THE EFFECT OF LACTIC ACID BACTERIA ADMINISTRATION ON THE PERFORMANCES, TOTAL BACTERIA IN THE DIGESTIVE TRACT, AND THE BLOOD AND MEAT CHOLESTEROL CONTENT OF KAMPONG CHICKENS

Village chickens, one of the local Germplasm, have a good potential to be developed as a meat source. This is due to their relative compact and inexpensive meat when compared to other livestock. Besides that their maintenance are also very simple. However, growth and development of this type of chickens in the rural areas are extremely slow, probably due to the threat of a global crisis, narrow availability of land, and reduced feed sources. Therefore, the poultries of village chickens either in semi-intensive or intensive methods require the availability of quality sustainable diets. The use of local sources that is cheap and sustainably available is expected to solve these problems. The use of yoghurt, supplemented in the drinking water of the chickens, as a source of lactic acid bacteria (probiotic) is an interesting case that needs to be investigated. Yogurt is a fermented milk produced by incubation of LAB-inoculated milk at 30 - 45oC for at least 2.5 hours (Tamime and Robinson, 1999).

Plain yoghurt mainly contains lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Pediococcus etc.). These types of bacteria are reported to play important role in maintaining human health (Fardiaz, 1992). Tsuchiya et al. (1982) reported that Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium could reduce problems related to human digestive tract. Lactobasillus culture has also been used as food supplement to reduce the content of Coliform in the intestine of chicks. Jin et al., in Jin et al., 1997, for example, supplemented single or mixed culture of Lactobacillus in the diet of broiler and found that these cultures significantly reduced the Coliform content of this broiler. The use of Lactobacillus at the rate of 75 mg/kg feed was also found to lower Coliform level in the intestinal and caecum of turkey (Francis et al., in Jin et al., 1997). However, only a few information on the use of lactic acid bacteria (contained in plain yoghurt) in the drinking water of chickens are available. Therefore, this study was conducted on village (kampong) chickens in order to find out the influences of lactic acid bacteria levels in water on the village chicken performance, blood and meat cholesterol content, as well as the total number bacteria in digestive tract of this type of chickens.