This study was to examine if it is possible to accelerate sorghum digestion in broiler chickens by targeting fermentation of the xylan. Cobb 500 broilers (n = 960, 80 birds per treatment) were fed 12 sorghum-soybean meal-based dietary treatments fed as 3 phases (starter d 0 to 12, grower d 13 to 23, finisher d 24 to 35), with 8 replicate pens of 10 birds per treatment. For half of the treatments (n = 6), 10% of the sorghum in the diet was directly replaced with 10% wheat bran, as a source of fermentable fibre. The diets were supplemented with either 0, 50 or 2,000 mg/kg xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS), with or without xylanase application. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion corrected for mortality (cFCR) was determined at d 0 to 35, and male and female body weight were measured on d 35. On d 35, ileum and caeca samples were collected from 2 birds per pen, for determination of caecal cellulase and xylanase activity, microbiota composition and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration, and ileal XOS concentration. Supplementation with 2,000 mg/kg XOS caused increased BWG at d 0 to 35 (P = 0.007) and enhanced caecal propionic, valeric and succinic acid concentration (P < 0.05). Wheat bran increased FI (P = 0.018) and BWG (P = 0.016), as well as caecal Bifidobacteria concentration (P < 0.001). Ileal XOS concentration was greatest when feeding combined wheat bran, 2,000 mg/kg XOS, and xylanase, resulting in increased caecal total SCFA, acetic acid and butyric acid concentration, and xylanase and cellulase activity (P < 0.05). Results from this study present that feed efficiency in birds fed sorghum-based diets is improved as a consequence of supplementing with fermentable fibre, xylanase and XOS.

本研究旨在检验是否有可能通过针对木聚糖的发酵来加速肉鸡的高粱消化。 Cobb 500 只肉鸡（ n = 960，每次处理 80 只鸡）饲喂 12 种以高粱-豆粕为基础的日粮处理，分 3 个阶段饲喂（开胃日 0 至 12，生长日 13 至 23，育肥日 24 至 35），其中 8每次处理重复 10 只鸡的围栏。对于一半的处理（ n = 6），饮食中 10% 的高粱直接用 10% 麦麸代替，作为可发酵纤维的来源。日粮中添加 0、50 或 2,000 mg/kg 低聚木糖 (XOS)，无论是否应用木聚糖酶。在第 0 至 35 天测定体重增加 (BWG)、采食量 (FI) 和校正死亡率的饲料转化率 (cFCR)，并在第 35 天测量雄性和雌性体重。在第 35 天，采集回肠和盲肠样本。从每栏 2 只鸡收集，用于测定盲肠纤维素酶和木聚糖酶活性、微生物群组成和短链脂肪酸 (SCFA) 浓度以及回肠 XOS 浓度。补充 2,000 mg/kg XOS 导致第 0 至 35 天的体重增加 ( P = 0.007)，并增加盲肠丙酸、戊酸和琥珀酸浓度 ( P < 0.05)。麦麸增加了 FI ( P = 0.018) 和 BWG ( P = 0.016) 以及盲肠双歧杆菌浓度 ( P < 0.001)。当饲喂组合麦麸、2,000 mg/kg XOS 和木聚糖酶时，回肠 XOS 浓度最高，导致盲肠总 SCFA、乙酸和丁酸浓度以及木聚糖酶和纤维素酶活性增加 ( P < 0.05)。 这项研究的结果表明，补充可发酵纤维、木聚糖酶和低聚木糖后，饲喂以高粱为主的饲料的鸟类的饲料效率得到了提高。