Location: Agroecosystems Management Research
Project Number: 5030-31000-006-47-T
Project Type: Trust Fund Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2018
End Date: Sep 30, 2020
Objective:
To evaluate the effects of butyric acid source on broiler performance and cecal volatile fatty acid concentrations when fed from 0 to 42 days of age.
Approach:
The experiment will consist of 6 treatments with 13 replications blocked accordingly. Each of the 78 pens will contain 12 straight run Ross 708 (6 females and 6 males per pen) for a total of 936 broilers. The birds and the feed will be weighed by pen each feed change (starter to grower to finisher) on days 0, 14, 28 and 42 of age for determination of average body weights and feed intake. On day 42 a total of 312 birds (4 birds per pen/2 females and 2 males) will be randomly selected and euthanized and cecal content will be collected for VFA analysis (acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid). The pen diagram and treatment assignment will be included with the source data following approval of final report. All pens will be numbered and identified on pen cards.
