Effect of β-glucanase/pentosanase enzyme supplementation on the performance of chickens and laying hens fed wheat, barley, naked oats and rye diets

Abstract

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of β-glucanase/pentosanase enzyme complex (Trichoderma viride, Roxazyme® G) on the performance of Leghorn chicks and laying hens fed wheat, barley, oats or rye diets. In the first experiment, enzyme addition (0.2 and 0.4 g kg−1) improved weight gain and feed efficiency in Leghorn chicks fed hulless barley (45 and 18%, respectively) and naked oat-based diets (35 and 15%, respectively). No response to dietary enzymes was evident when chicks were given the wheat diet. In the second experiment, the addition of Roxazyme® G to diets containing hulless barley (0.1 g kg−1) and rye (4.0 g kg−1) improved feed consumption (8 and 16%, respectively), weight gain (21 and 35%, respectively) and feed-to-gain ratios (11 and 14%, respectively). Relative gizzard weights of birds fed the rye diet were reduced by 18% when enzyme was added to this diet. In the third experiment, replacing all the wheat with hulless barley, naked oats or rye in diets for young pullets had no effect on overall performance during a 12-wk laying trial. Vent feather soilage increased with the incorporation of naked oats and rye. Enzyme supplementation had a beneficial effect on weight gain and feed intake but not on egg production, initial egg weight, average egg weight, egg specific gravity, Haugh unit score, and mortality. Key words: Grain, chickens, laying hens, dietary enzyme