enzyme and an Antibiotic on Broiler Performance

Abstract

Miles, R.D., Brown, R.D., Jr., Comer, C.W. and Oelfke, E. 1996. Influence of an enzyme and an antibiotic on broiler performance. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 9: 105–117.

A six-week experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of dietary supplementation of an enzyme (Avizyme™) and an antibiotic (virginiamycin), singly and synergistically, on body weight, feed consumption, feed conversion and digesta viscosity in corn/soybean meal and wheat/soybean meal basal diets. The six treatments were of a corn/soybean meal basal control 1, (Diet 1), control 1 with 10 ppm virginiamycin (VM) (Diet 2), a wheat/soybean meal basal control 2 (Diet 3), control 2 with 10 ppm VM (Diet 4), control 2 with 1000 ppm of Avizyme™ (Diet 5) and control 2 with 10 ppm VM and 1000 ppm Avizyme™ (Diet 6). Broilers fed the wheat/soybean meal with 1000 ppm Avizyme^™ (Diet 5), had a digesta viscosity which was significantly (P<.05) less than either the wheat/soybean meal control (Diet 3) or the wheat/soybean meal basal with 10 ppm VM. Birds fed diet 5 had slightly reduced gut digesta viscosities than those fed the wheat/soybean meal basal with both supplemental VM and Avizyme^™. Birds fed diet 5 or diet 6 had slightly heavier per bird mean body weights than those fed the other four diets. Feed consumption was not significantly (P≥.05) different among all treatments and feed conversion was the best for birds fed diet 5 and 6. Mortality was low and not significantly different among treatments. Litter in all treatments remained in a non-compacted condition throughout the entire six-week experimental period.

Key words:

• broilers
• enzyme
• antibiotic
• performance
• wheat