Effect of supplemental prebiotic, probiotic and turmeric in diet on the performance of broiler chicks during summer

Day-old Cobb broiler chicks (n = 240) were distributed randomly into 16 lots of 15 each. Eight dietary treatments: prebiotic @ 1 g/kg diet, probiotic @ 0.1 g/kg, turmeric @ 1 g/kg either singly or in all possible combinations at respective dose levels, were offered to duplicate groups of chicks upto 42 days of age and their productive performance evaluated. Results revealed that various feed additives used in the study affected the growth and feed efficiency of chicks significantly (P < 0.05). Chicks fed diet containing probiotic and its prebiotic combination gained significantly more body weight than those fed other diets. Although feed consumption was not significantly affected due to dietary treatments, chicks fed probiotic or prebiotic alone utilized feed significantly more efficiently better than those of birds in other dietary groups. Data on feed cost (Rs/kg live weight gain) revealed a significant (P < 0.05) positive effect of the three supplements in helping reduce production cost of broiler chicks.