Comparing the Efficacy of Saccharomyces and Lactobacillus Probiotics on Feeding Behavior and Milk Production of Dairy Cattle.

Probiotics are widely used in livestock animals to improve their health and performance. Feeding behavior is an important sign of health and has an influence on animal productivity. Hence, this study was conducted to compare the efficacy of two commonly used probiotics (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; SAC and Lactobacillus acidophilus; LA) in dairy livestock on the feeding behavior and milk yield of cows. Thirty Holstein-Friesian cows were equally subdivided into three groups. The control group received no feed supplement, the second group received 25 gm SAC/head daily for six weeks and the third group was supplied with 25gm LA/head daily for successive six weeks. Then, the feeding behavior was videotaped every two weeks and the milk yield and composition were measured. Ruminal mobility and score, body condition score, and fecal total colony count were calculated. As a result, SAC increased the feeding frequency of cows in the sixth week of supplementation. SAC increased the milk yield in the fourth and sixth weeks, while LA increased the milk yield in the fourth week of supplementation. In the sixth week of supplementation, LA decreased the total colony count. Both probiotics did not affect the milk composition, rumen mobility, and score as well as body condition score. The obtained data suggested that the use of SAC improved the feeding and milk yield while LA increased the milk yield in addition to a reduction of the gut pathogens that enhances the mucosal immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]