Use of competitive exclusion culture on growth performance and economics of broiler production

Abstract

The experiment was conducted on 360 day-old straight run Vencobb broiler chicks for a period of 42 days. The chicks were randomly distributed into six treatment groups A, B, C, D, E and F having 4 replicates of 15 birds in each. The group A was maintained as a control group without any treatment; feeding of competitive exclusion culture by beak dipping method on first day of age at hatchery level (B); feeding of CE by beak dipping on the first day of age on farm arrival i.e. approx. 12 hr after hatch (C); birds challenged with pathogenic Escherichia coli strain after 72 hr of hatch without any feeding of CE (D); birds fed with CE culture on the first day by beak dipping at hatchery level and challenged with pathogenic E. coli after 72 hr hatch (E); birds fed with CE culture on first day after farm arrival (i.e. Approx. 12 hr after hatch) and challenged with pathogenic E. coli after 72 hr hatch (F). All the birds placed under treatment D, E and F was challenged (orally) with pathogenic E. coli @ 1.0x105 colony-forming units per chick. The live body weight and weight gain was significantly (P