THe effects of the gut microflora and dietary fibre on energy utilization by the chick

1. Groups of adult colostimized chickens were given diets with and without dietary fibre in the form of bagasse or wheat straw. The fibrous materials were analysed for their contents of cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. The digestible energies (DE) and metabolizable energies (ME) of these diets were measured by a balance method. 2. Groups of germ-free and conventional chicks aged 4 weeks were given diets with and without penicillin or with and without graded levels of wheat straw as a source of fibre and the ME of these diets were determined. 3. The incorporation of the forms of dietary fibre tested reduced the DE and the ME of the diets in adult conventional chickens and the ME in young germ-free and conventional chicks. Both DE and ME were reduced in proportions that suggested that the dietary fibre present was acting largely as an inactive diluent of the dietary energy and was not affecting the absorption of other nutrients. In the young germ-free and conventional chicks, there was a linear relationship between the proportion of wheat straw in one diet and the reduction ME. 4. Dietary penicillin did not alter the ME of the diet in either the germ-free or the conventional environments. 5. The reduction of ME with incorporation of wheat straw was less in conventional than in germ-free chicks. It is suggested that this may be due to the ability of chicks with a gut flora to obtain a small amount of energy from wheat straw.