• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.267-271
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• 2012

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of one alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol ($1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$) on growth performance, tibia quality, and skin and meat color in broilers fed calcium (Ca)- and phosphorus (P)-deficient corn-soybean meal diets. A total of 288 male Ross broilers, at 21 days of age, were randomly assigned to three treatments with eight cages per treatment. Three levels of $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ (0, 5, and 10 ${\mu}g$/kg) were added to a basal diet (0.50% Ca, 0.13% non-phytate phosphorus (NPP), and 0.35% total phosphorus (tP)) without vitamin $D_3$. As a result of this study, the addition of $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ increased body weight gain (p<0.001), feed intake (p = 0.007), feed efficiency (p<0.001), tibia weight (p = 0.002), length (p<0.001), breaking-strength (p = 0.012), ash (p<0.001), Ca (p<0.001), and P content (p = 0.004). Dietary $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ enhanced breast meat yellowness (p = 0.015) and the length and weight of the small intestine of the broilers. Moreover, $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ decreased serum Ca concentration (p = 0.074) and breast meat redness (p = 0.010). These results indicate that the $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ improves growth, tibia quality, and meat color in broilers fed Ca- and P-deficient corn-soybean meal diets.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.229-240
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• 2003

An in vitro test and a broiler feeding trial were conducted to test the effect of hydrothermal treatment of wheat bran on phytate-P degradation and it’s feeding effect on performance of broilers. Hydrothermal treatment of wheat bran was carried out at 55$^{\circ}C$ with pH 5.5 buffer solution. Phytate-P content of wheat bran decreased quadrically as the wheat bran: buffer solution ratio increased from 1:0.5 to 1:5. Phytate-P degradation was not significantly affected by incubation times above 10 min., drying temperature (55$^{\circ}C$, 65$^{\circ}C$ and 75$^{\circ}C$) or pH of the buffer solution (5.5 and 7.0). A feeding trial was conducted with 240 sex separated d-old broiler chickens (Ross$^{\circledR}$). Broilers were randomly housed to 24 cages of 10 birds each. Six cages (3 of each sex) were assigned to 4 treatments: Control-normal level of non-phytate-P (NPP); LP-low NPP treatment which had 0.1% lower NPP than Control; LPWB-LP with wheat bran which provided 475 IU of plant phytase per kg diet; LPHWB-LP with hydrothermally treated wheat bran. Results of the feeding trial showed that broilers in the LP treatment gained significantly less than other treatments in starter period (1-21d) but only male broilers for growing LP gained significantly less than Control in the grower (22-35d) and overall period. There were no significant differences in weight gain among the birds of LPWB, LPHWB and Control. Feed intake during the overall period was not significantly different between LPWB and Control but that of LP was lower than LPHWB and that of LPHWB was lower than Control. Feed/gain ratio was significantly lower in LPHWB and LP than in Control and LPWP. Mortality was highest in LPHWB. Availability of crude fat, crude ash and Ca was significantly lower in LP than other treatments. Availability of P and Zn was higher in LPWB and LPHWB than in Control and LP. Availability of P, Mg and Zn was highest in LPHWP treatment. Excretion of P was significantly lower in low NPP treatments than in Control. Serum Ca level was highest whereas serum P level was lowest in LP. Tibial crude ash content was higher in wheat bran treatments, but lower in LP than Control. However, tibial Ca content was higher in Control and LP than wheat bran treatments. Tibial P content of LP and LPWB was lower than Control. However, tibial content of Fe was highest in LP. It was concluded that wheat bran, a source of plant phytase, could be used in low NPP broiler diets to prevent the depression of performance. Reduction of P excretion can be achieved concomitantly. Hydrothermal treatment of wheat bran was effective in improving utilizability of some minerals but was not effective in improving performance of broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1145-1151
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the relative bioavailability (RBV) of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-$D_3$) to cholecalciferol (vitamin $D_3$) in 1- to 21-d-old broiler chickens fed with calcium (Ca)- and phosphorus (P)-deficient diets. On the day of hatch, 450 female Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned to nine treatments, with five replicates of ten birds each. The basal diet contained 0.50% Ca and 0.25% non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) and was not supplemented with vitamin D. Vitamin $D_3$ was fed at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and $20.0{\mu}g/kg$, and 25-OH-$D_3$ was fed at 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and $10.0{\mu}g/kg$. The RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ was determined using vitamin $D_3$ as the standard source by the slope ratio method. Vitamin $D_3$ and 25-OH-$D_3$ intake was used as the independent variable for regression analysis. The linear relationships between the level of vitamin $D_3$ or 25-OH-$D_3$ and body weight gain (BWG) and the weight, length, ash weight, and the percentage of ash, Ca, and P in femur, tibia, and metatarsus of broiler chickens were observed. Using BWG as the criterion, the RBV value of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ was 1.85. Using the mineralization of the femur, tibia, and metatarsus as criteria, the RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ ranged from 1.82 to 2.45, 1.86 to 2.52, and 1.65 to 2.05, respectively. These data indicate that 25-OH-$D_3$ is approximately 2.03 times as active as vitamin $D_3$ in promoting growth performance and bone mineralization in broiler chicken diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1501-1509
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• 2003

The simultaneous addition of xylanase (5,600 EXU/kg) and phytase (500 FTU/kg) feed enzymes to wheat-based broiler diets was investigated. Starter, grower and finisher diets, with three tiers of nutrient specifications, were fed to 1,440 broiler chicks kept on deep litter from 1-42 days post-hatch, without and with xylanase plus phytase, to determine the effects of diet type and enzyme supplementation on growth performance. The nutrient specifications of type A diets were standard; energy density and protein/amino acid levels were reduced on a least-cost basis to formulate type B diets and further reduced to type C diets. Phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) levels were adjusted in supplemented diets. From 1-42 days post-hatch, diet type significantly influenced growth performance. Birds on type C diets had lower growth rates (2,429 vs. 2,631 g/bird; p<0.001), higher feed intakes (4,753 vs. 4,534 g/bird; p<0.005) and less efficient feed conversion (1.96 vs. 1.72; p<0.001) than birds offered type A diets. Enzyme supplementation increased growth rates by 3.2% (2,580 vs. 2,501 g/bird; p<0.005) and improved feed efficiency by 2.7% (1.80 vs. 1.85; p<0.05) over the entire feeding period. There were no interactions between diet type and enzyme supplementation. At 21 days, 5 out of 30 birds per pen were transferred to cages to ascertain treatment effect on apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and nitrogen (N) retention. Xylanase plus phytase enhanced AME (13.48 to 13.91 MJ/kg DM; p<0.001) and N retention (56.3 to 59.7%; p<0.005). Carcass and breast weights of the caged birds were determined following commercial processing. Diet type significantly influenced breast weight, carcass weight and yield. Birds offered Type A diets, in comparison to Type C diets, supported heavier breast (467 vs. 424 g; p<0.001) and carcass weights (1,868 vs. 1,699 g; p<0.001) with superior carcass yields (71.8 vs. 70.6%; p<0.005). Enzyme addition increased carcass weight by 3.9% (1,752 vs. 1,821 g; p<0.005) and breast weight by 5.8% (431 vs. 456 g; p<0.01) without influencing yields. Feed ingredient costs per kg live weight gain and per kg carcass weight indicated that enzyme addition was economically feasible, where supplementation of Type A diets generated the most effective results. Importantly, soluble and total non-starch polysaccharide and phytate contents of the wheat used were typical by local standards. This study confirms the potential of supplementing wheat-based broiler diets with xylanase plus phytase but further investigations are required to define the most appropriate inclusion rates and dietary nutrient specifications in this context.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.857-864
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of interaction between $1{\alpha}$-hydroxycholecalciferol ($1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$) and phytase on growth performance, parameters of tibia and plasma, and meat quality of 1- to 21-d-old broilers. Two hundred and forty male, 1-d-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly assigned to 20 cages, with 12 chicks per cage. Five treatments were designed, with four cages each. A 2${\times}$2 factorial experiment was designed to test 0 and 5 ${\mu}g/kg$ of $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ in combination with 0 and 500 U/kg of phytase. A basal diet was formulated to contain 2.9 g/kg of non-phytate phosphorus (NPP), and the control diet was formulated to contain a normal level of NPP (4.5 g/kg). Results showed that $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ alone increased tibia ash, contents of calcium and phosphate, breaking strength, concentrations of plasma calcium and phosphate, and water-holding capacity of breast and thigh meat, while it decreased growth of broilers. Phytase alone improved performance and tibia quality. Although growth of broilers was lower than that of the positive control when the diet was supplemented with $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ and phytase, tibia quality was significantly improved by the addition of $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ and phytase. These data suggest that interaction between $1{\alpha}$-OH $D_3$ and phytase at 2.9 g/kg of dietary NPP could significantly increase bone quality of 1- to 21-d-old broilers, while not improving growth performance.