This study was carried out with the objective to test the substitution of antibiotics by prebiotics, probiotics or symbiotics in broiler chickens diet up to 45 days of age. Day-old chicks (n=750) were divided in five treatments, as follow: T1-no additives, T2-antibiotics (Olaquindoxâ e Nitrovinâ ), T3-prebiotic (0.2% de S. cerevisiae cell wall), T4-probiotics (300ppm B.subtilis) and T5-symbiotic (T3+ T4). The performance of broilers up to 45 days of age was influenced by treatments, with better weight gain observed in the birds fed with symbiotics, followed by antibiotcs, prebiotics and probiotics. The worse body weight gain was obtained by the broilers whose diet was not supplemented by any additive. During this period, feed conversion was also affected depending on the additive used, since the birds not supplemented showed the worse results when compared to the birds of the other treatments. The findings of this study suggest that the substitution of antibiotics by symbiotics in broiler chicken diets is an alternative to poultry industry, since no negative effect was found on performance. However, the total absence of additives in the diets worsened the broiler chicken performance.
antibiotic; broilers; prebiotic; probiotic; symbiotic
