Effects of dietary fiber on growth performance, slaughter performance, serum biochemical parameters, and nutrient utilization in geese

We investigated the effects of dietary fiber on growth performance, slaughter performance, serum biochemical parameters, and nutrient utilization in geese. A total of 468 one-day-old healthy male Yangzhou goslings with similar body weight were randomly divided into 3 groups with 6 replicates per group and 26 geese per replicate. The geese were then raised for 70 days on diets with a dietary fiber level of 2.5% (Group I), 6.1% (Group III), or 4.3% for d one to 28 and 6.1% for d 29 to 70 (Group II). The geese in Groups II and III had higher body weight, higher average daily gain, and lower ratio of feed to gain compared with those in Group I (P