Influence of chicory feeding on performance and gut development in broilers :

Abstract: Chicory is a fibre-rich plant with potential prebiotic capacity. In the present investigation, day-old broilers were fed in 27 days with eight different experimental diets. Different harvests time and levels of chicory and inclusion of inulin were tested of their influence on broiler performance. The histological approach was used to assess the gut development by measuring villus height and crypt depth. The growth response was slightly increased in broilers fed 6% chicory collected in September, comparing with control group (P < 0.05) in the first part of the feeding period (0 to 13 days), but diminished at the end of the experiment. Moreover, the FCR (feed conversion ratio) of chickens were noticed affected by experimental diets significantly during the whole course. The cecum morphology was negatively impacted (P < 0.05) by chicory supplementation in broilers, as well as in inulin and the combined groups. Nevertheless, there were no significant differences (P > 0.05) found in parameters such as organ weight and length, as well as pH value in chicken cecum in our work. Taken together, the results in the current study indicated that the performance of broilers fed on certain levels and harvests of chicory could be improved, especially in early age. These inclusions of chicory and inulin may also alter the bird intestine morphology.