WHEAT: COMPOSITION AND FEEDING VALUE FOR POULTRY - Soybean and Wheat Crops: Growth, Fertilization, and Yield - page 254

examined the effect of other whole grains in broiler diets. Poultry can be offered whole grain
using three techniques, namely, (1) Free choice feeding, where the birds reared in a flock are
offered whole grain and another feed in separate feeders ad libitum, and they have the choice
to select ingredients, (2) Mix feeding, where the whole grain is substituted for a part of
ground grain in a pelleted complete diet or adding whole grain on top of the complete diet in
the same feeder at the same time or (3) Sequential feeding, where the whole grain is fed in
sequence with the other feed. In general, free choice feeding of whole grain with a balancer
diet or a complete diet has been reported to result in poor live weight gains, but the effect on
feed efficiency is variable between studies. There appears to be a general consensus that
inclusion of whole grain in broiler diets using mixed feeding technique will have no adverse
effect on broiler performance.
Several studies have demonstrated the beneficial effects of whole grain feeding on
nutrient utilization, which may be related to the positive effect of whole grain on gizzard
development. A more developed gizzard is associated with increased grinding activity,
resulting in increased gut motility and greater digestion of nutrients. Higher gizzard
functionality may also play a positive role in the control of bacterial populations in the gut
and on gut health.
C ONCLUSION
Amongst the cereal grains, wheat is considered as having the most variable composition.
In particular, the variability in AME values is a difficult problem for the feed industry and
limits the use of wheat in diets for poultry, especially the young birds. It is believed that the
soluble NSP fraction (consisting mainly of arabinoxylans) is the major factor contributing to
the observed variability in wheat AME. However, exogenous xylanase preparations have
been effective in mitigating the adverse effects of NSP, minimizing the variation in AME and
improving the performance of poultry fed wheat-based diets. With the inclusion of exogenous
enzymes, wheat is an excellent energy source for poultry and can be used in poultry feed
formulations without any restriction.
R EFERENCES
Annison, G. (1991). Relationship between the levels of soluble non-starch polysaccharides
and the apparent metabolisable energy of wheats assayed in broiler nutrition. Journal of
Agricultural Food Chemistry , 39, 1252-1256.
Annison, G. (1993). The role of wheat non-starch polysaccharides in broiler nutrition.
Australian Journal of Agricultural Research , 44, 405-422.
Austin, S. C., Wiseman, J. & Chesson, A. (1999). Influence of non-starch polysaccharides
structure on the metabolisable energy of UK wheat fed to poultry. Journal of Cereal
Science , 29, 77-88.
Bedford, M. R. (1997). Reduced viscosity of intestinal digesta and enhanced nutrient
digestibility in chickens given exogenous enzymes. In R. R. Marquardt, & Z. Han (Eds.),