Effects of the Addition of Crude Fibre Concentrate on Performance, Welfare and Selected Caecal Bacteria of Broilers

Simple Summary Incorporating a precise amount of crude fibre additive into animal feed can yield multiple benefits. These include better feed digestibility, decreased litter moisture, and promotion of the probiotic microbiome in the digestive tract. The objective of the study was to evaluate the impact of crude fibre concentrate on key production outcomes, such as final body weight, mortality, and feed conversion ratio, as well as on welfare and the prevalence of certain caecal bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria). Additionally, the study examined the pH of broiler chicken faeces and litter after incorporating crude fibre concentrate into their feed. According to the findings, the incorporation of crude fibre concentrate yielded favourable outcomes on the end body weight, welfare parameter and the number of colony-forming units of lactic acid bacteria within the cecum whilst also resulting in a reduction in the pH of faeces and litter.Abstract The study evaluated the effects of crude fibre concentrate supplementation on final body weight, mortality, feed conversion ratio, European Production Efficiency Factor, European Broiler Index, welfare parameters, colony-forming units of selected caecal bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria) and pH of broiler faeces and litter. The study comprised 990 Ross 308 male chicks divided into three groups, a control and two experimental groups, which were given crude fibre concentrate as a feed supplement. On the thirty-fifth day of rearing, the birds' welfare scores were evaluated, and 2 g of cecum was collected post-mortem from six chickens in each group. Subsequently, a series of ten-fold dilutions of the material was prepared, followed by cultures and measurement of pH in the faeces and litter. The inclusion of crude fibre concentrate resulted in a beneficial impact on the ultimate body mass (p <= 0.001), welfare standard (p <= 0.001), and quantity of colony-forming units of lactic acid bacteria (p <= 0.05) within the cecum. Furthermore, it had a positive influence on lowering the pH levels of both faeces and litter (p <= 0.05).