Probiotic Bacillus plus vitamins and minerals enhanced haemoglobin values and relative weight of ileum and improved feed conversion ratio of broilers during brooding period

Abstract

The study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplement containing probiotic Bacillus plus vitamins and minerals on the performance, internal organ development and haematological parameters of broilers post brooding. Two hundred and eighty eight 1-day-old broiler chicks were randomly allotted to four groups, i.e., control birds (birds receiving diet without supplement) and birds receiving supplement either 0.1%, 0.5% or 1% from total diets. The supplement (probiotic Bacillus plus vitamins and minerals) contained 12.10 log cfu/g mixture of probiotic Bacillus, 0.100 mg vit A, 0.018 mg vit D3, 0.100 mg vit E, 1200 mg Ca, 750 mg P, 0.08 mg Mg, 0.006 mg Co, 0.045 mg Cu, 0.015 mg Se, 0.180 mg S, 0.010 mg Zn, 0.060 mg KCl, 0.030 mg I, 0.060 mg Fe and 0.100 mg Mn. The chicks were reared for 14 days, and blood and internal organs were collected at day 12 of the experiment. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was lower (P≤0.05) in birds fed diet containing 0.5% supplement as compared to control. Body weight and accumulative feed intake of birds at day 14 was not different (P >0.05) among the treatment groups. At day 12, dietary supplementation (0.1% or 1% from total diet) increased (P≤0.05) the relative weight of ileum of broiler chicks. Moreover, the values of haemoglobin were higher (P≤0.05) in broiler chicks supplemented with 0.5% probiotic Bacillus plus vitamins and minerals, when compared with control. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with probiotic Bacillus plus vitamins and minerals was beneficial for the enhanced haemoglobin values and the improved development of ileum and feed efficiency of broiler during brooding period.