Is there a synergy between xylanase and protease on sorghum distillers' dried grains with solubles for broiler chickens?

A total of 480 day-old male broiler chickens were used in a 3 x 2 x 2(0, 150 or 300 g sDDGS/kg diet; with or without xylanase and with or without protease) factorial experiment to evaluate the effectiveness of xylanase and protease on birds fed sorghum distillers dried grains with solubles (sDDGS) between days 1 to 21. Feed consumption of the birds was increased (p<0.001) as sDDGS rose to 30 % in the diets. Xylanase supplementation reduced (p<0.001) feed intake, whereas protease supplementation increased it for the control diet but not for diets containing sDDGS. Inclusion of sDDGS in the diet improved (p<0.001) body weight gain (BWG), especially when it was supplemented with protease, or with xylanase and protease combined. FCR deteriorated (p<0.001) as the level of dietary sDDGS increased but it was reduced to a comparable value to the control when xylanase and protease were added. The digestibility of dry matter and crude protein was lower in the birds fed all diets containing sDDGS than in those fed the control diet, with the protease improving the digestibility of DM and CP only for the diet containing the highest level of sDDGS. It can be concluded that xylanase and protease will alleviate the adverse effects of sDDGS on performance, in particular, FCR, in broilers.