the TTAR of most nutrients in the corn diets. Fiber inclusion
improved the TTAR of most nutrients, BW gain (P
≤ 0.01), and feed conversion (P ≤ 0.001) from 1 to 21 d of
age. In addition, fiber inclusion increased the RW of the
gizzard (P ≤ 0.001), ceca (P ≤ 0.05), and digestive tract (P
≤ 0.01) and reduced digesta pH (P ≤ 0.001) and the length
of the small intestine (P ≤ 0.05). The effects of hulls on
RW of the gizzard and on the TTAR were more pronounced
for the rice diets than for the corn diets. We
concluded that rice can be used successfully in broiler
diets and that heat processing of the cereal does not have
any beneficial effect on broiler performance. The inclusion
of moderate amounts of fiber in low-fiber diets might
improve chick performance at early ages by reducing
gizzard pH and improving the utilization of nutrients.
Therefore, young broiler chicks might require a minimal
amount of fiber in the diet