Comparison of Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology and Microbial Population, and Blood Biochemical Parameters in Arian and Ross Broiler Chickens in Response to Commercial Probiotics

Document Type : Research Articles

Authors

• seyyed javad Hosseini-vashan
• Kamran Bahrampour
• Yaser Feizdar
• Seyed morteza Vegharseydin
• Sohila Ebrahimi

Department of Animal and Poultry Science, College of Agriculture, University of Birjand, Birjand, Iran

10.22067/ijasr.2025.90466.1222

Abstract

Introduction: Over the past 20 years, the poultry industry has expanded rapidly, with global chicken meat production projected to reach 455 million tons by 2050. Nevertheless, this industry faces numerous challenges, with the primary objective of optimizing production efficiency. One significant challenge is the selection of an appropriate broiler strain. Among the prominent strains available in the Iranian market is the Arian strain. Furthermore, due to increasing concerns regarding antimicrobial and antibiotic resistance, the use of commercial probiotics to enhance poultry health and safety has become increasingly common. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of commercially available probiotics on growth performance indicators, blood parameters, intestinal morphology, and the bacterial population of the digestive tract in Arian strain broilers from two breeder farms in Dizbad, Babolsar.
 
Material and Methods: A total of 864 broiler chicks were used in a completely randomized design based on a 4×3 factorial arrangement, consisting of three types of chicks (Ross 308, Arian Dizbad, and Arian Babolsar) and four dietary treatments: a control diet with no additive, Lactofeed (200 g/ton of feed from days 1–21, then 100 g/ton until day 42), Primalac (900 g/ton in the starter phase, 450 g/ton in the grower phase, and 225 g/ton in the finisher phase), and Biosel (600 g/1000 L of drinking water for the first three days) probiotics. Performance indicators, including feed intake and weight gain, were measured at the end of each period, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected from the birds to measure blood parameters. To evaluate the microbial population and intestinal morphology, one bird from each replicate was randomly slaughtered, and the required samples were collected and sent to the laboratory.
 
Result and Discussion: The results indicated that during days 1–42, Arian Babolsar chicks exhibited the highest feed intake, which was significantly greater than Ross 308 but similar to Arian Dizbad. The probiotics Biosel and Lactofeed increased feed intake compared to Primalac and the non-supplemented group (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in daily weight gain between the Arian and Ross 308 strains. All probiotic-supplemented groups showed similar weight gains. The non-supplemented Ross 308 group had the lowest feed conversion ratio (best performance) and demonstrated significant superiority over some Arian groups (with/without probiotics). The use of Biosel probiotic increased blood albumin compared to the control group. The lowest concentrations of cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) were observed in the Primalac probiotic group compared to the control and Lactofeed-treated groups. Lactofeed supplementation reduced plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels compared to the control and Primalac groups (P < 0.05). Ross 308 birds fed an unsupplemented diet exhibited higher serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels than Arian Dizbad × Biosel and Arian Babolsar × Primalac treatments (P < 0.05). The greatest villus height and jejunal absorptive surface area were observed in Ross 308 birds fed a Primalac-supplemented diet (P < 0.05). The villus height-to-crypt depth ratio was higher in Arian Dizbad birds receiving Primalac compared to those receiving Lactofeed and the non-supplemented Ross 308 group (P < 0.05). The highest population of Lactobacillus was observed in Arian Dizbad birds fed Lactofeed, compared to unsupplemented Arian Dizbad and Babolsar groups, as well as Arian Babolsar receiving Biosel (P < 0.05). No significant interaction was found between strain and probiotic on coliform microbial counts (P > 0.05). Overall, this study demonstrated that Biosel and Lactofeed supplementation increased feed intake, but no significant differences in weight gain were observed among groups. Therefore, the Ross strain showed higher growth performance, followed by the Babolsar strain with higher growth performance. The probiotic supplement Primalac also improved blood indices and intestinal morphology.
 
Conclusion: Overall, this study demonstrated that Biosel and Lactofeed supplementation increased feed intake, but no significant differences in weight gain were observed among groups. Therefore, the Ross strain showed higher growth performance, followed by the Babolsar strain with higher growth performance. The probiotic supplement Primalac also improved blood indices and intestinal morphology.
 

Keywords

• Arian
• Feed conversion ratio
• Intestine morphology
• Probiotic
• Ross 308

Main Subjects

• Poultry Nutrition

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©2025 The author(s). This is an open access article distributed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source.

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