Effect of Probiotic Levels Through Water Supplementation on Broiler Performance Under Heat Stress Condition

This study evaluated the effect of probiotic supplementation (Lactobacillus casei) in drinking water on broiler performance. A total of 200, day old chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (T1–T5) with four replicates of 10 chicks each and reared for six weeks. The groups comprised T1 (control, basal diet), T2 (basal diet + 1% L. casei), T3 (basal diet + 2% L. casei), T4 (basal diet + 3% L. casei) and T5 (basal diet + 4% L. casei). Growth traits including body weight, weight gain, feed intake, water intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded and analyzed using ANOVA under a completely randomized design, with mean differences tested by t-test at 5% significance. Supplementation with 3% L. casei (T4) showed the best results, with significantly higher body weight (2128.60 g), weight gain (2083.92 g) and improved FCR (1.56), alongside reduced feed intake (3436.81 g), while water intake and health remained unaffected.