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A study was carried out to investigate the effect of water from five different sources on the microbiological parameters of broiler chicken. Among the different sources, the total bacterial load was higher in pond water. However, after treatment, microbiological qualities (total viable count, total E. coli count and total coliform count) of all the sources of water under study were found to be reduced. The rain water was free from E. coli. The average total water consumption (l/bird) of broiler chicken offered untreated pond water was lowest (12.055) and it was highest for bore well water (14.560). However, after treatment of water the total water consumption per bird increased numerically for all the groups. The overall water/ feed consumption ratio of broiler chicken offered different sources of water ranged from 3.67-4.07 wherein, it was lowest for untreated pond water (3.67) and highest for untreated rain water (4.07).

Background and Aim: The chicken gut harbors microflora which impacts the health, production performance and immune response against pathogens. Assam local chickens reared under natural conditions are known to possess high immunocompetence which may be attributable to its gut microbiota make-up. This study aimed to investigate the individual effect of two strains of Lactobacillus reuteri PIA16 isolated separately from cecum and jejunum of Assam indigenous chicken on the immunity of broiler chickens against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) when fed singly and in combination with a prebiotic. Materials and Methods: A total of 240 birds (48 per group) were vaccinated with Lasota strain of NDV on the 5th and 21st day of age. Blood samples were collected before and after immunization against ND for the detection of humoral antibody response by hemagglutination inhibition test. The cell-mediated immune (CMI) response was estimated through response to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) and expressed as web index. Results: A significant influence on the immune response to NDV was observed in all the L. reuteri PIA16 as well as mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) supplemented groups revealing higher antibody titer than the control counterpart. The CMI response revealed a better cutaneous basophilic hypersensitivity response to PHA-P in the treated groups than the control. Conclusion: Enhancement in immunity was perceived in the broilers fed with L. reuteri PIA16 and in combination with MOS due to the stimulation of the host's humoral and CMI response by the probiotics and prebiotics used. Keywords: hemagglutination inhibition, Lactobacillus reuteri PIA16, mannan oligosaccharide, Newcastle disease, phytohemagglutinin-P, probiotics.

A study was carried out to investigate the effect of water from five different sources on the biochemical and haematological parameters of broiler chicken. Among the haematological parameters, the mean values of haemoglobin and PCV levels did not differed significantly (P>0.05) among the broiler chicken offered different sources and treatment of water. The biochemical parameters namely total serum protein and serum glucose were estimated for broiler chicken offered different sources and treatment of water. The total serum protein levels did not differ significantly (P>0.05) among the broiler chickens offered different sources and treatment of water. However, the serum glucose levels differed significantly (P

Creatine is a nitrogenous compound naturally occurring in animal tissues and is obtained from dietary animal protein or de novo synthesis from guanidinoacetic acid (GAA). The dietary supply of this semi-essential nutrient could be adversely compromised when feeding purely vegetable-based diets. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of GAA supplementation in broilers fed corn-based diets with or without the inclusion of poultry by-products (PBP) on live performance, carcass and cut up yields, meat quality, pectoral muscle myopathies, differential blood count, blood clinical chemistry, serum GAA and its metabolites. The treatments consisted of PBP inclusion in the diets at 0 and 5%, with or without GAA supplementation (0 or 0.06%). A total of 1,280 one-d-old male Ross 708 broiler chicks were randomly placed in 64 floor pens with 16 replicates per treatment combination. At 0, 14, 35, 48, and 55 d, pen BW and feed intake were recorded. BW gain and FCR were calculated at the end of each phase. Individual BW was obtained at 55 d and one broiler per pen was selected for blood collection. Additionally, four broilers per pen were selected (including the chicken for blood collection) for processing. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with PBP and GAA supplementation as main effects. An improvement (P < 0.05) on FCR of 0.019 (g:g) was detected at 55 d due to GAA supplementation. The probability of having breast meat with low severity of wooden breast (score 2) was increased (P < 0.05) by GAA inclusion in diets without PBP. An interaction effect (P < 0.05) was detected on GAA concentration in blood. The supplementation with GAA and PBP inclusion resulted in higher (P < 0.05) GAA serum concentration. Generally, meat quality parameters were not affected by GAA. In conclusion, GAA supplementation improved FCR regardless of dietary PBP and reduced wooden breast severity by increasing score 2 in diets without PBP.

A study was conducted to find out the ameliorating effect of dietary Mycosorb (esterified glucomannan, EGM) in experimental aflatoxicosis of broilers. For this purpose 270 number of day-old Anak 2000 chicks were procured and divided into 6 equal treatment groups. A control ration (T0) was prepared with conventional feedstuffs and an experimental diet (Tx) was prepared from this ration after incorporating aflatoxin (AF) @ 300 ppb produced on rice using Aspergillus flavus: NRRL 2999 strain through fermentation technology. From Tx three rations were prepared by mixing Mycosorb @0.025 per cent of feed (TxM1), 0.50 per cent of feed (TxM2) or 0.10 per cent of feed (TxM3). A positive control diet (T0 M2) was prepared by mixing Mycosorb @ 0.5 per cent in the control ration. All 6 diets were fed to the respective groups for a period 42 days. Significantly (P less than 0.05) reduced level of serum cholesterol and serum protein levels were observed in aflatoxin-alone fed group; whereas increase surge of glucose, triglyceride and activities of serum enzymes viz., serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase, serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase were recorded in the aflatoxin-alone fed group. However, the increased parameters were corrected to normalcy when Mycosorb was added in the contaminated diet, particularly at 0.1 per cent level. The study showed an ameliorating effect of dietary Mycosorb during experimental aflatoxicosis.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a Commercial Herbal Growth Promoter (CHGP) with a combination of selective nine numbers of herbs on the performance of broiler chicken. A total of 120 day-old commercial broiler chicks having similar body weight from a single hatch were procured and chicks were randomly distributed into four groups viz, T0 (standard basal diet as control), T1 (basal diet + 1.0 % CHGP powder), T2 (basal diet + 2.0 % CHGP powder) and T3 (basal diet + 3.0 % CHGP powder) comprising 30 chicks in each groups. All the birds were managed under uniform managemental condition. The final body weight was significantly (P£0.01) highest in T2 (2059.83 g) followed by T3 (1956.67 g), T0 (1845.33 g) and T1 (1825.17 g). In respect of overall Feed Conversion Ratios (FCR), T2 group showed significantly (P£0.05) best FCR value of 1.69 followed by T3 (1.77), T0 (1.85) and T1 (1.87). The study revealed that there was increased body weight, improved FCR, higher BPEI, cent per cent livability and increased gross profit per broiler in birds offered 2% CHGP powder as herbal growth promoter.

A comparative analysis of caecum and crop microbiota of chick, grower and adult stages of Indian indigenous chickens was conducted to investigate the role of the microbiota of the gastrointestinal tract, which play an important role in host performance, health and immunity. High-throughput Illumina sequencing was performed for V3, V4 and V4-V6 hypervariable regions of the 16S rRNA gene. M5RNA and M5NR databases under MG-RAST were used for metagenomic datasets annotation. In the crop, Firmicutes (~78%) and Proteobacteria (~16%) were the predominant phyla whereas in the caecum, Firmicutes (~50%), Bacteroidetes (~29%) and Actinobacteria (~10%) were predominant. The Shannon-Wiener diversity index suggested that sample richness and diversity increased as the chicken aged. For the first time, the presence of Lactobacillus species such as L. frumenti, L. antri, L. mucosae in the chicken crop along with Kineococcus radiotolerans, Desulfohalobium retbaense and L. jensenii in the caecum are reported. Many of these bacterial species have been found to be involved in immune response modulation and disease prevention in pigs and humans. The gut microbiome of the indigenous chicken was enriched with microbes having probiotic potential which might be essential for their adaptability.

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of curd as probiotic on growth performance, nutrient utilization, blood biochemical and caecal microbial profile in broiler chicken. Day old broiler chicks (n=200) were procured and reared for one week with standard chick mash, and then divided into three dietary treatments having three replicates of 22 chicks in each. The treatment groups were fed the following rations for 42 days; T1 group fed basal diets alone (control), T2 and T3 groups fed basal diet with 10 and 20 percent probiotic product (curd fermented maize). At the end of the feeding experiment, a metabolic trial was conducted to evaluate the digestibility of nutrients. Average body weight change and gain in weight were higher (P