540 day of hatch male chicks (Cobb 500) were selected based on normal weight range and divided into three groups with nine pens of 20 birds each. All birds were spray vaccinated using a Spraycox machine with the label recommended dosage of Coccivac®-B52 on day of hatch. The groups were then allotted to one of three dietary treatments: 1) Control; 2) Control + Micro-Aid® at 250 mg/kg in Starter and Grower; and 3) Control + Micro-Aid® at 250 mg/kg in Starter (0-18 days), Grower (19-28 days) and Finisher (29-39 days) diets. Birds were placed in floor pens with 4 inches of built up litter, top-dressed with fresh pine shavings and then performance was monitored throughout the 39-day study.
- Average live weight and feed conversion of birds fed Micro-Aid® in a commercial broiler feeding program was improved over that of the Control birds, which makes it a viable and cost-effective option to increase profitability.
- Interestingly, the noted performance benefits were better the longer the dietary supplementation of Micro-Aid® occurred.
- Micro-Aid® supplementation positively impacted mortality and represents more marketable birds at the conclusion of the grow out.
- When taken into account, the improvements in mortality, growth and feed efficiency noted with Micro-Aid® demonstrated a return on investment of over 20 to 1.
