Evaluation Of Chromium Propionate And A Butyric Acid-Zinc Complex On Broiler Growth Performance, Corticosterone Level And Yield
Abstract
Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of chromium propionate (CP)
and butyric acid-zinc complex (BAZ) on broiler performance and processing yields. Experiment
1 evaluated CP inclusion on broiler growth performance when reared on used litter. A total of
36 pens with 720 chicks were randomly assigned to 3 treatments (12 reps/treatment; 20 birds/
treatment): control (no CP), 100 ppb, and 200 ppb CP. Experiment 2 evaluated CP combined
with BAZ on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality when fed to broilers reared in
simulated heat stress. A total of 1680 broilers (15 replicates per treatment and 28 bird/replicate)
were raised in a completely randomized 2x2 block design (CRBD) fed CP at (0 or 200 ppb) and
BAZ at 0 or 132 g butyric acid and 55 g of zinc. . Chicks were placed into 60 pens based on
body weight. Broilers were kept in a tunnel-ventilated house during July and August to simulate
summer heat stress. For both experiments, feed intake and body weight were collected biweekly,
and at the termination of the trial a subsample of birds were processed to determine processing
weights, yield percentage, and woody breast/white striping presence and severity scoring. On d
42 in experiment 2, 30 birds per treatment/2 birds per pen were sampled to determine plasma
corticosterone levels. Results from experiment 1 indicate the addition of 200 ppb CP
significantly improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) through d 42 (1.61 vs 1.58) and carcass yield
by 1.48% (P=0.006) compared with the control diet. In addition, the inclusion of 200 ppb of CP
significantly increased breast weigh by 41g (P=0.029). Therefore, the dietary inclusion of CP can
be advantageous on broiler growth performance and processing yields. Results from experiment
2 indicated improvements (P<0.05) with the addition of CP at 200ppb in feed conversion ratio,
increased breast meat yield, and decreased total mortality. The diet containing the combination
of BAZ and CP reduced (p<0.05) average woody breast score. In conclusion, these data confirm
the ability of CP to improve performance and yield in broilers exposed to environmental and heat
stress.
Citation
Lester III, Thomas Eugene (2018). Evaluation Of Chromium Propionate And A Butyric Acid-Zinc Complex On Broiler Growth Performance, Corticosterone Level And Yield. Master's thesis, Texas A & M University. Available electronically from https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /174587.