Inclusion of Stored Wheat in the Feed of Broilers Influences Intake, Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, and Digesta Viscosity from 1-21 Days of Age

ABSTRACT The objective of the current study was to examine the effect of replacing maize with new or stored wheat on the nutrient intake, digestibility, digesta viscosity, and growth performance of growing broilers from 1-21 days of age. For this purpose, 560 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly divided into seven experimental treatments, each with 8 replicates of 10 birds. The control diet was a corn soybean-based diet, while six other experimental treatments replaced the corn of the control diet with either 50% or 100% of new, 1.5 year, and 2.5-year-old wheat. The results showed that the replacement of corn with new wheat at 50% and 100% in the diet of broilers significantly reduced feed intake and body weight gain, and increased FCR (p<0.05) at week 3. Similarly, in the overall period of the starter phase (1-21 days), replacement of corn with new wheat at 50% and 100% in the diet of broilers significantly reduced feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and body weight gain, and increased digesta viscosity and FCR (p<0.05). Based on the findings of the current study, it is concluded that stored wheat successfully replaces corn and new wheat in the diet of broilers. Furthermore, stored wheat has a positive impact on feed intake, performance parameter, digesta viscosity, and nutrient digestibility as compared to new wheat.