Broiler chicks of a commercial strain were fed diets containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate @ 150 g and 200 g/MT and virginiamycin @ 500 g/MT feed up to 42 days of age to evaluate their effects on growth, feed efficiency and nutrient utilization. Both bacitracin methylene disalicylate and virginiamycin significantly increased (P<0.01)the body weight gains as compared to the control and also improved the feed conversionration. Significantly higher digestibility of protein (81.68±0.76 percent) was recorded in the treatment where the diet was incorporated with bacitracin methylene disalicylate @ 200 g/MT where as higher digestibility coefficients of etherextract (87.04±0.50), crude fibre (60.39±0.41) and metabolizable energy (87.42±0.45) were noted with virginiamycin @ 500 g/MT. Calcium and phosphorus retentions were also found significantly (p<0.01) higher i.e. 85.73±0.62 and 81.80±0.37 per cent, respectively with the diet having virginiamycin @ 500 g/MT.
Virginiamycin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate, broilers, nutrient utilization
