Alkaline phosphatase activity was h

Alkaline phosphatase activity was higher
from 16 to 44 d in the duodenum and jejunum of whole wheat-fed birds. However, the activities of
the digestive enzymes, leucine aminopeptidase and maltase, were similar between the two diets in the
measured intestinal segments.
A lower number of facultative anaerobic bacteria was found in the ileum of the whole
wheat-fed birds, with no differences between treatments for Escherichia coli and for Lactobacillus
counts. In the jejunum and the caeca, no differences in microflora counts were
observed.
The present results showed that feeding whole grains to broilers led mainly to modifications in the
upper part of the digestive tract (gizzard, pancreas) and had little influence on the small and large
intestine