Abdur Rahman
University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Pakistan
Title: Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Kefir on Body Measurements, Giblet Weight and Gut Morphology in Geese
Biography
Biography: Abdur Rahman
Abstract
Provision of safe food is always a primary concern for bilogical researchers. Alongwith many other feed additives, the antibiotics retained their complementary position as as growth promoters in livestock feeding for decades. Besides the many beneficial effects associated with antibiotic inclusion in poultry feed, the drug resistance has become a challenging issue for humans because of significant drug residues in food. Probiotics are considered to be the possible solution in order to subsitute the antibiotics safely from poultry feed without hampering their growth. Probiotics are not only destined to replace antibiotics but also have a benifical effect to enhance organism’s gut health and its immunity. Kefir refers to the product produced after fermentation of milk alongwith Kefir grains, which is thought to have potential effect on the growth and other parameters in poultry feed. Regarding its potentials, the present study was designed to evaluate the effect of kefir administration in geese through drinking water on its performance, body measurements, giblet weight and gut morphological patterns. A total of 45 birds were divided into 3 groups having 15 birds in each. Group A served as control while B and C were offered kefir treated drinking water @ 2.5% and 7% respectively. Results revealed non-significant effect of kefir supplementation on growth performance, feed intake, FCR, body measurements, giblet weights and gut morphology at both levels of supplementation as compared to control group. It can be concluded that Kefir can be used in poultry feed with an inclusion rate of 7% for its various other known beneficial effects without imposing any adverse effect on the performance parameters, body structures and gut morphology.