Table 2.
Effect of supplementation of probiotics on growth performance and nutrient utilization in calves.
| Attributes | Dietary groups | P values | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CON | NEC | AEC | LEC | ||
| Initial BW (kg) | 24.22 ± 0.95 | 24.25 ± 1.12 | 24.42 ± 0.93 | 24.40 ± 0.56 | 0.998 |
| Final BW (kg) | 41.38a ± 0.99 | 42.86ab ± 1.06 | 43.88ab ± 0.86 | 45.17b ± 0.43 | < 0.05 |
| Net gain (kg) | 17.16a ± 0.19 | 18.61b ± 0.27 | 19.46b ± 0.49 | 20.77c ± 0.36 | < 0.05 |
| 1ADG (g/d) | 286.00a ± 3.35 | 310.17b ± 4.54 | 324.33b ± 8.13 | 346.19c ± 6.02 | < 0.05 |
| 2ADMI(g/d) | 715.84a ± 6.28 | 749.15b ± 3.31 | 766.85b ± 3.42 | 770.28b ± 5.52 | < 0.05 |
| 3Feed efficiency (%) | 39.95a ± 0.53 | 41.40b ± 1.37 | 42.29bc ± 2.38 | 44.94c ± 1.09 | < 0.05 |
| Apparent digestibility of nutrients (%) | |||||
| DM | 68.08 ± 1.53 | 69.55 ± 1.95 | 71.75 ± 1.46 | 73.23 ± 1.13 | 0.128 |
| OM | 71.37 ± 3.06 | 72.69 ± 1.58 | 73.64 ± 1.45 | 75.80 ± 1.23 | 0.434 |
| CP | 68.88 ± 1.82 | 70.05 ± 2.31 | 71.98 ± 1.21 | 73.60 ± 1.14 | 0.180 |
| EE | 79.14 ± 1.56 | 80.69 ± 2.11 | 82.93 ± 1.89 | 83.75 ± 2.21 | 0.098 |
| NDF | 65.98 ± 1.74 | 67.56 ± 1.92 | 68.82 ± 1.34 | 71.01 ± 1.04 | 0.296 |
| ADF | 57.07 ± 2.04 | 58.37 ± 2.53 | 59.99 ± 3.21 | 62.31 ± 2.63 | 0.362 |
Values with different superscripts are significantly different from each other (p < 0.05). CON: basal diet without probiotics; NEC: non-encapsulated probiotics; AEC: air-dried encapsulated probiotics; LEC: lyophilized encapsulated probiotics. SEM (Standard error of mean).
1ADG = (kg of final BW − kg of initial BW)/experimental days (60 days).
2ADMI = (offered DM − residual DM)/experimental days (60 days).
3Feed efficiency = [Average daily gain (kg/day)/Dry matter intake (kg/ day)] × 100%. BW, body weight; ADG, average daily gain; ADMI, average dry matter intake; FCE, feed conversion efficiency; DM, dry matter; OM, organic matter; CP, crude protein; EE, ether extract; NDF, neutral detergent fibre; ADF, acid detergent fibre.