Effect of regimes of dietary oxytetracycline on the intestinal characteristics of broiler chicken

The intestinal characteristics of broiler chicks fed Oxytetracycline powder in feed at 0.05g/kg for 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks were studied. The control group received Oxytetracycline free feed daily throughout the 8 weeks of the experiment. The results showed that the mean diameter of the small intestines reduced significantly (P< 0.01) in chicks fed with the drug when compared with the control. There was also a significant increase (P< 0.05) in the thickness of the intestinal wall in chicks fed Oxytetracycline for 6 weeks compared with other treatments and the control. The effects of dietary Oxytetracycline on the length of intestines were inconsistent. The results also indicated that dietary  Oxytetracycline had no effect on the weight of the intestines. Birds that were fed with diet containing Oxytetracycline for 4 weeks had the highest numeric weight gain. Key words : Chicken, Feed, Oxytetracycline, Intestine