Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences, I , 1992, 117 - 126 The effect of diets containing different levels of structural fibre on intestinal length, dry matter content of digesta, biochemical indices and electrolyte concentration in blood serum of geese (Part IV) A. Wiliczkiewicz, Dorota Jamroz and Jolanta Skorupinska Department of Animal Nutrition and Feed Sciences, Wroclaw Agricultural University Norwida 25/27, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland (Received 6 February 1991; accepted 1 June 1992) ABSTRACT Two experiments were conduced in which White Italian geese were fed diets containing large proportions of ground cereals: maize, oats, barley or rye; dried grass, dried sugar beet pulp, field bean or pea as well as low-glucosinolate rapeseed oilmeal, from var. Jantar. The highest body weight gains Were obtained when ground oats and rapeseed oilmeal were included in the diet, the lowest, when dried beet pulp and rye were given. Favourable growth parameters go together with higher dry matter content and pH of intestinal digesta. A diet of high proportion of oats and beet pulp lowered the serum cholesterol level in the geese, a diet with high proportion of rapeseed oilmeal lowered the level of inorganic phosphorus and potassium in blood serum of geese. KEY WORDS: geese, fibre, intestine, electrolytes, lipids INTRODUCTION This paper presents the last results of the two experiments in which growing geese were fed diets containing an increased level of structural fibre. In earlier studies (Jamroz et al., 1991; 1992a; Wiliczkiewicz et al., 1987, 1989; Wilicz- kiewicz, 1991a, 1991b) it was found that the proportion of structural fibre and its physical properties have a qualitative and quantitative effect on changes in the composition of the intestinal content, digestibility of crude protein, crude fibre and its components, the weight gain of the birds, the feed intake and utilization, the changes in weight and lenght of the intestines, the thickness and relative ISSN 1230-1388 © Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition