Effects of Alternative Administration Programs of a Synbiotic Supplement on Broiler Performance Foot Pad Dermatitis Caecal Microbiota and Blood Metabolites

摘要

Banning antibiotics as feed additives has brought out the impelling necessity to develop reliable and cost-effective alternatives to improve livestock performance without undermining public health. Synbiotic supplements enhance poultry gut health, which in turn affects productivity and general well-being. Synbiotics have been traditionally supplemented in-feed or via drinking water. However, in-ovo injection and spraying aqueous suspensions on feathering of newly hatched chicks were proposed to allow desirable strains to early colonize the gut and hinder harmful microorganisms more effectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of alternative administration programs of a synbiotic on broiler’s productive performance, foot pad dermatitis, caecal microbiota, and plasma metabolites. Favorable effects on feed efficiency and foot pad conditions were observed when the synbiotic was -delivered as gel droplets at the hatchery combined to in-feed supplementation during the entire growing cycle. Such improvements can be ascribed to the potential modulatory effect of the synbiotic towards gastro-intestinal microbial community. Significant differences of plasma ascorbic acid and propylene-glycol levels were also observed in treated animals.