Dietary Supplementation of Synbiotic Formulation with Phytoactives on Broiler Performance, Relative Ready-to-Cook Weight, Health, Nutrient Digestibility, Gut Health, and Litter Characteristics

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of dietary synbiotic formulation with phytoactives (SFP) on growth performance, health, ready-to-cook (RTC) weight, gut health, nutrient digestibility, and litter characteristics in broiler chickens. Nine hundred one-day-old Cobb 430Y broiler chicks were randomly assigned to five groups: T0, T1, T2, T3, and T4, with two replicates of 90 birds each on day one of the feeding trials. T0 was raised on regular feed without antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs). In contrast, T1, T2, T3, and T4 were raised on regular feed and supplemented per ton of feed with Enramycin at 100 g, SFP at 100 g, 150 g, and competitor probiotic product (CPP) at 100 g. Supplementation of SFP at 150 g/ton of feed affected the performance, RTC weight, gut health, health, nutrient digestibility, litter characteristics, and overall health of Cobb 430Y broiler chickens. SFP is a possible antibiotics alternative in broiler chickens' diets. SFP supplementation at 100 g/ton (T2) and 150 g/ton (T3) performed similarly to Enramycin (T1) and CPP (T4) in terms of litter characteristics. It caused a reduction in fecal water-soluble phosphorus (WSP) of 16.67%, 16.67%, and 23.08%, respectively, when compared to control (T0), Enramycin (T1), and CPP (T4).