Table 2.
Effects of some feed additives on the growth performance, survival rate, and intestinal lesion score of broilers challenged with C. perfringens during the starter and finisher feeding periods.
| Measurements | Treatment | p-Value | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | T2 | T3 | T4 | T5 | T6 | SEM | Sig. | |
| Starter Period (0–14 days-old) | ||||||||
| IBW (g) | 36.7 | 36.9 | 36.8 | 36.8 | 36.9 | 36.8 | 0.04 | NS |
| BW 14 d (g) | 449 | 443.1 | 448 | 445.5 | 446.6 | 448.1 | 1.089 | NS |
| TFI (g) | 561.1 | 549.9 | 558.6 | 531.1 | 546.8 | 555.0 | 2.049 | NS |
| BWG (g) | 412.3 | 406.2 | 411.2 | 408.7 | 409.7 | 411.3 | 0.831 | NS |
| FCR (g:g) | 1.36 | 1.35 | 1.36 | 1.30 | 1.33 | 1.35 | 0.05 | NS |
| PEF | 189.0 | 206.4 | 189.2 | 217.0 | 213.8 | 209.0 | 1.049 | NS |
| Finisher Period (15–35 days-old) | ||||||||
| FBW (g) | 1593.3 b | 1807.4 a | 1827.0 a | 1824.3 a | 1823.1 a | 1798.9 a | 1.121 | *** |
| TFI (g) | 2325.6 | 2366.7 | 2353.2 | 2382.6 | 2379.9 | 2404.4 | 2.865 | NS |
| BWG (g) | 1144.0 c | 1364.3 b | 1379.0 a | 1378.8 a | 1376.5 a | 1350.8 b | 2.961 | *** |
| FCR (g:g) | 2.03 a | 1.73 bc | 1.71 c | 1.73 bc | 1.73 bc | 1.78 b | 0.03 | *** |
| PEF | 215.6 c | 301.5 b | 305.0 ab | 310.0 a | 307.6 ab | 288.5 b | 3.76 | *** |
| SR (%) | 97.2 b | 99.8 a | 99.6 a | 99.8 a | 99.8 a | 99.6 a | 0.30 | *** |
| Lesions score | 2.50 a | 0.67 b | 0.66 b | 0.67 b | 0.33 c | 0.50 b | 0.26 | *** |
IBW, initial body weight; BW 14 d, body weight at 14 days of age; FBW, final body weight; TFI, total feed intake; BWG, bodyweight gain; FCR, feed conversion ratio; PEF, protein efficiency ratio; and SR, survival rate. SEM, mean values of the standard error. Mean values of three replicates with deferent letters (a,b,c) in the same row are significantly different (p < 0.05). Sig, significance; NS, non-significance; *** significance at p < 0.001.