Table 8.
The immune organ index of broiler chickens in different treatment groups.
| Stage | Indicator | Control group | ABG | ABP1 | ABP2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 d | Spleen | 1.63 ± 0.11a | 1.63 ± 0.10a | 2.26 ± 0.14b | 2.05 ± 0.045 |
| Bursal | 1.68 ± 0.11 | 2.64 ± 0.66 | 2.06 ± 0.66 | 2.23 ± 0.26 | |
| Thymus | 2.94 ± 0.44 | 3.33 ± 0.32 | 3.50 ± 0.30 | 3.32 ± 0.30 | |
| 40 d | Spleen | 1.96 ± 0.27a | 1.57 ± 0.31 | 1.20 ± 0.10b | 1.51 ± 0.09 |
| Bursal | 1.03 ± 0.21a | 1.10 ± 0.17 | 1.73 ± 0.32 | 2.03 ± 0.45b | |
| Thymus | 1.94 ± 0.42 | 1.54 ± 0.21a | 2.97 ± 0.30b | 3.14 ± 0.56b | |
| 50 d | Spleen | 1.57 ± 0.28 | 1.49 ± 0.15 | 1.39 ± 0.07 | 1.31 ± 0.08 |
| Bursal | 1.12 ± 0.22a | 1.89 ± 0.21b | 1.57 ± 0.12 | 1.91 ± 0.16b | |
| Thymus | 2.21 ± 0.21a | 3.46 ± 0.21b | 3.17 ± 0.20b | 3.339 ± 0.17b |
a,bIn the same line, the same letter superscripts mean no significant difference (P > 0.05), and the different letter superscripts mean significant difference (P < 0.05).
Abbreviations: ABG, antibiotic group; ABP1, antibacterial peptide group 1; ABP2, antibacterial peptide group 2.