Comparison of the Effects of Feeding Compound Probiotics and Antibiotics on Growth Performance, Gut Microbiota, and Small Intestine Morphology in Yellow-Feather Broilers

Abstract

This study was devoted to the comparison of the probiotic effect of compound probiotics to antibiotics as a feed additive for chicken. Two hundred and seventy newly hatched yellow-feather broilers were randomly divided into three groups: the control group (Con), probiotics (Pb), and antibiotics group (Ab). The Pb group received compound probiotics (Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus faecalis, and yeast) via drinking water for 24 days. The Ab group received antibiotics (zinc bacitracin and colistin sulfate) in their diet for 24 days. All broilers were slaughtered on day 42. Compared with the Con group, the body weight was significantly increased on days 13, 28, and 42 in the Pb group (p p p p p > 0.05). The feed conversion ratio of the broilers treated with antibiotics or probiotics significantly decreased compared to the Con group (p p p Bacteroides and Barnesiella were the most significantly enriched bacteria in the Ab and Pb groups, respectively (p p Barnesiella abundance, which is related to a decrease in the drug-resistant gene expression. Moreover, the probiotics treatment improved small intestinal morphology and fecal emissions, while antibiotics have no significant effect on these indicators, indicating a bright future for probiotics as an alternative to feed antibiotics in the yellow-feather broiler industry.

Keywords

• probiotics
• antibiotics
• gut microbiota
• yellow-feather broilers