• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.81-95
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• 2006

The large intestine of the chicken differs both anatomically and physiologically from the pig's large intestine and the men of the cow. The chicken's large intestine is less developed than the pig's large intestine or the cow's lumen. This paper summaries these differences. The chicken's large intestine contains a microbiological population similar to that found in the rumen. The chicken's caeca especially contains a large number of microorganisms, but this population varies according to age, fred, maturity, antibiotic use and etc.. Protein is an essential nutrient for the formation of intestinal microvilli. A study showed that the length of the small intestine was 63 % of the total gastrointestinal tract (GIT) length, while caecum was 8.1 %, and the colon and rectum were 4.6 %. The establishment of the microbial population of the small intestine occurs earlier than that of the caeca, but the identity of approximately 90 % of microbial population of the chicken GIT is hon. Recent studies have shown that energy, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and electrolytes that are found in the large intestine may be absorbed to a certain degree. The chicken small intestine is the primary location for digestion with a variety of enzymes being secreted here. Much research is being conducted into the digestion of sucrose thermal oligosaccharide caramel (STOP), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), mannanoligosaccharide (MOS), galactooligosaccharides (GOS) and isomalto-oligosaccharides (IMO) in the chicken caeca and large intestine. Excessive fibre content in the feed has detrimental effects, but proper fibre supplementation to chicken diets can improve the length and capacity of the small intestine.