Morfometria do trato gastrintestinal e qualidade de carcaça de frangos de corte alimentados com sorgo grão inteiro

Abstract

Nowadays there are no more discussions related to the efficience use of sorghum in feed of broilers as well as anatomo-physiological changes triggered by the larger particle size of the ration particle. The success of the combination of these factors can lead to great economic advantage in the modern poultry industry. In this sense, three experiments were carried out in order to evaluate the effect of whole grain sorghum compared to maize and milled sorghum on the gastrointestinal tract and on carcass characteristics of broilers at 7 and 42 day old. The whole sorghum grain: (1) In broilers at 7 and 42 day old it provides greater body weight, due to its higher digestibility and increased gizzard weight by exercising greater mechanical work because of the larger particle size; (2) It increases duodenal crypt depth at 7 and 42 day old and jejunum at 42 day old without, however, affecting the characteristic of the villi of the small intestine and absorption surface area of intestinal mucosa in both evaluated age, (3) It does not affect the relative weight and length of the intestine, (4) It can replace corn without harming the commercial cuts yield as well as the chemical characteristics of the carcass; (5) It increases the visceral content and it is not advantageous for the carcass yield; for this purpose it is recommended to use the milled grain sorghum; (6) It excludes costs with grinding reducing the production cost of poultry.