Effect of Sodium Butyrate as an Antibiotic Substitute on Production Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Economics in Broiler Chicken

A feeding trial was conducted to assess the influence of sodium butyrate as an antibiotic-substitute in broiler chicken. The trial consisted of six experimental groups with 12 replicates, each containing 6 chicks with a total of 432 birds. The experimental groups consisted of a control group fed the diet without antibiotic (CON), another group fed the diet with antibiotic oxytetracycline (50 ppm; AB), and groups fed the diet with two levels each of coated-sodium butyrate (CSB) at 0.09 and 0.18%, and uncoatedsodium butyrate (UCSB) at 0.03 and 0.06% without antibiotic. The trial was carried out in deep litter pen for 42d. The birds fed the control diet showed poor growth rate than the other treatment groups except for the birds fed with 0.03% of UCSB. The CON birds had reduced (P<0.01) feed intake when compared to groups fed AB or CSB and UCSB at both levels with better (P<0.01) feed efficiency than birds fed diet with AB or lower levels of CSB and UCSB. Feed efficiency of birds with lower levels of CSB and UCSB were comparable to the AB group birds. All the slaughter parameters remained uninfluenced by supplementation of both levels of CSB or UCSB and AB except for the eviscerated carcass weight. Economic returns were found to be better in group supplemented with UCSB than the respective levels of CSB. Hence, it can be concluded that, sodium butyrate could be considered as replacement for dietary oxytetracycline.