This study evaluated the effects of early intervention with Clostridium butyricum (C. butyricum) on shaping the intestinal microbiota of Muscovy ducklings. A total of 160 1-day-old male ducks were randomly divided into two groups: the CB group was administered with 1 mL of C. butyricum (2 × 109 CFU/mL), while the C group was given 1 mL of saline. The administration lasted for 3 days. We found that C. butyricum had no significant effect on growth performance. The results indicated that inoculation with C. butyricum could significantly increase the abundance of genera Bacteroides, Lachnospiraceae_uncultured, and Ruminococcaceae on Day 14 and reduce the abundance of Escherichia-Shigella and Klebsiella on Days 1 and 3. Moreover, the CB group ducks had higher concentrations of acetic, propionic, and butyrate in the cecum than the C group. Overall, these results suggest that early intervention with C. butyricum could have positive effects on Muscovy ducks' intestinal health, which might be attributed to the modulation in the intestinal microbial composition and the increased concentrations of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). C. butyricum might even have the potential to help the colonization of beneficial bacteria in the intestine microbiota in Muscovy ducks in poultry and other livestock.
Keywords: Clostridium butyricum; Muscovy ducks; intestinal microbiota; short-chain fatty acids.