Effect of Gano-met® on growth performance in broilers

Rearing poultry under antibiotics-free system is coming with challenges from nutrition and health management though biosecurity and vaccination program of poultry can be applied to reduce risk of exposure to pathogens, threat of disease is exist. Supplementation in nutrients to enhance immunity system and lower the risk of pathogen can help to promote health condition and raising productivity.

Gano-met® (Life Rainbow Biotech Co., Ltd. Taiwan) is a liquid supplement containing methionine hydroxy analog (MHA) and Ganoderma lucidum extract that can be applied into drinking water for poultry. Methionine is considered as a limiting essential amino acid in poultry diets. Synthetic Met, such as MHA, is widely used in feed to meet the nutritional requirement. MHA also exhibit hepatoprotective action, acidifier, and antibacterial effect. G. lucidum, a precious Traditional Chinese Medicines, contains a number of bioactive compounds such as polysaccharides, triterpenes, and glycoproteins, which own health-promoting effects. Polyssacharides are the major bio-active compounds of G. lucidum due to their pharmacological properties, that possess immunomodulator and antioxidant features. The objectives of the following trials were to access the response on broilers when administrating with Gano-met® via drinking water.

45,000 birds (Ross 308) were housed in a 3-floor building with wet pad cooling system. These broiler chicks were randomly divided into two groups and both fed with commercial diet throughout the 5-week experimental period. Birds of control group were reared in 1st and 2nd floor. The Gano-met® group were housed in 3rd floor and administrated with Gano-met® (1 L/ton water) into drinking water once a week for first-3-weeks. During last-2- weeks, Gano-met® was provided 3 times per week of treatment group. Till 5 weeks, broilers sold to market.

Another trial of 5,000 birds (Native Chickens) was conducted. Administration of Gano-met® (1 L/ton water) was done through drinking water system for continuous 3 days per week since 8-week-old of age. Until 11-week-old, chicken sold to retailers. Survival rate and selling weight of both trials were recorded.

Administration of Gano-met® showed lower mortality rate (1‰) compared to control group (3‰-4‰) in field trial 1. Average body weight was higher of Gano-met® group (figure 1). Similar results were observed of Native Chickens which were sold since grown to an age of 11 weeks till 18 weeks. During the period for batch-selling, average mortality (from 4% to 2%) of birds was getting improved and the increase in weight also found in Gano-met® group (data not shown).

Conclusion
In both field trials, the administration of Gano-met® via the drinking water had beneficial effects on broiler performance. Total final BW was increased and mortality was reduced by the addition of Gano-met® to the drinking water. In field trial 1, compared to control group, administration of Gano-met® still improved performance though the group was housed in the 3rd floor that temperature varied from day to night, which probably caused the rapid increase in mortality.

Stressful source in poultry may be coming from temperature and transportation, which disturb normal physiology and lead to deleterious consequences such as worse growth performance and productivity, more susceptible to pathogens, and finally make economic loss for producers coming after disease. Therefore, maintaining animal health and preventing negative impacts of stress on the productivity and health of poultry is important. Overall, the trials exhibited that intervention of Gano-met® induced a reduction in mortality and an increase of selling weight.