THE EFFECT OF ADDED COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES OR ADDED DIETARY FIBER ON NECROTIC ENTERITIS LESIONS IN BROILER-CHICKENS

Two trials utilizing two corn diets and four wheat diets were conducte d. Ln Trial 2, all chicks were crop-infused at 9 d of age with Eimeria acervulina. Ln both trials, a broth culture of Clostridium perfringen s was mixed with the diets for 3 consecutive d. Necrotic enteritis les ion scores were lowest in chickens consuming the corn diet with no C. perfringens and highest in chickens fed the wheat diets with C. perfri ngens. Chickens consuming a wheat diet with no added complex carbohydr ates or added fiber exhibited the highest lesion score. Chickens on wh eat diets with 4% new, ground, pine shavings had intestinal lesion sco res intermediate to those of chickens that consumed the wheat or corn diets. Chickens consuming corn diets yielded the lowest lesion scores. Chickens provided diets containing either guar gum or pectin were not fully consumed and thus probably reduced the number of challenge orga nisms ingested.