ABSTRACT

Two feeding trails was conducted, using 336 day old broiler chicks to determine the response of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with Lactobacillus plantarum and Enterococcus faecium, at the inclusion rate of 0, 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15 g. The studies lasted for 42 days. Experiment I determined the effect of two probiotic type while Experiment II considered different combinations of L. plantarum and E. faecium probiotics. Experimental design was 2 x 4 factorial in a completely randomized design (CRD) for Experiment I and CRD for Experiment II. Each of the experiments had seven treatments with each treatment replicated three times. Growth and performance, carcass and organ characteristics, haematology, serum biochemistry and feed cost, were measured. In Experiment-I, birds fed with starter broiler diet supplemented with 0.10g of E. faecium had significant (p<0.05) high final live weight (714.67g), daily feed intake (57.27g), daily protein intake (12.15g), high dressed percentage (48.93%), kidney (0.85%), crop (0.97%), small intestine (3.65%), large intestine (0.79%), high pack cell volume (32%), haemoglobin (9.50), red blood cell (5.20) and white blood cell (2.30). Starter diet supplemented with probiotics significantly (p>0.05) reduced urea (28.65), alkaline phosphatase (76.00), aspartate amino transferase (48.33), alanine amino transferase (27.67), cholesterol (48.57), low density lipoprotein (11.78) and the very low density lipoprotein (0.90). Diets supplemented with L. plantarum and E. faecium significantly (p<0.05) improved the final live weight (1876.67g) and daily weight gain (52.35g) of finisher broilers, with significantly low mortality rate (0.24%). The dressed percentage (65.08%), of finisher broilers fed diets supplemented with probiotics were significantly (p<0.05) improved. The haemoglobin (6.97g//dl), RBC (4.03ml/mm³) and WBC (0.44x10³/µL) of finisher broilers fed diets containing probiotics were significantly lower than those fed with control diet. The total protein (5.46), was significantly (p<0.05) high, the creatinine (1.28), ALP (72.00), AST (19.33), cholesterol (52.47), LDL (13.09) and VLDLC (5.99) were significantly low. Birds fed diets supplemented with L. plantarum had significant (p<0.05) high total feed cost (₦491.14) and gross margin (₦878.85). In experiment-‍II, starter broilers dressed percentage (53.97%), crop (1.04), the small (5.37) and large (1.01) intestines, the PVC (32%), RBC (5.48ml/mm³) and WBC (2.10x10³/µL) were significantly (p<0.05) high. While the FCR (1.95), cholesterol (81.37), triglyceride (81.37), LDL (4.87) and VLDLC (8.71) were significantly (p>0.05) low. The final live weight (1866.67g) and dressed percentage (62.66%), PVC (47%), RBC (6.85ml/mm³) and WBC (3.19x10³/µL) of finisher broilers fed diets supplemented with probiotic combination of L. plantarum and E. faecium at varying inclusion levels were significantly (p<0.05) high. While the urea (19.37), creatine (1.01), AST (26.67), cholesterol (46.56), LDL (7.67) and VLDLC (23.74) were significantly (p>0.05) low, the feed cost (₦516.86) and gross margin (₦901.44) were significantly (p<0.05) high. Probiotics (L. plantarum and E. faecium) had positive impact on the growth performance, carcass and organ characteristics, haematology and serum biochemistry of broiler chickens.