Coconut (Cocos nucifera) and Salak (Salacca zalacca) polysaccharides in the diets of Escherichia coli-challenged broilers

Abstract

Abstract Palm polysaccharides were believed to contain mannose monosaccharides that are beneficial as an antibiotic replacer for poultry. This experiment was conducted to study the effect of coconut and salak polysaccharides on growth performance, excreta dry matter, digestibility, and bursa of Fabricius weight of E. coli challenged broilers. A total of 140-day old unsexed broiler Cobb chicks were used as experimental birds for 4 weeks. During the first week, the chicks were allocated in five brooder pens and transferred into 20 pens on day 8. The broiler chicks were offered 5 different experimental rations. The rations were control basal diet (T1), basal diet added with antibiotic avilamycin (T2), basal diet added with commercial yeast oligosaccharides (T3), basal added with coconut polysaccharides (T4), and basal diet added with Salak (snake fruit) polysaccharides (T5). To protect the birds from New Castle diseases, vaccination was done on day 3. On day 14, the birds were challenged against E. coli for three consecutive days. Plastic feeders and drinkers were put in the pen. The experiment used a completely randomized design with five different rations, four replicate pens of 7 birds each. The data were subjected to the analysis of variance. Any significant differences detected in the variance analysis were then tested with the least significant difference test. Results indicated that after challenged with E. coli, birds fed the basal diet had lower body weight gain, mortality, excreta dry matter, and carcass percentage, but higher in FCR and bursa of Fabricius weight than the birds fed T2, T3, T4, and T5 diets. Feed intake of the E. coli challenged broilers were lower than those of broilers fed the T3 diet. Feed digestibility was not affected by the treatment diets. In conclusion, the addition of feed additives either antibiotic or palm polysaccharides could enhance the growth performance, carcass percentage, and excreta dry matter of the E. coli challenged broilers.