Effect of Probiotic Levels Through Water Supplementation on Broiler Performance Under Heat Stress Condition
Neha Tikaram Iwanate
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
N. N. Prasade
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
A. V. Karhale *
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
A. J. Mayekar
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
V. B. Kadav
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
N. H. Khobragade
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
S. S. Ramod
Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairy Science, College of Agriculture Dapoli, Ratnagiri, India.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus casei) in drinking water on broiler performance. A total of 200, day old chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (T1–T5) with four replicates of 10 chicks each and reared for six weeks. The groups comprised T1 (control, basal diet), T2 (basal diet + 1% L. casei), T3 (basal diet + 2% L. casei), T4 (basal diet + 3% L. casei) and T5 (basal diet + 4% L. casei). Growth traits including body weight, weight gain, feed intake, water intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded and analyzed using ANOVA under a completely randomized design, with mean differences tested by t-test at 5% significance. Supplementation with 3% L. casei (T4) showed the best results, with significantly higher body weight (2128.60 g), weight gain (2083.92 g) and improved FCR (1.56), alongside reduced feed intake (3436.81 g), while water intake and health remained unaffected.
Keywords: Konkan region, probiotic supplementation, lactobacillus casei, growth performance, feed conversion ratio