Supplemental Bacillus subtilis PB6 Improves Growth Performance and Gut Health in Broilers Challenged with Clostridium perfringens

Table 3

The effect of B. subtilis supplementation on growth performance and mortality in CP-challenged broilers.

Treatment^1	Control group	CP-challenged model group	Antibiotics; (positive control group)	B. subtilis PB6 low-dosage group	B. subtilis PB6 high-dosage group	SEM^2	value^3
d1-d18 nonchallenge phase
BWG (g)	36.06	35.47	35.44	35.14	35.58	0.25	0.86
FI (g)	51.61	50.87	51.65	51.79	51.97	0.44	0.95
FCR	1.43	1.44	1.46	1.48	1.46	0.01	0.50
Mortality rate	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	1.00
d19-d26 challenge phase
BWG (g)	66.12^a	54.95^c	59.21^bc	61.62^ab	62.86^ab	1.087	0.009
FI (g)	109.55^a	99.90^bc	98.35^c	106.30^ab	108.41^a	1.305	0.007
FCR	1.66	1.83	1.67	1.73	1.73	0.02	0.062
Mortality rate (%)	2.22	3.49	1.11	4.45	3.58	0.907	0.821
Overall
BWG (g)	46.47^a	42.21^c	43.67^bc	44.31^abc	45.02^ab	0.394	0.004
FI (g)	71.66^a	67.84^b	67.81^b	70.66^ab	71.51^a	0.544	0.026
FCR	1.55	1.61	1.55	1.6	1.59	0.009	0.151
Mortality rate (%)	2.22	3.49	1.11	4.45	3.58	0.907	0.821

¹Treatment information: control group: basal diet; CP-challenged model group: basal diet and CP challenge; antibiotics (positive control group): CP challenge+10 mg/kg enramycin; B. subtilis PB6 low-dosage group: CP challenge+ of feed B. subtilis PB6; B. subtilis PB6 high-dosage group: CP challenge+ of feed B. subtilis PB6. BWG: body weight gain; FI: feed intake; FCR: feed conversion ratio. ²Standard error of the means; chickens/group. ³Mean values within a column with unlike superscripts letters (a, b, and c) are significantly different ().