Dietary supplementation of -based probiotics on the growth performance, gut morphology, intestinal microbiota and immune response in low biosecurity broiler chickens.

A feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of -based probiotics on growth performance, intestinal histo-morphology, gut microbial population and immune response in broilers. A total of 2000 Hubbard Classic day-old chicks were randomly enrolled in four experimental groups and 4 replicates of 500 birds in each group, and reared for 35 days under a low- level of biosecurity measures. The trial groups were assigned treatment-1 (T1): basal diet(control), treatment-2 (T2): basal diet plus (DSM17236), treatment-3 (T3): basal diet plus (PB6), and treatment-4 (T4) basal diet plus 4% Flavomycin. All four groups were fed with maize-soybean based prepared feeds (starter, grower and finisher). Dietary inclusion of significantly improved body weight gain and lessened FCR in T2 compared to other groups ( 0.05). Probiotics increased the population of spp. and decreased the population of spp. and in the jejunum and ileum in broiler birds on day 21 and 35 ( 0.05). The highest antibody production was observed in treated group (T2) compared to other probiotic treated group (T1). Taken together, the study findings suggest that probiotics could be used as a feasible alternative to antimicrobials in the broiler production considering beneficial impacts at low biosecurity broiler farms.