Dietary Coffee Silverskin Supplementation: Effect on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Gastrointestinal Health of Broilers

Coffee silverskin (CSS) remains a neglected poultry additive; investigating its bioactive potential is essential for optimizing agricultural productivity and enhancing food security via advanced nutrition. This study analyzed how dietary CSS supplementation influences broiler growth, slaughter characteristics, meat quality, cecal microbial ecology, and intestinal histomorphology. A total of 400 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments with 10 replicates of 10 birds each. Experimental treatments consisted of a negative control (NC, basal diet) and CSS-supplemented groups (0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 g/kg, designated CSS0.5, CSS1.0, and CSS2.0, respectively). All data were subjected to one-way ANOVA using the procedure of SPSS 23.0. Coffee silverskin supplementation, specifically at 1.0–2.0 g/kg, optimized broiler growth performance, significantly elevating body weight and average daily gain (p < 0.05). While carcass yield improved in a dose-dependent manner, fundamental meat quality—pH and shear force—remained stable. Crucially, CSS inclusion reconfigured cecal ecology, selectively suppressing Escherichia coli and Salmonella sp. while enhancing Lactobacillus populations (p < 0.001). This microbial shift mirrored histological gains, notably enhanced villus height and villus height-to-crypt ratios (p < 0.05). These findings demonstrate that CSS, particularly at 1.0–2.0 g/kg, enhances broiler performance, carcass quality and gut health.