Effects of Fructooligosaccharide on Growth Performance and Intestinal Microflora and Morphology of Broiler Chicks

Four hundred and eighty avian broiler chicks were allotted to four groups by weight to study the effects of fructooligosaccharide(FOS) on growth performance, intestinal microflora and morphology. Every group included three replicate lots of forty birds each. The groups received the same basal diet supplemented with 0, 2 000, 4 000, 6 000 mg/kg FOS respectively during the period of 1 to 49 days posthatching. Compared with the control group, the results were as follows:(1) 4 000 mg/kg FOS increased ADG by 9.53%(P0.01) while 2 000 and 4 000 mg/kg FOS decreased F/G by 5.09%(P0.05) and 7.87%(P0.05). (2) 4 000 mg/kg FOS increased the viable counts of cecal Bifidobacteria and total anaerobes by 257.65%(P0.05) and 100.00%(P0.05), respectively and lowered the viable counts of Clostridia by 79.36%(P0.05). 2 000 and 4 000 mg/kg FOS increased the viable counts of Lactobacilli by 45.73%(P0.05) and 67.97%(P0.01),and reduced the viable counts of Colibacillus by 75.71%(P0.05) and 71.35%(P0.05), respectively. (3) Supplementation with 4 000 and 6 000 mg/kg FOS significantly increased the concentrations of cecal acetate, butyrate, and the total short-chain fatty acids by 23.25%(P0.05) and 26.08%(P0.05), 144.36%(P0.05) and 202.97%(P0.01), 47.08%(P0.01) and 58.31%(P0.01), respectively. Supplementation with 2 000, 4 000 and 6 000 mg/kg FOS significantly increased the concentration of colonic propionate by 45.27%(P0.05), 73.22%(P0.01) and 89.37(P0.01), respectively. (4) 4 000 and 6 000 mg/kg FOS increased the cecal muscosal crypt depth and the cecal muscosal cell density by 22.62%(P0.05) and 25.72%(P0.01), 19.28%(P0.05) and 23.07%(P0.05), respectively.