The effect of dietary supplementation of a Bacillus-based direct fed-microbial on Pekin duck performance and welfare

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a commercially available Bacillus-based direct fed microbial (DFM, Amnil®, United Animal Health, Sheridan, IN) on Pekin duck performance and welfare. The study consisted of 5 dietary treatments, each consisting of 10 replicate pens and 25 straight-run day-of-hatch ducks/pen. The treatments included a commercial-type basal diet (CON), or the basal diet supplemented with 125 ppm (A-125), or 250 ppm (A-250), or 500 ppm (A-500), or 750 ppm (A-750) DFM. On D 14 and 35 performance was evaluated. Gait scores (GS), footpad lesions (FPL), complete cell blood counts, nitrogen digestibility, and total plasma corticosterone levels (CORT) were measured at D 35. The average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) overall were higher in the CON than all other treatments. Body weights did not differ between treatments. The H/L Ratio and total plasma corticosterone levels for CON were higher than all of treatments. Nitrogen digestibility for CON was lower than all other treatments. Gait Scores and Footpad Lesion Scores did not differ between treatments. Utilization of the DFM at any inclusion rate improved feed efficiency, reduced stress susceptibility, and improved nitrogen digestibility. While gait scores, footpad scores, and body weights were not affected by supplementation, feeding this DFM to Pekin ducks can improve their performance and welfare.