Effect of dietary inclusion of raw or treated oak acorn (Quercus brantii Lindl) on the performance and cecal flora of broiler chickens

In order to investigate the influences of raw or acetic acid-treated oak acorn on the performance and cecal flora of broiler chickens, a total of 340 one-day-old male and female Cobb 500 broiler chicks in a completely randomized design consisting of five treatments with four replicates and 17 chicks each were used. First group was fed with a corn-based diet (without oak acorn) as control, while the chicks of groups 2, 3, 4 and 5 were fed with diets containing 20 or 25 % raw or treated oak acorn, respectively. The results indicated that treatment with acetic acid significantly reduced content of the all phenol components (total phenol, total tannin and condensed tannins). Dietary inclusion of raw oak acorn at the levels of 20 and 25%, significantly reduced broilers body weight gain (P