EFFECT OF DIETARY DIFFERENT LEVELS OF (SILVER VS GRAPHENE) NANOPARTICLES ON BONE CHARACTERISTICS AND GASTROINTESTINAL MICROFLORA OF BROILER CHICKENS

Three hundred and sixty unsexed day-olds of Indian River (IR) broiler chicks were used to study the effect of using different types and levels of nanoparticles (silver vs. graphene) in broiler diets on bone traits and microbiological characteristics of the small intestine and cecum contents of broiler chicks. This experiment contained nine treatments and 40 chicks in each. The experiment lasted from 1 to 35 days of age and included 3 treatment diets (starter, grower and finisher) supplemented with 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 ppm/kg of both types of nanoparticles, plus a control (basal diet), throughout the 3 different feeding stages. Results of this experiment showed that: All physical and chemical bone measurements weren’t significantly affected by different types or levels of nanoparticles, except tibia width and ash%, which were significantly affected by nanoparticle levels. The count of Lactobacillus in both the small intestine and ceca was significantly affected by different types and levels of nanoparticles. On the other hand, E.coli counts in both the small intestine and ceca decreased significantly with increasing nanoparticle levels. However, E.coli was not significantly affected by nanoparticle type in the small intestine, but it was significantly affected by type in the ceca