The trial was conducted to evaluate the performance and morphologic changes of gastrointestinal tract and economic analysis for broilers fed sorghum-soybean meal-based diets, supplemented or not with multienzymatic complex (xilanase, amylase, protease), in the starting (experiment I) and finishing (experiment II) phases. The experiment was analyzed as a randomized block design with a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement [three sorghum levels (0, 50, and 100%) x enzyme level (0 and 100%)]. The experimental unit was a box with 17 birds and eight replicates per treatment. In the experiment I (1 to 21 days), the sorghum-based diets did not affect feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion. However, the increase of level sorghum decreased gizzard weight and of enzyme increased jejunum and ileum weights. In the experiment II (22 to 42 days), the sorghum-based diets also did not affect broilers feed intake, weight gain, feed:gain ratio, and relative weights of duodenum, jejunum, ileum and caecum. Increasing enzyme levels decreased significantly carcass yield and increased weights pf proventriculus, gizzard and pancreas. Based on the economic analysis, it is suggested the corn replacement with sorghum of 50% for starting and finishing broilers.
enzymes; gastrointestinal tract; performance; sorghum
