ENVIRONMENT, HEALTH, AND BEHAVIOR Effects of Whole Wheat Feeding on the Development of Coccidial Infection in Broiler Chickens

ABSTRACT A complete ground and pelleted feed was compared to free choice feeding of whole wheat and a pelleted protein concentrate during three experimental infections with coccidia in broiler chickens. At 22 d of age birds were inoculated with different doses of sporulated oocysts of a cecal species (Eimeria tenella) in experiment 1 or intestinal species E. maxima or E. acervulina in experi-ments 2 and 3, respectively. The effects of diets were assessed on weight gain, hematocrit (during cecal cocci-diosis), serum coloration (during intestinal coccidiosis), oocyst excretion, and lesion score until 7 d post-inocula-tion. In experiment 1 before inoculation, the birds fed whole grain had more beneficial microflora with lower counts of coliform bacteria. As shown by oocyst output and lesion score, whole wheat feeding increased parasite (Key words: broiler chicken, coccidiosis, whole grain, wheat