Fermented Astragalus in diet altered the composition of fecal microbiota in broiler chickens

AMB Express

Table 5 Fecal microbiota diversity estimates (N = 45)

Samples	Numbers of OTUs	Chao 1 index	ACE	Simpson index	Shannon index
C1 (7 days)	903	345.2 ± 40.92^b	372.21 ± 55.45^b	0.94 ± 0.04^b	5.33 ± 0.39^b
U1 (7 days)	946	359.6 ± 49.16^b	394.66 ± 53.43^b	0.90 ± 0.09^b	5.20 ± 1.02^b
F1 (7 days)	1162	251.8 ± 78.50^a	277.40 ± 79.91^a	0.71 ± 0.13^a	3.17 ± 0.83^a
C2 (21 days)	315	378 ± 115.16^b	422.77 ± 117.45^b	0.81 ± 0.13	3.95 ± 1.40
U2 (21 days)	1094	350 ± 89.34^ab	391.33 ± 96.54^ab	0.79 ± 0.07	3.62 ± 0.76
F2 (21 days)	1099	234 ± 75.64^a	266.37 ± 83.81^a	0.76 ± 0.03	2.91 ± 0.26
C3 (35 days)	1036	395.2 ± 114.48	451.65 ± 110.94	0.83 ± 0.09	3.95 ± 1.50
U3 (35 days)	1137	518.2 ± 82.16^ab	555.51 ± 73.39^ab	0.82 ± 0.20	4.91 ± 1.68
F3 (35 days)	1126	373.4 ± 155.75	417.11 ± 151.05	0.79 ± 0.12	3.68 ± 1.66

Means within the same column with different lowercase letters indicate significant differences (P ≤ 0.05). Means within the same column with the same lowercase letter or no letter indicate that the differences are not significant (P ≥ 0.05)
C1 samples of group C on day 7, C2 samples of group C on day 21, C3 samples of group C on day 35, U1 samples of group U on day 7, U2 samples of group U on day 21, U3 samples of group U on day 35, F1 samples of group F on day 7, F2 samples of group F on day 21, F3 samples of group F on day 35