Abstract: The current study was carried out at the Poultry Research Station and the laboratories belonging to the Animal and Poultry Research Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture during the period from March to December 2008. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of two probiotics, (effective microorganism (EM) and Zinc bactracin) to the diets of Inshas chickens on growth performance, immunity, blood constituents, semen quality, digestibility and economical benefit.
To achieve these goals a total number of (540) one-day- old chicks were used. The chicks were weighed, wing banded and randomly divided into six experimental groups of 90 unsexed vaccinated chicks (three replicates for each group) .The chicks were housed in floor pens with an evenly decreasing day length from 24 hours in the first week to 11 hours during growing period (12-20) wk and then 17 hours throughtout laying period (20-41 )wk. The birds were placed in a room maintained at a constant temperature of (26±3) ºC and a relative humidity of (70±3) %. Feed and water were available all the time ad libitum. The chickens were vaccinated as young layer chicks with live attenuated vaccines for Newcastle disease, infectious bronchitis, infectious bursal disease and a polyvalent bacterin for fowl cholera at different ages from 4
to 95 days.
The experimental design consisted of six experimental groups:
control and 5 dietary treatments as follows; (T1) Basal diet ( control ), (T2) Basal diet + EM (2.5 ml/kg diet ), (T3) Basal diet + EM (5.0 ml/kg
diet), (T4) Basal diet + EM (7.5 ml/kg diet), (T5) Basal diet + EM (10.0 ml/kg diet) and (T6) Basal diet + Zinc bactracin (500 mg/kg).
Experimental dietary treatment started at the age of 4 weeks and lasted for 40wk .
Three basal diets were offered to birds. A starter diet during the
period (4-12) wk containing 19.66% CP, 2806.56 kcal ME ; a grower diet during the period (12-20) wk containing 15.76 % CP , 2725.30 kcal ME ;and a laying diet during the period (20-40) wk containing 17.52 % CP , 2718.51 kcal ME.
Characteristics investigated included :Live body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption and efficiency of feed utilization, egg weight age, egg Production traits ( egg number and egg mass/ hen ), egg quality, egg chemical analysis ( egg cholesterol and egg protein %), semen quality ( semen volume, sperm motility %, sperm cell concentration (xl06/ml) and sperm abnormal and dead), fertility, hatchability and chick weight, serum biochemical estimates (total protein, albumin, globulin, cholesterol, total Lipids, AST, AL T, uric acid, creatinine and antioxidant enzymes{glutathion peroxidase (GPX), catalase (CAT)and superoxide dismutase (SOD)}); hematological Parameters (total RBC's and WBC's counts, differential leukocytic count, hematocrite %, H / L ratio), mmune response( HI and CMI ), bacteria enumeration (aerobic plate count (xl06g), E. coli, salmonella, staphylococci and coccidia ovum), digestibility coefficients, morphometric analysis of the gut (villi height, villi thickness and villi surface area)and histopathology (intestine, spleen and live).
Results obtained could be summarized as follows;
1-The feed additives were significantly (P<0.001) increased final body weight, and body weight gain in all treatments as compared with control.
2- Chicks fed 7.5 ml/kg diet and 10.0 ml/kg diet diets recorded the highest vales of feed intake, but the lowest values were obtained for those fed Zinc bactracin (500 mg/kg), 5.0 m/kg diet and 2.5 ml/kg
diet diets.
3-Feed conversion was significantly improved by many different levels of EM and Zinc bacitracin during the whole experimental period ( 4 to 40 weeks of age) expect the period from 12 to 16 weeks of age as compared with control diet.
4-Feed additives ( EM and Zinc bactracin )improved (P <0.001) egg number during laying period. Egg number was significantly increased by 28% in the hens fed 10.0 ml/kg diet as compared
with control diet.
5-Egg yolk cholesterol was significantly decreased in chicks fed diets with Feed additives as compared with the control diet, while egg protein percentage was significantly ( P<0.05) increased in birds fed diets with different levels of EM ( 5; 7.5 and 10 ml/kg diet.
6- Semen quality was significantly increased in cocks fed T2 to T6 diet, although the highest improve was in T6 as compared with those fed control diet, it is lead to improve fertility percentage.
7-Serum total protein was significantly increased in chickens fed EM and Zinc bactracin diets as compared with those fed control diet, while Serum cholesterol and total1ipids were decreased (P<0.0l and P<0.001) for groups fed diets supplemented with different levels of
EM or Zinc bactracin as compared with the control.
8-The addition of EM with different levels and Zinc bactracin to the
chicks diets had significant increased in HI antibody response, and CMI.
9- Peed additives were significantly (P<0.01) reduction in counts of total viable bacteria, E. coli, salmonella, staphylococci and Coccidia ovum in caecum comparing with untreated control diet.
10- Digestibility coefficient were significantly increased in chicks fed feed additives (EM and ZN) diets as compared with chicks kept on control diet.
11- Villi height, Villi thickness and Villi Surface Area were significantly increased in birds fed EM and Zinc bacitracin diet as compared with those control.
12- EM treatments with all different levels and zinc bacitracin were
significantly increased ( P<0.001) economical efficiency as compared with control group, although The highest value of economical efficiency was noticed for chicks fed T3 (5.0 ml EM /kg diet) diet as compared with other diets.
Thus, on the basis of the achieved results in the present study effective microorganism (EM) if available, could be recommended as an efficient improve performance and immunity for chickens.
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