Effect of feeding diets supplemented with an antibiotic or probiotic on the performance of commercial broiler chicken

The present study aimed to evaluate the growth-promoting activity of probiotics and antibiotics. A total of five hundred and forty (540) straight-run day-old commercial broiler chicks (Vencobb-430) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups. Each treatment comprised six replicates, with 30 chicks in each, resulting in 180 chicks per treatment. Treatment Group 1 served as the control group, while Group T2 was supplemented with antibiotics, and Group T3 received probiotics in both feed and water for a 42 day period. To assess growth-promoting activity, parameters such as body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio were recorded. The study results indicated that at the end of 42^nd days, no significant differences were observed in any of the parameters studied among the three experimental groups. Although the antibiotic-supplemented group exhibited numerical improvements compared to the other groups, these differences were not statistically significant. The control group showed the highest feed consumption, possibly attributed to an unstable gut microflora. The incorporation of probiotics led to numerical improvements in feed conversion ratio compared to the control group. The observed improvements in the probiotic and antibiotic-supplemented groups may be attributed to their gut microflora-stabilizing properties, resulting in enhanced gut absorption of energy and nutrients.