Impact of Bacteriophage Supplementation on Laying Hens' Egg Quality and Gut Microbiota
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.48165/ijvsbt.21.6.33Keywords:
Albumen, Anti-microbial resistance, Bacteriophage, Gut microbiota, PoultryAbstract
The study investigated the effect of bacteriophage supplementation on egg quality and gut microflora in laying hens. One hundred and twenty Rhode Island Red laying hens were chosen at random. In a completely randomised design, they were split up into five groups of 24, each with three replicates of eight, and were treated as T1 group (Control), that received a diet supplemented with no antibiotics or bacteriophages; T2 group, received a diet supplemented with antibiotics (Oxytetracycline @ 50 g/quintal of feed),while T3, T4, and T5 groups received bacteriophages at varying concentrations of 0.20 mL, 0.25 mL and 0.30 mL per litre of drinking water, respectively. The addition of either antibiotic or bacteriophage did not affect any of the egg quality metrics (albumen percentage, yolk percentage, eggshell percentage, egg shape index, Haugh unit, and eggshell thickness). In comparison to the control and antibiotic-supplemented groups, bacteriophage supplementation significantly (p<0.05) reduced the gut ileal and caecal E. coli counts. Thus, introducing bacteriophage to laying hens’ diets can be an effective substitute for antibiotics.
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