This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding two strains of Lactobacillus and virginiamycin on performance, nutrients digestibility and intestinal microflora of broiler chicks(Abor acres$\times$Abor Acres) were randomly allocated...
This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding two strains of Lactobacillus and virginiamycin on performance, nutrients digestibility and intestinal microflora of broiler chicks(Abor acres$\times$Abor Acres) were randomly allocated into six treatments with four replications for five weeks. Control(no supplement), 0.05% virginiamycin(VM), Lactobacillus crispatus avibro1(LC), Lactobacillus reuteri avibro2(LR), LC+0.05% VM(LC+VM), LR+0.05% VM(LR+VM) were supplemented into basal diets, which contained ME 3,100kcal/kg and CP 22.0, 20.0% for starting and finishing period, respectively. Weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion(FC) were weekly measured. Nutrients digestibility, intestinal microflora and fecal noxious gas were examined at the end of experiment. Weight gains of chicks fed Lactobacillus or VM was significantly higher than control(P〈0.05). Feed intake increased significantly in those supplemental groups(P〈0.05). FC of chicks fed Lactobacillus or VM significantly lower than control(P〈0.05). Degestibility of crude protein, calcium, and phosphorus improved significantly in alone or combined Lactobacillus treatments(P〈0.05). Whereas DM, crude fat and ash digestibility were not statistically different. Feeding Lactobacilli tended to increase the total Lactobacillus spp. in ileum at one and three weeks of age(WOA) and showed significantly higher in cecum than control at 5 WOA. Total yeast were not shown difference at 1 and 3 WOA, but significantly increased at 5 WOA(P〈0.05). The ileal and cecal anaerobes were started to increase from the first WOA. Fecal NH$_3$gas tended to decrease in Lactobacillus treatments compared to that of other treatments.