Intestinal morphology and growth performance of the Indonesian indigenous crossbred chickens supplemented with formic acid and Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Abstract

The study investigated gut ecology and morphology of the Indonesian indigenous crossbred chickens (IICC) supplemented with the combination of formic acid and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Two hundreds day-old IICC were distributed to T0 (control diet), T1 (T0 + 0.2% formic acid), T2 (T0 + 0.3% S. cerevisiae), T3 (T0 + 0.2% formic acid and 0.3% S. cerevisiae). Excreta was collected at week 8, while intestinal ecology and morphology were determined at week 9. In duodenum, T3 chicks showed higher and wider (P0.05). IIn conclusion, the inclusion of formic acid and S. cerevisiae in diets improved intestinal ecology and morphology. The IICC chickens fed with formic acid and S. cerevisiae exhibited improved growth performance and nutrient digestibility.

Keywords

• crossbred chickens
• organic acid
• saccharomyces cerevisiae
• growth rate