The effect of a probiotic feed additive on the growth of young quails

Abstract

The article examines the effect of probiotic feed additive on the growth dynamics and live weight gain of quails. Probiotics are a modern solution to combat pathogenic microflora in animals, stimulate productivity, and support the production of environmentally friendly livestock products. The purpose of the experiment was to study the effect of probiotic supplementation on live weight, growth and feed consumption of quail breeders. Four groups of one-day-old quails of the «Manchurian Golden» breed were selected based on the principle of analogue groups. Each group contained 50 birds. The duration of the experiment was 49 days, including 7 days for levelling and 42 days for the main experimental period. The control group was fed a complete pelleted feed, while the experimental groups of quails received a probiotic feed additive in different doses. The probiotic under study contained a mixture of concentrates: Lactobacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus bulgaricus, Lactobacillus rhamnosus, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bifidobacterium bifidum, Streptococcus thermophilus, Enterococcus faecium and dextrose. The results showed that probiotic feeding increased the live weight of quails at the age of 49 days in the 2nd group by 4.5 % (P<0.01), in the 3rd group by 14.4 % (P<0.001), and in the 4th group by 6.0 % (P<0.001), compared to the control group. Feeding the probiotic also positively affected the absolute growth rate. In the 2nd, 3rd and 4th experimental groups, the absolute growth increased by 4.8 %, 14.9 % and 6.4 % (P<0.001), respectively, compared to the quails of the control group. Under the influence of the feed additive, the average daily growth increased in young quails of the 2nd group by 4.5 % (P<0.05), in the 3rd group by 14.6 % (P<0.001), and in the 4th group by 6.1 % (P<0.01) compared to the control. The additional feeding of probiotic supplementation also reduced feed consumption per 1 kg of live weight gain by 27.0 % in the 3rd experimental group compared to the control.