Effect of pelleting on digestibility and metabolisable energy values of poultry diet

Digestibility of organic nutrients and metabolisable energy values of mash and steam pelleted complete feed mixture were investigated in an experiment with 24 individually followed Ross hybrid male chickens. Altogether four balance periods were compared. Pelleting increased apparent digestibility of all organic nutrients but the difference was significant (P < 0.001) only in the, case of organic matter and crude fat. In the pelleted diet, percentages of classical metabolisable energy and of nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy in gross energy were higher by 2.07 and 2.00, respectively, than in the mash diet (P < 0.001).