Effects of dietary inclusion of oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) powder on live performance, physical meat quality, hemato-biochemical indices and cecal bacterial load in Sonali chickens

The current research aimed to assess the effects of oyster mushroom powder as potential alternative to antibiotic growth promoters on growth performance, physical meat quality, hemato-biochemical indices and cecal bacterial load in Sonali chickens. A total of 270 one-day-old male chicks were allotted in three experimental groups: control, antibiotic and mushroom. Each group had six replications of fifteen chicks. The control group was given a standard basal diet; the antibiotic group received basal diet plus 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline; and the mushroom group was fed oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) powder (OMP) 300 mg/kg basal diet. Sonali chickens in mushroom group experienced significant improvements in the average daily gain (ADG), final body weight (FBW) and FCR than the control group. The mushroom group had a significant reduction in meat drip loss (at 30 days of aging) and cooking loss than both of antibiotic and control groups. Furthermore, OMP supplements significantly reduced serum LDLC, total cholesterol (TC), Urea–N and SGPT levels, while significantly elevated serum calcium and albumin than both control and antibiotic groups. Chickens in the mushroom and antibiotic group had a lower (P < 0.05) Enterobacter and total aerobic bacterial population than control. In addition, Lactobacillus spp. were higher (P < 0.05) in the mushroom group compared to the antibiotic and control groups. In summary, supplementing with 300 mg of OMP could be beneficial for safe broiler production due to its role in enhancing growth performance, improving meat quality, and supporting basic physiological and gut health functions.