Nutrient density of prestarter diets from 1 to 10 days of age affects intestinal morphometry, enzyme activity, serum indices and performance of broiler chickens.

A total of 480 day-old Cobb 500 broilers were used to investigate the effects of different levels of digestible amino acids (DAA; 100%, 107% and 114% of Cobb recommendations) and ME (3,000 or 2,900 kcal/kg) of prestarter diet on mixed sex broilers performance, enzyme activity, small intestine morphology, and serum metabolites. Broilers were randomly allotted to 6 treatments, where each treatment applied to 4 pens with 20 birds in each. The birds were subjected to their respective treatment diets from 1 to 10 days of age. This was followed by feeding common starter and finisher diets for the last 29 days. The enzyme activity of the pancreas was measured at 10 days of age. Morphometric indexes of jejunum were measured at 10 days of age and the end of the feeding period. Our results showed that the body weight (BW) increased as the DAA density of the prestarter diet increased from 100% to 114% over the first 10 days and the entire period of the study. Birds fed 114% DAA presented a better feed conversion ratio on day 10 ( P  < 0.05). At day 39, carcass weight and breast yield increased as the DAA levels increased from 100% to 114% ( P  < 0.05). The whole intestine length, small intestine length, and weights of the pancreas were lower in birds fed 100% DAA-diets at 10 days of age ( P  < 0.05). Increasing the dietary DAA and ME did not affect serum amylase, lipase, and protease concentrations and pancreatic amylase and lipase activity ( P  > 0.05); however, the activity of pancreatic protease increased as the DAA level increased from 100% to 114% ( P  < 0.05). The villus width and villus surface area (VSA) increased as the DAA level increased from 100% to 114% on day 10 ( P  < 0.05). At 10 days of age, crypt depth was the lowest in the birds fed plenty DAA prestarter diets ( P  < 0.05). It was found that dietary treatments at 39 days of age did not affect intestinal morphology. The results of the present work indicate that DAA level of 114% of Cobb recommendations and energy level of 2,900 kcal/kg diet may be recommended for starting broiler chicks.