Abstract
The study evaluated the effects of crude fibre concentrate supplementation on final body weight, mortality, feed conversion ratio, European Production Efficiency Factor, European Broiler Index, welfare parameters, colony-forming units of selected caecal bacteria (Enterobacteriaceae and lactic acid bacteria) and pH of broiler faeces and litter. The study comprised 990 Ross 308 male chicks divided into three groups, a control and two experimental groups, which were given crude fibre concentrate as a feed supplement. On the thirty-fifth day of rearing, the birds' welfare scores were evaluated, and 2 g of cecum was collected post-mortem from six chickens in each group. Subsequently, a series of ten-fold dilutions of the material was prepared, followed by cultures and measurement of pH in the faeces and litter. The inclusion of crude fibre concentrate resulted in a beneficial impact on the ultimate body mass (p ≤ 0.001), welfare standard (p ≤ 0.001), and quantity of colony-forming units of lactic acid bacteria (p ≤ 0.05) within the cecum. Furthermore, it had a positive influence on lowering the pH levels of both faeces and litter (p ≤ 0.05).