THE NUTRITIVE-VALUE OF BARLEY, RYE, WHEAT AND CORN FOR YOUNG CHICKS AS AFFECTED BY USE OF A TRICHODERMA-REESEI ENZYME PREPARATION

Two experiments were conducted to establish the effect on the performa nce of growing Leghorn chicks of different concentrations of a crude e nzyme preparation when added to diets containing high amounts of barle y, rye, wheat or com. In the first experiment it was shown that the en zyme which had high xylanase and cellulase activities considerably imp roved (P< 0.05) weight gains when added to diets containing the three cereals, especially barley and rye, but not when added to the com diet . The feed to gain ratios were also improved (P<0.05) in chicks fed ba rley and rye. Low compared with high concentrations of the enzyme prod uced similar effects. Similar improvements were obtained in the second experiment with the response to an enzyme addition being the same for chicks given diets containing the low concentration (0.5 g kg-1) comp ared with those fed diets having the highest concentration (2 g kg-1) of the enzyme. The improvements (P<0.05) in feed intake, body mass gai n and feed to gain ratios were 11%, 18% and 6% for barley and 12%, 28% and 12% for rye, respectively. Only the feed to gain ratio was improv ed for the wheat diet (4%). The addition of enzyme to the corn-based d iet did not affect these three parameters in chicks (P>0.05). The whea t and barley-based diets that were supplemented with enzyme yielded we ight gains that were the same as obtained with the corn diets. Enzyme supplementation also improved (P<0.05) the apparent metabolizable ener gy of diets containing barley, rye and wheat by 12%, 10% and 4%, respe ctively but not the diet containing com. Apparent protein and dry matt er digestibilities were both improved by 6% and 9% in barley and rye-f ed chicks, respectively. Com (maize) and wheat values were not affecte d (P>0.05). Enzyme treatment reduced the water content of the colon in birds fed diets containing all of the different grains (P<0.05) with the effect being greatest for chicks fed barley (6%) and wheat (5%), i ntermediate for those fed rye (3%) and lowest for the com-fed birds (1 %). These results demonstrate that a low dietary inclusion rate of a c rude enzyme preparation that has high activities of two enzymes (xylan ase and cellulase) can considerably improve the nutritional value of b arley and rye, probably that of wheat, but not that of corn.