# Efficacy of Early Feeding with Probiotic-Fermented Feed in Promoting Growth Performance, Immunity, Antioxidant Activity, Gene Expression, and Gut Integrity in Ostrich Chicks (Struthio camelus)

## TL;DR

Feeding ostrich chicks probiotic-fermented feed early improves their growth, immunity, and gut health.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates the benefits of early probiotic-fermented feed in ostrich chicks for growth and health.

## Key findings

- Early probiotic-fermented feed improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio in ostrich chicks.
- PELF-fed chicks showed enhanced immunity and antioxidant activity with reduced pathogenic gut bacteria.
- Gene expression of IGF-1, MUC-2, and SLC15A1 was upregulated in PELF-fed groups.

## Abstract

Ostrich embryos face many challenges during their last few days pre-hatching and the first few days post-hatching, including oxidative stress and increased mortality rates, which may be related to microbial imbalances, digestive disorders, and weakened immune functions. Fermented feeds have many positive effects on the health and performance of chickens, for example, breaking down anti-nutritional factors, strengthening the immune system, and promoting intestinal health. The introduction of beneficial probiotics and reduction in pathogens makes nutrients more available and creates a healthy intestinal environment, thereby improving the growth rate and feeding efficiency. Therefore, early feeding with probiotic-fermented feed may contribute to promoting the growth of gut bacteria and the development of the immune and digestive systems, leading to improved health and performance of newly hatched ostrich chicks. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of early feeding of probiotic-fermented feed on the health and performance of ostrich chicks. Early feeding with probiotic-fermented feed may represent a promising strategy for supporting the health and performance of newly hatched ostrich chicks.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of early feeding with probiotic-fermented feed on growth performance, intestinal microbiota structure, immune responses, and gene expression. Two hundred and forty-one-day-old African ostrich chicks were randomly divided into three groups (eight replicates/group). The control group was fed a basal diet (CON), whereas the PELF3 and PELF6 groups were fed the probiotic-fermented feed for the first 3 or 6 days post-hatching, respectively, after which, all chicks were fed the basal diet for 56 days. The results showed that adding PELF3 or PELF6 significantly enhanced body weight gain and the feed conversion ratio. Chicks fed PELF had higher superoxide dismutase (SOD, p < 0.05), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and IL-10 levels and lower IL-6 and malondialdehyde (MDA, p < 0.05) levels than those fed CON. Plasma cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), creatinine, uric acid, and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels decreased; however, high-density lipoprotein (HDL, p < 0.05) levels increased in the PELF groups. The addition of PELF reduced the pathogenic counts in the intestines of chicks (p < 0.05). Moreover, increased expression of IGF-1 and MUC-2 genes was observed in the PELF3 and PELF6 groups, whereas the expression of SLC15A1 increased in the PELF6 group. In conclusion, growth performance, immunity, gene expression, oxidative stability, and gut microbiota can all be significantly enhanced by early feeding with PELF. This study demonstrated an effective technique for applying early feeding of PELF in ostrich chicks.