The effect of barley malt extract in diet on growth performance, blood parameters and fecal bacterial population in ostrich chicks

In this study, the effects of different levels of barley malt extract (BME) in the diet of ostrich chicks (one to 120 days old) on growth performance, some blood and serum parameters and bacterial population of feces were investigated. A total number of 48 day-old ostrich chicks were randomly assigned to four treatments including different levels of barley malt extract (0, 5, 10, and 15 g/kg of basal diet) in a 120-day trial. The results showed that the use of malt extract increased weight gain and improved feed conversion ratio in the final period (P <0.05). Also, the number of heterophils and the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes were decreased in the treatments containing BME. The levels of triglycerides, cholesterol, LDL, HDL and VLDL were significantly (P <0.05) increased. The concentration of malondialdehyde was significantly decreased whereas the total antioxidant capacity showed a significant increase (P <0.05). The number of coliforms and Escherichia coli bacterial population was significantly reduced in the treatments containing BME compared to the control treatment (P <0.05). It can be concluded that the use of BME in the diet of ostrich chicks improved immune function, antioxidant capacity and reduced the population of harmful bacteria. In general, the results of this study showed that the use of 10 g of BME per kg of diet shows the best performance in ostrich.