The effect of Different Levels of effect of supplementing nano zinc oxide (nZnO) on the product traits Local goat Kids

Simple SummaryThe aim of this study was to increase the sustainability of piglets farming by including valorised local cereal industry by-products as value-added feed material. In addition, dried sugar beet pulp, as local, high-energy, and nutritionally dense feed material for piglet feeding, was tested. The influence of the by-products on piglets’ blood parameters, faecal microbial and physico-chemical characteristics, and growth performance was evaluated. The control group was fed without by-product addition. A 41-day experiment was conducted using 300 (21-day-old) Large White/Norwegian Landrace piglets. Results showed that an extrusion and fermentation combination is a suitable strategy for wheat bran valorisation, as pre-treated wheat bran showed desirable antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Both treatments reduced the total enterobacteria and increased the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count in piglets’ faeces. The consistency of the piglets’ faeces was within a physiological range throughout the whole experiment. It was established that the LAB count in piglets’ faeces is associated with specific volatile compounds’ formation (butanoic acid; butanoic acid, 3-methyl-; butyric acid (2-methyl-); pentanoic acid). Finally, the significantly higher body weight gain of the treatment groups could be associated with desirable changes in micro-organism populations in the piglets’ faeces, and the tested local feed material could be suggested for piglets’ nutrition.In this study, a 41-day experiment was conducted using 300 (21-day-old) Large White/Norwegian Landrace piglets (100 piglets in each group). Three dietary treatments were compared: (i) a basal diet (C-I), (ii) a basal diet with the addition of extruded–fermented wheat bran (Wex130/screwspeed25Lpa) (TG-II), and (iii) a basal diet with the addition of dried sugar beet pulp (TG-III). Analyses of piglets’ blood parameters, faecal microbial and physico-chemical characteristics, and piglets’ growth performance were performed. It was found that the extrusion and fermentation combination led to an additional functional value of Wex130/screwspeed25Lpa, which showed desirable antimicrobial and antifungal properties in vitro (inhibited 5 out of 10 tested pathogenic strains and 3 out of 11 tested fungi). Both treatments reduced total enterobacteria and increased lactic acid bacteria counts in piglets’ faeces. The consistency of the piglets’ faeces (in all three groups) was within a physiological range throughout the whole experiment. Strong positive correlations were found between the LAB count in piglets’ faeces and butanoic acid; butanoic acid, 3-methyl-; butyric acid (2-methyl-); pentanoic acid. The treatment groups obtained a significantly higher body weight gain and average daily gain. Finally, substituting the piglets’ diet with Wex130/screwspeed25Lpa and sugar beet pulp led to favourable changes in micro-organism populations in the piglets’ faeces as well as better growth performance.

Effects of different levels of urea supplementation on nutrient intake and growth performance in growing camels fed roughage based complete pellet diets.

ABSTRACTThis study was conducted to evaluate the effects of weaning age (early, traditional and lateweaning), parity number (first, second and third or more), birth type (single and twins) and sex of lamb(male and female) on growth performance of Ossimi lambs during post-weaning period. One hundredand five Ossimi lambs distributed into 3 groups based on their weaning age. Lambs of early weaninggroup weaned at 56 days age, while, the second and third groups of lambs were remained with theirmothers until 84 days (for traditional) and 112 days (for late weaning). The study performed at theexperimental farm belongs to Faculty of Agriculture at Moshtohor, Benha University, Egypt, andlasted 240 days. Monthly live body weight (LBW) was recorded individually, while average daily gain(ADG) and total weight gain (TWG) were calculated as growth indices. Both total and daily feedintake (TFI and DFI) of dry matter were determined, then feed conversion ratio (FCR) and economicalfeed efficiency (EFE) were calculated. Regarding the effect of weaning age, results indicated that earlyweaned lambs showed a significant (P<0.05) heavier LBW, while traditional and late weaned lambshad the lowest LBW from post-weaning until yearling weight. TWG and ADG of the early weanedlambs were greater than those weaned at the traditional and late ages (P<0.001). Obtained resultsindicated that parity number had a significant (P<0.05) effect on LBW, while it did not affected TWGand ADG of lambs. Concerning the effects of birth type and sex of lamb, results indicated that singleborn ram-lambs had heavier LBW and higher ADG than twin born ewe-lambs. TFI, DFI, FCR andEFE in early weaned lambs were greater (P˂0.001) than those weaned at the other ages. In conclusion,early weaning at 56 days of age, compared with weaning at 84 and 112 days, had positive effects onLBW, TWG and ADG of lambs. Thus, Ossimi sheep producers should wean their lambs at 56 days ofage to earn heavier LBW and higher TWG and ADG.

The experiment was executed at the animal facility of the College of Agriculture and Marshes, University of Thi-Qar, from September 15, 2024, to January 15, 2025, to examine the impact of nano zinc oxide (nZnO) supplementation at three distinct levels (0, 20, and 30 mg/head/day) on the biochemical blood parameters of local goat kids. This study comprised 12 local goat youngsters acquired from markets in Thi-Qar province. The animals were categorized into three groups, each comprising four offspring. All groups were administered an identical concentrate diet of 3% of dry matter relative to body weight. The diet comprised 45% barley, 25% wheat bran, 15% ground yellow corn, 12% soybean meal, and 3% mineral and salt mixture. The study yielded the following results: A significant increase (P ≤ 0.05) in total protein concentration was observed in the second treatment group T2 (20 mg/head/day) throughout the study period, with mean values of 6.27, 6.38, and 6.59 g/100 mL at successive intervals, respectively. Additionally, albumin concentrations showed significant increases in both T2 and T3 groups (20 and 30 mg/head/day) during the second month, with mean values of 1.43 and 1.39 g/100 mL, respectively. No significant differences were observed in the concentrations of urea and cholesterol across the treatment groups. A significant decrease (P ≤ 0.05) in triglyceride levels was observed in the T2 group during the first and third months, with mean concentrations of 79.66, 79.88, and 82.36 mg/dL over the three months, respectively.

Tannins can modulate rumen fermentation and increase the bypass protein; however, the use of different doses and sources of condensed tannins (CT) in animal diets has divergent results. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different levels of dietary quebracho extract inclusion, as a CT source, in the performance and carcass characteristics of growing lambs. Forty-eight weaned lambs (Texel, Suffolk, and Hampshire Down crossbred) were homogenously blocked into four groups and supplemented at 0, 10, 30, and 60g tannins/kg dry matter intake (DMI) (CONT, T1%, T3%, and T6%, respectively). The DMI, the roughage to concentrate ratio, the feed conversion rate (FCR), the average daily gain (ADG), and the body condition score (BCS) were evaluated. After the trial, animals were slaughtered, and the cold carcass weight, carcass yield, and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) were determined. Higher levels of CT in T3% and T6% reduced (P < 0.001) the total DMI and intake of concentrate without impacting (P = 0.071) the roughage intake (% body weight). ADG was the lowest for T6%, although the total weight gain and BCS were the lowest also for T3% (P < 0.001). FCR was worst for T6% (P < 0.001). Regarding carcass characteristics, T6% had the lowest weight of carcass (P = 0.003) and SFT (P = 0.021) compared to CONT. Carcass yields were similar among all the groups (P = 0.247). T1% did not differ from CONT to any parameter (P > 0.05). Supplementing quebracho CT at a low dose did not show beneficial effects; moreover, higher doses of CT led to detrimental effects in intake and animal performance.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate substitution of noug seed cake with dried pigeon pea leaves on feed intake and weight gain of local old oxen. A total of 25 local old oxen (Bos indicus) with 7-8 years old and an initial mean body weight of 300.2±19.25 kg (mean±SD) were used for the study. The experiment was carried out for 105 days including 15 days of acclimatization period. The design employed for this experiment was randomized complete block design with five replications. The dietary treatments were T1= Teff straw ad libtum +Wheat bran + Pigeon pea (25%)+ Noug seed cake(75%) ; T2= Teff straw ad libtum + Wheat bran + Pigeon pea (50%)+ Noug seed cake (50%); T3=Teff straw ad libtum + Wheat bran + Pigeon pea (75%)+ Noug seed cake(25%); T4= Teff straw ad libtum + Wheat bran +Pigeon pea (100%); T5= Teff straw ad libtum +Wheat bran + Noug seed cake (100%). The result showed that crude protein content of Pigeon pea dried leaves (24.47%), noug seed cake (31.92%) and wheat bran (15.98%) can satisfy ruminant production requirement. Total dry matter, teff straw and nutrient intake were statically highly significant (P&lt;0.01, P&lt;0.001, P&lt;0.001) respectively between treatment groups but supplement intake was not statically significant (P&gt;0.05) among treatment groups. The average total DM intakes of all treatment groups were ranged from 7.29 to 8.09 kg/d/head. There were no significant differences(P&gt;0.05) in initial body weight gain, final body weight gain, total body weight gain and average daily body weight gain among different combinations of treatment groups. The average daily weight gain (675.56 g), gross benefit (2159.96 ETB) and marginal revenue 1.11ETB of treatment 2 was higher than other treatment groups. Therefore, it is recommended that fattening of old local oxen using supplement combination levels of teff straw+ wheat bran+ 50%pigeon pea+ 50% noug cake resulted better body weight gain and good benefit. Keywords : Body weight gain; Fattening; Noug seed cake; Old oxen; Pigeon pea DOI: 10.7176/JBAH/11-2-01 Publication date: January 31 st 2021

An experiment was conducted to determine apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (AMEn) of commonly used cereals and cereal by-products in poultry diet. Three samples each of corn, rice broken (RB), rice polishings (RP) and wheat bran (WB) were assayed for AMEn by substitution method using 21-days-old broilers. The 12 experimental diets (4 ingredients x 3 samples) were formulated by substituting the corn-soybean meal basal diet with 30% test ingredients. The acid insoluble ash was added at 1% of all diets. The 468 day-old male broiler chicks (Hubbard x Hubbard) were reared on basal diet from day 1 to 13 and thereafter, experimental diets were offered ad libitum to birds from 14 to 21days. Each diet was offered to 36 birds, equally distributed to six replicate pens. The basal diet continued to feed the birds of six replicates from day 14 to 21. The excreta samples were collected from day 19‒21 to calculate AMEn. The average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. Data regarding ADFI, ADG, FCR and AMEn were analyzed using GLM procedures of SAS while means were partitioned by t-test. The ADFI, ADG, FCR and AMEn remained unaltered (P>0.05) by feeding diets based on samples of same feed ingredient except the RP and WB. The birds fed RP and WB based diets showed varying (P<0.05) AMEn among the samples. The birds fed corn substituted basal diet had higher (P<0.05) ADG (56.03 g) followed by RB (50.04 g), WB (45.87 g) and RP (43.61 g) diets. The ADFI of broilers fed corn diets was highest (P<0.05) while it was lowest with RB based diets. The birds showed improved (P<0.05) FCR by feeding RB diet followed by corn, WB and RP diets. The average AMEn of RB and corn was 3372 and 3315 kcal/kg, respectively. In cereal by-products, the RP and WB had 1936 and 1760 kcal/kg AMEn, respectively. In conclusion, varying growth pattern of broilers was observed by feeding corn, RB, RP and WB substituted diets. The RB and RP’s AMEn was higher in cereals and cereal by-products, respectively. © 2016 Friends Science Publishers

A study was conducted to study the effects of feeding a spray-dried metabolite (SDM) produced by &lt;i&gt;Lb. Plantarum&lt;/i&gt; I-UL4 in the diets of postweaning rats on growth performance, faecal pH, &lt;i&gt;Enterobacteriaceae&lt;/i&gt; bacterial and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts in the faeces and on plasma cholesterol concentrations. A total of 15 female 4-weeks-old &lt;i&gt;Sprague dawley&lt;/i&gt; rats were randomly assigned to 3 groups of diets: basal diet (control), 0.25% SDM and 0.5% SDM diets. Daily feed intake, daily growth rate, blood plasma for total cholesterol concentration and faecal &lt;i&gt;Enterobacteriaceae&lt;/i&gt; and LAB were measured. The growth rate, total feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and pH were not significantly different (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &gt; 0.05) among all the treatment groups. The faecal &lt;i&gt;Enterobacteriaceae&lt;/i&gt; counts in the 0.25% and 0.5% groups were significantly (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05) lower than in the control group. However, there was no significant difference (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &gt; 0.05) in the LAB counts among all the treatment groups. The plasma cholesterol concentration was significantly reduced (&lt;i&gt;P&lt;/i&gt; &lt; 0.05) following the feeding of the metabolite. The control had the highest concentration of cholesterol. However, the 0.5% SDM group had the lowest plasma cholesterol concentration, followed by the 0.25% SDM group.

Coffee pulp is a by-product of the coffee industry. Due to conventional management techniques, it represents a severe environmental problem due to its negative impact on the soil (anaerobic fermentation and pH changes), water sources (the infiltration of pollutants into streams, acidification of water sources, and modification of microorganisms), and biodiversity (soil microbiology, fish, crustaceans, and other vertebrates). Therefore, it is essential to develop protocols for the treatment of this waste so that it can be used again in other productive activities under the circular economy approach. This means that all the waste from a production process can be reused, can generate value for the benefit of the producer, and, in turn, mitigate the environmental impact. The objective of this study was to evaluate the replacement of 5 levels of wheat bran (WB) with extruded coffee pulp flour (ECPF) as an alternative to a conventional fiber source in broiler finisher diets. A total of 300 Cobb 500 chickens in the finishing phase were assessed in the study, grouped in 5 treatments: T1, a conventional diet or control treatment (100% WB and 0% ECPF), T2 (75% WB and 25% ECPF), T3 (50% WB and 50% ECPF), T4 (25% WB and 75% ECPF), and T5 (0% WB and 100% ECPF). Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and intestinal morphometry (villus length: VL, villus width: VW, crypt depth: CD, villus height/crypt depth ratio: V/C, and villus surface area: VSA) were evaluated at the level of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Feed intake decreased correspondingly as the ECPF in the diet was increased, with statistical differences (p < 0.01) between their averages; the most significant weight gain (834.61 g) was evidenced with the T2 treatment, this being statistically different (p < 0.01) from T4 and T5; similarly, the best FCR (1.58) was evidenced with the T2 treatment, followed by the control treatment T1 (with 1.64); however, they were not statistically different (p > 0.05). All treatment results were similar to the VL control samples in the three intestinal portions, except for the T5 in the jejunum, which showed statistical differences from the control. In VW, the treatment results were similar to the control samples of the jejunum and ileum; however, in the duodenum, the T5 results showed the highest value (172.18 μm), being statistically different (p < 0.05) from the other treatments being evaluated. For CD, it was only in the duodenum that the T2 and T3 treatments were similar to the control. Likewise, for V/C in the duodenum, only the T2 results were similar to the control. There was no significant difference in the VSA among the different treatment groups. T2 showed better production parameters without altering the intestinal villi. In conclusion, ECPF is a potential input for use to replace up to 25% of WB in the feed of broilers in the finishing phase.

This experiment was conducted at the animal field belonging to the College of Agriculture and Marshes/ University of Thi-Qar during the period from 15/9/2024 to 22/12/2025 to study the effect of different inclusion levels of a probiotic supplement and the vitamin mixture Demavate (AD3E) on the product traits of local goat kids, The experimental animals were assigned to five treatments, The results of the current study indicated a significant increase in body weight in T3 and T4 compared to the control group by the eighth week of the trial, reaching 25.13 and 26.30 kg, respectively. By the tenth week, T2, T4, and T5 showed superior final body weights, recording 29.16, 29.93, and 29.73 kg, respectively. In terms of total weight gain, T2 and T5 demonstrated the highest values at 11.90 and 11.29 kg, respectively, compared to the control. Daily weight gain was significantly higher in T3, T2, and T5, which recorded 141.66, 134.52, and 130.55 grams per day, respectively. No significant differences were observed in total feed intake among the treatment groups. However, the feed conversion ratio was significantly better in the control group (T1), which recorded a value of 10.03 kg feed per kg of weight gain, outperforming T2, T3, and T5. The treatment group T2 showed superior ruminal pH values on day 45 of the experiment before feeding compared to treatments T3 and T4, recording a value of 5.76. Additionally, T2 outperformed all other treatments three hours after feeding, with a pH of 5.95. On day 84 before feeding, treatment T4 recorded the highest ruminal pH (6.68), whereas three hours post-feeding, treatment T5 showed the highest pH value (5.86).A significant increase in the number of cellulolytic bacteria was observed in treatment T5 on day 45 before feeding, recording a value of 21.74 CUF ×10⁸, compared to other treatments. Three hours post-feeding, treatments T4 and T5 outperformed the others with values of 7.75 and 7.64 CUF ×10⁸, respectively. On day 84 before feeding, T5 again showed superiority with a value of 3.38 CUF ×10⁸, and after three hours, both T4 and T5 recorded the highest values: 8.53 and 8.42 CUF ×10⁸, respectively.

Sixty weaned New Zealand white rabbits of both sexes aged 6 wk and weighed 715 g were randomly divided into four treatment groups (15 rabbits each) to evaluate the possibility of feeding growing rabbits on diets containing olive cake pulp (OCP) as partial or complete substitution of wheat bran. The first group (C) was fed the basal diet as control (0%OCP), while the other three treatment groups (L, M, H) were fed diets containing 15, 20 and 25%OCP, respectively replacing wheat bran in the basal diet. All the experimental diets contained nearly the same level of crude protein (CP) and digestible energy (DE). All the experimental diets were formulated to cover the nutrient requirements of rabbits. Results revealed that dietary treatments had no significant effect on live body weight (LBW), total weight gain (TWG), average daily gain (ADG) and daily fed intake (DFI) at different ages (6-14 wk). At the same time, LBW, TWG and ADG tended to be higher in rabbits fed M and H diets than those fed C and L diets. Daily feed intake of the L group tended to be lower (P>0.05) than that of the other groups (C, M and H). Feed conversion of H group was the best compared with the other groups (C, L and M groups). Glucose and triglycerides levels in blood serum of rabbits decreased significantly (P 0.05) by treatment. Almost carcass traits (empty carcass, edible giblets and dressing) were not affected (P>0.05) by treatment. From the economic point of view, it appears that the inclusion of OCP in growing rabbit diets by 15, 20, 25% instead of wheat bran as fed basis decreased feed cost/ kg gain by 9.11, 7.25 and 14.32%, respectively. The economic efficiency values of the experimental diets were increased by 23.88, 20.15 and 26.73%, respectively compared with the control diet. In conclusion, olive cake pulp (OCP) could be incorporated in growing rabbits diets up to 25% without adverse effects on growth performance, carcass traits, blood constituents and economic efficiency.

Objective of this study was to investigate the effect of propolis supplementation on productive performance and blood profile of suckling Friesian calves. Eighteen newly born male Friesian calves with average live body weight of 26.11±0.53 kg are assigned into three similar groups after colostrum. Calves were unsupplemented in G1 and served as control, or supplemented with at the levels of 0.5 and 1.0 g propolis/head/day in G2 and G3, respectively. The best values of all nutrients digestibility and feeding values were recorded to G3 followed by G2, whereas G1 had the poorest values. Ruminal TVFA’s, acetate and propionate concentrations and serum total protein, globulin, albumin and glucose concentrations were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05), however, ruminal pH value and ammonia-N and butyrate concentrations and serum urea-N, creatinine, AST and ALT concentrations were significantly lower (P&lt;0.05) in G3 followed by G2 and vise versa in G1. Also, G3 had the highest immunoglobulins (IgG, IgA and IgM), haemoglobin concentration (HGB) and Haematocrit (a packed-cell volume) percentage (PCV), counts of leucocytes (WBC’s) and their differential (lymphocytes, monocytes, neutrophil, eosinophil and basophil), erythrocyte (RBC’s) and erythrocyte indices including mean cellular volume (MCV), mean cellular haemoglobin (MCH), mean cellular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and red cell distribution width (RDW) and platelet indices expressed as platelet count (PLT), procalcitonin (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV) and Platelet Distribution Width (PDW) concentrations followed by G2, while G1 had the lowest concentrations (P&lt;0.05). Weaning weight, total weight gain and average daily gain were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in G3 followed by G2, while the lower values were in control ones (G1). Intakes of TDN and DCP were significantly higher (P&lt;0.05) in G3 compared to G1 with insignificant differences with G2. Feed conversion ratio was significantly (P&lt;0.05) better with G3 compared G1, while G2 differ significantly in DM and CP/kg gain and insignificantly in TDN and DCP/kg gain with both G1 and G3. Feed cost was higher significantly (P&lt;0.05), but feed cost of gain was lower significantly (P&lt;0.05) in G3 compared to G1, and insignificantly with G2. While, G3 recorded significantly (P&lt;0.05) the highest revenue of weight gain, net revenue, relative net revenue and economic efficiency followed by G2, but G1 had the lowest values. In conclusion, propolis supplements at the level of 1 g/calf/day for suckling calves led to significant improvements on productive performance and blood profile.

Simple SummaryHeat stress is a serious issue in commercial broiler production in hot and humid countries, including Malaysia. Exposure of broilers to heat stress affects their health and productivity. In this context, antibiotics are widely used at sub-therapeutic levels as growth promoters to reduce stress and infectious diseases in order to sustain productivity in commercial broiler farms. However, the extensive use of antibiotics as growth promoters for a long time leads to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and the possibility of antibiotic-resistant genes being transferred among organisms. Recently, postbiotics produced by Lactobacillus plantarum have been widely studied as a feed additive in order to replace in-feed antibiotics. However, to date, no studies have investigated the role of postbiotics in feed for broilers under heat stress.The effects of feeding different postbiotics on growth performance, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, gut microbiota, immune status, and growth hormone receptor (GHR) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) gene expression in broilers under heat stress were assessed in this study. A total of 252 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned in cages in identical environmentally controlled chambers. During the starter period from 1 to 21 days, all the birds were fed the same basal diet. On day 22, the birds were weighed and randomly divided into six treatment groups and exposed to cyclic high temperature at 36 ± 1 °C for 3 h per day from 11:00 to 14:00 until the end of the experiment. From day 22 to 42 (finisher period), an equal number of birds were subjected to one of the following diets: NC (negative control) basal diet; PC (positive control) basal diet + 0.02% oxytetracycline; or AA (ascorbic acid) basal diet + 0.02% ascorbic acid. The other three groups (RI11, RS5 and UL4) were basal diet + 0.3% different postbiotics (produced from different Lactobacillus plantarum strains, and defined as RI11, RS5 and UL4, respectively). The results demonstrated that birds fed RI11 diets had significantly higher final body weight, total weight gain and average daily gain than the birds that received the NC, PC and AA treatments. The feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in the RI11 group compared with the other groups. Carcass parameters were not affected by the postbiotic-supplemented diet. Postbiotic supplementation improved villi height significantly in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum compared to the NC, PC and AA treatments. The crypt depth of the duodenum and ileum was significantly higher in NC group compared to other treatment groups except RI11 in duodenum, and UL4 in ileum was not different with NC groups. The villus height to crypt depth ratio of duodenum and ileum was significantly higher for the postbiotic treatment groups and AA than the PC and NC treatment groups. The postbiotic RI11 group recorded significantly higher caecum total bacteria and Lactobacillus count and lower Salmonella count compared to the NC and PC treatment groups. The Bifidobacterium population in the NC group was significantly lower compared to the other treatment groups. The postbiotic (RI11, RS5 and UL4) and AA treatment groups showed lower Enterobacteriaceae and E. coli counts and caecal pH than the NC and PC treatment groups. The plasma immunoglobulin M (IgM) level was significantly higher in the birds receiving postbiotic RI11 than those receiving other treatments. The plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) level was higher in the RI11 treatment group than in the NC, AA and RS5 groups. The plasma immunoglobulin A (IgA) level was not affected by postbiotic supplements. The hepatic GHR mRNA expression level was significantly increased in birds fed postbiotics RI11, RS5 and UL4, AA and PC compared to the NC-fed birds. Postbiotic RI11 led to significantly higher hepatic IGF-1 mRNA expression level compared to the NC, PC, and AA treatments. Mortality was numerically lesser in the postbiotic treatment groups, but not significantly different among all the treatments. In conclusion, among the postbiotics applied in the current study as compared with NC, PC and AA, RI11 could be used as a potential alternative antibiotic growth promoter and anti-stress treatment in the poultry industry.

A fattening experiment was carried out to analyze and evaluate the effect of ram lamb genotype on the growth, feed conversion (FC), and carcass value of Dhamari ram lambs, F1 crossbreds of Dhamari × Tehami (F1 DhT), and Tehami ram lambs. Genotype of the ram lambs including the experiment (n = 30) had high significant effect on total weight gain (TWG), average daily gain (ADG), and FC (P < 0.01-0.001). Genotype of the lamb had significant effect on hot and cold dressing percentage (P < 0.001). Also, genotype of the lamb had significant effect on the highest leg percentage (P < 0.001). Furthermore, genotype of the ram lambs had significant effect on musculus longissimus dorsi (MLD) area (P < 0.001). Genotype of the ram lamb had significant effect on TWG, ADG, and FC (P < 0.001). The results of moisture percentage, crude protein percentage, and ash percentage of muscle samples were significantly influenced by ram lamb's genotype (P < 0.001). Fasting live weight and other carcass measurements (hot carcass weight, leg weight, loin weight, shoulder weight, first quality cuts weight) have a positive and highest correlations (P < 0.001). The positive and the highest correlations were found between fasting live weight and hot carcass weight, first quality parts weight. In addition, the positive and the highest correlations were found between hot carcass weight and first quality cuts weight. In general, the results of this study documented that F1 DhT was better than Tehami ram lambs in ADG, TWG, and FC. Additionally, the results show that the feed conversion was in F1 DhT crossbreds ram lambs better than pure Dhamari and Tehami ram lambs, mainly in the carcass indicators.

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effect of different levels of vitamin C on performance, carcass characteristics, immunity, blood parameters, cecal microbial flora, evaluation of meat taste and fatty acid profile of Arbor Acres commercial strain broilers. In order to investigate the different levels of vitamin C, 120 one-day-old male broilers of the Arbor Acres commercial strain were used in a completely randomized design. In this way, three different levels of vitamin C (0, 250 and 50 mg/kg diet) were tested with 4 repetitions with 10 chicks in each repetition for 42 days. Average daily weight gain, average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were determined. At the age of 42 days, 2 chicks were randomly selected from each replication and the characteristics of carcass components, blood parameters, liver enzymes, taste evaluation and fatty acid profile of breast meat were measured. The evaluation of the immune system was evaluated by measuring the antibody titers against the Newcastle vaccine, anvian influenza and sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and were analyzed with SPSS statistical software. The results showed that in the whole period, no statistical difference was observed between the treatment groups in terms of feed consumption and weight gain and feed conversion ratio (P&gt;0.05), The effect of vitamin C on carcass and intestinal characteristics was not significant, except for the relative weight of the breast (P&gt;0.05). The effect of vitamin C on blood parameters, except for HDL and total cholesterol which were increased were not affected by experimental treatments. Liver enzymes including creatine phosphokinase and lactate dehydrogenase in broilers receiving experimental treatments were increased by higher levels of vitamin C in the diet (P&lt;0.05). The examination of the immune system of broilers showed that the comparison of the average amount of white and red blood cells, hemoglobin, HTC, MCV, MCH and MCHC was not affected by different levels of vitamin C in the diet (P&gt;0.05). However, the percentage of lymphocytes and heterophils was affected by different levels of vitamin C (P&lt;0.05). The amount of antibody titer against Newcastle virus, influenza and SRBC and organs related to the immune system was not affected by experimental treatments (P&gt;0.05).The effect of vitamin C on taste evaluation traits showed that general acceptance and chewing ability were different in all three treatment groups (P&lt;0.05), but other traits were not affected by different levels of vitamin C (P&gt;0.05). The effect of vitamin C on the fatty acid profile of breast meat showed C12:0 was unchanged in the 3 treatment groups, but C14:0, C16:0, C18:0, C18:3 decreased with increasing consumption of vitamin C. The present research suggests that use of 250 mg of vitamin C per kg of diet of broilers of the Arbor Acres strain may have potential economic benefits.