Effect of Organic Acid Supplementation on the Performance and Ileal Microflora of Broiler During Finishing Period

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of organic acid on the performance and ileal microflora of broiler during finishing phase. A total of 150 day old broiler chicks were divided into five experimental groups i.e., OA-0, OA-0.5, OA-1, OA-1.5 and OA-2.00 and were supplemented in drinking water at the rate of 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% organic acid blend, Aciflex®, respectively. Aciflex® consisted of citric acid 80 g, lactic acid 52 g, CuSO4 10 g and phosphoric acid 92 g/l. Each group was further divided into three replicates having 10 chicks per replicate in a completely randomized design. The birds were reared in separate pens for 22 to 42 days in an open sided house. At the end of the experiment, the results revealed that body weight, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield and liver weight increased significantly (P<0.05) in the treated groups showing linear improvement. Similarly, bacterial microflora including E. coli and Salmonella decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the treated groups. Best antimicrobial results were observed in OA-2 group. We concluded from the results that organic acid improved the production and decreased microbial population in broiler during finishing stage.