Effect of curd as probiotic supplementation on growth of kids

Growth promoting properties of traditionally prepared curd as probiotic supplement in kids has been evaluated. Twenty-four (3 to 4 months-old) weaner kids of Sirohi and Barbari breeds (12 each) were randomly divided into 2 equal groups. One group served as control (without curd supplementation) and other group as treatment group (received curd probiotic @ 15 ml/head/day containing 10^6–7 cfu/ml Lactobacillus spp.) in the morning for 13 weeks. Average daily gain was higher (31.2%) in curd supplemented group of Sirohi kids over control while no additional total gain was recorded in Barbari kids. Irrespective of breed, mean gain in total body weight of kids was 14.3% in treatment group compared to the control, though the difference was not statistically significant. Further studies are required to assess the beneficial effects of curd as a source of probiotic in growing kids.