Effect of different levels of palygorskite inclusion on pellet quality, growth performance and nutrient utilization in broilers

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different levels of palygorskite on the pellet quality, growth performance and nutrient utilization in broilers. Three hundred one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into five treatment groups with six replicates of ten broilers each for a 42-day feeding trial. The birds were fed diets supplemented with 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 g/kg palygorskite, respectively. The results showed that the hardness and durability index of pellets were improved (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001) with the increasing level of palygorskite inclusion. The palygorskite supplementation improved average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of broilers (linear and quadratic, P < 0.001). The broilers fed the diet supplemented with 10 g/kg palygorskite had the highest ADG among groups. Compared with the control group, neither 5 g/kg nor 10 g/kg palygorskite inclusion affected feed per unit gain (F/G) of broilers. However, the F/G in grower period increased 1.6% with diet 15 g/kg (1.83 vs 1.80) and 3.3% with diet 20 g/kg (1.86 vs 1.80). The results indicated that palygorskite inclusion could enhance the pellet hardness and durability index, and improve the growth performance of broilers. In additional, the optimal level of supplemented palygorskite in the pellet diets of broilers was 10 g/kg.