In the journal, Poultry Science, K.R. Perryman of Auburn University and co-authors there and at Agriculture Research Service's Poultry Research Unit in Mississippi State report two experiments to determine the effects of diets containing low oligosaccharide soybean meals (SBM) on growth performance, meat yields and physiological variables of broilers during a six-week production period.

In experiment 1, six hundred Ross × Ross 708 male chicks were randomly distributed to 24 floor pens (25 birds per pen; 0.09 square metres per bird at one day of age). Birds were fed a diet based on corn, soybean meal and poultry by-product meal with either low-oligosaccharide (LOSBM) or control SBM (CSBM) from one to 40 days of age.

In experiment 2, 1,500 Ross × Ross 708 male chicks were randomly distributed to 60 floor pens (25 birds per pen; 0.09 square metres per bird at one day of age). Broilers were fed diets based on corn, soybean meal and poultry by-product meal containing one of three soyben meal sources - CSBM, LOSBM or ultra-low oligosaccharide SBM (ULSBM) - and formulated with moderate or reduced AMEn concentrations (25kcal per kg reduction) resulting in a 3 × 2 factorial design. Diets were formulated using AMEn and digestible amino acid values determined from previous research utilising the same SBM types.

Variables measured consisted of bodyweight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, mortality, carcass weight and yield, abdominal fat percentage, total breast meat weight and yield, digesta viscosities and pH, plasma non-esterfied fatty acids, plasma glucose and plasma triglycerides.

In experiment 1, broilers fed diets containing LOSBM had increased bodyweight gain (P=0.020) and decreased (P<0.001) feed conversion from one to 14 days of age. Abdominal fat percentage was higher (P<0.001) for birds fed LOSBM than CSBM.

In experiment 2, no differences were observed for interaction effects or main effects of energy concentration. Feed conversion ratio was lower (P<0.001) for broilers fed diets containing ULSBM than LOSBM and CSBM from one to 28 and one to 42 days of age.

Broilers fed diets formulated with ULSBM had higher (P<0.05) carcass yield than those fed diets with CSBM. Total breast yield was higher (P=0.021) for birds fed diets containing LOSBM and ULSBM than CSBM. Abdominal fat percentage was higher (P=0.027) for broilers fed diets containing LOSBM than CSBM.

Perryman and co-authors note that diets formulated with LOSBM and ULSBM required approximately 45 per cent less supplemental fat, and broilers fed these diets exhibited no adverse effects on growth performance and meat yields compared with broilers fed diets containing CSBM.

Reference

^{Perryman K.R., H. Olanrewaju and W.A. Dozier III. 2013. Growth performance and meat yields of broiler chickens fed diets containing low and ultra-low oligosaccharide soybean meals during a 6-week production period. Poult. Sci. 92(5):1292-1304. doi: 10.3382/ps.2012-02723}

June 2013