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Investigating the Effects of Commercial Probiotics on Broiler Chick Quality and Production Efficiency

E. E. O’Dea^*, G. M. Fasenko^*,1, G. E. Allison, D. R. Korver^*, G. W. Tannock and L. L. Guan^*

^* Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5; Medical School and School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200; and Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 9001

¹ Corresponding author: gaylene.fasenko{at}ualberta.ca

A study was undertaken to test the effect of 2 commercially available probiotics on the production efficiency of broiler chickens hatched from the same breeder flock at 3 different ages (28, 43, and 57 wk). At each of the 3 breeder flock ages, 1,600 broiler chickens were hatched and randomly allocated to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) no probiotics (control), 2) probiotic 1 administered in the drinking water, 3) probiotic 1 administered as a spray, and 4) probiotic 2 administered in the feed. A coccidiostat was included in the feed, but no other antimicrobial agents were given. Broilers were then reared on straw litter in identical floor pens for a period of 6 wk. There were no significant differences in broiler BW, feed conversion, or mortality between the probiotic treatments and the control group in any of the trials. The 43-wk-old breeder flock had the highest fertility and hatchability and the lowest percentage of chicks culled at hatching. Throughout the broiler production period, the broilers from the 43- and 57-wk-old breeder flocks had higher BW and weight gains than the broilers produced at 28 wk of breeder flock age. Broiler feed conversion over the 6-wk production period decreased as the breeder flock aged. Probiotics had no effect on chick quality or production efficiency in broilers produced by the breeder flock ages examined.

Key Words: probiotic • broiler production • gastrointestinal tract • chick quality • breeder flock age

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