Evaluation of Bacillus-based synbiotic supplementation on zootechnical performance of male Ross 308 broiler chickens under experimental farm conditions

Authors: Ibrahim EL Idrissi, Loubna Belahmidi, Ikram Bada, Chaimae Idamer, Yordan Martínez Aguilar, and Guillermo Téllez-Isaías

Ger. J. Nat. Prod. Res. 2026. vol. 2, Iss. 1 pp:1-10
Doi: https://doi.org/10.51585/jnpr.2026.1.0005

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Abstract:

The progressive reduction of antibiotic growth promoters in poultry production has increased interest in functional alternatives capable of sustaining performance under commercial-like conditions. This study evaluated the effects of a Bacillus spore–based synbiotic (Norum™, 100 g/T) on growth performance and efficiency parameters of male Ross 308 broiler chickens reared under experimental farm conditions in North Africa. A total of seven dietary treatments were tested in a randomized design with 14 replicate pens per treatment and 30 birds per pen over a 35-day production cycle. Treatments included a negative control (basal diet without antibiotic growth promoters or anticoccidials), a positive control (avilamycin + monensin), functional additive combinations, and Norum™ administered alone or in combination with selected feed additives. Zootechnical parameters evaluated at Days 10, 24, and 35 included live weight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and performance index (PI). Data were analyzed at the pen level using ANOVA or Kruskal–Wallis tests depending on normality and variance assumptions (p < 0.05). Significant treatment effects were detected across evaluation periods. At Day 10, Norum™ supplementation (T5) ranked highest overall and showed improved feed efficiency compared with the negative control. At Day 24, T5 maintained the highest performance ranking with significant improvements in body weight, weight gain, feed intake, FCR, and PI (p < 0.01). At the end of the production cycle (Day 35), significant differences among treatments were observed for all evaluated parameters (p < 0.05), with Norum™ supplementation alone (T5) demonstrating the most favorable FCR and highest performance index at the pen level. Across all time points, Norum™ supplementation consistently ranked among the top-performing treatments under the study’s environmental conditions, which included limited early environmental control and hard water supply. These findings indicate that Bacillus-based synbiotic supplementation at 100 g/T can improve feed efficiency and overall zootechnical performance of broiler chickens under challenging experimental farm conditions.

Keywords:

Bacillus-based synbiotic, broiler, feed conversion ratio, performance index

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