Incorporating protein feed ingredients that exhibit strong attractiveness to the target fish species is an effective and sustainable feeding strategy to improve feed intake and enhance growth performance. An 8-week feeding experiment was performed to elucidate the manipulation impact of graded levels of jack mackerel meal (JMM) in diets replacing 10% fish meal (FM) with corn protein concentrate (CPC) on the growth, feed utilization, and blood chemistry of rockfish (Sebastes schlegeli), as well as to perform an economic analysis. A total of 450 fish were randomly assigned to 15 plastic tanks (30 juveniles/tank). Five experimental diets were formulated to be isoproteic (50.0% crude protein) and isolipidic (15.5% crude lipid). The control (Con) diet contained 55% FM. In the Con diet, 10% of the FM was substituted with CPC, and graded levels of JMM at 0%, 20%, 40%, and 60% were subsequently incorporated instead of the FM, referred to as CPCJ0, CPCJ20, CPCJ40, and CPCJ60, respectively. Triplicate groups of rockfish were carefully hand-fed the diets to satiation throughout the feeding experiment. The rockfish fed the CPCJ60 diet produced significantly higher weight gain (WG) (p < 0.002) and specific growth rate (SGR) (p < 0.003) than those fed the Con, CPCJ0, and CPCJ20 diets but showed no significant (p > 0.05) differences compared to those fed the CPCJ40 diet. Both the WG (Y = 0.9367X + 17.0500, p < 0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.8468) and SGR (Y = 0.0005X + 0.0165, p < 0.0001, Adjusted R2 = 0.8580) of the rockfish increased linearly with increased dietary JMM inclusion levels when 10% of the FM was replaced by CPC. The rockfish fed the CPCJ60 diet showed a significantly higher feed consumption (FC) (p < 0.03) compared to those fed the CPCJ0 diet. Among the dietary treatments, however, no significant (p > 0.05) differences were found in the feed utilization, proximate composition, amino and fatty acid profiles, and blood chemistry of the rockfish. The CPCJ60 diet resulted in the highest economic profit index (EPI) among the dietary treatments. Conclusively, JMM was found to be effective in improving the FC of rockfish fed the diets replacing 10% of the FM with CPC. Furthermore, the WG and SGR of the rockfish fed the diets replacing 10% of the FM with CPC improved linearly with elevated JMM inclusion. Thus, incorporating 60% of JMM into the diets substituting 10% of the FM with CPC was the most recommended strategy according to the growth performance and FC of the rockfish, providing the highest EPI for fish farmers.

An experiment was conducted with the aim to examine the effect of age and sex on growth and slaughter characteristics of Giriraja birds to find the ideal age of slaughter. A total of 100 day old Giriraja chicks were procured and divided into two groups viz., male (47 birds) and female (53 birds) after completion of 6 weeks of age. Growth and feed consumption was recorded till 12th week. Six birds each from male and female were slaughtered every week from 8 to 12 weeks as per the standard procedures and all the slaughter and carcass data were collected. In male and female Giriraja birds, the highest weekly body weight gain was recorded in 11th and 5th weeks, respectively, which were significantly (P<0.01) higher than other weeks. The cumulative FCR at 8 weeks of age was found to be economically better. In Giriraja birds, highly significant (P<0.01) differences were recorded in pre-slaughter weight (PSW) of the birds belonging to different weeks of age. There were no significant differences (P>0.05) in yield of blood, feather, head and shank, abdominal fat, giblets, and dressing percentage in male birds belonging to different weeks of age for both male. In case of female significant differences (P<0.05) were recorded in head and shank, giblets and dressing percentage at different weeks of age. In male birds age of slaughter had a significant (P<0.05) effect in the yield of back and neck percentage, whereas, in female age of slaughter had a significant (P<0.05) effect only in the yield of breast. The PSW and dressed weight of male birds were significantly (P<0.01) higher than female birds. From this study, it was concluded that age and sex of Giriraja bird has remarkable effect on the growth and carcass characteristics. Based on the growth, carcass characteristics, 8 weeks of age was found to be optimum for slaughter of Giriraja birds.

Coagulant Moringa oleifera lectin (cMoL) is one of the compounds involved in the application of M. oleifera seeds for traditional water treatment methods. The present study highlights the new biotechnological potential of cMoL lectin as an antifungal agent against Cryptococcus neoformans B3501 and H99 and Cryptococcus gattii R265 strains. Acute toxicity and genotoxicity were assessed to provide information on security utilization. The antifungal activity was evaluated using the broth microdilution test, flow cytometry, antibiofilm activity, and synergistic effects with fluconazole. Acute toxicity was determined by administering a single dose of cMoL (200 mg/kg) to female Swiss albino mice and examining the following parameters: water and feed consumption, weight variation, blood hematological and biochemical parameters, serum cytokine levels, and histopathological analyses. Genotoxicity was assessed using comet assay and micronucleus test. cMoL inhibited the growth of all tested isolates, with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 7.5 μg/mL. Flow cytometry data showed that cMoL (7.5 μg/mL) significantly decreased cell viability by promoting necrosis. cMoL was not found to be an antibiofilm agent against Cryptococcus species; however, it acted synergistically with fluconazole against C. neoformans H99. cMoL (200 mg/kg) did not cause animal death or toxicity. No hematological, biochemical, histopathological, or genotoxic effects were observed. These results encourage the exploration of cMoL as a natural and safe antifungal agent against Cryptococcus.

Aims: To investigate the Synergistic ameliorative effect and the safety of Vitamin C/ Activated Charcoal on Paraquat-induced lung histotoxicity and normal lungs of Wistar rats respectively. To investigate the relationship between the level of tissue damage and clinical manifestations with the duration of paraquat exposure. Place and Duration of Study: National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, Nigeria, for 28 days. Methodology: A total of 40 female 8-week-old Wistar rats, weighing between 150 to 200 grams were used, the rats were randomly assigned into 4 groups, of 10 rats each. Group 1 rats, normal control, received orally, 1ml of normal saline solution daily for 28 days. Group 2 animals received paraquat solution at 50mg/kg body weight dissolved in 1ml of distilled water once daily, for 28 days. Group 3 animals received paraquat solution at 50mg/kg body weight daily, followed after 5 minutes by 1ml of a combination of a solution of Vitamin C at 250mg/ kg body weight and a suspension of activated charcoal in distilled water at 0.175g/kg body weight, once daily for 28 days. Group 4 animals were administered 1ml of a combination of a solution of Vitamin C at 250mg/ kg body weight and a suspension of activated charcoal in distilled water at 0.175g/kg body weight once daily for 28 days. They were observed weekly. Lung tissue was harvested weekly for histopathology processing and microscopic examination from the groups randomly. The histopathological method applied is tissue morphology assessment and intra as well as extra cellular substances manifestation Results: Group 1 and 4 animals present with normal physical behavior, water/ feed consumption. Group 2 animals present with severe reduction in feed/ water intake, respiratory distress and other physical abnormalities, which worsened with duration of the experiment. A mortality was recorded on each of days 8, 17 and 25. Group 3 animals present with milder signs of what was observed in group 2, with a mortality on day 23. Microscopically, Lung sections of groups 1 and 4 remain histologically normal throughout the experiment. Group 2 lung sections show massive diffuse eodema and vacuolations in alveolar spaces, indistinct alveolar epithelium, interalveolar septal haemorrhages and profuse infiltration of inflammatory cells in alveolar spaces, with complete loss of tissue architecture, which worsened with duration. Group 3 sections shows mild alveoli septa enlargement from day 7 to day 14, with mild interseptal haemorahes and edema from day 21 to day 28. Conclusion: Histopathologically, group 2 shows established histotoxicity while group 3 shows amelioration and recovery from toxicity. As the duration of the experiment increases, the ameliorative effect of the dosage of this combination begins to decrease. There is hence, a need, to use graded doses of the combination of vitamin C and activated charcoal, to establish the optimum dose that can withstand long term exposure to paraquat toxicity. The normal morphology seen in both group 1 and group 4 has shown that at this dose, the combination of vitamin C and activated charcoal is safe for the animal.

Direct and correlated responses to long-term residual feed consumption–based selection in Brown Tsaiya ducks

Effects of biosecurity strategies on technical efficiency of egg production in Bono Region of Ghana

Omnivorous feeding modulates meat quality and flavor in Xinghua and White Recessive Rock chickens: A metabolomic exploration of breed-specific metabolic pathways.

Variation in individual feed consumption rates of intensively reared pikeperch (Sander lucioperca L. 1758) under feeding hierarchy

Bones, reproductive organs and carcass characteristics of entire, early and late immunocastrated male pigs.

Between January and April 2023, a study was conducted at the Ferme de Espoir de Baten’ll chieferies with the aim of evaluating the effects of the total substitution of soybean meal by peanut meal on growth performance and production costs. The general objective of this work was to contribute to the improvement of knowledge on the search for alternative resources through economic formulations for the improvement of the diet of broiler chickens. For this, two fair bands of 1500 broiler chicks of the Hubbard strain and respective average weights of 37 ± 0.09 g and 43 ± 0.03 g were used. These two bands followed for a period of seven weeks were subjected to two separate rations. The first band received a ration containing soybean cake (R1) and the second, a ration based on groundnut meal (R2). Weight gain and live weight throughout the rearing period were high in subjects receiving peanut meal, while feed consumption and feed conversion remained low in animals receiving ration with peanut cake. On the other hand, whatever the type of ration, no significant difference was observed with carcass weight 2, head weight, liver, pancreas and abdominal fat. Similarly, no ration had a significant effect on the weight of the gizzard, the intestine and on the density of the intestine. Intestine length (225.75 ± 22.40) increased significantly with soybean meal. The cost of food consumption (1537.7 FCFA) and the cost of production per kilogram of chicken (848.8 FCFA) were lower with the ration containing groundnut cake. The results of this study showed that in the event of a shortage of soybean cake, a total substitution for peanut cake can be made without fear because the rations with peanut cake make it possible to increase weight gain at a lower cost.

To support the recent consumers’ growing demand for local, alternative, and sustainable products, this study focused on the comprehensive characterisation of three slow-growing chickens from Piedmont (northwest Italy): Bionda Piemontese (BP), Bianca di Saluzzo (BS), and Millefiori Piemontese (MP). At 29 days, birds were divided into pens by sex and breed (10 birds/pen; 6 replicates/sex for BP and BS; and 4 replicates/sex for MP). Up to 181 d, live weight (LW) and feed consumption were assessed biweekly to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Behavioural traits were assessed monthly through avoidance distance (AD), novel object (NO), and tonic immobility (TI) tests. Growth curves were evaluated using the Gompertz model, and morphometric traits were studied from 71 days to 225 days. LW differences were observed among breeds and sexes, especially during the early growth phases; BP males were the heaviest, followed by BS and MP. Sexual dimorphism became evident at 57 d, as males presented greater morphometric traits and ADG (p < 0.001). Over time, ADFI varied by breed and sex (p = 0.013). FCR was higher in females than males (p = 0.001). At 71 d, PCA of morphometric traits showed increasing separation by sex and breed thereafter. In general, behavioural analyses indicated differentiation by sex, breed, and time. No differences were observed for AD; however, BS showed lower NO responses (p = 0.047), and BP exhibited the shortest TI durations (p < 0.001). Although data on MP remain limited, the three Piedmontese breeds demonstrated competitive growth and distinct behavioural profiles.

This study aimed to investigate the potential of adding fermented tomato leaves (FTL) to the diet of Holstein heifers. Sixty Holstein heifers were divided into two groups, control and treatment, respectively. The control group was fed a TMR (Total mixed ration) diet without FTL, while the treatment group was fed a TMR diet containing 5.19% FTL by replacing alfalfa hay. Both of diets were designated to be isocaloric and isonitrogenic. The body weights of animals were measured monthly untill conception. Animals in the study were inseminated using the recto-vaginal method after exhibiting signs of estrus. Pregnancy was confirmed using transrectal ultrasonography on the 19th to 21st days after insemination. For non-pregnant animals, the ovsynch protocol was used to ensure that all animals were pregnant. Blood samples were collected from each animal three times upon confirmation of pregnancy and analyzed for glucose, β-Hydroxybutyric acid (βHBA), non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA), cholesterol, triglyceride, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), IgG, and total protein. It was found that the addition of FTL at the rate of 5.19% did not significantly affect the body weight and fertility parameters compared to the control group. However, it significantly reduced the feed consumption. On the other hand, while adding FTL significantly increased the IgG level (P

The Philippine Darag native chicken demonstrates favorable health and welfare indicators that are comparable to those of slow-growing Redbro broiler chickens. This study analyzed the histomorphometric characteristics of the small intestinal segments in these 2 breeds over an 8-week growth period. Small intestinal samples were collected weekly from both breeds from week 1 to week 8. Tissues were fixed and stained with hematoxylin and eosin, and analysis was performed using ImageJ to quantify villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), villus-to-crypt ratio, epithelial thickness (ET), mucosal thickness (MT), and tunica muscularis thickness. The effects of age and breed, as well as their correlations with body weight, relative organ weight, and total feed consumption, were evaluated using a mixed-effects model, Pearson’s correlation, and multiple linear regression. Additionally, a binomial logistic regression model was applied to examine the occurrence of zigzag villi patterns. All histomorphometric parameters exhibited a significant increase with age. Redbro displayed earlier and more rapid intestinal development, whereas Darag demonstrated slower yet more comprehensive maturation across parameters. The zigzag villi pattern emerged earlier in Redbro, particularly in the jejunum. The identified age- and breed-specific differences in small intestinal development suggest that intestinal adaptation may contribute to variations in growth performance and may indicate potential advantages to Darag in low-input production systems. Furthermore, the significant correlations of VH, CD, ET, and MT with production indices indicate that growth performance is influenced by a complex interaction of absorptive capacity, intestinal health, and motility, rather than solely by villus surface area.

The study was aimed to demonstrate the effect of withdrawing the protein concentrate and reducing the crude protein to the level of (16 and 15%) in the diets and supplementing them with a mixture of amino acids (methionine, lysine and threonine) at a rate of 1, 1.5, 2% on the productive performance of laying hens. 128 laying hens of the Lohmann Brown were used, at the age of 21 weeks. They were randomly distributed in to 8 treatments, with 8 replications for each treatment, as each replicate includes 2 chickens (16 chickens/treatment). The experimental treatments were as follows: T1 the control (standard diet), T2 a treatment devoid of the protein concentrate, and the T3, T4, and T5 Reducing the percentage of crude protein by 1% and adding a mixture of amino acids by 1, 1.5, and 2%, respectively , and the T6, T7, and T8 Reducing the percentage of crude protein by 2% and adding a mixture of amino acids by 1, 1.5, and 2%, respectively. The results showed that there were no significant differences in the interaction rates for the protein reduction treatments 1 and 2%, but it was observed that there was a significant superiority (P&gt;0.05) in egg production, egg weight rate, feed consumption rate, feed conversion efficiency, egg mass and rate of body weight is in favor of treatments adding a mixture of amino acids at a rate of 1.5 and 2% and with a reduced percentage of protein 1 and 2% compared to the control treatment with out of the protein concentrate. It can be concluded from this study that adding a mixture of amino acids at a rate of 1.5 and 2% and reducing the percentage of protein by (1 and 2%) led to a significant improvement in most productive traits compared to the control treatment (with out of protein concentrate).

In the hydrodealkylation (HDA) process for benzene production, optimization was achieved through the integration of cryogenic distillation and hydrogen recycling techniques. Using Aspen HYSYS, the process was modeled and analyzed to improve energy efficiency by reusing heat from the waste heat boiler (WHB-01) and the partial condenser (PC-01). The energy recovered from these units was used to preheat both fresh and recycled toluene feeds, significantly reducing the consumption of fresh feed and operational costs. By implementing a hydrogen recycle loop, the process decreased the demand for fresh hydrogen, reducing hydrogen and toluene feed consumption from 125 kmol/h and 196 kmol/h to 111 kmol/h for both. This modification resulted in a conversion rate increase from 70% to 88.9% and achieved energy savings of 84%. The integration of cryogenic separation for methane valorization further enhanced the economic feasibility of the process, turning waste methane into a valuable product. These modifications demonstrated a significant improvement in energy efficiency and sustainability, making the modified HDA process more economically viable for large-scale benzene production. Copyright © 2025 by Authors, Published by Universitas Diponegoro and BCREC Publishing Group. This is an open access article under the CC BY-SA License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).

The article presents the results of a study on the influence of initial live weight of piglets and the duration of feeding milk replacers on growth dynamics, feed intake, and the economic efficiency of the nursery period. The aim of the study was to determine the optimal diet structure and the duration of prestarter feed use depending on the live weight of piglets at the beginning of the nursery phase. The study was conducted on two groups of piglets: animals in the control group had a standard body weight for early-weaned piglets and consumed whole milk replacer until day 8, whereas piglets in the experimental group, which were 26 % lighter at placement, received milk replacer until day 15. The transition to prestarter and starter feeds was carried out after reaching live weights of 9 and 12 kg, respectively. During the first week of the experiment, only minor weight gains were observed; however, from the second week onward, growth rates increased, particularly in the experimental group, indicating the compensatory growth capacity of piglets with lower initial body weight. At the same time, the structure of feed consumption differed significantly: piglets in the experimental group consumed larger amounts of expensive prestarter feeds and milk replacers, whereas animals in the control group transitioned more rapidly to less expensive starter feeds. This resulted in a higher average cost per kilogram of feed in the experimental group (UAH 27.39 versus UAH 23.86 in the control group). Economic analysis showed that piglets in the control group had lower operational nursery costs (UAH 1470.76 versus UAH 1674.52), lower feed cost per unit of weight gain (UAH 42.18 versus UAH 49.30), and higher production profitability (118.54 % versus 95.19 %). Despite this, piglets in the experimental group with lower initial body weight achieved satisfactory final growth performance and high survival rates (97–98 %), confirming the feasibility of extended use of high-quality milk replacers during the early post-weaning period. The obtained results indicate that optimizing feeding strategies with consideration of the initial live weight of piglets is an effective tool for improving productivity and economic efficiency during the nursery phase. A differentiated approach to the duration of prestarter feed use ensures reduced cost of weight gain, stable animal survival, and increased profitability in pork production.

The paper presents the experimental results on the influence of a CMP-3 microbial additive, derived from yeast and spirulina extracts, on the growth and development of quails. The experiment was conducted on 200 Phoenix breed quails (1 day old), divided into two groups: the control group (CG) and the experimental group (EG). Quails from CG, during the period of 1-60 days, consumed basic combined feed (BCF), and those of EG, during the period of 1-44 days, consumed the BCF supplemented with 0.5% CMP-3 additive, and during the period of 45-60 days, the BCF supplemented with 0.25% additive. It was established that the inclusion of the CMP-3 additive in the daily ration of quails ensures at the end of the experiment the viability of chicks in the EG of 98% compared to 83% in the CG, statistically significantly increases (P˂0.001) the body mass and pectoralis muscle of quails in the EG by 12.03 and 11.95% respectively compared to the CG, reduces the specific feed consumption by 5.53% and stimulates the beneficial intestinal microbiota of the chicks. The use of the additive allows a significant increase (P˂0.05) in the protein and water content of poultry meat by 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively, while simultaneously reducing (P˂0.001) the lipid content of the meat. The microbial additive has potential for practical use in maintaining the chick population, stimulating productive performance, and improving the quality of quail meat.

This study evaluated 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% dietary 1,8-cineole on laying hens' egg quality (focusing on fatty acid composition and cholesterol), using GC-MS, biochemical tests, and qPCR. 1,8-cineole had no adverse effects on egg thickness, albumin ratio, feed consumption, body weight, or egg production, but significantly increased egg weight and yolk saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fatty acids. It upregulated key fat metabolism genes and reduced abdominal fat, adiponectin, LDL cholesterol, ACC, and FASN. These findings indicate 1,8-cineole can modify egg quality and lipid metabolism, potentially producing healthier and more nutritious eggs.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between GH, GHR, IGF-1R, VIP, and NPY genes and egg quality traits in laying hens. Atak-S laying hens aged 54 weeks were monitored for 6 weeks. Egg production and egg weight were recorded daily, while egg quality traits and feed consumption were assessed weekly. Genotyping was performed using PCR-RFLP. The GH, GHR, IGF-1R, VIP, and NPY genes were cut with MspI, HindIII, HinfI, HinfI, and DraI, respectively. The AA genotype of the GH gene was associated with increased egg shape index, eggshell weight, and eggshell thickness (p < 0.05). In the IGF-1R region, significant associations were found with egg weight and egg shape index (p < 0.05). Additionally, the VIP12 TT genotype was linked to higher egg production (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that the GH gene may serve as a selection marker for shell-related traits, IGF-1R for egg weight and egg shape, and VIP for improving egg production. Overall, the results obtained in this study indicate that the genes studied have the potential to be candidate markers for improving egg performance and quality; however, their use in marker-assisted selection requires further studies in larger and more diverse populations.

With the growing demand for antibiotic-free and sustainable poultry production, plant-derived antimicrobials have emerged as promising alternatives. However, a systematic understanding of the combined effects of oregano essential oil (OEO) and Macleaya cordata extract (MCE) on the broiler gut microbiome remains lacking. This study employed an integrated "structure-function-phenotype" framework to investigate the individual and combined (OMS) effects of OEO and MCE on gut microecological remodeling and its coupling with host growth, metabolic, and immune phenotypes. A total of 960 one-day-old broiler chicks were individually weighed and then randomly allocated to four treatments using body-weight-stratified randomization, with 6 replicate pens per treatment and 40 birds per pen, to ensure similar initial body weight across groups. Over a 42-day trial, we evaluated growth performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant status, and immune parameters. Compared to the control, the OMS treatment significantly enhanced average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG), increased serum total protein (TP), and decreased blood urea nitrogen (BUN), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP). However, the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) was also higher in the OMS group, indicating that the improvement in growth rate did not translate into enhanced feed efficiency but was primarily driven by increased feed consumption. OMS also improved overall antioxidant capacity and key enzyme activities, elevated immunoglobulin levels, and reduced pro-inflammatory cytokines. Notably, OMS maintained Lactobacillus dominance, enriched Bacteroides, Enterococcus, and Butyricicoccus, and reduced Escherichia-Shigella. Functional predictions via PICRUSt2 suggested enhanced metabolic pathways related to antioxidant and immune functions; however, these results represent inference-based predictions and should be interpreted cautiously. Overall, the combination of OEO and MCE exerted synergistic benefits on growth, physiological health, and gut microbiota, supporting its potential as a phytogenic strategy for antibiotic-free broiler production.