Fermented traditional Chinese medicine alters the intestinal microbiota composition of broiler chickens

For a long time, phytogenic resources have been widely used as substitutes for antibiotics in livestock production. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and fermented herbal medicines. Here, 252 Arbor Acres broiler plus broiler chickens were randomly assigned to a control group, which was fed a basal diet; an unfermented healthy chicken powder group (JJS) fed a basal diet containing 20 g/kg JJS; or one of 5 fermented JJS groups, which were fed a basal diet containing 20 g/kg JJS, fermented with by 5 different bacterial strains for 42 days. The growth performances of the different groups were measured and the changes in the intestinal microbiota were analyzed. The body weight gain in the Bacillus subtilis group (Bs) was the highest among the 6 groups, while the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was best with Z. rouxii fermentation. The result indicated that products of JJS fermentation products of JJS by B. subtilis and Z. rouxii had important effects on chicken growth performance. The foregut and hindgut microbial communities of Bs, Zr, the control group and the JJS group, were collected for 16S rDNA sequencing. The results showed that JJS and its fermentation products mainly acted on the foregut and had little effect on the hindgut, and Z. rouxii fermentation products can increased the diversity in the foregut microbial community. In addition, the relative abundance of Bifidobacterium in the foregut of the Z. rouxii group was significantly increased, which may be an important factor in promoting growth.