Effects of 3% Liquid-Fermented Pea–Wheat Supplementation on Broiler Performance, Intestinal Cytokine-Gene Expression, Litter Microbiology, and Meat Quality

Evidence on liquid-fermented pea–wheat supplementation in broilers remains limited. This 42-day exploratory trial evaluated growth and biological responses using basal diets formulated for semi-intensive production. Eight hundred one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to two treatments (eight pens per treatment; 50 birds per pen): a freshly hydrated, unfermented mixture (CONTROL) or a mixture fermented for 24 h at 37 °C (FERMENT). Both mixtures supplied 3% (w/w) ground substrate relative to basal feed. During fermentation, pH decreased from 6.11 to 3.78. Compared with CONTROL, FERMENT birds had higher final body weight (1725 vs. 1649 g; p = 0.006) and feed intake, with no significant difference in feed conversion ratio. Tissue-specific cytokine-gene expression differences and lower litter Escherichia coli and coliform counts on days 28 and 42 were observed. Relative wing yield, breast drip loss and thigh thawing loss were significantly higher in FERMENT, whereas raw-carcass microbial counts and sensory attributes did not differ significantly. Because fermentation status was confounded with storage duration, treatment responses cannot be attributed exclusively to fermentation. The findings indicate greater growth accompanied by increased feed consumption, without demonstrated improvements in feed efficiency or general health.