Vol. 9, Special Issue 12, Part E (2025)

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary lanthanum citrate supplementation on gut health, immune response, intestinal histomorphology and economic performance in broiler chickens. A total of 270 straight-run Vencobb 400 broiler chicks were randomly allocated into three treatment groups: a control group fed a basal corn-soybean diet and two experimental groups supplemented with lanthanum citrate at 70 mg/kg and 140 mg/kg, respectively. Birds were reared for 35 days under uniform management conditions. Parameters assessed included total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC), Newcastle disease haemagglutination inhibition (HI) titre, intestinal villus height, crypt depth, villus: crypt ratio and production economics.
Results indicated a significant reduction (p≤0.01) in both TVC and TCC in the group receiving 70 mg/kg lanthanum citrate compared to the control and high-dose groups, suggesting improved microbial balance and suppression of harmful gut bacteria. Intestinal morphometry revealed numerically higher villus height, lower crypt depth and a superior villus: crypt ratio in the 70 mg/kg group, indicating enhanced absorptive capacity and intestinal integrity. Although HI titres did not differ significantly across treatments, birds receiving 70 mg/kg lanthanum citrate exhibited a numerically higher immune response against Newcastle disease at the fifth week.
Economic analysis showed that the inclusion of lanthanum citrate at 70 mg/kg resulted in the highest net profit per bird and per kilogram of live weight, attributable to improved feed conversion and body weight gain. The 140 mg/kg inclusion level did not yield additional benefits and exhibited reduced economic efficiency.
Overall, the findings demonstrate that lanthanum citrate at 70 mg/kg optimizes gut health, enhances immunity, improves intestinal morphology and maximizes economic returns in broilers. Thus, lanthanum citrate may be considered a promising, non-antibiotic feed additive for sustainable broiler production.