Multi-strain Probiotics Effects on Laying Hens’ Performance, Egg Quality, Digestive Organ Weight and Small Intestine Histomorphology

Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in animal diets are no longer recommended due to antibiotic resistance and presence of residues in animal product. Probiotics are alternative feed additive that can be given to poultry in a single or multi-strains probiotic (MP) through the diet or drinking water.

Two hundred laying hens, 32-week old, were randomly distributed into five treatments and four replicates, 10 hens each replicate. Experimental diets included a basal ration only (MP0), a basal ration with 0.2% of MP (MP2), a basal ration with 0.4% of MP (MP4), a basal ration with 0.6% of MP (MP6) and a basal ration with 0.8% of MP (MP8). The variables included the initial and final weight, feed consumption, hen day production (HDP), mass of eggs, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and quality of egg, digestive organ weight and histomorphology of the small intestine. The data analysis employed variance analysis and the Duncan comparison test.

Adding of commercial MP to the laying diet increases feed consumption, HDP, the thickness of the eggshell, weight of the small intestine and villus height at duodenum and jejunum (p<0.05), other parameters were unaffected (p>0.05). Therefore, commercial MP in laying hen increased feed consumption, HDP, eggshell thickness and villus height at the duodenum and jejunum. The optimum dose rate is 0.6% in the diet.