Effects of saccharified corn straw on growth performance, nutrient metabolic rates, gastrointestinal tract development, and serum antioxidant index of broilers

This study was conducted to investigate effects of saccharified corn straw (SCS) on broiler growth. A total of 250 one-day-old female Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were distributed into five groups. The broilers in groups 1-5 were fed with diets containing 0% (basal diet), 4%, 8%, 12% SCS, and 8% SCS (high oil), respectively. The experiment lasted 42 d including early and later stages. In the early stage, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in groups 2 and 5 were almost the same as the control group; higher levels of SCS additions would decrease ADG and increase FCR (P < 0.05). In the later stage, ADG was higher, and FCR was lower in group 5 than that in other groups (P < 0.05); ADG in groups 3-4 was higher than that in groups 1 (P < 0.05) and 2. The different levels of SCS supplementation had different effects on nutrient metabolic rates and relative organ weight (P < 0.05), but they had insignificant effects on relative organ length. In the later stage, SCS supplementation could significantly increase serum total antioxidant capacity activity. It could be concluded that dietary 4% SCS in the early stage and 4%-12% SCS in the later stage had no negative effects on growth performance and nutrient metabolic rates for broilers.