Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary crude fiber and fat levels on growth, carcass, digestive enzymes, intestinal microbiota and economics in growing Egyptian geese. A total number of 150 Egyptian goslings, 4 weeks old, with nearly the same body weights were randomly distributed in to six groups in a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement included. Three levels of fiber (8, 10, and 12%) and two levels of fat (5 and 6%) were used. Results showed that the highest (p = 0.029) body weight (BW) value was found in the experimental group fed 8% fiber diet compared to the other groups. The same trend was observed with increasing the dietary fat level from 5 to 6%. The best feed conversion ratio was associated with feeding geese on the lowest fat level (5%) comparing with the highest one (6%). The highest values (p < 0.05 or 0.01) of the cecal length and weight were recorded in birds fed the high-fiber diet (12%) compared to the other levels. Increasing the level of dietary fat positively affected the concentrations of lipase enzymes. Feeding geese on the high-fiber diet (12%) accompanied with the highest (p < 0.01) counts of beneficial lactic acid bacteria and the lowest (p < 0.01) counts of E. coli and Salmonella compared to the other fiber levels. From an economic point of view, the diet contained 12% crude fiber and 5% crude fat was more suitable for the geese kept from 4 to 12 wks of age without any adverse effects on growth performance.