Production performance, immune response and blood biochemical parameters in broiler chickens fed diet incorporated with prebiotics

This experiment was conducted to identify the suitable replacer of broiler feed antibiotics with prebiotics (mannan oligosaccharides-MOS or fructooligosaccharide-FOS). Two hundred and forty (240)-day-old chicks were randomly divided into 30 groups (6 treatments x 5 replicates/treatment x 8 chicks/replicate). Six experimental diets T-1, T-2, T-3, T-4, T-5 and T-6 were formulated to contain an additional 0, antibiotic, that is, bacitracin methylene di-salicylate (BMD) @20mg/kg, MOS (0.1% and 0.2%) and FOS (0.1% and 0.2%) respectively. Body weight gain was significantly (p<0.05) increased in MOS-0.2% supplemented group at 0-21 d and 0-42 d of broiler chicken. Humoral and in vivo cell-mediated immune response were significantly improved (p<0.05) in BMD, MOS @0.1% or 0.2% treated group. Significant (p<0.05) increase was recorded in total protein (except 21 d), albumin and aspartate amino transferase (AST) and decrease (p<0.05) in alanine amino transferase (except 42 d), cholesterol and uric acid concentration. The weight of breast, thigh, back, drumstick bursa of Fabricius and thymus were higher (p<0.05) in the birds given the MOS @0.2% (T-4). It is concluded that MOS @0.2% may be suitable replacer of antibiotic growth promoter, and it has a beneficial effect on production performance, immune responses, blood biochemical parameters and cut up parts in broiler chickens.