Feeding rice distiller's dried grains with solubles (rDDGS) and rice gluten meal (RGM) in broiler chickens: Intestinal morphometry and microbiology

A biological experiment (3X3 factorial design) was conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding rice distiller's dried grains with solubles (rDDGS) at 0, 10 and 12.5% level and rice gluten meal (RGM) at 0, 12.5 and 15.0% level as a replacement of soybean meal along with exogenous enzyme supplementation on the intestinal morphometry and microbiology of broiler chicken. Each treatment was allocated to 5 replicates of 8 chicks each. The feeding of dietary combination of 12.5% rDDGS and 15% RGM significantly (P<0.05) decreased the villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), VH: CD ratio and villus width compared to the control and other rDDGS and RGM combination at 42 days of age. The enzyme supplementation significantly (P<0.05) increased the VH. The interaction between rDDGS and RGM combination and enzyme supplementation revealed no significant (P>0.05) effect on the intestinal histomorphometry of broiler chicken. The microbiological parameters at 42 days of age revealed that TVC in crop was increased significantly (P<0.01) in both rDDGS and RGM combination levels as compared to control. Lactobacillus count in crop and jejunum were decreased significantly (P<0.01) in 12.5% rDDGS and 15% RGM combination as compared to control and other combination level. Total viable count in jejunum increased significantly (P<0.01) in 12.5% rDDGS and 15% RGM combination as compared to control and other combination level. It was concluded that the simultaneous inclusion of rDDGS and RGM in broiler chicken ration with or without enzyme supplementation had adverse effects on the intestinal histomorphometry and microbiology.