EFFECTS OF GRADED DIETARY ORGANIC ZINC SUPPLEMENTATION ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE AND JEJUNAL HISTOMORPHOLOGY IN BROILER CHICKENS

Saif Khaleel Ibrahim

Авторы

Saif Khaleel Ibrahim Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, Tirkit University, Iraq

Ключевые слова:

Organic zinc, Zinc methionine, Broiler chickens, Jejunal histomorphology, Dietary supplementation

Аннотация

The present work examined how incremental inclusion of zinc methionine in broiler diets influences productive performance and the microarchitecture of the jejunal mucosa. A total of 120 day-old Ross 308 chicks were distributed among four dietary regimens: an unsupplemented basal ration serving as the control, and three rations fortified with zinc methionine to supply 20, 40, or 80 mg of elemental Zn per kilogram of feed. Every regimen was represented by three pens of ten birds each, and the trial was conducted until the birds reached 35 days of age. Productive responses were quantified in terms of live weight, weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio, whereas villus height, crypt depth, and their ratio were defined as the indicators of jejunal mucosal architecture. Preliminary evaluation of the performance data detected no significant dietary effect on final live weight, overall weight gain, cumulative feed consumption, or whole-period feed conversion efficiency. A treatment effect was only found in the 4th week (days 21-28); weight gain was higher in the 40 and 80 mg Zn/kg groups than in the 20 mg Zn/kg group, and feed conversion ratio was lower in the 40 and 80 mg Zn/kg groups than in the 20 mg Zn/kg group during the 4th week. These interval-specific divergences, however, disappeared when the full rearing period was considered. Notably, the allocation of treatments and the definition of the experimental unit remain to be confirmed, and verified jejunal morphometric data have yet to be obtained. Taken together, the initial evidence points to transient, age-dependent fluctuations in growth response rather than a lasting productive benefit. Accordingly, neither an optimal inclusion rate of zinc methionine nor a supplementation-driven enhancement of jejunal morphology can be inferred at this stage, and these outcomes must be substantiated through validated treatment records, statistically independent pen-level data, and genuine intestinal measurements.

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