Study on inclusion of probiotic, prebiotic and its combination in broiler diet and their effect on carcass characteristics and economics of commercial broilers

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In today era, broiler industry facing a problem of price hiking of feed of broiler, also in competitive era there should be lower feed cost, lower feed conversion ratio, low feed consumption yet good body weight at marketable age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Day-old commercial broiler chicks (n=200) were distributed randomly into 5 dietary treatment groups viz. control (T(1)), probiotic in the feed @ 100 g/tonne of feed (T(2)), prebiotic in the feed @ 500 g/tonne of feed (T(3)), probiotic + prebiotic @ 100 g/tonne and 500 g/tonne of feed, respectively (T(4)) and probiotic + prebiotic @ 50 g/tonne and 250 g/tonne of feed (T(5)). The growth of broilers and dressing weight along with the weight of giblet (liver without gall bladder, gizzard without serous layer, and heart without pericardium), Kidney, Abdominal fat, Length of Intestine and dressing percentage were measured. Economics in terms of Return Over Feed Cost (ROFC) and European Performance Efficiency Index (EPEI) was calculated. RESULTS: Among all carcass traits, dressing percentage, abdominal fat weight and abdominal fat percentage (as a percentage of dressed weight) were recorded significant (p<0.05) difference among different treatment groups. The income from selling of the birds was significantly (p<0.05) higher in all treatment groups than the control group but there was a non-significant difference between supplemented groups. Feed cost during whole experimental period was significantly (p<0.05) lower in synbiotic supplemented groups (T(4) and T(5)) than other groups. ROFC of all treatment group found significantly (p<0.05) higher than the control group. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that the diet supplemented with synbiotic (100% level) was most efficient in terms of EPEI and synbiotic (50% level) in terms of ROFC. Hence, as feed supplement, synbiotic has a beneficial effect over probiotic and prebiotic when used alone.