The Effect of Whey on Performance, Gut Health and Bone Morphology Parameters in Broiler Chicks

Whey is a highly nutritious byproduct of the cheese industry that can be used effectively in the animal feed industry. However, the use of whey in poultry diets is limited by its high lactose and mineral contents. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of different concentrations of whey in poultry diets on the performance, intestinal microbiota and physico-chemical parameters of the intestinal ecosystem, as well as on the bone morphology and its strength in broiler chicks. One hundred and twenty-eight, day-old, male broiler chicks were randomly allocated into four treatment groups of 32 chicks each. The treatment groups were: group A, which served as negative control and groups B, C and D, supplemented with 1, 2 and 5% of dietary whey, respectively. Performance of the groups was evaluated throughout the experiment. Following necropsies, the gastrointestinal tract from each bird was removed, divided into its anatomical parts and intestinal samples were taken for microbiological analysis and for pH and viscosity measurement as well. Tibiotarsus was also collected for morphometric analysis and strength evaluation. The statistical analysis of the experimental data revealed that the dietary supplementation of 1 and 2% of whey improved significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the body weight, while the addition of 5% of whey reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the body weight. Furthermore, the addition of 1, 2 and 5% of dietary whey increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the pH of jejunum digesta and reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the pH of caecum digesta compared to the control group. The addition of 1 and 2% of whey reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the viscosity in the jejunum and ileum digesta, compared to the addition of 5% of whey which reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the viscosity in jejunum digesta but increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the viscosity in ileum digesta. Moreover, the addition of 1, 2 and 5% of dietary whey increased significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the caecal counts of Lactobacillus spp. and Lactococcus lactis, while the addition of 5% of whey reduced significantly (p ≤ 0.05) the tibiotarsus length. It can be concluded that the addition of low quantities of whey up to 2% promoted the performance and gut health of birds, while the addition of higher quantities of whey at the level of 5% had a detrimental effect on the performance and tibiotarsus length.