EFFECT OF DIETARY INCLUSION OF GARLIC, SYNBIOTIC, ORGANIC ACIDIFIER AND SYNTHETIC ANTIBIOTICS ON CARCASS AND CAECAL MICROBIAL LOAD OF FUNAAB ALPHA CHICKENS

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine effect of garlic, synbiotic, organic acidifier and synthetic antibiotics on carcass characteristics and caecal microbial load of FUNAAB-Alpha chickens. One hundred and fifty day-old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 5 treatments of 3 replicates with 10 chicks and laid out in a Completely Randomized Design. Treatments consisted of birds on Treatment 1 (T0 - no additives), Treatment 2 (Tg - garlic at 3g/1kg feed), Treatment 3 (Ts - synbiotic at 2g/1kg feed), Treatment 4 (Toa - organic acidifier at 3g/2kg feed), Treatment 5 (Ta - antibiotics at 0.5g/1kg feed). Data obtained were subjected to one way analysis of variance. Birds on Ta showed significantly (p<0.05) increased plucked weight, eviscerated weight and dressed weight percentages similar to same parameters in birds on Ts and Tc. Weights for head, back, breast, gizzard, lungs, small intestine were also significantly (p<0.05) increased. Neck and caecum weights were significantly (p<0.05) lowered in birds on Ta. Birds on Ts showed significantly (p<0.05) increased weight for neck and it was same for kidney and caecum weights of birds on Tg. Streptococcus faecalis for birds fed Toa and Salmonella spp for birds fed Tg was significantly (p<0.05) lowered in their caecum. In conclusion, for FUNAAB-Alpha chickens, synbiotic improved carcass yield similar to antibiotic inclusion in diet; synbiotic and organic acidifier improved breast muscle similar to antibiotic inclusion in diet; additive inclusion lowered Streptococcus faecalis and Salmonella spp. population in the caecum.