Desempenho e morfometria intestinal em frangos alimentados com ração à base de sorgo grão inteiro e moído em diferentes fases de criação

Abstract

The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of diets based on sorghum grain, whole and ground, supplied to broilers at different stages of creation, on the performance, organs and intestinal mucosa morphometry, and goblet cell count. We performed a food program composed of four phases, with the diets based on sorghum without tannin and corn, divided into treatments: ground grain sorghum; ground corn grain; whole sorghum grain from housing (pre-starter); whole sorghum grain from the initial ration; whole sorghum grain from the fattening ration; whole sorghum grain on the housing and ground sorghum grain from the starter feed; and whole grain sorghum in the housing and ground corn from the initial feed. At 42 days old data of feed intake, live weight gain, real and traditional feed conversion, and viability we evaluated. Five animals from each treatment were slaughtered, and organs collected for morphometric evaluation and goblet cells quantification. At 42 days of age the inclusion of whole or ground sorghum secured higher body weight and better feed conversion than corn ground. We observed greater duodenal villus height, smaller crypt depth and greater absorption area in animals of treatment whole grain sorghum in the housing and ground corn from the initial feed, compared to whole sorghum grain from the fattening ration. The use of sorghum grain, free of tannin, from housing, or included in the initial or fattening stages of broiler raising, assured satisfactory performance characteristics, without affecting the morphometric parameters of gastrointestinal tube, accessory glands and intestinal goblet cells proliferation.