Performance Of Birds Research Articles

Effect of metabolizable energy and crude protein levels on performance, fertility, hatchability and egg quality of Rajasri breeder birds

This study investigated the impact of different levels of dietary energy and crude protein on productive performance, egg quality, and reproductive parameters in Rajasri breeder birds during a 12-week period between 25 to 36 weeks of age. A total of 648 birds were divided into nine dietary treatments, each with eight replicates, following a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of three dietary metabolizable energy levels (2400, 2500, and 2600 kcal ME/kg) and three crude protein levels (14, 15, and 16%). The results of the study indicated that metabolizable energy had a significant effect on feed intake, egg weight, body weight, yolk colour, and shell thickness. However, there was no significant effect of energy on egg production and feed efficiency. An increase in egg weight was observed as crude protein levels increased in the diet, but there was no significant difference in albumin quality, yolk index, and shape index. Yolk colour was higher in the 2600 kcal ME/kg fed group. Furthermore, the study found that there was no significant effect of ME and CP levels on the percentage of shell, but shell thickness decreased as energy increased. There was also no significant effect on density and shell breaking strength, fertility, hatchability on total eggs set (TES), and hatchability on fertile eggs set (FES). Based on the findings, concluded that the Rajasri breeder birds require a diet containing 2400 kcal ME/kg and 14% CP for optimal productive and reproductive performance.

Effect of nanosilver as feed additive on performance, blood biochemistry, caecal microbiology and intestinal histomorphology of Vanaraja chicken

A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of nanosilver (NS) as feed additive on performance, blood biochemistry and intestinal histomorphology of Vanaraja chicken. Chicks (180 day old) after one week of age were distributed randomly into five treatment groups of four replicates, each having 9 chicks. Treatment groups consisted of T1 (Control) fed basal diet without any additive and in T2, T3, T4 and T5, NS was added to the diet @ 20, 40, 60 and 80 mg/kg diet, respectively. Cumulative body weight gain also improved significantly with the inclusion of NS with highest gain in T5. There was no difference in the feed consumption among various groups including control. Feed conversion ratio was better in T5 compared to other groups. There was no difference in blood biochemical parameters among groups except for the protein levels which were highest in NS supplemented groups than control. The total viable and coliform counts decreased significantly in the group wherein NS was fed in the diet compared to the control. Villus height in different segments of small intestine improved significantly with the inclusion of NS in the diet with better values in T5 followed by T4. From the present study, it could be concluded that nanosilver up to 80 mg/kg level was effective in improving the growth performance, caecal microbiology and intestinal histomorphology of vanaraja birds.

The Efficacy of an Engineered Biocarbon in Young Broiler Chicken During an Aflatoxin Exposure

This study was conducted to evaluate aflatoxin (AFB1) adsorption capacity of a carbonaceous biomass (Bio-C) in vitro and the efficacy of a Bio-C in mitigating the effects of a 0.5 mg/kg dose of aflatoxins (AF) in vivo. In vitro AFB1 affinity of Bio-C were determined by using different AFB1 concentration containing solutions, and these concentrations were measured by a UV-visible spectrophotometry. In in vivo test, a total of 192 Cobb-500 male broilers were obtained on the day of hatch and randomly allocated to one of 32 treatments pens (6 birds/pen). Birds were fed a broiler starter mash diet containing either 0 or 0.5 mg/kg AF, with or without 0.4% of Bio-C, resulting in 4 treatments arranged as a 2x2 full-factorial. Pen weights and feed consumed were recorded weekly, and mortality was recorded daily. On day 21, three birds from each pen were killed by cervical dislocation and the liver, kidney, and spleen were removed and weighed for relative organ weight assessment. Data were analyzed as a 2x2 full-factorial for AF level and Bio-C using the GLM procedures of SPSS. Our data indicates that Bio-C adsorption capacity was ranged from 29% to 70%, with an average of 44%. In vivo results showed that the performance of birds receiving 0.5 mg/kg AF were not significantly different compared to the control group at any point during the 21-day trial. No main effects were seen on the performance parameters by the inclusion of Bio-C in the diet. There was also no AF/Bio-C interaction. The relative weights of the liver, kidney, and spleen were not significantly different whether birds were fed 0.5 mg/kg AF or 0.4% Bio-C. These data suggest that supplementation of Bio-C has no effect on broiler performance when provided in diets either free of AF or containing up to 0.5 mg/kg.

Effects of Thymol and Carvacrol Eutectic on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Parameters, and Intestinal Health in Broiler Chickens.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of diets supplementing with various levels of thymol and carvacrol eutectic (TCE) on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal morphology, and the expression of intestinal nutrient absorption, barrier function- and inflammation-related genes in broiler chickens. A total of 640 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers with similar body weights were randomly divided into four groups (8 replicates/group, 20 broilers/replicate). Birds in the four experimental groups were fed a basal diet with TCE at 0, 30, 60, or 120 mg/kg. The results showed that the growth performance of birds during 22-42 d or 1-42 d, serum IgE and IgG content at 21 d of age, jejunal and ileal morphology, ileal MUC2, OCLN, and IL-10 mRNA expression were significantly increased compared with the control group (p < 0.05), and the ileal IL-6 mRNA expression quadratically decreased (p < 0.05) with increasing dietary TCE supplemented dosage, and its expression showed a linear downward trend (0.05 < p < 0.1). Meanwhile, compared with the other three groups, birds fed diets with 30 mg/kg TCE presented better (p < 0.05) growth performance, intestinal morphology, and function. These results indicated that the optimal supplementation amount of TCE in the broiler diets was 30 mg/kg.

Preventing bacterial disease in poultry in the post-antibiotic era: a case for innate immunity modulation as an alternative to antibiotic use.

The widespread use of antibiotics in the poultry industry has led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which pose a significant health risk to humans and animals. These public health concerns, which have led to legislation limiting antibiotic use in animals, drive the need to find alternative strategies for controlling and treating bacterial infections. Modulation of the avian innate immune system using immunostimulatory compounds provides a promising solution to enhance poultry immune responses to a broad range of bacterial infections without the risk of generating antibiotic resistance. An array of immunomodulatory compounds have been investigated for their impact on poultry performance and immune responses. However, further research is required to identify compounds capable of controlling bacterial infections without detrimentally affecting bird performance. It is also crucial to determine the safety and effectiveness of these compounds in conjunction with poultry vaccines. This review provides an overview of the various immune modulators known to enhance innate immunity against avian bacterial pathogens in chickens, and describes the mechanisms involved.

Does the type of task affect prey discrimination learning in avian predators?

AbstractWhen learning to discriminate between palatable and unpalatable prey, predators may encounter the prey either simultaneously or in a sequence. The two types of discrimination tasks, which are frequently used in experiments focused on aposematism and mimicry, may considerably differ in difficulty, as they differ in the information available to predators during individual encounters with prey. Surprisingly, there are very few studies directly comparing the performance of predators between sequential and simultaneous discrimination tasks using otherwise identical experimental design, the same predators and prey. We tested the effect of the type of discrimination task on the effectiveness of discrimination learning in adult and juvenile great tits (Parus major). Birds were trained to discriminate between palatable and unpalatable artificial prey items baited with mealworms soaked either in water or quinine. Prey shape, colours and patterns were derived from real shield bug species. We compared the performance of birds tested with two discriminative cues, colour and pattern, using three discrimination tasks: (1) sequential—alternating presentation of one palatable and one unpalatable prey item, (2) two‐choice—simultaneous presentation of one palatable and one unpalatable prey item and (3) multiple‐choice—simultaneous presentation of multiple palatable and unpalatable prey items. Colour was a more effective discriminative cue than pattern for both adult and juvenile birds. Adults performed better than juveniles regardless of task. The birds performed equally well in the sequential and two‐choice tasks, but their performance in the multiple‐choice task was worse than in the other two tasks. However, these differences were only present when the birds used the pattern as a discriminative cue. The birds tested with colour, a more salient cue, performed equally well in all three tasks. Type of discrimination task may therefore affect the learning performance of predators, but the effect also depends on the saliency of a particular discriminative cue.

Transcriptome Profiling of Goose Ovarian Follicle Granulosa Cells Reveals Key Regulatory Networks for Follicle Selection

The selection of follicles determines the reproductive performance of birds, but the process of follicle selection in geese is still elusive. This study focuses on Yangzhou geese during the egg-laying period and divides the follicular development process into three stages: small follicle development, follicle selection, and follicle maturation. Transcriptome sequencing was performed on granulosa cells from large white follicles, small yellow follicles, and F5 and F4 follicles. In addition, we selected the transcripts that remained unchanged during the development and maturation of small follicles but significantly changed during the follicular selection stage as the transcript collection that plays an important role in the follicular selection process. Then, we performed functional analysis on these transcripts and constructed a ceRNA network. The results showed that during the follicular selection stage, the number of differentially expressed mRNAs, miRNAs, and lncRNAs was the highest. In addition, miR-222-3p, miR-2954-3p, miR-126-5p, miR-2478, and miR-425-5p are potential key core regulatory molecules in the selection stage of goose follicles. These results can provide a reference for a better understanding of the basic mechanisms of the goose follicle selection process and potential targets for the precise regulation of goose egg production performance.

Influence of weight at hatching on weekly weight of broiler chickens

Broiler production is concerned with raising birds that reach market weight within a short time interval, and efforts are geared at indices that can accurately predict the future growth performance of birds based on their initial measurements. This study investigated the relationship between initial weight taken at hatch and its influence on subsequent weights of birds. Newly hatched day-old chicks were obtained from a reputable hatchery in Ibadan, Oyo state. It comprised of chicks from four different commercial broiler strains (Arbor Acre, Cobb, Marshall and Ross). The chicks were tagged for proper identification and weighed and records of their weekly weights taken over ten (10) week period of the study. At the end of the study, a total of 216 broiler chicks comprising Arbor Acre (48), Cobb (52), Marshall (60) and Ross (56) were analysed. Weekly weight progressively increased with increasing age of the birds, while weight gain increased across the weeks, with a decline and a further rise in values reflecting the different stages of growth. The population was fairly homogenous at the early stages but was later moderately varied with increasing age of birds. There was a highly significant (P&lt;0.001) positive correlation amongst all the weights studied but strongest values were recorded on measurements that are contiguously close. Despite the fact that regression of weekly weights was highly statistically significant on initial weight, it is noteworthy that initial weight as predictors of weekly weight had the best fit on the first weekly weight, but the influence of initial weight consistently decreased with increasing age of the broiler birds. This study revealed that initial weight of broiler birds at hatch is a good predictor of future weight of the birds and can be used to model the future growth performances of the birds.

Effect of Two Different Phytobiotic Mixtures on Production Performance and Gut Health in Broilers

Background: In broiler production, antibiotics are used to prevent/control infectious diseases and as a growth promoter. The incorrect application of antibiotics increases the risk of residues in chicken tissues. In human’s continuous exposure of antibiotic residue containing meat results antimicrobial resistance. So the demand towards antibiotic free meat is increasing. In this condition studies related with alternatives to antibiotic feeding in broilers gaining importance. Among the alternatives, phytogenic feed additives have antimicrobial and growth promoting effect without causing side effects to the birds. The current study aimed to evaluate two different phytobiotic mixtures on production performance and gut health in broilers. Methods: The study of six weeks duration was carried out between the months of July and August, 2019, at Poultry Farm Complex, Department of Poultry Science, Veterinary College and Research Institute, Namakkal, Tamil Nadu, which falls in the North-Western agro climatic zone of the state. 150 day old chicks (vencobb) used to evaluate two different phytobiotic mixtures on production performance and gut health of birds. Result: Birds fed with phytobiotic mixture (II) - E. officinalis fruits + M. kenigii leaves + S. aromaticum buds (1:1:1) at 2 kg/ton of feed resulted in significant improvement in bodyweight, weight gain and lactobacillus count was observed. So this phytobiotic mixture recommended as alternative to antibiotic feed additive in broilers.

Performance of Kadaknath and Local Non Descript Birds in Backyard Farming System for Tribal Women Empowerment

Performance of Kadaknath and Local Non Descript Birds in Backyard Farming System for Tribal Women Empowerment

Evidence of host specificity in Lactobacillus johnsonii genomes and its influence on probiotic potential in poultry

To date, the selection of candidate strains for probiotic development in production animals has been largely based upon screens for desired phenotypic traits. However, increasing evidence indicates that the use of host-specific strains may be important, because coevolution with the animal host better prepares a bacterial strain to colonize and succeed in its respective host animal species. This concept was applied to Lactobacillus johnsonii in commercial poultry production because of its previous correlation with enhanced bird performance. Using 204 naturally isolated chicken- and turkey-source L. johnsonii, we demonstrate that there is a strong phylogenetic signal for coevolution with the animal host. These isolates differ phenotypically, even within host source, and these differences can be correlated with certain L. johnsonii phylogenetic clades. In commercial turkey poults, turkey-specific strains with strong in vitro phenotypes performed better early in life than strains lacking those phenotypes. A follow-up performance trial in broiler chickens demonstrated that chicken-specific strains result in better overall bird performance than nonchicken-specific strains. Collectively, this work provides evidence for the impact of host adaptation on a probiotic strain's potential. Furthermore, this top-down approach is useful for screening larger numbers of isolates for probiotic candidates.

Review: Current challenges in poultry nutrition, health, and welfare.

The poultry industry has benefited greatly from advances in genetics, nutrition, housing and management strategies. Geneticists have made welfare and health traits important components of selection programs, and in general, modern, high-producing poultry are healthier than 30years ago. However, increased productivity means that the birds are closer to their physiological limits, and nutrition, environment and management have become increasingly important. The move away from in-feed antibiotic growth promotors has resulted in challenges in maintaining gut health and consequently, bird performance. However, as the industry adapts to production without the use of antibiotic growth promotors, long-term benefits may be realized due to a reduction in antimicrobial resistance. Intensive selection for meat yield and efficiency are associated with an increased risk of muscle myopathies that affect bird health and meat quality. As genetic selection increased broiler production traits, it became necessary to restrict parent stock nutrient intake in order to prevent excessive muscle and fat deposition, reduce metabolic disease, and maintain ovarian control. With continued selection for broiler production traits, the degree of restriction implemented has become a welfare issue. Additionally, recent research suggests that highly efficient broiler lines may have limited fat deposition and therefore energy reserves to support sexual maturation and egg production, especially if typical broiler breeder BW targets are maintained. A re-examination of broiler breeder feeding programs is necessary to maintain productivity and welfare. Modern laying hens are capable of laying cycles in excess of 100weeks of age. This has reduced the use of stress-inducing forced molting programs and reduces the total number of hens needed to meet the demand for egg production. The important role of the skeletal system in eggshell deposition demands that skeletal development during rearing be carefully managed to avoid shell and skeletal problems at the end of the production cycle. As the production potential of modern poultry continues to increase through genetic and genomic selection, even greater care must be paid in order to maintain bird health and welfare. The poultry industry has successfully faced many challenges in the past and is likely to overcome the existing challenges as well.

The effect of different wheat varieties and exogenous xylanase on bird performance and utilization of energy and nutrients

The aims of the present study were to first, determine the xylan fractions of 10 different wheat cultivar samples and their response to treatment by the same commercial xylanase enzyme preparation. Second, use information obtained to select 5 of the wheats for use within a feeding experiment to determine whether the rate of xylan release can be used to predict the feeding value of the wheats when diets have been supplemented with xylanase. Treatment of 10 different wheat varieties by the same enzyme resulted in varying levels of hydrolysis. Soluble xylan content ranged from 7.85 to 14.40 and 3.20 to 5.13 (mg/g) when treated with and without xylanase, respectively. Oligosaccharide content ranged from 0.34 to 1.58 and 0.05 to 0.54 (mg/g) when treated with and without xylanase, respectively. Five of the 10 wheats were then selected based on the determined xylan fractions to use within a feeding experiment. A total of 360 male Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to 60 raised floor pens. A soybean meal (SBM) balancer feed was formulated to contain 12.07 MJ/kg apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and 392.9 g/kg crude protein (CP). Five diets were prepared by mixing 630 g/kg of each of the 5 experimental wheats with 370 g/kg of the balancer. Each diet was split into 2, one of which was supplemented with 100 g/MT of Econase XT (223,000 BXU/g), resulting in a total of 10 diets. The birds were fed the diets from 0 to 28 d of age. Wheat cultivar had an effect (P=0.044) on feed intake (FI), while the addition of xylanase increased (P < 0.05) weight gain (WG) and improved feed conversion ratio (FCR). Various interactions were observed (P < 0.05) between wheat cultivars and xylanase for AME and nutrient utilization. This study suggests that wheats treated with the same xylanase, differ in their susceptibility to release soluble xylan and oligosaccharides, which may partially explain the varying performance and nutrient digestibility responses noted in the literature.

Economic Growing Quantity Model with Mortality in Newborn Items and Inhibition Cost of Ammonia Production under All-Units Discount Policy

The amount of global ammonia (NH3) emissions is growing continuously, similar to the damage to the environment, particularly humans and animals, caused by those emissions. Various problems derived from pollution by ammonia emissions have attracted increasing attention in recent years. In particular, accumulation of ammonia in poultry farms is a concern for the poultry industry as it can lead to possible damage due to reduced bird performance, damage to the respiratory tract and skin of birds, and thus loss of customers. As birds age, ammonia production increases due to factors such as feeding and mobility, requiring the application of solutions to reduce it such as the use of fans, feed supplements, and temperature adjustments to improve bird health. These solutions impose additional costs on poultry farms to combat ammonia emissions. This study presents a general economic growing quantity (EGQ) model that includes the cost of inhibition of ammonia production during the growing period. In addition, the model is formulated under an all-units discount policy, where the price of newborn items is related to the size of the order purchased from the supplier. Furthermore, the model assumed that some newborn items are dead when the lot is received because of stress experiences and incidents during the catching, loading, transportation, and unloading. Finally, two versions of the proposed general EGQ model are presented: EGQ with no discount and EGQ with known slaughter age.

Fast visual adaptation to dim light in a cavity-nesting bird

Many birds move fast into dark nest cavities forcing the visual system to adapt to low light intensities. Their visual system takes between 15 and 60 min for complete dark adaptation, but little is known about the visual performance of birds during the first seconds in low light intensities. In a forced two-choice behavioural experiment we studied how well budgerigars can discriminate stimuli of different luminance directly after entering a darker environment. The birds made their choices within about 1 s and did not wait to adapt their visual system to the low light intensities. When moving from a bright facility into an environment with 0.5 log unit lower illuminance, the budgerigars detected targets with a luminance of 0.825 cd m-2 on a black background. When moving into an environment with 1.7 or 3.5 log units lower illuminance, they detected targets with luminances between 0.106 and 0.136 cd m-2. In tests with two simultaneously displayed targets, the birds discriminated similar luminance differences between the targets (Weber fraction of 0.41-0.54) in all light levels. Our results support the notion that partial adaptation of bird eyes to the lower illumination occurring within 1 s allows them to safely detect and feed their chicks.

Hygienic pelleting can decrease Hubbard × Ross 708 apparent ileal amino acid digestibility, broiler performance, and increase digestible amino acid requirement

To reduce pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella in feed and ensure a high-quality pellet, diets for broilers, turkeys, and breeders may be pelleted using high conditioning temperatures and extended times. However, increased conditioning temperature and time may alter amino acid conformation regarding secondary and tertiary structure, decrease digestibility and subsequent bird performance, and necessitate increased amino acid formulation density. The objective of this study was to evaluate increased conditioning temperature and exposure time within the pelleting process using a hygienizer (hygienic pelleting) in diets that vary in digestible lysine and corresponding amino acid ratio on Hubbard × Ross 708 starter broiler performance, apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAAD), and requirement. A 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments with 5 levels of digestible lysine (−20, −10%, 2019 Ross Broiler Starter Nutrition recommendation, +10, and +20%) and 2 techniques of pelleting (standard and hygienic) was utilized in a randomized complete block design. Standard pelleting utilized 77°C conditioning for 30 s and hygienic pelleting utilized 88°C conditioning for 60 s and 6-min retention time in a hygienizer. Each treatment was fed to 12 replicate pens of 10 male broiler Hubbard × Ross 708 chicks for a 21-day period. Standard pelleting and hygienic pelleting demonstrated a 1.19 and 1.37% digestible Lys requirement, respectively, using the 2 straight line, 1-breakpoint broken-line regression model. Performance data, AIAAD, and the broken-line regression model suggest an approximate 10% increase in digestible Lys and corresponding amino acid ratio relative to 2019 Ross Broiler Starter Nutrition Specifications for Hygienic Pelleting. Nutritionists should be cognizant that nutritional detriment may accompany procedures used to create hygienic pelleted feed.

Artificial light at night impairs inhibitory control in a wild songbird

Anthropogenic stressors, such as artificial light at night (ALAN), increasingly affect the sleep behaviour and physiology of wild birds, particularly in areas where human activity is prevalent. To understand the consequences of the resulting sleep deprivation, it is essential to investigate whether the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive performance, observed in humans, also occur in birds. Here, we studied the impact of sleep deprivation, induced by intermittent exposure to ALAN, on inhibitory control, vigilance behaviour, and exploratory behaviour in great tits. Furthermore, we hypothesised that the effect of ALAN could depend on an individual's natural sleep duration and the timing of sleep. To achieve these goals, we measured emergence and entry times from/into the nest box in the wild, before capturing the great tits. In captivity, half of the birds were exposed to intermittent ALAN, and cognitive performance was assessed the following morning for all birds. ALAN-exposed birds were less successful on the detour reach task and when they started pecking at the test tube, they pecked more often. However, neither of the effects was related to the natural sleep duration or timing, in contrast to our hypothesis, and there were no differences between the ALAN-exposed and non-exposed group in vigilance and exploratory behaviour. Thus, even one night of exposure to ALAN can negatively affect cognitive performance in wild birds, possibly with negative effects on their performance and survival.

Experimental reduction in blood oxygen-carrying capacity alters foraging behaviour in a colonial waterbird.

Oxidative metabolism is a key component of organismal physiology and it is primarily determined by aerobic capacity, which depends on the capacity of blood to carry oxygen. However, experimental manipulations of blood oxygen-carrying capacity are scarcely implemented to test ecophysiological hypotheses in vertebrate populations. Here we combined an experimental manipulation of blood oxygen-carrying capacity with GPS-tracking to test if suboptimal (reduced) haematological performance affects foraging behaviour in a colonial waterbird, the black-headed gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus. First, a validation of phenylhydrazine (PHZ) treatment in gulls revealed 9-18% reduction in haematocrit and blood haemoglobin concentration (via oxidative denaturation and haemolysis of erythrocytes). Then, GPS-tracking of experimental (PHZ-treated) and control (saline-treated) gulls during the incubation period provided no support for reduced or suspended engagement in energetically costly activities (long-distance foraging trips) by experimental birds. Instead, we found evidence for fine-scale alterations in foraging behaviour of PHZ-treated individuals, which resulted in fewer foraging trips per unit time, but trips that were longer in duration and in distance compared to control birds. This suggests reduced foraging performance of experimental birds (e.g. lower capacity to find and collect food during trips) or evasion of social competition, although no differences in the total investment in foraging may also suggest compensatory physiological responses to haemolytic anaemia. Our study contributes to better understanding of physio-ecological nexus in non-diving colonial avian species. At the same time, it should be subject to further investigation, if behavioural effects of reduced aerobic capacity may have any implications for gull condition and reproductive performance.

Broiler performance correlates with gut morphology and intestinal inflammation under field conditions

ABSTRACT Maintaining optimal gut health is a key driver for a well-performing broiler flock. Histology of intestinal sections and quantification of villus structure can be used to evaluate gut health. While these measurements have been used in experimental models to evaluate gut health, less is known about the associations of these parameters with performance in commercial broiler farms. The objective of the present study was to evaluate possible associations of intestinal villus structure and the inflammatory condition of the gut with Ross 308 broiler performance in 50 commercial farms. On day 28 of the production round, 20 randomly selected broilers per farm were weighed, euthanized, and a duodenal section was collected to determine villus length, crypt depth and the CD3+ T-lymphocytes area percentage (CD3+ %). We found a relatively low coefficient of variance (CV) for the villus length (between farms; 9.67%, within farms; 15.97%), while the CD3+ (%) had a high CV (between farms; 29.78%, within farms; 25.55%). At flock level, the CD3+ (%) was significantly correlated with the villus length (r = −0.334), crypt depth (r = 0.523) and the villus-to-crypt ratio (r = −0.480). The crypt depth was significantly correlated with the European production index (EPI) (r = −0.450) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (r = 0.389). At broiler level, a significant association was found between the individual body weight (day 28), CD3+ (%) and villus-to-crypt ratio. These data thus show that gut villus structure is significantly associated with bird performance under commercial conditions. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS Gut histology parameters vary between and within farms. Broiler performance is associated with gut morphology.

Impact of Storage on Chemical Composition of Wheat and Efficiency of Its Utilization in Broilers

This present study was designed to evaluate the effect of storage duration (1.5 years and 2.5 years storage) on wheat quality and the impact of the inclusion of stored wheat in the diet of broilers on performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass parameters. A total of 560 one-day-old male broilers were randomly assigned to the 56 pens, and each pen had 10 birds. A corn-soybean-based diet was considered as the control diet and the other six dietary treatments were prepared by replacing corn of the corn-soybean diet with 50% and 100% replacement of fresh, 1.5-year stored, and 2.5-year stored wheat. The data of proximate composition of wheat represents that dry matter was improved (p &lt; 0.05) and acid detergent fiber was decreased in 2.5-year-old wheat (p &lt; 0.05). Performance parameters data represents that both in the starter phase and finisher phase, the replacement of corn with 50% and 100% fresh wheat in the diet significantly reduced the feed intake, nutrient digestibility, and body weight gain (p &lt; 0.05), and 100% replacement of corn with fresh wheat resulted in higher FCR (p &lt; 0.05). Based on the findings of this current study, it is concluded that the storage of wheat improves the performance of birds.