Elías-Vega, Glenn A.

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    Effect of a dietary prebiotic and probiotic on broiler performance and carcas yield
    (2016) Elías-Vega, Glenn A.; Orellana-Feliciano, Lynette E.; College of Agricultural Sciences; Latorre, José R.; Fernández Van Cleve, John; Argüelles Ramos, Mireille; Department of Animal Science; Torres, Ramòn
    The expected forthcoming restrictions for the use of antibiotics as growth promoters (AGP) are a major concern for poultry producers. Another priority issue for the poultry industry is the control of foodborne pathogens at all stages of production. For this reasons, alternative strategies have to be adopted at the farm level to maximize bird’s performance while maintaining a good health status. Previous research has suggested that the use of probiotics and prebiotics in feed could be an alternative to AGP and, at the same time, helping reduce the prevalence of foodborne pathogens in poultry digesta. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of a prebiotic and a probiotic on the productive performance and carcass yield of broiler chickens. A total of 600 1 d-old chicks were randomly distributed among 20 floor pens and were fed one of four dietary treatments from 1 – 41 d-of-age. The dietary treatments were as followed: Commercial Control (CON), CON + mannan-oligosaccharide prebiotic at a 0.1% inclusion (MOS), CON + Bacillus subtilis probiotic at a 0.05% inclusion (BAC), and CON + prebiotic + probiotic (M+B). Feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined at 14, 28, 35, and 40 d-of-age. At 41 d, three males per pen were randomly selected and weighted for a carcass yield study. Three birds per pen were randomly selected, slaughtered, and ceca aseptically removed for microbiological analysis. Real-time PCR was used for detection of Salmonella and Campylobacter in ceca content. In a cumulative basis, FI at 41 d was higher (P=0.05) for birds fed CON and BAC, when compare to MOS. Despite FI behavior, no statistical differences were observed on BW or BW gain. At 28 d, broilers fed CON were more efficient than MOS, BAC, and M+B (P<0.01). However, by 35 and 40 d-of-age no differences in FCR were observed. For the carcass yield study, no significant differences were observed on live BW, carcass weight, or carcass yield. Pathogen analysis revealed the presence of Campylobacter in 12 of the total obtained samples, while Salmonella was absent in all samples. It was concluded that the MOS based prebiotic and the BAC probiotic, at the inclusion levels studied, did not have a negative effect on broiler performance or carcass yield, while Campylobacter presence in ceca content was only present in a small number of the total pens. Future studies should concentrate on discovering an effective inclusion rate of these additives in diets to determine which inclusion rate is appropriate to increase performance levels in broilers.