Dietary effect of combination of some probiotic microorganisms on productive performance of layer chickens fed up to the starter phase

Abstract

Comparative biological response of combination of different strains of lactobacilli, streptococci and yeast, isolated from different indigenous sources was studied in commercial laying chickens. The treatments consisted of T1 (control feed with culture medium only), T2 (Lactobacillus bulgaricus L4 + Straptococcus lactis S1 + Saccharomyces cerevisiae Y3), T3 (L. acidophilous leopard excreta + S. faecalis leopard excreta + Torulopsis spherica calf dung), T4 (L. acidophilous bottle gourd + S. uberis bitter gourd + S. cerevisiae bitter gourd), T5 (L. lactis tomato + S. faecium khamir + Pichia memberanaefaciens tomato), T6 (T2 + T3) and T 7 (T3 +T4). In overall, the FCR was higher in probiotic fed groups as compared to that of the control. Mortality was observed in the control (T1) and T5 group only. Feed consumed per kg egg mass was lower and, percent hen per day egg production was higher in all the probiotic fed groups. The probiotic feeding resulted in larger egg size production. The better egg laying performance could be due to the higher total and % Gram +ve microbial counts in the intestinal tract. It could be concluded that the probiotics, fed only up to 8 weeks of age showed a carry-over effect on the laying performance throughout the laying period and there was no need to mix too many strains of microbes from different sources to increase the farm returns.