Skip to main content

Enhanced Meat Chicken Productivity with Probiotic Supplement

 

A recent study conducted by researchers from The University of Queensland led by Dr Yadav Bajagai and other institutions has shown that a novel probiotic strain, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 (H57), can significantly improve the productivity of meat chickens. The study, which focused on finding alternatives to the sub-therapeutic use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal diets, also investigated the impact of H57 on the chickens' microbiome and metabolic potential.

In the poultry industry, antibiotics have been commonly used to promote growth and control enteric pathogens. However, due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, many countries have banned or voluntarily phased out their use. Probiotics, such as H57, have emerged as promising alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. They have been shown to effectively improve meat production and combat enteric pathogens in various animal species.

The researchers conducted an experiment with broiler chickens, comparing sorghum- and wheat-based diets supplemented with H57 to non-supplemented control diets. They measured the growth rate, feed intake, and feed conversion of the chickens and studied the microbial metabolic functions in the caecal region using shotgun metagenomic sequencing.

The results of the study revealed that H57 supplementation significantly increased the growth rate and daily feed intake of the meat chickens compared to the non-supplemented control group. Interestingly, there was no effect on the feed conversion ratio. Metagenomic analysis of the caecal microbiome showed that H57 supplementation positively influenced the functional capacity of the microbial community. Pathways related to amino acid and vitamin synthesis were enriched in the H57-supplemented chickens.

The findings of this study have important implications for the poultry industry. The use of probiotic supplements like H57, which can enhance weight gain and modulate intestinal microbial function, may serve as an effective alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. By improving the performance of meat chickens and modifying the functional potential of their microbiomes, these supplements can contribute to increased productivity and overall health of the animals.

The researchers highlight the significance of their study in exploring the potential benefits of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens H57 in the poultry industry. The findings suggest that probiotic supplements could be valuable tools for enhancing meat chicken productivity while reducing the reliance on antibiotics. Further research in this area may lead to the development of more sustainable and effective strategies for animal farming.

The article is published by Oxford University Publication in the Journal of Applied Microbiology and can be found here.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Basic Concepts of Food Security: Definition, Dimensions and Integrated Phase Classification

by Yadav Sharma Bajagai "Food Security" is one of major elements of development and poverty alleviation and has been the goal of many international and national public organizations. The issue is so important that according to the state of food insecurity in the world 2012 published by FAO around 870 million people (out of which 852 million from developing countries) are estimated to have been undernourished in the period 2010-12. Although the phrase "Food Security" is being used widely, the definition and concept of food security is elusive and being evolved and expanded over time.

Agriculture and Food Security Project (AFSP) Nepal: An Initiative to Fight Against Hunger

Background Household food deficiency due to low agricultural productivity, limited livelihood opportunities, inefficient food distribution system, weak market linkage, poor infrastructure and lack of awareness among general public about healthy food habit are some of the development challenges in Nepal. Within the country western Nepal suffer more from poverty and hunger with 37% of the people living below the poverty line compared to the national average of 25.16%. Similarly, productivity of major crops is significantly lower than the national average which is already among the lowest in South Asia. Per capita consumption of animal products (32 litres of milk, 7.5 kg of meat and 6.4 eggs per capita per annum) is among the lowest in the region hunger indices pointing to an extremely alarming situation. Household food balance (result of food inflow, household production, household consumption and outflow) is negative almost throughout the year in the region.  Government of

Competition between sheep and kangaroos in Australia

by Yadav Sharma Bajagai Summery   Millions of sheep and kangaroos share the same habitat in the sheep rangelands of southern Australia and dietary competition between these two species has been a matter of concern to pastoralists, conservation ecologists and animal scientists for long time. This issue has been tried to be addressed in this article. It is found that sheep and kangaroos both positively select grass and forb resulting considerable overlapping in their diet during flush season. But when grasses are in short supply during drought, sheep are forced to eat more of less preferred vegetation (chenopods). Sheep are more flexible than kangaroos to shift into chenopods and other shrubs decreasing the overlap in diet during dry season. Dietary competition is not significant when pasture biomass production is high (>30 g DM/m 2 ) but it requires due attention when there is low biomass production during drought. Issue has been discussed and recommendation has been d