Vol. 10, Issue 12 (2021)

Author(s):
Naveen Swaroop, Anil Kumar Chittithoti, Susmita Thullimalli, Ashwini Kumar and Nagaraja Kumari

Abstract:
The current study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of broiler chicken with an antibiotic growth promoter on their growth, performance, carcass traits and intestinal morphology. Seventy-two (72) one-day-old, straight Ven Cobb chicks were randomly assigned to either of four equal groups (T0-T4), each having three replicates, and reared for 42 days in deep-litter system at Institutional Poultry Farm, Gannavaram (16.54 °N, 80.80 °E) without environmental control (mean ambient temperature 26 °C, relative humidity 73%). T0, receiving a standard basal diet without any growth promoting, antimicrobial or anti-coccidial agents, served as the negative control. T1 received Brand A (Amoxicillin 50%) at 250 ppm, T2 received Brand B (ciprofloxacin 25%) at 500 ppm, T3 received Brand D (oxytetracycline 50%) at 500 ppm. Different parameters about growth, performance, carcass traits, and intestinal morphology, serum biochemical parameters were recorded in the birds and, unless stated otherwise, the statistical significance of the differences between group mean values were ascertained by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) at P< 0.05. Besides significantly better FCR than groups T0, T2, T3, T1 showed significantly better weight gain than group T0 and comparable growth to all other groups. Group T1 showed significantly higher values of serum albumin, serum total protein, the height of ileal villi, and depth of ileal crypts as compared to the unsupplemented control and the antibiotic-supplemented groups. Group T1 also showed significant improvements in body weight gain, muscle protein content, ileal villous width, jejunal villous height and width, jejunal crypt depth, and blood glucose over the unsupplemented control T0 and most of the antibiotic-supplemented groups. It could be concluded that Amoxicillin is an efficacious growth promoter for broiler chicken and that it could be used successfully in broiler feeds for improving growth, performance, carcass traits, and intestinal morphology.