China Animal Husbandry & Veterinary Medicine ›› 2026, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 761-775.doi: 10.16431/j.cnki.1671-7236.2026.02.023

• Nutrition and Feed • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of Dietary Fiber on Slaughter Performance, Tibia Performance Indicators, Fecal Microbiota, and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Yellow-feathered Broilers

BI Yi(), YANG Qiuyue, XIE Kan, YANG Yajin, CHEN Yanhong, LI Qingqing, GUO Aiwei()   

  1. College of Biological Science and Food Engineering,Southwest Forestry University,Kunming 650224,China
  • Received:2025-07-11 Online:2026-02-20 Published:2026-01-27
  • Contact: GUO Aiwei E-mail:1253395174@qq.com;g.aiwei.swfu@hotmail.com

Abstract:

Objective This study aimed to investigate the effects of different dietary fiber (DF) feeding regimens on slaughter performance, tibia development, gut microbiota, and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in Yellow-feathered broilers. Method A total of 250 one-day-old healthy male Yellow-feathered broilers with similar initial body weight (35 g±5 g) were randomly divided into 5 groups, with 5 replicates per group and 10 broilers per replicate. The control group (CON) was fed a fiber-free basal diet (FF). Group 1 (T1) received a low-fiber diet (LF, containing 1.5% DF). Group 2 (T2) was fed a high-fiber diet (HF, containing 3% DF). Group 3 (T3) was fed FF during weeks 0-4 and LF during weeks 5-8. Group 4 (T4) received LF during weeks 0-4 and HF during weeks 5-8. The experiment lasted for 56 days. At the end of the trial, blood was collected from the wing vein to determine serum calcium and phosphorus levels. Slaughter performance and tibia traits were measured, along with tibia ash, calcium, and phosphorus content. Fresh fecal samples were collected from the CON and T2 groups for metagenomic analysis. Result ①Slaughter performance: No significant differences were observed among groups in dressing percentage, semi-eviscerated yield, eviscerated yield, breast muscle yield, or leg muscle yield (P>0.05). ②Tibia traits: There were no significant differences in tibia length, tibia weight, medullary cavity diameter, volume, or density among the groups (P>0.05). However, compared with group T1, tibia diameter was significantly greater in groups T2 and T3 (P<0.05), and cortical bone thickness in group T2 was significantly higher than in groups T3 and T4 (P<0.05). No significant differences were found in tibia ash, calcium, or phosphorus content between the experimental groups and CON group (P>0.05). ③Serum parameters: Serum calcium in groups T1, T3 and T4 was significantly higher than in CON group (P<0.05), while serum phosphorus was significantly lower in all trial groups (P<0.05).④Metagenomic findings: The relative abundances of fecal microbiota including ParabacteroidesBacteroidesClostridiumFaecalibacteriumStreptococcusEnterococcusCorynebacterium and Rothia in group T2 were significantly higher than in CON group (P<0.05). Meanwhile, the relative abundances of ARGs poxtA and vatE were significantly lower in group T2 (P<0.05). Conclusion Under the conditions of this study, the inclusion of 3% DF throughout the feeding period could improve tibia traits and gut microbiota composition, and reduce the abundance of specific antibiotic resistance genes in the feces of Yellow-feathered broilers.

Key words: Yellow-feathered broiler; dietary fiber; slaughter performance; tibia quality; fecal microbiota; antibiotic resistance genes

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