THE EFFECT OF INOCULATING ENTEROCOCCUS-FAECALIS INTO THE YOLK-SAC ON CHICK QUALITY AND MATERNAL ANTIBODY ABSORPTION

Four hundred thirty-two 1-day-old specific-pathogen-free chides were r andomly divided into 36 groups of 12. All chicks were given 0.2 ml of Newcastle disease antiserum (hemaglutination-inhibition [HI] titer 1:5 120) by injection into the yolk sac at hatch. Half of the groups recei ved 0.2 ml of Enterococcus faecalis (4.0 x 10(8) colony-forming units/ ml) by injection into the yolk sac at hatch (treatment). The remaining 18 groups received no bacteria (control). Two treatment groups and tw o control groups were weighed, bled, killed, and yolk sac weighed dail y for the first 9 days of life. Feed was weighed at placement and at t he end of the trial. Blood was tested for packed cell volume (PCV), to tal plasma protein, and Newcastle disease HI titer. No significant dif ference was observed between treatment and control groups for chick bo dy weight, PCV, and feed consumption. Total plasma protein and retaine d yolk weight were significantly higher for treatment groups over cont rol (P < 0.01 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Also, the geometric mean serum HI titer (log(2)) for Newcastle disease antibody was significant ly higher in the control chides vs, the treatment chicks (P < 0.01).