ABSTRACT
We evaluated the effect of alpha-hydroxycholecalciferol (1α-OH-D3) and phytase supplementation on the performance, carcass characteristics, blood factors, and the expression of vitamin D receptors (VDR) and Calbindin 28k (CaBP-D28k) genes in broiler chickens. In the current experiment, 400 one-day-old male chicks of the Cobb 500 strain were allocated into a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 replicates (20 chicks per replicate). Experimental treatments were: 1- Control (no additional supplements), 2- Addition of 14 mg/kg DM 1α-OH-D3 to the diet, 3- Addition of 5 mg/kg phytase, and 4- Addition of 14 mg/kg 1α- OH-D3 + 5 mg/k phytase. Compared to the control diet, adding 1α-OH-D3 and phytase could significantly improve the feed conversion ratio and weight gain (p≤0.05). The combination also decreased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity relative to the control (p≤0.05) The relative expression of VDR and CaBP-D28k genes in the treatments that used 1α-OH-D3 and 1α-OH-D3 along with the phytase enzyme had a significant elevation compared to the control group (p<0.05). Overall, using 1α-OH-D3 along with the phytase enzyme can lead to a higher growth performance than using each one of them separately. The use of 1α-OH-D3 together with phytase led to a greater improvement of the growth performance and expression of the VDR and CaBP-D28k genes when compared to their separate use in broiler chickens’ diets.
Keywords:
1α-OH-D3; performance; broiler; carcass characteristics; phytase
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