Effects of antibacterial peptide combinations on growth performance, intestinal health, and immune function of broiler chickens

To study the effects of antibacterial peptides (ABPs) on feeding broilers, this experiment compared the 2 combinations of ABP with antibiotics by separately adding the supplement to the diet of 818 broilers as follows—antibiotics, Pratt and Full-tide, and Pratt and plant essential oil—and then the effect of them on production performance, immune function, antioxidant capacity, serum biochemical indicators, and microorganisms of the experimental flocks was investigated and compared. It was found that the aforementioned indicators among the 2 groups of ABP and the antibiotic group were close to or even better than those of antibiotics, and the combination added with plant essential oils had generally better effects. These results indicated that ABPs could improve economic benefits by promoting growth, preventing disease, and reducing the rate of death. This study deepened the research on the action mechanism of ABPs and not only explored the feasibility of ABPs as a novel feed additive for broilers but also provided experimental data and theoretical basis for the application of ABPs.