This experiment was conducted to assess the effect of the addition of a fiber source on growth performance and gastrointestinal tract in 7–28 day broiler chicken. In total, of 1600 mixed-sex Cobb 500 chicks aged 7 days were assigned to 4 treatments composed of 4 replicates with 100 birds per replicate. The 4 treatments were: control diet (T1), control diet + 0.6% commercial fiber source 1 (T2), control diet + 1% commercial fiber source 2 (T3), control diet + 2% rice hulls (T4). The addition of fiber did not affect on growth performance, relative weight, and digestive length of broiler chickens aged 7 to 28 days. In summary, adding some fiber at a moderate level as insoluble fiber not any negative impact on growth performance and gastrointestinal development, and can be a strategy to reduce feed cost in broiler farming.

Fiber is one of the essential nutrients for broiler chickens. This meta-analysis was carried out to investigate the impacts of fiber fraction ratio on broiler chickens growth performance, digestive characteristics, and nutritional digestibility. The database was compiled from 15 publications reports on the addition of fiber sources in broilers feed. To analyze the effect of acid detergent fiber (ADF) / neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ratio, the mixed model technique was utilized, with ADF/NDF ratio in the feed as a fixed effect and the experiment as a random effect. The ADF/NDF ratio in the feed had no effect on average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed per gain ratio in this research. Moreover, a decrease in ADF/NDF ratio in broiler chicken feed increased the relative weight of the gizzard. The relative weight and length of the small intestine and cecum were not affected by the ADF/NDF ratio in the feed. The ADF/NDF ratio in feed enhanced ileal digestibility and total tract apparent retention of most nutrients. The ADF/NDF ratio in the feed had no effect on the jejunal morphology. The minimum ADF/NDF ratio of 0.37 in the feed led to the maximum growth performance, digestive tract development, and optimal nutrient digestibility. In conclusion, controlling the ratio of fiber fraction in broiler chickens feed can improve broiler performance in the non-antibiotic growth promoters era.

<p>In AGP ban era, addition of a fiber source in broiler feed improves the performance and development of the gastrointestinal tract. This paper aims to describe the differences in fiber analysis methods and the effect of  fiber source addition on growth, development of the gastrointestinal tract, and microbiota profile in the digestive tract of broilers. Oat hulls, sugar beet pulp, rice hulls, pea hulls, sunflower hulls, wheat bran, and wood have been tested as fiber source in broiler feed. The effectiveness of fiber in increasing growth performance and stimulating the development of the gastrointestinal tract were influenced by the physico-chemical properties, level of addition, particle size, and fraction composition of the fiber source. Exploration of local fiber sources from Indonesia, which can have ability to increase growth performance and gastrointestinal tract development of broilers is needed to support food security in the future.</p>