title: Mortality and growth performance of broilers given drinking water supplemented with chicken-specific probiotics.
abstract: For application in broiler production, we developed a multispecies (MSPB) and a chicken-specific (CSPB) probiotic preparation in fluid form. The MSPB contained different probiotic species of human origin, whereas the CSPB consisted of 7 Lactobacillus species isolated from the digestive tract of chickens. In a field trial with broilers, MSPB treatment resulted in a slight increase (by 1.84%) in broiler productivity based on an index taking into account daily weight gain, feed efficiency, and mortality. The CSPB treatment reduced mortality in 2 subsequent field trials and raised productivity by 2.94 and 8.70%. In a controlled trial with broilers showing a high index of productivity, probiotic treatment further raised productivity by 3.72%. Based on the present 4 studies in combination with 9 studies published earlier, it is suggested that with higher productivity rates of the broilers the effect of probiotics becomes smaller.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, PO Box 80152, 3508 STD Utrecht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: H M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Timmerman
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Veldman
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: van den Elsen
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Rombouts
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Beynen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000898:Antibiosis; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000187:drug effects*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D009026:Mortality; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011897:Random Allocation; D015430:Weight Gain / Q000187:drug effects*