Influence of whole hulled rice and rice husk feeding on the performance, carcass yield and digestive tract development of geese

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of hulled rice and rice husk feeding on the performance, carcass yield and digestive tract development of geese from 28 to 70 days of age. A total of 120 Yangzhou geese, 28 d old and with similar body weight, were distributed to 12 pens of 10 birds per pen. Each treatment was represented by 4 replicates. The experimental treatments were as follows: control diet based on ground maize, soybean meal and alfalfa meal (GM); experimental diet based on ground maize, soybean meal, ground hulled rice and rice husk (GR, 172 g ground hulled rice and 103 g rice husk/kg); experimental diet based on ground maize, soybean meal, whole hulled rice and rice husk (WR, 172 g whole hulled rice and 103 g rice husk/kg). Over the 28-70-day trial period, no significant difference (P>0.05) was observed in the daily feed intake of geese, but birds receiving the WR treatment had the highest (P<0.05) daily weight gain and body weight (70 d of age), and the lowest (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR). The carcass yield was unaffected by GR and WR treatments (P>0.05). Birds receiving the WR diet had the lowest (P<0.05) relative weights and lengths of the jejunum, ileum and small intestine. The findings of this study suggest that hulled rice and rice husk are good ingredients in geese diet which have positive effects on body weight, daily weight gain and FCR. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.