Effects of a rice diet and phytase addition on growth performance, tissue weights, phosphorus and nitrogen retention, and on liver threonine dehydrogenase, malic enzyme and fatty acid synthase activities in broiler chicks

Abstract

This experiment was conducted to clarify the nutritional functions of rice and phytase addition for broiler chicks. Thirty-six 7-day-old male chicks (ROSS 308 strain) were assigned to one of the four treatment groups: corn- or rice-based diet groups and each diet with added phytase (2000 phytase units/kg diet) groups (corn + P or rice + P groups). The non-phytate phosphorus (npP) content in the diets with added phytase was approximately half of the requirement. Body weight gain and feed intake in the rice group was significantly higher than those in the corn group. Breast and thigh muscle weights and nitrogen retention in the rice group were significantly higher than that in the corn group. Although the efficiency of phosphorus retention (%) in the corn + P group was significantly higher than that in the corn group, no significant difference was observed between the rice and rice + P groups. Liver threonine dehydrogenase activity in the corn group was significantly higher than in the other three groups. These results indicate that rice is superior to corn as a starter diet in broiler chicks, and that phytase action in the rice-based diet was less than that in the corn-based diet.

Effects of rice feeding on growth performance and protein (amino acids) metabolism in weanling piglets

“…Nevertheless, recently, much attention has been focused on rice feeding, as it improves growth performance (Mateos, Lopez, Latorre, Vicent, & Lazaro, ; Mateos, Martin, Latorre, Vicente, & Lazaro, ; Parera, Lazaro, Serrano, Valencia, & Mateos, ; Vicente, Valencia, Serrano, Lazaro, & Mateos, , ; Yagami & Takada, ) and reduces occurrences of diarrhea (Pluske, Black, Pethick, Mullan, & Hampson, ; Pluske et al, ) in weanling piglets. Similar improvement of growth performance has also been reported in chicks (Ebling et al, ; Fujimoto, Fujita, & Takada, ; Gonzalez‐Alvarade, Jimenez‐Moreno, Lazaro, & Mateos, ; Jimenez‐Moreno, Gonzalez‐Alvarado, Lazaro, & Mateos, ). In our previous report (Yagami & Takada, ), plasma urea nitrogen (PUN) in rice‐fed piglets was significantly lower than that in corn‐fed piglets, suggesting that rice feeding might reduce the protein and amino acids degradation.…”

Effects of Dietary Brown Rice and Sake Lees on the Growth Performance and Color of Meat in Broiler Chicks

“…These results suggest that rice feeding during 21 to 42 days of age does not have any detrimental effects on the growth of broiler chicks. Prior evidence suggests that dietary corn can be replaced with rice during the starter period in broiler chicks[ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]. Together, these findings suggest that brown rice can be used as a replacement for corn throughout the feeding period in commercial broiler chicks.…”

“…Rice is a promising candidate for replacing corn in feed. For example, brown rice may provide more benefits than those from corn in broiler chicks from 7 to 21[ 3 ] or 10 to 24[ 4 ] days of age. Nanto et al.…”

Effects of rice feeding and carnitine addition on growth performance and mRNA expression of protein metabolism‐related genes in broiler grower chicks

“…It is generally utilized for human food, but it is also used as an animal feed. In studies on piglets and broilers, some researchers have recently suggested that feeding piglets and broilers a rice diet instead of a corn diet improves growth performance (Ebling et al., 2015; Fujimoto, Fujita, & Takada, 2018; González‐Alvarado, Jiménez‐Moreno, Lázaro, & Mateos, 2007; Mateos, Martin, Latorre, Vicente, & Lazaro, 2006; Tasaka, Tachihara, Kagawa, & Takada, 2020; Vicente, Valencia, Pérez‐Serrano, Lázaro, & Mateos, 2008; Yagami & Takada, 2017). Feeding rice to pigs and chickens is a common practice all over the world, and interest in the use of rice‐based diets in broiler production has recently increased in Japan.…”

“…Limited information is available on additives to rice diets for broiler chicks. We have shown that the action of phytase was different between corn‐ and rice‐based diets (Fujimoto et al., 2018). This indicates that different grain types affect the actions of feed additives.…”