Effects of Supplementing Drinking Water of Parental Pigeons with Enterococcus faecium and Bacillus subtilis on Antibody Levels and Microbiomes in Squabs

Abstract

Enterococcus faecium (E. faecium) and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) are widely used as probiotics to improve performance in animal production, but there have been few reports of their impacts on pigeon milk. In this study, twenty-four pairs of parental pigeons were randomly divided into four groups, with six replicates, and each pair feeding three squabs. The control group drank normal water. The E. faecium group, B. subtilis group, and mixed group drank water supplemented with 3 × 106 CFU/mL E. faecium, 2 × 107 CFU/mL B. subtilis, and a mixture of these two probiotics, respectively. The experiment lasted 19 days. The results demonstrated that the IgA and IgG levels were significantly higher in the milk of Group D pigeons than in the other groups. At the phylum level, Fimicutes, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the three main phyla identified. At the genus level, Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Veillonella, and Enterococcus were the four main genera identified. In conclusion, drinking water supplemented with E. faecium and B. subtilis could improve immunoglobulin levels in pigeon milk, and this could increase the ability of squabs to resist disease. E. faecium and B. subtilis could be used as probiotics in the pigeon industry.