Growth performance and immune response of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with probiotic and (or) prebiotic preparations

The objective of this research was to investigate the efficacy of dietary inclusion of probiotics Primalac® and Bactocell® and prebiotic Fermacto® on broiler’s performance and immune response, individually or in combination. A total of 540 one-d-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were allocated into 6 experimental treatments with 6 replicates of 15 birds per replicate from 1 to 42 d of age. The birds received a basal diet (control) or the basal diet supplemented with probiotic Primalac® (PP), probiotic Bactocell® (PB), prebiotic Fermacto® (Pre), probiotic Bactocell® + prebiotic Fermacto® (PBPre) or probiotic Primalac® + prebiotic Fermacto® (PPPre). Performance parameters were measured from 1-42 d of age. A suspension of sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) was injected into the breast of 3 birds from each replicate on d 22, and the antibody titer was measured on d 30. At d 22, blood samples (from 3 birds per replicate) were taken for measuring the white blood cells (WBCs), heterophil (HE) percent, lymphocyte (LY) percent, and the ratio of heterophil:lymphocyte (H/L). No significant differences were found between the control and supplemented groups in average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), antibody titer against SRBCs, HE percent, LY percent and H/L. Addition of PBPre or PPPre to the diet improved FCR by 8.5 and 12.7%, respectively, compared with the control group, and PBPre supplementation resulted in an increase in WBCs compared to other treatment groups.