Table 2.

Experimental groups and treatment details for chicks from day 0 to day 21.

Groups and treatments	Days 0–8	Day 9	Day 10–15	Day 16–20	Day 21
1. Control (basal diet)	All groups fed their diets. Feed intake & body weight recorded on day 7 All groups tested for Eimeria spp. oocytes in the feces on day 8	PBS2	All groups fed their diets. Feed intake & body weight recorded on day 14 Sterile broth3	All groups fed their diets On day 20, all groups tested for Eimeria spp. oocytes in the feces	Feed intake & body weight recorded One bird/replicate (6/treatment) was euthanized for necropsy & tissue sampling
2. NE1 (basal diet)		Eimeria vaccine	Broth inoculated with Cp3
3. NE and H57 (basal diet + H57)		Eimeria vaccine	Broth inoculated with Cp
4. H57 (basal diet + H57)		PBS	Sterile broth

¹NE-exposed chicks received a coinfection with Eimeria vaccine on day 9, and Clostridium perfringens (Cp) on days 14 and 15.

²PBS and Eimeria vaccine was delivered in the drinking water (water was withheld for 3 hr prior treatments).

³Sterile broth and broth inoculated with Cp was mixed with feed and given to birds; feed was withheld for 5 hr prior treatments.