title: Effect of dietary probiotic and high stocking density on the performance, carcass yield, gut microflora, and stress indicators of broilers.
abstract: A study was carried out to evaluate the effect of dietary probiotic supplementation and stocking density on the performance, relative carcass yield, gut microflora, and stress markers of broilers. One-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chickens (n = 480) were allocated to 4 experimental groups for 42 d. Each treatment had 8 replicates of 15 chicks each. Two groups were subjected to a high stocking density (HSD) of 20 birds/m² and the other 2 groups were kept at low stocking density (LSD) of 10 birds/m². A basal diet supplemented with probiotic 1 and 0.5 g/kg of diet (in starter and finisher diets, respectively) was fed to 2 treatments, one with HSD and the other with LSD, thereby making a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. There was no interaction between stocking density (LSD and HSD) and dietary probiotic (supplemented and unsupplemented) for all the variables. Feed intake and weight gain were significantly low and feed conversion ratio was poor in broilers at HSD. Dietary probiotic significantly enhanced the feed intake and weight gain in starter phase only. Dietary probiotic supplementation had no effect (P > 0.05) on total aerobs, Salmonella sp., and Lactobacilli populations in the intestines of broilers. However, HSD reduced the Lactobacilli population only (P < 0.05). Relative breast yields were significantly higher in broilers reared at LSD than HSD. Thigh meat yield was higher in broilers in HSD group compared to LSD. Dietary probiotic did not affect the relative carcass yield and weight of lymphoid organs. Serum malondialdehyde, corticosterone, nitric oxide, and plasma heterophil:lymphocyte ratio were not affected either by stocking density or dietary probiotic supplementation. In conclusion, HSD negatively affected the performance and intestinal Lactobacilli population of broilers only, whereas probiotic supplementation enhanced the performance of broilers during the starter phase only. Total aerobes, Salmonella, Lactobacilli carcass yield, and stress indicators of broilers were not affected by the dietary supplementation of probiotic under the conditions of the present study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey ozcancen@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Özcan
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Cengiz
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Bekir H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Köksal
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Onur
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Tatlı
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ömer
authors.initials: Ö
authors.lastname: Sevim
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Umair
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Ahsan
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aykut G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Üner
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Pınar A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ulutaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Devrim
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Beyaz
authors.affiliation: Department of Food Hygiene and Technology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sadık
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Büyükyörük
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University, Hatay 31000, Turkey.
authors.forename: Akın
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yakan
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Nutrition and Nutritional Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Adnan Menderes University, Aydın 09016, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ahmet G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Önol
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000378:metabolism; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D003441:Crowding; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract / Q000382:microbiology; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000032:analysis; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000737:chemistry*; D011897:Random Allocation; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Broilers; gut microflora; high stocking density; performance; probiotics