Performance of Broiler Chicken Supplemented with Zinc oxide Nano Particles

The study aimed to evaluate the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) supplementation on the growth performance, gut microbiota, and immunity of broiler chickens. Two hundred fifty day-old mixedsex commercial broiler chicks (Vencobb 400) were randomly divided into five groups with five replicates of 10 chicks each. The dietary groups included: 1) basal diet without Zn supplementation (CON), 2) basal diet with 20 ppm Zn from inorganic ZnO (ZnO20), 3) basal diet with 40 ppm Zn from inorganic ZnO (ZnO40), 4) basal diet with 20 ppm Zn from ZnONPs (ZnONPs 20), and 5) basal diet with 40 ppm Zn from ZnONPs (ZnONPs40).There were no significant differences in body weight, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), or carcass characteristics among the groups. However, ZnONPs supplementation significantly reduced the count of Salmonella spp. (P<0.001) and Clostridium spp. (P<0.001) compared to the control and ZnO groups.Antibody titers against Newcastle disease vaccine were not affected by zinc supplementation. ZnONPs did not impact zinc concentration in tibia and breast tissues but significantly increased zinc concentration in liver tissues compared to ZnO and control groups. Copper concentration in tibia, liver, and breast was not affected by Zn supplementation. In conclusion, ZnONPs supplementation shows promise in broiler production, with beneficial effects on gut microbiota and immunity in broiler chickens.