Fig. 6

Alpha diversity of gut microbiota affected by probiotic supplementation and flock age. For direct comparison, alpha diversity at each sampling period was compared between the control and probiotic supplemented flocks. Letters “D” and “W” refer to flock age in a day and week post-hatch, while letters “C” and “P” refer to control and probiotic supplemented flock. Alpha diversity was measured at the genus level using the Shannon index in Calypso software that takes into account both the richness and evenness of microbial communities. Asterisks (* and **) show P values at 0.01 and 0.001, respectively. As per feed management guidelines of Hy-Line International, a different type of feed was introduced at 1, 7, 13, 15 and 18 weeks of flock age