Effect of Probiotic Supplementation on Growth, Nutrient Utilization and Economics of Feeding in Beetal Kids under Stall-Fed Conditions

A study was conducted on 24 Beetal kids randomly distributed into four groups (3 males and 3 females in each) to investigate the effect of fresh live cultures having 1 x 108 cfu/gm of Lactobacillus acidophilus and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on growth and nutrient digestibility under stall-fed conditions. All the animals were fed a basal diet without any probiotic (P0) or supplemented with L. acidophilus (PL), S. cerevisiae (PS) or both in combination (PL+S) at 0.2% of BW. The ADG of kids was also not influenced by probiotics supplementation; however, it was higher by 22.42 and 3.42% in PS and PL, respectively, over the control (P0). There were no significant differences in the DM intake among the groups. Digestibility coefficients of OM, CP, EE, total carbohydrates, ADF, cellulose and hemi-cellulose were also similar (P>0.05) among the groups. However, the NDF digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in PS in comparison to PL+S. The cost of per unit daily gain was lowest in PS in comparison to the control and other two probiotic groups. It can be concluded that the sole supplementation of S. cerevisiae (strain NCDC-49) at 0.2% of BW may improve the intake and digestibility of cell wall fractions in Beetal kids under stall-fed conditions.