Impact of dietary supplementation with a synbiotic, organic acids or their combination on growth performance, carcass traits, economic efficiency, jejunum histomorphometry and some blood indices of broiler chickens
The objective was to explore the possible impacts of dietary supplementation with a synbiotic, organic acids or their combination on the growing efficiency, carcass traits and some blood constituents in broilers. In total, 160 1-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned into four equal groups (40 birds with 8 replicates). The control group received the basal diet with no supplements, while diets of the treated groups were supplemented with organic acids (OA; 1 g/kg), a synbiotic (S; 1 g/kg) and an equal mix of OA and the synbiotic (OS; 2 g/kg). The dietary supplementation with OA decreased the feed intake (P = 0.011) and bodyweight gain (P = 0.011) when compared with other experimental groups. However, the dietary supplementation with the synbiotic plus OA resulted in a considerable improvement in the overall feed conversion rate when compared with the control and OA-supplemented groups (P = 0.001). Groups fed the diets supplemented with the synbiotic or the synbiotic plus OA showed significantly higher net profits and the profit to cost ratio than did the CON and OA-supplemented groups (P = 0.010 and 0.005 respectively). Birds in the S and OS groups had a significantly higher jejunum villus height (P = 0.001), and carcass (P = 0.012) and breast meat (P = 0.001) yields than did those in the control and OA groups. However, the synbiotic-supplemented group produced significantly lower abdominal fat percentage (P = 0.021). The dietary supplementation with the synbiotic or the synbiotic plus OA decreased the lymphocyte counts (P = 0.003) and the serum reduced glutathione concentration (P = 0.001), but significantly decreased the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (P = 0.001), and the serum cholesterol (P = 0.014) and oxidised glutathione (P = 0.002) concentrations compared with the control and OA-supplemented groups. The present findings showed that dietary supplementation with a synbiotic or a synbiotic plus OA can improve the growth performance, carcass traits, serum antioxidant activity and blood-related indices in broilers.