Effects of Lactobacillus Alone and in Combination With Saccharomyces as Alternatives to Antibiotics on Performance...

The removal of antibiotics from poultry feed has created substantial challenges in commercial layer farming, underscoring the need for safe and sustainable alternatives to safeguard flock health and ensure consumer egg safety.

This study investigated the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum alone and in combination with Saccharomyces cerevisiae as alternatives to antibiotics on laying performance, egg quality, blood parameters, immune competence and caecal microbial populations in layer chickens.

Experimental microorganisms were isolated from yoghurt and fermented corn dough, and two probiotic formulations were prepared: Probiotic 1 (L. plantarum) and Probiotic 2; L. plantarum + S. cerevisiae). A total of 240 Isa Brown pullets were randomly allocated to four treatments, each with five replicates of twelve birds. The treatments were T1 (control), T2 (flavomycin; 14 mg/L water), T3 (Probiotic 1; 1 mL/L water) and T4 (Probiotic 2; 1 mL/L water).

Supplementation with either probiotics (T3 and T4) significantly increased hen-day egg production, egg weight and egg mass, while improving feed conversion ratio (FCR). The egg surface area and shell thickness were also significantly higher in the T3 and T4 groups. Among internal egg quality traits, albumen index, yolk weight and Haugh unit values were significantly improved by T3 and T4. Dietary T2 significantly reduced the white blood cell (WBC) and haemoglobin (Hb) concentrations, whereas T3 and T4 increased WBC counts and reduced blood cholesterol level (BCL) in laying hens. All treated groups exhibited significantly greater Newcastle disease virus (NDV) titre compared to T1. The T2 group showed the lowest total bacterial count, whereas T3 and T4 groups had significantly reduced coliform and enhanced lactic acid bacteria populations in the caecum.

Lactobacillus alone or combined with S. cerevisiae can effectively replace antibiotics in commercial layer production by improving laying performance, egg quality, immunity and gut microbiota.