Abolghasem Golian

1 Introduction Intestinal health critically influences broiler performance, and the period from hatching to slaughter is essential to consider. To achieve a healthy gut, poultry nutritionists strive to formulate diets that optimise the structure and function of the digestive tract, its microflora, and the associated immune system during different periods of broiler life.

1 INTRODUCTION The addition of different fats and oils has an important role in poultry nutrition and performance. Many investigators were looking to find new methods to increase feed productivity in animals. Corn is a major source of energy supply in poultry diets. The increasing demand for corn would lead to an increase in its future prices (FAO, 2009). Therefore, it is possible to provide part of the diet energy through other available energy sources.

1. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of conditioning times and processed sodium bentonite (PSB)-based pellet binder (G. Bind™) on pellet quality, performance, small intestine morphology, and nutrient retention in growing broiler chickens (d 11–24). 2. A total of 540, one-day-old male broiler chicks were fed a commercial starter diet (d 1–10).