Positive impact of early-probiotic administration on performance parameters, intestinal health and microbiota populations in broiler chickens

Authors: HUSSAIN, M. - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; AIZPURUA, O. - University Of Copenhagen; PEREZ DE ROZAS, A. - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; GUIVERNAU, M. - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; JOFRE, A. - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; TOUS, N. - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; WAITHAKA, NG'AN'A - Institute Of Agrifood Research And Technology; ALBERDI, A. - University Of Copenhagen; RODIRIGUEZ-GALLEGO, E. - University Of Copenhagen; Kogut, Michael

Submitted to: Poultry Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/4/2024
Publication Date: 10/31/2024
Citation: Hussain, M., Aizpurua, O., Perez De Rozas, A., Guivernau, M., Jofre, A., Tous, N., Waithaka, N.Z., Alberdi, A., Rodiriguez-Gallego, E., Kogut, M.H. 2024. Positive impact of early-probiotic administration on performance parameters, intestinal health and microbiota populations in broiler chickens. Poultry Science. 103(12). Article 104401. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104401.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2024.104401

Interpretive Summary: The removal of antibiotic growth promoters from the feed of baby chicks to reduce antibiotic resistant germs from the environment has resulted in the development of a number of different commercial feed supplements to help the gut health of these chicks. However, the efficacy of some of these supplements is unknown. This study was initiated to (1) identify gut bacteria that are beneficial to the gut health of chicks and (2) understand how these 'good' bacteria work in the gut to help the chicks stay healthy and grow. The probiotic (the good bacteria given in the feed) was found to increase the development and function of the gut of the baby chicks during the first 10 days after hatch which provides the chicks a strong healthy gut to withstand exposure to environmental pressures (weather conditions, bad germs, poor quality feed ingredients) that the chicks are exposed to early in life. This healthier gut enables the chick to grow better. These results are of interest to poultry farmers worldwide and are one of the first studies to describe the exact benefits of feeding beneficial gut bacteria to baby chicks to support the growth of a healthy chicken.

Technical Abstract: Minimizing the utilization of antibiotics in animal production is crucial to prevent the emerging of antimicrobial resistances, thus the research on alternatives is needed to maintain both productivity and health of animals. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of probiotics' modes of action on performance, intestinal microbiota and gut health in poultry, three probiotic strains (Enterococcus faecalis [EntF], Bacteroides fragilis [BacF], and Ligilactobacillus salivarius [LacS] were tested in two in vivo trials. Trial 1 had a negative control group received basal diet (BD), while the rest of groups received BD with EntF, BacF and LacS, respectively. Trial 2 had a negative control group, a positive control group with antibiotic Zn Bacitracin as growth promoter, and two groups treated with a blend of probiotics (EntF+BacF+LacS) during 0-10 or 0-35 days, respectively. Wheat-soybean-rye based diets without exogenous enzymes were used as a challenge model to induce intestinal mild- or moderate-inflammatory process in the gut. In Trial 1, probiotics individually administered improved FCR at day 8 compared to Control but these positive effects were lost in the following growing periods, probably due to the high grade of challenging diet and a too low dose of probiotics. In the Trial 2, both Probiotic treatments (administered 0-10 or 0-35 days) significantly improved FCR to the same extent as of Antibiotic group at the end of trial. Although the performance traits between antibiotic and probiotic mixture treatments showed similar results on performance, microbiota analysis revealed that the composition differed on day 7 but not on day 21. This characteristic suggests that modes of action of antibiotic growth promoter compared to the probiotic blend tested differs on their effects on microbiome, being these changes on microbiota, specifically during the first ten days of life. Moreover, the probiotics administration only during this crucial window is sufficient to induce similar improvements on performance compared to animals fed probiotics during the growout period.