Table 4.
Effect of dietary probiotic preparations (CECT 4043, CECT 539) or antibiotic (avilamycin) on growth performance parameters of Ross 308 broiler chickens subjected to nutritional stress (experiment 2).
| Treatment1 | BWG (g per chicken) | FI (g per chicken) | FCE (g of FI/g of BWG) | Relative caeca weight (g of organ/g of BW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicken performance (days 1–16) | ||||
|
| ||||
| Control | 397 ± 34 | 805 ± 42a | 2.04 ± 0.20ba | 0.012 ± 0.003 |
| CECT 4043 | 387 ± 13 | 721 ± 9b | 1.86 ± 0.08cb | 0.011 ± 0.003 |
| CECT 539 | 388 ± 15 | 706 ± 18b | 1.82 ± 0.08c | 0.011 ± 0.002 |
| Avilamycin | 369 ± 39 | 789 ± 47a | 2.15 ± 0.18a | 0.012 ± 0.003 |
| F | 1.025 | 13.042 | 6.810 | 1.669 |
| d.f (N)2 | 3 (24) | 3 (24) | 3 (24) | 3 (48) |
|
| ||||
| Chicken performance (days 1–31) | ||||
|
| ||||
| Control | 1377 ± 82 | 2909 ± 154 | 2.11 ± 0.10ab | 0.009 ± 0.003 |
| CECT 4043 | 1388 ± 42 | 2802 ± 34 | 2.02 ± 0.05b | 0.009 ± 0.003 |
| CECT 539 | 1364 ± 46 | 2812 ± 56 | 2.06 ± 0.07ab | 0.008 ± 0.003 |
| Avilamycin | 1319 ± 87 | 2872 ± 33 | 2.18 ± 0.12a | 0.007 ± 0.003 |
| F | 1.221 | 2.135 | 3.689 | 3.446 |
| d.f (N) | 3 (24) | 3 (24) | 3 (24) | 3 (44) |
a–cMeans within columns followed by different letters are significantly different (P < 0.05).
1The chickens from the control group were not given probiotic preparations or antibiotic. The chickens in the CECT 4043, CECT 539, and avilamycin groups were fed with Lactobacillus casei CECT 4043 (7.38 × 1010 CFU/Kg diet), Lactococcus lactis CECT 539 (6.68 × 1010 CFU/Kg diet) preparations, and avilamycin (10 mg/Kg diet), respectively. BWG: body weight gain, FI: feed intake, FCE: feed conversion efficiency.
2d.f.: degree of freedom. N: number of samples.