Broiler Chicken Diets Research Articles

Mitigating the Environmental Impacts from Pig and Broiler Chicken Productions: Case Study on a Citrus Extract Feed Additive

The rapid expansion of the livestock production sector to meet the world population’s demand is posing a big challenge to environmental sustainability. Plant-based feed additives extracted from agro-food byproducts could potentially result in multiple outcomes: reducing food-processing wastes and improving animal growth performances, hence mitigating environmental impacts of meat production chains. This presented study was carried out to assess the environmental impacts of the use of a commercial citrus extract feed additive (CEFA) in swine and broiler chicken farming. Life-cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to assess the impact of manufacturing and distributing one 25 kg bag of CEFA and its use in feed in broiler chicken and swine productions. With regards to CEFA manufacturing and distribution, results showed that most of the impact came from the production of CEFA ingredients, accounting for 70% of the impact generated. The remaining 30% effect was divided between transportation to the customer (25%), CEFA packaging (3%), and CEFA manufacturing and production loss (2%). When enlarging the scope, the use of the CEFA in pigs and broilers’ diets was shown to improve the measured environmental indicators, compared to such standard systems. Indeed, CEFA-added feeds have demonstrated enhanced growth performances, hence reducing the required amount of consumed feed to achieve the same level of growth. Consequently, this helped reduce environmental issues from animal feed ingredients’ agriculture. To be more specific, the use of one 25 kg bag of CEFA in feed at 250 g per ton of feed led to a reduction of 6 tons of CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq) emitted along the life cycle of poultry production and 5 tons in the case of fattening pigs. The inclusion of this CEFA in the diet also led to a reduction in the land use footprint by 0.7 hectares and reductions in water consumption by 201 m3 and 82 m3 for broiler chicken and swine production, respectively. The environmental performance assessment thus showed the interest in using this CEFA in swine and broiler chicken diets to mitigate the environmental impacts.

Exogenous Enzymes as Zootechnical Additives in Monogastric Animal Feed: A Review

Feed enzymes have been extensively used in livestock diets to enhance nutrient digestion and promote their growth performance. Indeed, recent research has indicated that feed enzymes, notably phytase, protease, and xylanase, function as catalysts, facilitating the breakdown of phytic acid, proteins, and β-1,4-xylan bonds and offering prospective advantages linked to the intestinal well-being and microbiota of young pigs and chickens. Various feed enzymes are currently being added to the diets of swine and broiler chickens. The potential enzymes used in the feed industry include cellulase, β-mannanase, β-glucanases, xylanases, phytases, proteases, lipases, and galactosidases. Though significant research has been conducted on phytase, protease, and xylanase, consistent findings, particularly in terms of improving nutrient digestibility and promoting growth performance of monogastric animals, are still limited. Also, the outcome of recent studies raises the question whether phytase and xylanase could play functional roles beyond increasing nutrient digestibility and intestinal health, such as positively modulating the intestinal microbiota and reducing environmental problems. Therefore, in this review we aimed to address the functional roles of exogenous enzyme activities in monogastric animal diets. Also, we sought to explore the advantages of these enzymes in enhancing the nutritional value of both alternative and conventional feedstuffs.

Assessing different oil sources efficacy in reducing environmental heat-stress effects via improving performance, digestive enzymes, antioxidant status, and meat quality

Adding oil to the feed of genetically improved broilers is necessary to provide energy requirements, in addition to enhancing metabolism, growth performance, immune response. This study aims to reveal the effect of adding different oil sources in the diets of broilers exposed to environmental heat stress on performance, digestibility, oxidative status, plasma lipids, fatty acids content, and meat quality. Six hundred twenty-five one-day-old broiler chicks were randomly distributed to five groups as follows: the first group fed a diet without oil (CON) as a control, while the second to the fifth group fed a diet containing soy oil (SO), corn oil (CO), olive oil (OO), and fish oil (FO), respectively. Results indicated a significant deterioration in growth performance, carcass traits, and oxidative state with a significant decrease in carcass quality in heat-stressed chickens fed the CON diet. Results showed increased growth, enhanced feed conversion ratio, and carcass dressing in broilers fed the oil-supplemented diet compared to the control diet, however, the digestive enzymes activity was not affected by receiving an oil-supplemented diet. The best performance was in chickens fed OO and SO, compared with FO and CO. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) increased in broilers fed an oil-supplemented diet. Plasma high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) remarkably increased in broilers fed OO, whereas the malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased compared to the other groups. Adding different dietary oil sources enhanced the breast muscle's fatty acid composition. Broiler diets supplemented with oils positively affected meat quality by enhancing color measurements, and TBA values, while the best were in chicken fed OO. It was concluded that adding dietary oil at 3% in the diets of broiler chicken exposed to environmental heat stress positively affected growth performance, enhanced oxidative status, and meat quality, best results were in broilers fed a diet that included olive oil.

Effects of the combined use of a probiotic and chromium methionine chelate on the functional state of broiler chickens.

An increase in the productivity of broiler chickens is possible when creating an optimal food base that provides birds with all of the nutrients and biologically active substances required for the fullest realization of their genetic potential. In this regard, we examined the effects of the addition of a water-based probiotic and a chelated form of chromium (Cr) to the diet of birds. Sixty 14-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were used in this study. The birds were assigned to two groups of 30 birds according to their body weights. The control broilers received distilled water with the basal diet, and the experimental group received a probiotic preparation in drinking water and Cr methionine chelate (Cr-Met) in the diet. The feeding period lasted 28 days. Growth performance indices were measured throughout the experiment. At the end of the experiment, blood sampling was performed to assess blood biochemical parameters, antioxidant system indicators, and trace elements. We found that the introduction of a probiotic preparation and a chelated form of Cr into the diet of broiler chickens had a positive effect on meat productivity, which was characterized by a 17% increase in the average daily gain of birds (p = 0.05) and a 14% increase in body weight (p = 0.01). Consequently, the yield of the slaughtered carcass increased by 5.8% (p = 0.05). Against the background of the consumption of the developed diet, broiler chickens exhibited a 14% decrease in feed conversion accompanied by an increase in the level of digestibility of dietary nutrients. In addition, glucose levels were decreased by 20% (p = 0.03) against the background of a 76% increase in the total protein concentration (p = 0.01). Superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities were increased by 13% (p = 0.02) and 7.5% (p = 0.03), respectively. Elemental analysis of blood serum revealed a 99% decrease in the Fe level versus the control (p = 0.02) and a 31% increase in the Zn level (p = 0.02). We conclude that feeding broiler chickens is a multicomponent probiotic supplement combined with Cr-Met promotes growth and nutrient absorption, and optimizes metabolic processes.

Effect Add Different Concentrations of Organic, Inorganic, and Nano-Selenium to Diet of Broiler Chickens (Ross 308) that Exposed to Heat Stress on Certain Productive Traits

This study was conducted at Al-Anwar Poultry Station in Babil Governorate Iraq for 35 days, from July 10, 2022 to August 17, 2022, in order to demonstrate the effects of supplementing broiler diets with varying concentrations of organic, inorganic and nano-selenium (Se) on certain production traits and under conditions of heat stress, 560 chicks of one day old (Ross 308) were used without identifying their sex and divided randomly into 7 transactions with 4 replicates for each transaction, and each replicate included 20 chicks. The first transaction, T1, was the control transaction without addition, and organic selenium was added in the second and third transactions (T2 and T3) at a concentration of 1 and 1.5 mg / kg, respectively, while the fourth and fifth transaction (T4 and T5) inorganic selenium was added at a concentration of 1 and 1. 5 mg / kg, respectively, while the sixth and seventh transaction (T6 and T7) included the addition of nano-Se at a concentration of 1 and 1.5 mg / kg, respectively. The results of the study showed the following: (1) Highly significant (P≤0.01) superiority of T2 transaction over all studied transactions in live body weight and overweight. (2) There was a significant (P≤0.01) superiority of the rate of feed consumption for the transactions T2, T5 over the T1, T3, T4, T6, T7. As for the food conversion coefficient, the transaction T4, T6 was more “significant” improvement at a level of (P≤0.01) than the rest of the transactions. The control transaction was the least improved transaction. (3)The data recorded a “significant” decrease for all addition transactions in the percentage of total deaths compared to the control transaction. T5 was similar to T1, but with a lower rate.

Beta-hydroxy-β-methyl butyrate-supplemented diet for broiler chickens is more conducive to dietary protein reduction than a leucine-supplemented diet until 21 days old.

Dietary l-leucine or its metabolite 𝛽-hydroxy-𝛽-methylbutyrate (HMB) has a crucial role in the muscle protein metabolism of broilers during the first few-week growing period. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of l-leucine (LLPD) or HMB (HLPD) supplementation in a low-protein diet (20%, LPD) until 21 days old on performance, carcass weight, muscle yield and meat quality, as well as intestinal morphometry, in broiler chickens. From days 1-42, LPD decreased body weight gain and feed intake (FI) and increased feed conversion ratio compared to a standard protein diet (22%, SPD). The LLPD and HLPD did not affect FI, but the LLPD decreased the body weight gain and increased the feed conversion ratio compared to the SPD. The LPD group had lower body and muscle weights than other groups. Compared to LPD, HLPD increased dressing percentage. The LPD decreased the serum insulin-like growth factor-1 content compared to the SPD and LLPD. The duodenal villus height of the LPD and LLPD broilers was smaller than those of the SPD and HLPD birds. The HLPD broilers had lower duodenal villus width than the SPD birds. The duodenal crypt depth and ileal mucosal thickness were higher in the HLPD group than in other groups. The HLPD and LLPD enhanced the ileal villus height compared to the SPD. The LLPD and HLPD treatments did not affect meat quality traits compared to the SPD treatment. Dietary HMB could be a conducive approach to reducing dietary protein for broilers until 21 days old. © 2023 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Dried Date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) Meal Inclusion in the Diets of Broilers Affects Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Nutrients Digestibility, Fecal Microbiota and Economics

The availability of suitable feedstuffs for poultry nutrition is a significant challenge faced by the global poultry production industry. This issue has been exacerbated by the shift towards using grains for biofuel production, leading to a subsequent rise in feedstuff prices. The study aimed to assess the impact of different levels of dried date wastes in the diet of broiler chicks on their growth, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, fecal microbiota and economics. A total of 240 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308/Ross 308 FF) were divided into five experimental groups and fed 0, 3, 6, 9 and 12% of dietary date meal (DDM). The formulated diets were provided to chicks for a duration of 35 days. The findings of the study indicated that chicks fed with a diet containing 9% dried dates exhibited a significantly (p < 0.05) higher increase in body weight compared to the control group by the end of the study period. Additionally, dressing percentage, carcass weight, leg weight and breast weight were notably higher (p < 0.05) among birds that consumed the 9% dried dates diet. Moreover, the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and ether extract showed a significant (p < 0.05) increase in birds that were fed a 9% dried dates diet. Furthermore, DDM at 9% experienced significantly (p < 0.05) higher levels of Lactobacillus and decreased (p < 0.05) the level of E. coli count. Similarly, economically, birds supplemented with 9% DDM exhibited significantly (p < 0.05) higher profit compared to the control. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that broiler chicks fed with a diet including 9% dried date waste experienced improved growth performance, enhanced carcass quality, supported digestibility of nutrients, elevated the count of fecal Lactobacillus, reduced E. coli count and economics.

Assessing the effects of microencapsulated Lactobacillus salivarius and cowpea seed supplementation on broiler chicken growth and health status.

This study aimed to assess the nutritional quality of cowpea seeds (cv. Doljana - CSD) and the impact of partially replacing soybean meal with CSD, along with the supplementation of microencapsulated Lactobacillus salivarius (LS), on the growth performance, selected carcass traits, biochemical plasma profile, tibia bone quality, and microbial populations in the ceca and excreta of broiler chickens aged 1 to 35 days. A total of 432 mixed-sex Ross 308 broiler chickens, aged one day, were randomly allocated to four groups, with 108 birds in each group, further divided into 6 pens containing 18 birds each. The experimental design featured a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, with two cowpea seed levels (CSD0 and CSD15%) and the presence or absence (Yes/No) of microencapsulated LS probiotic (0 and 1 g/kg feed). The experimental diets did not significantly influenced (p > 0.05) production performances. However, the production efficiency factor was notably higher in the CSD0 (336.8%) and CSD15 (332.2%) groups with LS compared to CSD0 (322.4%) and CSD15 (320.6%) groups without LS supplementation. Regarding carcass traits, the CSD15 group with LS supplementation exhibited higher dressing (70.69%) and liver (2.47%) percentages compared to the other groups. Plasma profile analysis revealed significant reductions (p < 0.05) in total cholesterol (from 115 mg/dL to 105 mg/dL) and triglycerides (from 54.80 mg/dL to 46.80 mg/dL) in the CSD15 group with LS supplementation compared to the CSD0 group, with or without LS supplementation. Moreover, the CSD15 group with LS had significantly higher total protein, albumin, and calcium levels and significantly lower (p < 0.05) uric acid levels compared to the CSD0 group, irrespective of LS supplementation. Tibia bone traits and minerals showed no significant effects. However, the pH exhibited a linear decrease from 6.90 in the CSD0 group without LS to 6.69 in the CSD15 group with LS supplementation. In terms of cecal microbial populations, Coliforms decreased from 7.14 CFU/g in the CSD15 group without LS to 5.48 CFU/g in the CSD15 group with LS. Significant alterations were also observed in Clostridium spp., E. coli, Enterococcus spp., and Staphylococcus spp. in the ceca and excreta of the CSD15 group with LS supplementation compared to the CSD0 group, with or without LS supplementation. Beneficial bacteria, specifically Lactobacillus spp., significantly increased in the cecal content of CSD0 (9.06 CFU/g) and CSD15 (9.01 CFU/g) groups with LS compared to CSD0 (8.41 CFU/g) and CSD15 (8.11 CFU/g) groups without LS. In summary, this study suggests that cowpea seeds can be used as a partial replacement for soybean meal in broiler chicken diets, and microencapsulated Lactobacillus salivarius can be employed as a probiotic supplement.

Bioactive Lipid Compounds as Eco-Friendly Agents in the Diets of Broiler Chicks for Sustainable Production and Health Status.

Phytogenic compounds can improve feed efficiency, meat quality, and the health status of chickens under hot climatic conditions. The current study investigated the impact of the bioactive lipid compounds of oregano and peppermint and their combination on the sustainability of meat production and the health of broiler chicks in hot climatic conditions. Two hundred and fifty-six one-day-old broiler chicks were distributed into four treatment groups. The birds were fed a control diet, bioactive lipid compounds of oregano (BLCO, 150 mg/kg), bioactive lipid compounds of peppermint (BLCP, 150 mg/kg), or a combination of BLCO and BLCP at 150 mg/kg each for 35 days. Each treatment included 8 replicates, each with 8 birds. The results showed that adding BLCO and BLCP separately or in combination to broiler diets improved body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. BLCO, BLCP, or their combination increased the percentages of the dressing and gizzard and lowered the percentage of abdominal fat as compared to the control. Supplementation of BLCO, BLCP, or their combination decreased serum cholesterol, triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine transaminase, creatinine, and urea compared to control. BLCO, BLCP, or their combination reduced cook and drip loss in the meat of broilers. In conclusion, birds fed diets containing BLCO and BLCP, either independently or in combination, showed improvements in performance, blood biochemistry, and meat quality in hot climatic conditions.

Partial and total replacement of soybean meal with maggot larvae meal in broiler chicken diets: Impact on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, haemotological parameters and intestinal histomorphology

Current study was carried out to investigate the effect of replacing soybean meal with maggot meal in broilers ration (Ross-308, n = 200) for 1–28 days. Five isocaloric and isonitrogenic broiler rations were prepared comprising of control diet-1 (Mag-0) having 100 % soybean meal and 0 % maggot meal, Diet-2 (Mag-70) having 30 % soy bean meal and 70 % maggot meal, Diet-3 (Mag-80) having 20 % soybean meal and 80 % maggot meal, Diet-4 (Mag-90) 10 % soybean meal and 90 % maggot meal and Diet-5 (Mag-100) containing 0 % soybean meal and 100 % maggot meal. The results showed that weekly as well as overall body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was found similar (P>0.05) for all the chicks fed with different replacement diets. Protein efficiency ratio, dressing percentage, apparent metabolizable energy and antibody titer observed showed no significant (P>0.05) differences at the end of the experiment among the different substituted and control groups. Similarly, no significant (p>0.05) effect was observed on the digestibility of amino acids for different replacement diets of soybean meal with maggot meal. Statistically similar effects were also observed for organoleptic study, intestinal morphometry, hematological and serum parameters. It was concluded from the current study that up to 100 % soybean meal can be substituted with maggot meal in poultry ration without any adverse effects on the health and performance parameters of the broiler chicks.

Essential oils in broiler chicken diets as antimicrobial agents: Systematic review

The search for alternative ingredient options in the animal diet that have antimicrobial activity is due to many factors, such as pathogens increasing resistance and the presence of antibiotic residues in animal products consumed by humans. Therefore, there is a rising demand for natural additives that do not interfere with animal development or human health. Here, we compare studies on the use of essential oils as antimicrobial agents in broiler chicken diets. First, 90 papers were found using the key words “broilers”, “antimicrobial”, and “essential oils”. The second step was to select the papers according to the scales of Jadad and Medeiros and Stein, where six remaining researchers were selected to describe the antimicrobial activity of essential oils in response to enteric pathogens. Essential oils (EOS) have antimicrobial activity against different pathogens, such as E. coli, S. Enteritidis, S. Heidelberg and C. perfringens, and are considered alternatives to antibiotics used in animal production. The EOs that showed the greatest effectiveness were oregano essential oil (EO), cinnamaldehyde and thymol concentrates; when used together with additives such as sodium butyrate and xylanase, there was better antimicrobial action and improved animal performance. Ginger and carvacrol EOS also demonstrated antimicrobial activities, as did thymol, cinnamaldehyde and eucalyptus EO concentrates, but studies on the specific action of plant species that produce EOS for certain pathogens are still lacking; thus, the topic lacks an ongoing study addressing the addition of EOS in the feed of poultry production.

Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens.

Poultry production is the fastest growing livestock industry in the world, as the rapid growth of and efficient absorption of feed by poultry ensure the production of poultry meat with a relatively low carbon footprint. Seeking new ways to increase livestock productivity as well as poultry product quality, the number of research studies on the use of humic substances of various origins in livestock farming has increased significantly, emphasizing the role of feed additives derived from local resources. The unique capability of humic substances to improve metabolic processes allows the immune protection of the bird body to be strengthened and production efficiency to be increased. This study aimed to identify the effects of sodium humate (NaHum) on the growth performance of broiler chickens and selected blood and ileum microbiota parameters. Dietary research was conducted 2 times under production conditions in a poultry facility of a commercial company, with 210 1-day-old, unsorted broiler chickens of both sexes (Ross 308). The broiler chickens were fed with standard commercial feed, the rearing period of 35 days, and slaughtered on day 36. Sodium humate additive was added to drinking water for the research groups of broilers in period from 8th to 35th day of life, 25 mL (Group 1, n = 2 × 35) and 50 mL (Group 2, n = 2 × 35) per liter of drinking water. Sodium humate contained an average of 4.48% dry matter, a kilogram of dry matter containing 104.3 g of crude protein, 3.6 g of crude fiber and 0.9 g of crude fat, 14.3 MJ of metabolic energy, and 5.8 MJ of energy for live weight gain, as well as a very high content of crude ash -759.8 g, including 4.2 g Ca, 4.2 g Na, and 4.81 g Fe, the dry matter digestibility of NaHum was 87.0%, and the absorption capacity of dry matter was 113.2%., the pH level was 13.0, i.e., alkaline. At the end of the dietary research, the productivity and economic efficiency of the research groups of broilers were calculated by live weight gain, carcass weight, feed conversation ratio, and blood and intestinal samples of broilers were analyzed to identify the effects of NaHum on the growth performance and health status of broilers. Dietary research found that adding 25 mL/L and 50 mL/L of NaHum to drinking water for the broiler chickens increased their live weights at the selling age, average live weight gains by 3.06-3.93%, and carcass weights by 5.07-6.06%, while feed conversion increased in terms of both live weight (1.5 and 1.51) and carcass weight (1.84 and 1.86) compared with the control group. The best economic performance in terms of the economic efficiency index and the cost index (CI) was found in Group 1, which was fed with the NaHum additive at an intake rate of 25 mL/L. The NaHum additive modulated the ileal microbiota and metabolic processes in the broiler body. At the same time, a significant decrease in the levels of total protein, alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus (P) in blood was found in the research groups. Considering the positive effects of NaHum derived from freshwater sapropel on the productivity and economic efficiency of broiler chickens, the NaHum feed additive should be further investigated on a larger scale to obtain results that could reasonably be used in practice. This study concluded that a decrease in P levels in the blood was observed when NaHum was added to the drinking water; therefore, it is important to continue the research to draw reasonable conclusions on the effects of NaHum in liquid form on the health performance of farm animals.

EFFECTS OF FERMENTED PAWPAW SEEDS ON PERFORMANCE, ORGAN AND CARCASS CHARACTERISTICS OF BROILER CHICKEN

Pawpaw (Carica papaya) seed is often seen as the waste product of pawpaw fruit noted for being discarded after every peel of pawpaw fruit. However, studies have shown that it has enormous nutritional and medicinal properties, which formed the basis for this investigative studies. The study was designed to investigate the effect of fermented dried pawpaw seed fed at varying level of inclusion in the diets of broiler chicken at finisher stage on their general performance, carcass and organs characteristics. Two hundred day old chicks were used for the experiment and were exposed to the same management procedure throughout the starter phase (0 − 4 weeks). One hundred and fifty birds were then selected randomly and divided into 5 treatments of 30 birds per treatment and replicated three times with 10 birds per replicate. The pulverized fermented dried pawpaw seed was added into the broiler finisher diet in the proportion of 0 %, 5 %, 10 %, 15 %, 20 % and were allotted to treatments 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 respectively. Initial weight, feed intake, daily feed intake, and the feed conversion ratio was measured and calculated. Significant differences across all the treatments for the carcass weight was noticed (P &lt; 0.05). However, the result also showed that there was no significant difference in the organs across all treatments except for the kidney and the proventriculus. However, de-feathered weight at 15 % level of inclusion was the highest, meaning the birds could still tolerate the test ingredient up to that level, however, the birds were at best on 10 % inclusion level as they recorded the highest weight gain next to the control. A case of depressed appetite was noticed in treatment 5 (20 %), which brought about the poor weight gained recorded, compared to other treatments. The result of this study showed that the use of the fermented dried pawpaw seed flour can be tolerated up to about 10 % inclusion as it gave the lowest FCR (feed conversion ratio) which could bring about high profitability, hence, encourage more people to go into Poultry business.

INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE MULTI-SERVICE MODELS TO BOOST LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEM

INNOVATIVE AND SUSTAINABLE MULTI-SERVICE MODELS TO BOOST LIVESTOCK FARMING SYSTEM

Use of a Multi-Carbohydrase Complex with Phytase in Diets of Broiler Chickens containing Ingredients of Animal Origin

Currently, the use of exogenous enzymes in the diet of broilers has grown, not only in diets based on corn and soybean meal, but also in diets with proteins of animal origin. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing a multi-carbohydrase complex (xylanase, glucanase, other carbohydrases) with phytase (MCCP) in broiler diets containing animal ingredients on performance, litter quality, jejunum morphometry and feed cost. Three treatments were evaluated: T1 - positive control diet: reference diet; T2 - negative control diet + MCCP; T3 - negative control diet (reference ration minus the MCCP nutritional matrix), with five replicates per treatment, totaling 15 experimental units of 15 female chicks each for an experimental period of 47 days. It was found that the T1 animals showed better feed conversion when compared to the T2 and T3 in the period from one to 21 days. In addition, greater weight at 28 days was found for T1compared to T3. The greater villus height of the jejunum at seven days was verified for the T3 animals concerning the T2 and T1 treatments. There were no differences between treatments in relation to the litter quality and the cost of the feed to produce one kilogram of broiler chicken. It is concluded that the supplementation of the MCCP in broiler chicken diets with ingredients of animal origin does not improve the performance, does not modify the jejunum morphometric, litter quality, and cost parameters evaluated. Keywords: Feed Conversion. Glucanase. Phytase. Villus Height. Xylanase. Resumo Atualmente, tem crescido o uso de enzimas exógenas na dieta de frangos de corte, não só em rações à base de milho e farelo de soja, mas também em rações com proteínas de origem animal. O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito da suplementação de um complexo multi-carboidrase (xilanase, glucanase, outras carboidrase) com fitase (CMCF) em dietas de frangos de corte contendo ingredientes de origem animal sobre o desempenho, qualidade da cama, morfometria do jejuno e custo da alimentação. Foram avaliados três tratamentos: T1 - dieta controle positivo: dieta referência; T2 - dieta controle negativo + CMCF; T3 - dieta controle negativo (ração referência menos a matriz nutricional CMCF), com cinco repetições por tratamento, totalizando 15 unidades experimentais de 15 pintos fêmeas cada, por um período experimental de 47 dias. Verificou-se que os animais T1 apresentaram melhor conversão alimentar quando comparados aos T2 e T3 no período de um a 21 dias. Além disso, maior peso aos 28 dias foi encontrado para T1 em relação a T3. Maior altura de vilo do jejuno aos sete dias foi verificada para os animais T3 em relação aos tratamentos T2 e T1. Não houve diferenças entre os tratamentos em relação à qualidade da cama e ao custo da ração para produzir um quilo de frango de corte. Conclui-se que a suplementação do CMCF em rações de frangos de corte com ingredientes de origem animal não melhora o desempenho, não altera os parâmetros morfométricos do jejuno, a qualidade da cama e o custo avaliado. Palavras-chave: Altura de vilo. Conversão alimentar. Fitase. Glucanase. Xilanase.

Inclusion of up to 20% Black Soldier Fly larvae meal in broiler chicken diet has a minor effect on caecal microbiota.

The Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) are a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds in broiler diets. Some components of the BSFL may serve as a prebiotic or may impact the intestinal microbiota of the broilers by other modes of action, which in turn can affect the health and performance of broilers. Here, we investigate the impact of up to 20% BSFL in broiler diets on the diversity and composition of the broiler's microbiota. Four hundred broilers were fed five iso-nutritious experimental diets with increasing levels of BSFL meal reaching 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20% in the finisher diets. Eight caecal content samples coming from each of the eight replicates per treatment were collected at two time points (day 21 and day 42) for DNA extraction and sequencing of the V3-V4 regions using Illumina MiSeq 2 × 300 bp pair-end sequencing with 341f and 805r primers. Analysis of variance and Spearman's correlation were performed, while QIIME2, DADA2, and Calypso were used for data analysis. When broilers were 21 days of age, the abundance of two groups of sequence variants representing Enterococcus and unclassified Christensenellaceae was significantly lower (p-value = 0.048 and p-value = 0.025, respectively) in the 20% BSFL group compared to the 0% BSFL group. There was no relevant alteration in the microbiota diversity at that stage. On day 42, the Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated that the sequence variants representing the genus Coprococcus showed a negative relationship with the BSFL inclusion levels (p-value = 0.043). The sequence variants representing the genus Roseburia and Dehalobacterium demonstrated a positive relationship with the BSFL dietary inclusion (p-value = 0.0069 and p-value = 0.0034, respectively). There was a reduction in the dissimilarity index (ANOSIM) caused by the 20% BSFL dietary inclusion. The addition of up to 20% BSFL in broiler diets did not affect the overall caeca microbiota diversity or composition at day 21. On day 42, there was a reduction in the beta diversity caused by the 20% BSFL dietary inclusion. The abundance of the bacterial group Roseburia was increased by the BSFL dietary inclusion, and it may be beneficial to broiler immunity and performance.

Dietary supplementation with Dendrobium officinale leaves improves growth, antioxidant status, immune function, and gut health in broilers.

The Dendrobium officinale leaves (DOL) is an underutilized by-product with a large biomass, which have been shown to exhibit immunomodulatory and antioxidant functions. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effects of DOL on broiler growth performance, antioxidant status, immune function, and gut health. One hundred and ninety-two 1-day-old chicks were selected and divided into 4 groups at random, 6 replicates for each group and 8 in each. Chicks were given a basal diet supplemented with different amounts of DOL: 0% (control group, NC), 1% (LD), 5% (MD), or 10% (HD). During the feeding trial (70 days), broiler body weight, feed intake, and residual feeding were recorded. On d 70, 12 broilers from each group were sampled for serum antioxidant and immune indexes measurement, intestinal morphological analysis, as well as 16S rRNA sequencing of cecal contents and short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) determination. In comparison to the NC group, the LD group had greater final body weight and average daily gain, and a lower feed conversion ratio (p < 0.05, d 1 to 70). However, in MD group, no significant change of growth performance occurred (p > 0.05). Furthermore, DOL supplementation significantly improved the levels of serum total antioxidant capacity, glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase, but reduced the level of malondialdehyde (p < 0.05). Higher serum immunoglobulin A (IgA) content and lower cytokine interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-6 contents were observed in DOL-fed broilers than in control chickens (p <0.05). Compared to the NC group, duodenal villus height (VH) and villus height-to-crypt depth (VH:CD) ratio were considerably higher in three DOL supplementation groups (p < 0.05). Further, 16S rRNA sequencing analysis revealed that DOL increased the diversity and the relative abundance of cecal bacteria, particularly helpful microbes like Faecalibacterium, Lactobacillus, and Oscillospira, which improved the production of SCFA in cecal content. According to Spearman correlation analysis, the increased butyric acid and acetic acid concentrations were positively related to serum antioxidant enzyme activities (T-AOC and GSH-Px) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) level (p < 0.05). Overall, the current study demonstrated that supplementing the dies with DOL in appropriate doses could enhance growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and immune response, as well as gut health by promoting intestinal integrity and modulating the cecal microbiota in broilers. Our research may serve as a preliminary foundation for the future development and application of DOL as feed additive in broiler chicken diets.

Dose-related responses of broiler chickens to black velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense) stem bark supplementation: carcass characteristics, organ weight and intestinal biometry

Carcass characteristics, organ weights, and intestinal biometry of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with black velvet tamarind (Dialium guineense) stem bark (BSB) were assessed. Two hundred, day-old Ross 308 broilers were divided into 4 groups of 50 chickens, and each group replicated five times. Each group were assigned to one experimental diet in a completely randomised design designated T0 (0), T1 (0.5), T2 (1.0) and T3 (1.5 g BSB/kg feed). Data obtained on carcass characteristics, organ weights, and intestinal biometry were analysed statistically. Results showed that BSB was low in crude protein (6.42%) and high in crude fibre (30.65%) and ash (9.35%). Broiler chickens fed diet T1 had significantly higher (P < 0.05) breast and drumstick weights than those offered the other 3 diets. There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the abdominal fat pad, liver, proventriculus, gizzard weight, and intestinal biometry of broiler chickens in all the groups. Results also showed that dietary BSB supplementation level had a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on breast, drumstick, liver, proventriculus weight, abdominal fat pad, and intestinal biometry of broiler chickens. In contrast, dietary BSB supplementation levels had linear effect (P < 0.05) on gizzard weight. It can be concluded that BSB is rich in ash and fibre, and is suitable as a feed additive in broiler chicken diets at a level not beyond 0.5 g/kg feed for best organ weight, carcass yield, intestinal biometry. Thus, there is potential to utilize BSB for improved productivity of broiler chickens.

Chitosan oligosaccharides in the diet of broiler chickens under cold stress had anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects and improved hematological and biochemical indices, cardiac index, and growth performance

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary chitosan oligosaccharide (COS) on broiler chickens under cold stress. A total of 500 one -day-old male broiler chickens were randomly allocated into five treatments with five replicate pens (with 20 broiler chickens per pen). The broiler chickens in thermoneutral treatment (TN control) were reared at normal temperature, while the broiler chickens in other four treatments were subjected to the cold stress (CS) + 0, 1, 2, and 3 g COS/kg. At d 42, two broiler chickens per cage were weighed and euthanized, and samples for blood and heart were collected. Dietary COS improved growth performance indices and reduced relative heart weight, right ventricle to total ventricle ratio, right ventricle to body weight, and mortality (P < 0.01). The activities of superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase in serum and liver were increased, and malondialdehyde was reduced by COS supplementation compared to the CS treatment (P < 0.01). The cold stress-induced effect on serum and liver levels of TNF-α and interleukin-1β were reduced, and interleukin-10 was increased by dietary COS supplementation (P < 0.01). Moreover, supplementing of diets with COS alleviated the adverse effect of cold stress as reflected by a reduction in alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase, alkaline phosphatase, triglyceride, and cholesterol compared to the CS treatment (P < 0.01). It is also, the red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, heterophil, and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio reduced by COS supplementation compared to the CS treatment . In conclusion, COS supplementation during cold stress may be used to alleviate cold stress related changes in broiler chickens.

Влияние комплексного сорбента на биохимический статус сыворотки крови цыплят-бройлеров при экспериментальном микотоксикозе

Влияние комплексного сорбента на биохимический статус сыворотки крови цыплят-бройлеров при экспериментальном микотоксикозе