1. It is generally believed that fibre content of feedstuffs is associated with their bulkiness.
2. In some cases, however, there is no marked relationship between the two.
a) For example, although wheat bran is one of the bulkiest feedstuffs included in feed mixtures for chickens, it contains only about one third as much fibre as do sunflower seeds which are one of the less bulky feeds (9% crude fibre in wheat bran compared with 26% in sunflower seeds.
3. Although the general opinion of poultry producers and feed manufacturers is that the fibre content of the rations should be kept below 7%, production does not appear to be influenced much by some increase to 8-10%.
4. Studies on broilers showed no adverse effects of such a level of fibre from any source on chicken growth, mortality and feed consumption. With layers, there was no effect on egg production
5. Dietary fibre is preferentially utilised by Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria species which lead to production of lactic acid and short chain fatty acids. This results in a low pH which will maintain the normal microorganism population, thus preventing the establishment of Salmonella and other pathogens in the gastrointestinal tract.
6. The relationship of fibre content of the ration and prevention of cannibalism is not fully understood.
7. Conceivably, it may be related to the increased consumption of feed and the time occupied in eating, or to the increased utilisation of sodium and potassium with high fibre diets, as will be indicated later.
9. Fibre provides energy to bacteria in the lower gastrointestinal tract where the bacteria use nitrogen that would otherwise be excreted as uric acid for bacterial protein synthesis.
10. Because the positive use of crude fibres in general has meanwhile been recognised for many breeds of poultry, the range of the raw materials used in the feed has also been extended. Whereas maize used to be the preferred cereal, nowadays wheat is used in particular, as well as other non conventional feed sources to a limited extent and sometimes even saw dust.
11. Adequate requirements of crude fibre in poultry feed is required for the development of the digestive tract in rearing animals (e.g. pullets) in order to facilitate adequate feed intake from the start of laying activity to the peak of laying
-stimulation of gizzard development
– stabilisation of the intestinal flora and therefore improvement in faecal consistency (better litter quality in barn rearing,
– fewer dirty eggs in all types of housing systems
– prevention of digestive disorders
therefore reduces the tendency towards (toe and => delete) feather pecking,
– eating feathers and cannibalism (especially with laying hens).
Dr V. Rajendra Prasad
(Poultry Consultant)
