Bioefficacy of enzyme preparations containing beta-glucanase and xylanase activities in broiler diets based on barley or wheat, in combination with flavomycin.

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of two enzyme preparations containing beta-glucanase and xylanase activities on barley- and wheat-based diets, respectively, for broilers, in combination with flavomycin. In addition, the stability of the enzyme preparations after pelleting was measured. Temperatures recorded during the pelleting process reached 75 to 80 C, and the activities recovered with respect to the amounts present in the mash feed before pelleting were 80% or higher. Two performance experiments were conducted simultaneously under the same conditions over 6 wk. In addition, intestinal viscosity and incidence of vent pasting were measured and carcasses were eviscerated to determine abdominal fat, carcass yield, and percentage weight of intestines and viscera. Twenty-four pens (12 per sex), each containing 75 chickens were used in each experiment. Wheat- or barley-based diets were supplemented with flavomycin and a xylanase or a beta-glucanase preparation, respectively, in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. In the wheat diets, xylanase and flavomycin improved feed efficiency, in parallel with a reduction of intestinal viscosity. Xylanase reduced the incidence of vent pasting and the percentage viscera, especially of intestines, and increased abdominal fat. In the barley diets, beta-glucanase and flavomycin improved feed conversion. beta-Glucanase also reduced intestinal viscosity and vent pasting. Both beta-glucanase and flavomycin reduced percentage intestines, but the effects were not additive. In general, the effects of the enzyme preparations and flavomycin were independent, except for percentage intestines with beta-glucanase.

[Ethologic selection studies with early weaned piglets kept in pens with different use of straw. 3. Results of studies of the position sequence of area size and stall air temperature]. / Ethologische Wahlversuche mit frühabgesetzten Ferkeln während der Haltung in Buchten mit unterschiedlicher Anwendung von Stroh. 3. Mitteilung: Ergebnisse der Untersuchungen zur Rangfolge der Flächengrösse und der Stallufttemperatur.

In continuation of our earlier investigations on the range of environmental factors in housing systems with perforated floors and the experiments with or without free choice on litter or deep litter the effects of the size of the area and the environmental temperatures on the behaviour of early weaned piglets (8 kg to 30 kg) kept on litter and deep litter have been investigated. Both factors had a crucial but diametrical influence. While for the total activity of the pigs the size of the compartment proved more important than room temperature, for the total inactivity it was the other way around. Therefore some essential requirements have to be obeyed even for housing systems with litter or deep litter, which can be considered more suitable for the housing of pigs from the start on. Because of their different importance for the activity (20% of the total behaviour) and the inactivity (80%) the factors can't replace each other. For housing systems with litter size allocation shouldn't amount less than 0.45 m2/animal and with deep litter not less than 0.70 m2/animal with room temperatures starting at about 25 degrees C and 20 degrees C, respectively.