Apparent ileal amino acids digestibility of four varieties of barley for two strains of chickens

The main objective of this study was to assess the nutritional value of four varieties of barley (Beecher, Jimah 54, Jimah 51 and Jimah 58) using commercial broiler and local poultry strains. Four experimental diets were formulated, representing four different varieties of barley and were evaluated using six replicates of eight birds per cage at 21 day of age. Cages were located in an environmentally controlled room maintained under conditions suitable for birds at this age with a photo-period of 23 h in every 24 h. Diets and water were offered on ad libitum basis. On the fourth day after the adaptation to the experimental diets, feed troughs were removed from every cage for 1 h and then reintroduced for 2 h. Then the birds were killed to allow for sampling of ileal digesta, from Meckel's diverticulum to the ileal-caecal-colonic injunction. Broiler birds showed significantly (p<0.001) higher digestibility coefficients and digestible content of amino acids across all the barley varieties than the local birds. Out of the four barley varieties evaluated in this study, Beecher variety had the lowest amino acids digestibility coefficient and digestible content for the two bird breeds (p<0.001). The digestibility coefficient and digestible content of amino acids estimates for Jimah 54 was the highest across the two strains (p<0.001). The variability in digestibility and digestible content in barley varieties can be attributed to the high fiber levels and the presence of beta-glucan. The results suggest that the class of chickens and variety significantly influenced the apparent ileal digestibility and digestible contents of amino acids in the nutrient assessed in this study.