Productivity In Poultry Industry Research Articles

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Tejpatta (Cinnamomum tamala) Leaf Powder as Feed Additive on Growth Performance and Haemato-biochemical Parameters of Broilers

Background: Tejpatta leaves are well known for their use as spice in food for taste and aromatic purposes. It is mainly used for flavoring food and widely used in pharmaceutical preparation because of its hypoglycemic, stimulant, carminative, antidiabetic, antibacterial, antioxidant, anti-ulcer and antimicrobial properties. Keeping the aforementioned properties in view, the present study was to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of Tejpatta leaf powder on growth performance and haemato-biochemical parameters of broilers for boosting poultry industry production. Methods: Two hundred and twenty five day-old chicks were randomly assigned into five dietary treatment groups (T1-T5) using CRD, each consisting of 45 chicks with roughly equal average body weights. Each group of 45 chicks was subdivided into three replicates (R1, R2 and R3) having 15 chicks per replicate. The T1 group fed basal diet only, while T2, T3, T4 and T5 groups were fed Tejpatta leaf powder @ 0.25%, 0.75%, 1.25% and 1.75%, respectively, along with basal diet. Result: Significant (P less than 0.01) effect on growth characteristics was noticed in broiler chicks due to dietary supplementation of Tejpatta leaf powder. Significantly (P less than 0.01) higher body weight, weekly body weight gain, average daily body weight gain and performance index was noticed in T4 group and lowest was observed in T1 group. Significantly (P less than 0.01) higher feed intake was observed in T5 group and lowest was in T1 group. Lowest feed conversion ratio was observed in T4 group and highest in T1 group. Non-significant effect on hemoglobin, packed cell volume, red blood corpuscle count, serum glucose, total protein and cholesterol and creatinine levels was observed in various treatment groups. It was concluded that supplementing broiler diet with Tejpatta leaf powder @ 1.25% could be beneficial for improving broiler chick growth performance and hemato-biochemical parameters while having no adverse effects on broiler chicks.

Kinetics of Obtaining Microalgal Biomass and Removal of Organic Contaminants in Photobioreactors Operated with Microalgae—Study Case: Treatment of Wastewater from a Poultry Slaughterhouse

Increases in poultry industry production have resulted in the generation of more hazardous effluents with high nitrogen and chemical oxygen demand (COD) concentrations. It is necessary to develop more efficient technologies in terms of water purification without the need to increase the volumes of commonly used reactors. This work analyzed the addition of micronutrients (Mo, Zn, Cu, and Mn) for the cultivation of the microalgae Chlorella spp. and Spirulina maxima in poultry wastewater. The effects of micronutrients on the production of biomass and algal cells were also assessed. For the Chlorella species, removal efficiencies of up to 99.14% for COD and 99.33% for nitrogen were achieved; for the Spirulina strain, these efficiencies were 98% for COD and 99% for nitrogen. The modified Gompertz equation was used to analyze the kinetic parameters. For both microalgae, the R2 values were greater than 98%. The results indicated that the dose with the highest algal cell generation rate was dose 2 for Chlorella spp., at 4.35 days, and dose 1 for Spirulina maxima, at 6.26 days. Microalgae are biological alternatives suitable for wastewater treatment, and their pollutant removal efficiency can increase with the addition of micronutrients, which has additional benefits for the production of valuable biomasses for industrial applications.

Dietary supplementation of water extract of Eucommia ulmoides bark improved caecal microbiota and parameters of health in white-feathered broilers.

Eucommia ulmoides has been used as a food and medicine homologue for a long time in China. We hypothesize that Eucommia ulmoidesachieves its health-promoting effects via altering gut microbiota. Here, we investigated the effects of water extract of Eucommia ulmoides bark on caecal microbiota and growth performance, antioxidant activity, and immunity in white-feathered broilers treated for 42 days. A total of 108 one-day-old Cobb white-feathered broilers were randomly assigned to three treatment groups: control diet, 0.75% Eucommia ulmoides diet (EU Ⅰ) and 1.5% Eucommia ulmoides diet (EU Ⅱ). The results showed that EU Ⅱ treatment improved average body weight (ABW), thigh muscle quality and total length of intestines, and decreased the serum total triglycerides and total cholesterol (TC) (p < 0.05). Eucommia ulmoides supplementation increased serum superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), total antioxidant activities and content of immunoglobulins, and reduced levels of malondialdehyde and tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (p < 0.05). Moreover, the supplementation increased the diversity of caecal microbiota and reduced the pathogenic genera Escherichia Shigella and Helicobacter. The genera Ochrobactrum, Odoribater, Klebsiella, Enterobacter, Georgenia and Bifidobacterium were positively associated with the ABW, total intestinal length, serum levels of GSH-Px, SOD and immunoglobulins (p < 0.001) and negatively associated with the TC and TNF-α (p < 0.01), suggesting an association of the changes of gut microbiota and improvement of broiler health. Meanwhile, Eucommia ulmoides supplementation enriched the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathway of exocrine secretion from the pancreas, circadian entrainmentand inhibited lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. In conclusion, Eucommia ulmoides water extract can be used as a feed additive to improve poultry industry production.

A genome-wide association study for eumelanin pigmentation in chicken plumage using a computer vision approach.

Chicken plumage colouration is an important trait related to productivity in poultry industry. Therefore, the genetic basis for pigmentation in chicken plumage is an area of great interest. However, the colour trait is generally regarded as a qualitative trait and representing colour variations is difficult. In this study, we developed a method to quantify and classify colour using an F2 population crossed from two pure lines: White Leghorn and the Korean indigenous breed Yeonsan Ogye. Using red, green, and blue values in the cropped body region, we identified significant genomic regions on chromosomes 33:3 160 480-7 447 197 and Z:78 748 287-79 173 793. Furthermore, we identified two potential candidate genes (PMEL and MTAP) that might have significant effects on melanin-based plumage pigmentation. Our study presents a new phenotyping method using a computer vision approach and provides new insights into the genetic basis of melanin-based feather colouration in chickens.

Effect of genotype on the hematological parameter of TETRA-SL and Hungarian Partridge coloured chickens at young age

Indigenous chickens are well known for their dual-purpose function and palatable meat. However, the information on their hematology parameters is lacking and hence hampering the poultry industry production of local breeds. The main objective of this study was to examine the hematological parameters of Hungarian Partridge Coloured hen (HPC) and TETRA-SL (TSL) genotype and determine the hematological reference interval values. This trial was part of the larger experiment where a total of 200 chicks (HPC + TSL) were reared. For this trial the blood samples were obtained from brachial wing veins of 8 chicks of each genotype for blood hematological analysis. The results indicated that some of the hematological parameters such as red blood cells-RBC, white blood cells-WBC, hemoglobin-Hb, hematocrit-Ht, platelets-Plt, lymphocytes-LYM, and granulocytes-GRAN were significantly affected by the genotypes (p &lt; 0.05). The genotype did not affect the mean corpuscular volume-MCV, mean corpuscular hemoglobin-MCH, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration-MCHC, and GRAN (p &gt; 0.05). The hematological reference interval values were slightly higher in the TSL genotype compared to HPC chicks. It is concluded that genotype has a significant effect on the hematological parameters. The results from this trial will be help and design the baseline reference values for the HPC genotype which will be useful in assessing the health status of these indigenous chickens.

Efficacy of Thermostable Newcastle Disease Virus Strain I-2 in Broiler Chickens Challenged with Highly Virulent Newcastle Virus.

Newcastle disease (ND) is a major threat to poultry industry production throughout developing countries. The Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs) infecting industrialized and indigenous poultry in Iran are velogenic strains and responsible for the frequent outbreaks of ND in poultry farms even in vaccinated flocks causing serious economic losses in the commercial and indigenous poultry. However, vaccination is the only way to protect against endemic ND, and the conventional vaccines are not heat stable and consequently require complex cold-chains to be transferred to users leading to not much resistance. The present study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of thermostable NDV strain I-2 in broiler chickens vaccinated via drinking water and coated on oiled wheat grain. The horizontal transmission of I-2 strain and transmission of disease from vaccinated to unvaccinated chickens were also evaluated in this study. The obtained results showed that both routes of administration, following primary and/or secondary dose, provoked the production of necessary antibody titer and adequate protective immunity in broiler chickens. Moreover, the horizontal transmission of I-2 strain from vaccinated to unvaccinated chickens housed together induced an antibody response and protected unvaccinated chickens against a local field isolate of a virulent strain of NDV (The intravenous pathogenicity index 2.46, mean death time 59 h). Nevertheless, all unvaccinated and Newcastle challenged broilers chickens against the NDV died in this study. It is noteworthy that the transmission of the virus from challenged broiler chickens was very low to induce clinical signs in susceptible chickens. The obtained results of this study revealed the efficacy of NDV strain I-2 coated on the oiled wheat and via drinking water as it protects broiler chickens from highly virulent NDV.

The main criteria as the base of poultry industry production classification

The main criteria as the base of poultry industry production classification

The effect of Chlorella suspension on productivity of chickens

The full feeding is one of the most important conditions that form the level of productivity in poultry industry. The value of feeding rations is known to depend not only on the presence of all essential substances in them, but also on the degree of its biological availability. Due to a wide range of vitamins, including fat-soluble, as well as macro- and micro elements in a biologically accessible form in Chlorella composition, Chlorella suspension can be become the useful component in feeding of poultry farming. Therefore, the aim of our study was to investigate the influence of the Chlorella water suspension on growth, daily weight increment and amount of eggs of chicken. The Chlorella suspension was produced by “Samvel Farm Enterprise” in Bilyaivka district of Odessa region, Ukraine. The investigation was carried out on layer chickens of “Brown” breed at the age of 360 days, which were divided into 3 experimental groups: one of them was control group and two were research groups with 300 heads of layer chickens in each. Despite of Chlorella suspension chickens were fed by ordinary animal feeding stuff. Most of the feed composition for all chicken groups consisted of wheat, barley and limestone. The nutritional value of this complete feed involved the presence of the crude protein, crude fiber and necessary amino acids including lysine, methionine. The second chicken group, throughout the experiment during 160 days was fed with a suspension of Chlorella in a concentration of 50 million, and in the 3d experimental group – 60 million cells in 1 milliliter of fluid. The results of research showed that the use of Chlorella suspension positively influences the raise of growth of chickens in the 2nd and 3rd experimental groups, which is characterized by the higher absolute, relative and average daily increments. The maximum result was achieved in 2nd experimental group, where the optimal cell concentration in the Chlorella suspension was 50 million cells in 1 milliliter of fluid and daily rate of increment was 30 grams per 1 head. Also after feeding with Chlorella suspension egg-laying increased by 12.4% compared to egg-laying of chickens in control group. Consequently, the inclusion of Chlorella suspension in chicken feeding allows obtaining poultry products with the maximum consumer qualities.

Molecular Identification and Sequencing of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Recovered from Broilers in Egypt.

Avian mycoplasmosis, particularly Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) is one of the infectious diseases associated with economic losses in Egyptian poultry industry. Thus, this study was aimed to determine the prevalence, serological identification, molecular characterization, sequencing and minimum inhibitory concentration of M. gallisepticum isolated from diseased broilers in Egypt. A total of 351 samples (227 tissue samples "tracheas and air sacs" and 124 tracheal swabs) and 71 sera were collected from diseased broilers. The conventional (isolation and biochemical) and molecular methods (PCR) were performed for detection of M. gallisepticum and virulence-associated gene (mgc2). The serum plate agglutination (SPA) test and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were applied on sera for determination of the presence of antibodies against M. gallisepticum. The minimal inhibitory concentration test (MIC) was used to determine the sensitivity of two sequenced M. gallisepticum strains to anti-mycoplasma agents. The total recovery rate of Mycoplasma from 351 samples from broilers was 45.29% (159) in which M. gallisepticum showed a prevalence of 62.89% (100/159). Serological identification of M. gallisepticum in 71 collected sera using SPA and ELISA were 54.9 and 40.8% with the highest geometric mean titer of ELISA for M. gallisepticum (699.08 and 495.92). Molecular characterization of Mycoplasma using PCR showed that 50% (3/6) of tested isolates were identified as M. gallisepticum based on 16SrRNA. Also, the mgc2 gene was detected in 50% (3/6) M. gallisepticum isolates. Two positive PCR mgc2 specific genes of M. gallisepticum isolates were subjected to gene target sequencing (GTS) to verify that these two isolates were M. gallisepticum. The minimal inhibitory concentration test (MIC) was applied to determine the sensitivity of these two sequenced M. gallisepticum strains to anti-mycoplasma agents. The first M. gallisepticum isolate was sensitive to tilmicosin, tiamulin and spiramycin. The second M. gallisepticum isolate showed sensitivity to tiamulin, spiramycin and tilmicosin. These results summarized the necessity of monitoring the Egyptian poultry farms for avian mycoplasmosis. Also, further studies are required for controlling of mycoplasma in all stages of the poultry industry production chain to avoid different losses in Egypt.

Technical and Economic Analyses of Poultry Production in the UAE: Utilizing an Evaluation of Poultry Industry Feeds and a Cross-section Survey

The project objective is to closely investigate select UAE poultry industry production issues as well as technical and marketing aspects. A comprehensive cross-sectional survey was conducted of UAE poultry farms using PDA (Portable Data Assistant) technology. Study objectives include: (1) obtaining baseline information on existing broiler and layer farm subsectors; (2) quantifying the amount of input used in the production process and the outputs obtained, and to identify some main and by-products that might have some economic value; (3) and assessment of feed-utilization produced by the feed industry. Economic characteristics of a typical poultry farm in UAE include: average broiler production at about 2,880 tons; average layer production at about 49 million eggs; and feed cost share of the average farm's operational cost estimated at 95%. This indicates the importance of expanding investment in UAE poultry sector. Efficiency of feed utilization of birds fed feeds from one company was slightly better (1.68 vs. 1.71) than birds fed feeds from the other company. Feed utilization efficiency of selected major feed producers in the UAE could meet the standards of high quality, commonly used meat-type strains. Such results are useful to the decision-maker at both the farm and policy levels.

Modelling Marek's Disease Virus (MDV) infection: parameter estimates for mortality rate and infectiousness

BackgroundMarek's disease virus (MDV) is an economically important oncogenic herpesvirus of poultry. Since the 1960s, increasingly virulent strains have caused continued poultry industry production losses worldwide. To understand the mechanisms of this virulence evolution and to evaluate the epidemiological consequences of putative control strategies, it is imperative to understand how virulence is defined and how this correlates with host mortality and infectiousness during MDV infection. We present a mathematical approach to quantify key epidemiological parameters. Host lifespan, virus latent periods and host viral shedding rates were estimated for unvaccinated and vaccinated birds, infected with one of three MDV strains. The strains had previously been pathotyped to assign virulence scores according to pathogenicity of strains in hosts.ResultsOur analyses show that strains of higher virulence have a higher viral shedding rate, and more rapidly kill hosts. Vaccination enhances host life expectancy but does not significantly reduce the shedding rate of the virus. While the primary latent period of the virus does not vary with challenge strain nor vaccine treatment of host, the time until the maximum viral shedding rate is increased with vaccination.ConclusionsOur approach provides the tools necessary for a formal analysis of the evolution of virulence in MDV, and potentially simpler and cheaper approaches to comparing the virulence of MDV strains.

Analysis of risk factors from salmonella infections and determination of critical control points in poultry industry production chain

This paper encompasses problems related to infection caused by Salmonella spp in poultry. The need to carry out adequate control measures and to provide safe food is emphasized. Using experiences from other countries, critical control points are presented in flocks during rearing and in hatcheries. In attempt to diagnose disease as early as possible and to advise proper therapy, the significance of serology monitoring is underlined. In order to produce safe food there is a need to control disease applying our Regulations concerning eradication of Salmonella spp in poultry flocks that is given in Official paper of Republic of Serbia No 6&amp;88 and also to include serology monitoring in poultry flocks. Veterinary practitioners are expected to perform analysis of critical control points in poultry industry as well as to determine specificity and differences in production for single farms, which would enable more effective struggle with diseases in general.