Effect of Age on the Immune and Visceral Organ Weights and Cecal Traits in Modern Broilers.

Yordan Martínez,Edison Altamirano,Victoria Ortega,Manuel Valdivié,Patricio Paz

doi:10.3390/ani11030845

Yordan Martínez, Edison Altamirano + Show 3 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030845

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Abstract

Simple SummaryCurrently, due to the high developments achieved in the poultry industry especially in genetics, management, nutrition, health, and animal welfare, modern broilers reach slaughter weight at an earlier age, which in turn has brought about notable changes in the morphophysiology of these birds. The following research proposes to determine the effect of age on visceral and immune organ weight, cecal pH, and cecal lactic acid bacteria in Ross 308® broilers, up to 10 days old. It was concluded that the immune and visceral organs increase their absolute and relative weight according to age and on days 9 and 10 the highest growth rate of the organs was found, furthermore, the colonization of the cecal lactic acid bacteria is established before 10 days of life (as the most critical stage), although with variable changes for intestinal pH. The correlation showed, in addition, a significant association between the organs evaluated, as well as for the cecum relative weight and the cecal lactic bacteria count. These results could contribute to updating knowledge on immunological activity, cecal microbiology, and the functioning of the digestive system, as well as for the development of new nutritional requirements and the optimization of dietary formulations.This study aimed to determine the effect of age on the immune and visceral organ weights and cecal traits in modern broilers. 200 male Ross® 308 broilers were randomly selected, then 20 broilers were slaughtered every day (up to 10 days old) after six hours of fasting. All the organs measured had a progressive increase in absolute weight as the days progressed, apart from the spleen, which decreased its absolute weight on day 5, even though on day 10 it showed the highest values. Moreover, the small intestine relative weight increased from the fourth to the ninth day and was correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with the relative weight of the proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, and cecum, although without statistical association with the of the heart. There was a correlation between the cecum relative weight and the cecal lactic acid bacteria, and between the primary lymphoid organs. The pH (from 5.74 to 7.40) and cecal lactic acid bacteria (from 6.11 to 8.79 log 10 CFU/g) changed according to the age of the broilers. The results could contribute to the understanding of the physiology and intestinal microbiology of the first 10 days old of modern broilers, which is crucial to improve the genetic expression of these animals.

Highlights

The poultry industry’s rapid growth and the advances in genetic selection, management, and nutrition mean that broilers reach physiological slaughter weight at a younger age [1]
The results presented on the absolute weight of the small intestine (Table 2) coincide with the reports of Noy and Uni [23] and Sklan [24], who had mentioned that the small intestine doubles its relative weight in the first 48 h of life with access to feed
The results showed that the absolute weight of the immune organs and viscera increases with age, with greater emphasis on days 9 and 10

Summary

Introduction

The poultry industry’s rapid growth and the advances in genetic selection, management, and nutrition mean that broilers reach physiological slaughter weight at a younger age [1]. The first week after hatching represents 20% of the chicken’s productive life, which increases its body weight from two to three times with considerable changes in the gastrointestinal and immune organs [4]. According to Schmidt et al [2], the digestive system has evolved gradually, which has improved the absorption of essential nutrients; gastrointestinal development plays a vital role in the early stages of chick growth due to the degradation and absorption of nutrients for the maintenance and production. The chicken’s digestive system is anatomically complete; its functioning is immature and during its growth, there are changes such as an increase in the length, height, and intestinal density of the villi. The intestine reaches its maximum relative weight between the fourth and eighth days after birth compared to the gizzard and pancreas that do not have a high growth rate [5]

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