title: Investigating the effects of commercial probiotics on broiler chick quality and production efficiency.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, T6G 2P5.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: O'Dea
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Fasenko
authors.forename: G E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Korver
authors.forename: G W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Tannock
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Guan
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D020345:Enterocolitis, Necrotizing / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects