The Effect of Payzone on Growth Rate and Feed Efficiency of Broiler Chicks

Including Payzone at 10ppm in the ration of broiler chicks produced highly significant increases in both average body weight (P<0.05) and total gains (P <0.05). Average gains were also significantly higher (P <0.05) for the Payzone-treated birds. Feed efficiency, carcass weights, liver and pectoral muscle weights were also increased, but not signicantly by Payzone feeding. There was no significant difference in either carcass characteristics or quality, but mortality was 10.5% higher in the control than the Payzone-treated group. When Payzone was fed from eight weeks, there was a detectable increase in feed consumption, feed conversion efficiency and total gain all in favour of the treatment. On the other hand when Payzone was fed from nine weeks, efficiency of feed conversion was slightly lower, on the average, for the treatment. Significant differences were obtained only when Payzone feeding was started from day- old. These results tend to indicate that the optimum effectiveness of Payzone in broiler feeds would lie in the starter stage-a stage when it would seem logical that its bacteriostatic effect on the growing chick would be most efficacious and beneficial.