The Intestinal Microflora of Hens as Influenced by Various Carbohydrates in a Biotin-deficient Ration

Abstract

Studies were made on the fecal flora of 24 White Leghorn hens separated into groups of 4, kept in wire-bottomed cages, and fed various rations. Group VI received a practical grain ration, and the other groups were fed a synthetic basal ration deficient in biotin, but with added carbohydrates as follows: Group I, sucrose; Group II, dextrin; Group IE, sucrose and lactose; Group IV, sucrose and 200 micrograms of biotin per kilo; Group V, sucrose and whey (wt. of whey adjusted to furnish same % lactose as in Group III). Dextrin was found to stimulate the development of considerable numbers of coliform bacteria. Lactose-containing diets likewise encouraged a fecal coliform flora, but lactic acid bacteria proliferated extensively in the intestines of hens fed such a diet. The most marked effect noted in case of the sucrose diet was a depressing action on fecal coliforms. In general, intestinal microorganisms increased in numbers from the duodenum to the cecum; yeasts and enterococci increased the least. Birds on the dextrin-containing diets appeared to have the greatest numbers of microorganisms at all levels of the intestinal tract as well as the least "spread" between the different counts. The cecum was found to be the site of the greatest concn. of intestinal microorganisms. An analysis of variance was successfully applied to the data from fecal dropping samples. This revealed the presence of certain differences that were further detected by least significant difference calculations.