Production Performance Of Broilers Research Articles

WGCNA Analysis of Important Modules and Hub Genes of Compound Probiotics Regulating Lipid Metabolism in Heat-Stressed Broilers.

Simple SummaryIn recent years, the high frequency of high-temperature weather has dramatically increased the possibility of heat stress. Heat stress can affect broilers’ production performance, fat deposition and meat quality through the cells, tissues and organs. The effect of heat stress on fat deposition and meat quality significantly affects the production efficiency of broilers. Probiotics as feed additives can alleviate the adverse reactions of heat stress. Compound probiotics (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium) are all colonized in the gut of broilers and are common probiotic supplements. Weighted gene co-expression analysis technology can closely connect the transcriptome with the lipid metabolism results to find the related genes that act on a specific eigenvalue. The purpose of this study was to study the effects of compound probiotics on production performance, meat quality and lipid metabolism in heat-stressed broilers through weighted gene co-expression analysis to determine the genes and modules related to lipid metabolism and to provide a theoretical basis for the poultry industry to alleviate heat stress.This study aimed to study compound probiotics’ (Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium) effects on production performance, lipid metabolism and meat quality in heat-stressed broilers. A total of 400 one-day-old AA broilers were randomly divided into four groups, each containing the same five replicates, with 20 broilers in each replicate. The control (21 °C) and experiment 2 were fed a basic corn–soybean meal diet. Experiment 1 (21 °C) and experiment 3 were fed a basic corn–soybean meal diet with 10 g/kg compound probiotics on days 7 and 28, respectively. The ambient temperature of experiment 2 and experiment 3 was increased to 30–32 °C (9:00–17:00) for 28–42 days, while the temperature for the other time was kept at 21 °C. The results showed that, compared with the control, the production performance and the content of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in experiment 1 and triglyceride (TG) in experiment 2 increased (p < 0.05). Compared with experiment 2, TG decreased and the production performance increased in experiment 3 (p < 0.05). However, there was no significant change in meat quality indicators. Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) was used to analyze the intramuscular fat, abdominal fat and five blood lipid indicators. We found five related modules. Fatty acid biosynthesis, glycerolipid metabolism, and fat digestion and absorption were the pathways for KEGG enrichment. Additionally, NKX2-1, TAS2R40, PTH, CPB1, SLCO1B3, GNB3 and AQP7 may be the hub genes of compound probiotics regulating lipid metabolism in heat-stressed broilers. In conclusion, this study identified the key genes of compound probiotics regulating lipid metabolism and provided a theoretical basis for the poultry breeding industry to alleviate heat stress.

تأثير الحقن والمعاملة بعد الفقس بالسيلينيوم غير العضوي في الأداء الإنتاجي وبعض الهرمونات وحالة مضادات الأكسدة لفروج اللحم

The current study aimed to evaluate the effects of inorganic selenium (sodium selenite) added to the drinking water of hatched chicks from eggs injected with it on productive performance, antioxidant status, and some hormonal parameters. 216 unsexed one-day-old broiler chicks were distributed into 6 groups (3 replicates, 12 birds/replicate) till 42 days of age, as follows: The first (1st) and second (2nd) groups: hatched chicks came from non-injected eggs without any substance. The third (3rd) and fourth (4th) groups: hatched chicks came from eggs injected with deionized water (0.2 ml/egg) in the chorioallantoic sac, while the fifth (5th) and sixth (6th) groups: hatched chicks came from eggs injected with 0.02 mg sodium selenite/egg in the chorioallantoic sac. Chicks of the 1st, 3rd, and 5th groups were given tap water, while chicks of the other groups were given drinking water supplemented with 0.3 mg sodium selenite/L. Inorganic selenium significantly improved the initial and final body weight, weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and significantly reduced the feed consumption at 35 and 42 days of age. It also enhanced vitality percentage, productive index, and reduced mortality percentage, and it was significant (P≤0.05) at 42 days of age. On the other hand, in-ovo injection with sodium selenite reduced malondialdehyde and corticosterone values, while total antioxidant capacity and leptin increased, and continuing adding it with drinking water led to a significant decrease in malondialdehyde while leptin and thyroxine values significantly increased. In conclusion, the in-ovo injection with sodium selenite and continuous treatment with it after hatching improve the antioxidant status and productive performance of the broiler, and it can be recommended to use sodium selenite in early egg nutrition during incubation period and its supplementation with drinking water of chicks after hatching.

PSXVI-11 Effects of Yucca Schidigera Extract and Multi-Carbohydrase in Different Crude Protein Diets on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Carcass Parameters and Noxious gas Emission in Broilers

Abstract The scarcity of feed raw materials with a consequential increase in the price of animal feed has attracted the attention of nutritionists to find a viable option to address this issue. The inclusion of plant extract and enzyme to the energy- and protein-reduced diet could be a viable strategy that would contribute to reducing the feed cost. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine how different crude protein diets with Yucca schidigera extract and multi-carbohydrase could impact broiler growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass metrics, and noxious gas concentrations in the excreta. A total of 480 one-day (d)-old broilers (ROSS 308), with initial body weight (BW) of 45.2 ± 0.3 g were randomly assigned into four (4) dietary treatments, each with six replication cages and 20 birds per cage. In phase I (starter), broiler were fed with diets containing T1 (CP 21%, ME 2,969 Mcal/kg); T2 (CP 19%, ME 2,863 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca); T3 (CP 17%, ME 2,865 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca); and T4 (CP 17%, ME 2,861 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca + 0.1% α-1, 6-galactosidase and β-1,4-mannanase). During phase II (grower) diets contained T1 (CP 19%, ME 3,086 Mcal/kg); T2 (CP 17%, ME 2,977 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca); T3 (CP 15%, ME 2,978 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca); and T4 (CP 15%, ME 2,978 Mcal/kg + 0.02% Yucca + 0.1% α-1,6-galactosidase and β-1,4-mannanase multi-carbohydrase). The addition of Yucca extract and multi-carbohydrase to the low CP diets revealed a positive result on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass parameters, and noxious gas emission. Overall, broilers supplemented with Yucca schidigera extract 0.02% and α-1,6-galactosidase and β-1,4-mannanase multi-carbohydrase (0.1%) demonstrated the best production performances compared with the other treatment groups. Thus, a combination of Yucca schidigera and multi-carbohydrase could to be added to the diets with low CP to boost broiler production performance.

Economic viability of insect meal as a novel ingredient in diets for broiler chickens

The study aimed to evaluate the economic efficiency of supplementation of Tenebrio molitor meal in the diet for broilers, from 1 to 35 days of age. For that, data from a preliminary study were used to evaluate the inclusion of T. molitor meal in the broiler production performance. Four treatments were adopted: a control group and three experimental diets with 4, 8 and 12% levels of inclusion of this meal. The economic viability indicators were calculated considering the cost of the feed (R$/kg), the price of live broiler (R$/kg), feed intake (kg) and body weight (kg) of the birds. The feed cost increased proportionally with the inclusion of insect meal in poultry diets while the gross margin decreased from 93 to 98%, with 4 to 12% of inclusion of this ingredient, compared to the control diet. In the previous study, the level of 4% resulted in better performance of the birds, so, to enable the inclusion of 4% meal in the diet, this ingredient should be priced at R$ 4.53/kg.

Reducing Salt (NaCl) Content of Seaweed (Turbinaria decurrens) before Being Used as Poultry Feed Ingredients

Background: Seaweed (Turbinaria decurrens) had been included 10% in broilers’ diets. However, it affected production performance of broilers due to the high in its NaCl content (11.20%). Broilers can only tolerate up to 0.5%, while ideal amount in broilers’ diets is 0.2% Na and 0.3% Cl. Thus, it is necessary to reduce NaCl content of this seaweed. Methods: This study was performed in a completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 4 replicates. Treatments were immersing duration (0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 hours) of T. decurrens in running water. Measured variables were NaCl, dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and crude fiber contents of T. decurrens. Data were analyzed by analysis of variance of completely randomized design and differences among treatment means were detected by Duncan multiple range test. Result: Immersing duration significantly affected (P less than 0.05) all measured variables (NaCl, dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and crude fiber contents). Immersing duration up to 15 hours reduced NaCl, dry matter and crude fiber, but increased organic matter and crude protein contents. The best treatment for reducing NaCl of T. decurrens was by immersing it in running water for 15 hours.

The Effect of Supplementation with Weizmannia coagulans Strain SANK70258 to Coccidia-Infected Broilers Is Similar to That of a Coccidiostat Administration.

Simple SummaryCoccidiosis is caused by protozoan of the genus Eimeria, and to control coccidiosis in livestock is crucial for sustainable production. Eimeria-infected animals present symptoms such as anorexia, diarrhea, and even death in severe cases. Although the first choice for coccidiosis control is antimicrobial (AM) administration, the emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and coccidia has become a serious problem and hence AM administration has already been restricted in many countries. Given the above, for coccidiosis control, the development/discovery of compounds in lieu of antimicrobials has been gathering increased attention. Here, we focused on probiotics and examined whether probiotic Weizmannia coagulans strain SANK70258 (WC) could be a good alternative to AM to treat Eimeria-infected broilers. It was found that WC (1) reduced the numbers of intestinal oocysts; (2) improved intestinal coccidial pathology parameters; and (3) helped increase the body weights of broilers. Furthermore, while intestinal Escherichia coli levels, which are associated with intestinal inflammation and weight loss, increased with AM administration, they did not with WC supplementation. Our results suggest that not only is WC a good alternative to AM, but it also treats coccidiosis harmlessly, with no negative effects such as the promotion of potentially pathogenic bacterial growth such as E. coli.To determine whether it could also improve the production performance of Eimeria-infected broilers, Weizmannia coagulans strain SANK70258 (WC) supplementation was compared with coccidiostat lasalocid-A sodium (AM) administration. First, to determine the optimum WC dose, newly hatched broiler chick groups (n = 10) were untreated or consecutively given WC (0.005%, 0.01%, 0.03%, and 0.1%) and AM until slaughter (31 days of age). At day 21, all chicks were infected with coccidia. From the economical and practical viewpoints, 0.03% WC supplementation was the best dose. Second, newly hatched broiler chick groups (n = 10) were untreated or given 0.03% WC and AM. Each group was run in triplicate. At day 21, two chicks/pen with the farthest body weights as per the group’s mean body weight were spared, and the remaining inoculated with coccidia. At days 42 and 49, the WC and AM groups had significantly greater body weights and daily weight gains. Intestinal lesion scores were lower in 29-day-old AM and WC. Oocyst numbers were lower in 29- and 49-day-old AM and WC, but only 29- and 49-day-old AM had higher Escherichia coli levels. To conclude, although WC and AM induced similar growth performance in coccidium-infected chicks, unlike AM, the E. coli levels did not increase with WC.

The Effect of Necrotic Enteritis Challenge on Production Performance, Cecal Microbiome, and Cecal Tonsil Transcriptome in Broilers.

The objective of this study was to identify the effects of experimental necrotic enteritis (NE) infection on the production performance, gut microbiome, and cecal tonsil transcriptome in broiler birds. A total of 192 chicks were not-induced (control) or induced with NE. NE was induced by inoculating Eimeria maxima at 14 d of age and Clostridium perfringens at 19, 20, and 21 d of age. NE challenge increased (p < 0.01) NE lesion score at 7 days post-E.maxima infection (dpi), decreased (p < 0.01) average weight gain and increased (p < 0.01) mortality at 7 and 14 dpi. NE challenge increased (p < 0.05) gut permeability at 5, 6, and 7 dpi and increased ileal C. perfringens load at 5 dpi. NE challenge increased (p < 0.01) Eimeria oocyst shedding at 5, 6, 7, 8 and 14 dpi. NE challenge decreased (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Lactobacillaceae and increased (p < 0.05) the relative abundance of Campylobacteriaceae, Comamonadaceae, and Ruminococcaceae at 6 dpi. NE challenge upregulated (p < 0.05) genes related to immune response and downregulated (p < 0.05) genes related to lipid metabolism at 6 dpi. It can be concluded that NE infection decreased beneficial bacteria and increased gut permeability.

Effect on Broiler Production Performance and Meat Quality of Feeding Ulva lactuca Supplemented with Carbohydrases.

Simple SummaryMacroalgae have been increasingly exploited worldwide for feed, food and biofuel applications, due to their nutritive and bioactive compounds. Green seaweeds belonging to the genus Ulva have high growth rates, which makes them suitable for being cultured in sustainable algae production, such as an integrated multi-trophic aquaculture system. This is expected to increase the use of Ulva sp. as an alternative source to conventional feedstuffs (e.g., cereals and soybean meal) for poultry. The objective of the current study was to assess if the incorporation of 15% Ulva lactuca in broiler chickens’ diet, combined or not with carbohydrate-active enzymes, would enhance meat nutritional quality without compromising animal growth performance. Overall, U. lactuca led to an accumulation of antioxidant carotenoids, n-3 PUFA and macrominerals, including magnesium, potassium and phosphorus, in the breast muscle, with likely health benefits, without significantly impairing growth performance. The supplementation of macroalgae with a recombinant ulvan lyase reduced ileal viscosity with possible beneficial effects on broiler digestibility. Although dietary U. lactuca showed potential to increase meat quality, it reduced meat overall acceptability, which suggests the use of a lower algae inclusion level to prevent a negative meat sensory perception for consumers.The aim of the study was to test if feeding 15% U. lactuca to broilers, alone or combined with carbohydrases, enhanced meat nutritional quality, without compromising growth performance. One hundred and twenty 22-day-old broilers were allocated to the following diets and replicated 10 times for 14 days: (1) maize and soy-based diet (control); (2) control with 15% U. lactuca (UL); (3) UL diet with 0.005% commercial carbohydrase mixture (ULC); and (4) UL diet with 0.01% ulvan lyase (ULE). Final body weight and average daily gain decreased (p < 0.050) with the ULE diet compared with the control, but no significant differences were found for the other diets. The intestinal viscosity increased (p < 0.001) with all alga diets but was lowered (p < 0.050) in the ileum with the ULE diet, relative to UL and ULC diets. Meat lightness and redness values, off-flavours, and total carotenoids increased (p < 0.001), while yellow values, tenderness, juiciness, overall acceptability, α- and γ-tocopherol, and total lipids decreased (p < 0.001) with alga diets. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (p < 0.050), and the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio decreased (p < 0.001) with the ULE diet. Total minerals in meat increased (p < 0.001) with alga diets, conversely to sodium and zinc (p < 0.001). Feeding 15% of U. lactuca to broilers did not impair growth but increased meat nutritional value through the accumulation of health-promoting antioxidant carotenoids, n-3 PUFA and total minerals, although reducing overall meat acceptability.

Meta-analysis of the effects of mycotoxins and yeast cell wall extract supplementation on the performance, livability, and environmental sustainability of broiler production

The effect of mycotoxins (MT) on broiler performance without or with the inclusion of yeast cell wall extract (YCWE, Mycosorb, Alltech, Inc., KY) was evaluated in a random-effects meta-analysis. Data was extracted from 25 research experiments with a total of 10,307 broilers. Broilers fed MT had lower (P < 0.001) body weight gain (BWG, −217 g), reduced feed intake (FI, −264 g), increased feed conversion ratio (FCR, 0.12), and greater mortality by 2.01%. Inclusion of YCWE improved (P < 0.001) BWG (59 g) and FI (65 g), lowered FCR (−0.05), and reduced mortality by 1.74%. Additionally, change in European Production Efficiency Factor (EPEF) was assessed. Feeding MT lowered (P < 0.001) EPEF while YCWE increased (P < 0.001) EPEF. Finally, the carbon footprint of production was evaluated. Control fed birds produced an estimated 1.93 kg CO2-equivalent/kg liveweight (LW), while MT fed broilers produced 2.13 kg CO2-equivalent/kg LW and YCWE inclusion lowered this to 2.03 kg CO2-equivalent/kg LW which resulted in −25 tonnes less CO2-equivalent output per 100,000 birds with YCWE. In conclusion, mycotoxins can play a role in reducing broiler performance and farm production output, as well as increase the carbon footprint. Inclusion of YCWE in feed under a mycotoxin challenge can improve broiler performance and output, as well as lower carbon footprint, which could play a role in farm efficiency, profitability, and environmental sustainability.

Adding Charcoal to Diet as A means to Reduce Costs and Its Effect on Production Performance and Economic Indicators in Broilers

This research was done in poultry field of the Department of animals production, College of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Mosul. The duration of the research was 42 days for period from 13/11/2021 to 24 /12/2021. Unsexed day one -old broiler chicks were reared in litter at the beginning, in the second week chicks randomly distributed into four treatments, with three replicates for each treatment, They were as follows: T1: control diet (without added charcoal), T2: standard diet 3%, charcoal T3: standard diet with 5% charcoal, T4: standard diet with 7% charcoal. The results of statistical analysis shows no significant effect in live body weight, relative growth rate, feed conversion ratio, productivity, and mortality rates, with a significant superiority of the charcoal addition treatments compared to the control treatment in the rate of weight gain, the production index and the production factor. A significant increase in feed consumption was also observed for the treatment of added charcoal by 7% compared to the control treatment.

EFFECT OF INJECTED DIFFERENT CONCENTRATIONS OF ALCOHOLIC EXTRACT OF Moringa oleifera LEAVES POWDER IN HATCHING EGGS OF ADVANCED AGE OF BROILER BREEDERS ON PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND CARCASSES OF BROILER CHICKENS

This experiment was conducted to study the effect of injecting hatching eggs into a flock of broiler aged mothers with different concentrations of the alcoholic extract of Moringa oleifera powder on productive performance of broilers during the period of rearing of 35 days. The study included two experiments for a period at 2/10/2021 to 28/11/2021, where eggs were injected into the Mustafa Poultry Hatchery/ Wasit Governorate- Aziziyah District. A 400 hatching eggs of 308 Ross mothers of modern broilers used at age of 48 week, eggs of average weight 66 ± 1 g/egg were collected in same day then stored for two days. A quarter of treatments were randomly distributed with 100 eggs for each treatment. The first treatment T1 without injection as control treatment, and T4, T3, and T2 (while injected into the space air) on day 12 of, in an amount of 0.2 mL for each egg, with concentration of 450, 300, 150 µg/mL, respectively. The hatched chicks were bred in the same fields, where 180 chicks of the chicks were distributed into four treatments, 45 chicks for each treated and three replicates (15 chicks) for each T1, T2, T3 and T4 were placed in a cage for 35 days. The results Showed A significant (p&lt;0.05) increase for T4 compared to the control in body weight, body weight gain and relative weight of the gizzard, will all injection treatment recorded a highly significant decrease in the total feed consumption and feed conversion ratio compared to control treatment. While there were no significant differences between treatments in the percentage of total Mortality, relative weights of the heart, liver, breast and thighs and dressing ratio.

Effect of L-Threonine Supplementation to Diet on Some Productive and Physiological of Traits Broiler Chickens Under Heat Stress Conditions

This experiment was conducted in Erbil, Iraq, from July 7 to August 17, 2021, for determine the effects of L-Threonine supplementation on several productive and physiological traits Under heat stress conditions (36.04 ± 2 °C), A total of 200 broiler chicks were randomly distributed into five treatments: T1 control treatment, T2, T3, T4 and T5 standard diet with L-Threonine 250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg, respectively. The results showed that the addition of L-Threonine to the ration improved broiler production performance under heat stress conditions such as body weight it increased significantly (P≤0.05) in T3 and T5 and reached 2187 and 2235 g, respectively compared to 2145 g in the T1 and reduce H/L ratio in T4 and T5 compared with T1 and did not affect effect (P≥0.05) on physiological traits such as red and white blood cell count, hematocrit, cholesterol, glucose, total protein, aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase activities

Evaluation of adding commercial compound Mixoil to drinking water on the productive performance of broilers during summer in Iraq

This study was conducted in the poultry field of the Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Kufa, for the period from September 2, 2021 to October7, 2021, and for a period of 5 weeks. In this study, 300 unsexed broiler chicks, Ross308 hybrid one day old, were randomly distributed to five treatments, each treatment included 60 chicks, three replicates, and each replicate included 20 chicks. The treatments were as follows: Treatment (T1): (control) was given water without addition, treatment (T2): drinking water was given to it with an addition of 0.25 ml/liter of the commercial compound (Mixoil) for 6 hours, treatment (T3). Provide her with drinking water with 0.5 ml/L of the commercial compound (Mixoil) for 6 hours. Treatment (T4): she was given drinking water with 0.75 ml/L of the commercial compound (Mixoil) for 6 hours, treatment (T5): she was given drinking water to which it was added 1 ml/L of the commercial compound (Mixoil) for 6 hours. Water was added to the commercial Mixoil compound daily from 10 am to 4 pm (6 hours per day), the chicks were fed on two diets, a starter during 21 days of age and a final from 22 days of age until the age of marketing (35 days), some productive traits were studied. for broilers during the duration of the experiment. The results of the statistical analysis indicated that there was a The research did not deal with blood traits, so this sentence should be deleted .The results of the statistical analysis indicated a significant improvement at the level (p≤0.05) in the average live body weight at the fifth week of chick age and in the total weight gain of the treated birds that added different levels of the commercial compound Mixoil daily to their drinking water compared to the control group. T1), The results also indicated a significant increase (p≤0.05) in the average total feed consumption for the birds of the fourth and fifth treatments compared with the control group, and a significant deterioration in the values of the total feed conversion ratio for the chicks of the control group (T1) compared with treatments T2 and T3.We conclude from the current study that adding different levels of the commercial compound Mixoil to drinking water for 6 hours a day had a positive effect in improving some productive traits of broiler chicks bred in summer in Iraq.

The Growth Parameters Response of Broiler Chicks Fed Partial replacement of Rice Bran for the Yellow Corn

Not long ago, Researchers try to find a suitable alternative source from the cereal by-product instead of yellow corn. Today there is a global shortage in cereal production, so to archive goals to make less dependent on regular cereals which used in human feeding we have to examine using unusual feed staff like Rice bran. Our experiment was carried out in poultry farm, Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture/ University of Kufa to explore the broiler productive performance of Rose 308 fed rice bran diets with partly replacement of Yellow Corn. 225 chicks were used in our study by distributing them into 5 treatments as trails: (T1) control (50% yellow corn), T2, T3 substituted 5, 7.5 % of raw rice bran by yellow corn respectively, T4, T5 substituted 5, 7.5 % of Rice bran (treated with Ascorbic acid) by yellow corn. Our results show that: No significant differences in marketing live body weight, body weight gain, accumulative feed consumption and accumulative feed conversion ratio for experimental groups fed diet supplementing by Raw Rice bran or preserved by Ascorbic acid with control group, which main feeding broiler by rice bran diets has enhanced growth performance in broiler chicken. Our indication is substitution of 5 or 7.5 % rice bran with yellow corn had no bad effect on broiler performance.

Effects of three probiotics and their interactions on the growth performance of and nutrient absorption in broilers.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of three probiotics and their interactions on growth performance, intestinal digestion and absorption, and nutrient transporters in broilers. A total of 350 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into seven groups: the control group (broilers receiving normal drinking water), groups P1, P2 and P3 (broilers receiving drinking water with 1% Lactobacillus casei, Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium lactis , respectively) and groups CP1, CP2 and CP3 (broilers receiving drinking water with a 1% compound probiotic mixture in 2:1:1, 1:2:1, 1:1:2 ratios, respectively). The feeding period was divided into two experimental periods: 1∼21 days and 22∼42 days. Compared to those in the control group, the broiler slaughter indexes and average daily feed intakes in the probiotics groups were not significantly different (P > 0.05), but the villus height in the small intestine increased significantly, and the crypt depth decreased significantly (P < 0.05). In the 1- to 21-day, experimental period, the broiler average daily gains in groups CP2 and CP3 were significantly greater than that in the control group. Amylase, lipase, and trypsin activities in the jejunum in groups CP and P3 increased significantly. GLUT2 mRNA expression in the probiotics group was significantly incresaed compared with that in the control group (P < 0.05). In the 22- to 42-day period, the average daily gain in the CP group was significantly greater than that in the control group. Amylase activity in the CP2 group, and lipase and trypsin activities in the CP, P1 and P3 groups increased significantly. The GLUT2 mRNA expression in the CP group increased significantly (P < 0.05). In summary, three probiotics and their interactions improved the digestibility and absorption of nutrients by increasing the activities of digestive enzymes, improving the morphology of the digestive tract, and upregulating the expression of GLUT2 mRNA in the intestinalcell membrane to improve the production performance in broilers.

Effect of β-Mannanase Supplementation on Growth Performance, Ileal Digestibility, Carcass Traits, Intestinal Morphology, and Meat Quality in Broilers Fed Low-ME Diets.

Simple Summaryβ-mannans, an example of non-starch polysaccharides, is one of the important anti-nutritional factors found in many leguminous feedstuffs used as raw material in poultry feed formulation. β-mannans bind to nutrients, reduce their bioavailability, and also increase the viscosity of intestinal digesta, which prevents the proper mixing of enzymes with digesta and affects the digestibility of nutrients. All these conditions ultimately reduce the growth performance of poultry birds. So, the objective of present study was to lower the effect of β-mannans by using β-mannanase in broiler diets. Results suggested that β-mannanase supplementation improved the intestinal morphology, which helped to increase the dry matter and crude fiber digestibility in broilers fed low energy diets. In addition, growth performance of broilers was not affected by reducing dietary energy levels with added β-mannanase than the Control group. Similarly, carcass traits were not affected by decreasing dietary energy levels with supplementation of β-mannanase. In conclusion, it could be stated that a low caloric diet with added β-mannanase had no negative effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics; however, it improved the dry matter and crude fiber digestibility.Experiment was designed to analyze the effect of low caloric diets, supplemented with β-mannanase on growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and other parameters in broilers. In this study, 400 broiler chicks were randomly divided into four treatments (Cont: without β-mannanase; LM-30, MM-60, and HM-90: supplemented with 200, 400, and 600 mg/kg β-mannanase, respectively). Dietary metabolizable energy (ME) in Cont was standard (starter diet 3100 kcal/kg; finisher diet 3200 kcal/kg) and reduced by 30, 60, and 90 kcal/kg, correspondingly in β-mannanase-supplemented treatments. The results exhibited that growth performance was not affected by reducing dietary energy levels with supplementation of β-mannanase. Ileal digestibility of DM and CF was improved (p < 0.01) by supplementation of β-mannanase at low dietary ME levels. Concerning carcass traits, the relative weight of breast meat, drumstick, and abdominal fat increased (p < 0.05) with β-mannanase supplementation in low-ME diets. Treatment HM-90 showed significantly (p < 0.05) better results regarding villus height and VH:CD. It could be concluded from the present results that supplementation of β-mannanase could improve the nutrient digestibility so that it is possible to reduce the dietary energy level without compromising production performance, carcass trails, and meat quality in broilers.

Dietary ellagic acid ameliorated Clostridium perfringens-induced subclinical necrotic enteritis in broilers via regulating inflammation and cecal microbiota

BackgroundSubclinical necrotic enteritis (SNE), a common intestinal disease of broiler caused by Clostridium perfringens, could reduce production performance of broilers by chronic intestinal damage and poor absorption of nutrients. Ellagic acid (EA) has been reported to present antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties on human and animals in many aspects. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect and mechanism of EA in relieving SNE in broilers induced by C. perfringens.ResultsC. perfringens challenge decreased body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), jejunal villi height/crypt depth (V/C) ratio, the activity of catalase (CAT) and the mRNA expression of zonula occludens 1 (ZO-1) in jejunal mucosa of broilers. While feed conversion ratios (FCR), jejunal crypt depth (CD), the activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and diamine oxidase (DAO), as well as the concentrations of interleukin 6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and procalcitonin (PCT) in serum, the activities of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and lysozyme (LZM), the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA), and the mRNA expressions of claudin-2, TNF-α, IL-1β, TLR-4, TLR-2, NF-κB, JAK3, STAT6 and iNOS in jejunal mucosa of broilers were increased by C. perfringens challenge. Dietary EA supplement relieved these adverse effects, and heightened jejunal villi height (VH), the concentration of D-xylose in plasma, activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), and the mRNA expression of occludin in jejunal mucosa of broilers. The alpha diversity of cecal microbiota indicated that dietary EA supplement increased observed species and Shannon index. C. perfringens challenge increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and decreased the relative abundance of Desulfobacterota in cecal microbiota. EA increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes in cecal microbiota. LEfSe analysis showed that C. perfringens challenge triggered the imbalance of cecal microbiota in broilers, dietary EA supplementation led to a small beneficial effect on microbiota, while the simultaneous effect of them seemed to stimulate the immune function of broilers by improving the microbiota balance.ConclusionsDietary EA ameliorated C. perfringens-induced SNE in broilers via regulating jejunal inflammation signaling pathways TLR/NF-κB and JAK3/STAT6, relieving jejunal oxidative stress and balancing cecal microbiota to inhibit intestinal barrier damage, prevent systemic inflammatory response and improve nutrient absorption capacity, finally protect and enhance growth performance of broilers.

Effect of Dietary Laminaria digitata with Carbohydrases on Broiler Production Performance and Meat Quality, Lipid Profile, and Mineral Composition.

We hypothesized that dietary inclusion of 15% Laminaria digitata, supplemented or not with carbohydrases, could improve the nutritional value of poultry meat without impairing animal growth performance. A total of 120 22-day old broilers were fed the following dietary treatments (n = 10) for 14 days: cereal-based diet (control); control diet with 15% L. digitata (LA); LA diet with 0.005% Rovabio® Excel AP (LAR); LA diet with 0.01% alginate lyase (LAE). Final body weight was lower and feed conversion ratio higher with LA diet than with the control. The ileal viscosity increased with LA and LAR diets relative to control but without differences between LAE and control. The pH of thigh meat was higher, and the redness value of breast was lower with LA diet than with control. Meat overall acceptability was positively scored for all treatments. The γ-tocopherol decreased, whereas total chlorophylls and carotenoids increased in meat with alga diets relative to control. The percentage of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and accumulation of bromine and iodine in meat increased with alga diets compared with control. Feeding 15% of L. digitata to broilers impaired growth performance but enhanced meat quality by increasing antioxidant pigments, with beneficial effects on n-3 PUFA and iodine.

Effect of novel Lactobacillus paracaesi microcapsule on growth performance, gut health and microbiome community of broiler chickens

The beneficial action of probiotics is questioned time and again due to the loss of their survivability under gastrointestinal conditions, particularly gastric acid. In this experiment, a probiotic species was encapsulated to improve its delivery to the distal parts, and its effects on production performance, gut health, and microbial profile in broilers were investigated. A total of 240 Arbor acres (AA) broilers were randomly allotted into 3 treatments with 8 replicate pens per treatment and 10 broilers in each pen for 42 d. Dietary treatments were 1) basal feed without any additives (CON), 2) CON+15 ppm Virginiamycin (ANT), and 3) CON+500 ppm encapsulated Lactobacillus paracaesi (ELP). The result showed that the addition of ELP to the feed did not affect growth performance and carcass characteristics significantly. However, ELP increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (P < 0.05) and mRNA expression of ZO-1 (P < 0.05) relative to the CON or ANT group. Similarly, qPCR showed that dietary supplementation of ELP raised gene expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine and tended to decrease proinflammatory cytokines resulting improve in immunity. Moreover, chicks fed with ELP had lower malondialdehyde (MDA) (P < 0.05) than CON and lower reactive oxygen species (ROS) (P < 0.05) level than ANT in serum. In contrast, the total antioxidant capacity (TAOC) level was tended to increase. The ammonia level of ileum and cecum chyme was decreased (P < 0.05) in the ELP group than CON while the level of propionic acid of cecal content was increased (P < 0.05). 16S rRNA sequencing revealed the dietary treatment modulated the diversity and composition of cecal microflora. At the phylum level, Bacteroidetes was enriched, and Proteobacteria was depleted in the ELP group. At the genus level, ELP increased Bacteroides (P < 0.05) compared to control. The results indicate that oral delivery of probiotics via microcapsule could impart beneficial effects on birds and be used as an alternative to antibiotics.

Effect of Partial Replacement of Raw and Treated Rice Bran with Hydrochloric Acid, Ascorbic Acid and Bakery Yeast for Wheat in Broiler Diets on Production Performance

This study was conducted in a poultry farm belonging to the private sector, which has a license to practice a profession issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Livestock Resources, in the city of Nasiriyah, Dhi Qar Governorate. This experiment aimed to study the effect of partial replacement of raw rice bran and treatment with HCL acid, bakery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae), and ascorbic acid in place of wheat on the productive performance of broilers. For the period from 28/9/2020 to 11/8/2020, 405 unsexed chickens were used—Ross 308 at the age of two weeks. The study included nine treatments, whereby (25 and 50) percent of raw rice bran and treated were replaced and inserted into the diets of broilers 15 days after the rearing. In addition to the control treatment, the results of the experiment showed: There were no significant differences between (T1) and the replacement treatments for raw rice bran with their percentages of 25% and 50%, as well as the replacement treatment for rice bran treated with bakery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) by 25% and replacement treatment treated with ascorbic acid by 50% in the average live body weight and weight gain at the end of the experiment. Also, there were no significant differences between the replacement treatments for raw bran and the treatment in the cumulative feed intake trait compared to (T1). The treatment of rice bran treated with yeast with a replacement rate of 25% achieved the best feed conversion factor, No significant differences (P &lt; 0.05) were recorded between the 25% substitution treatments for the raw and treated rice bran compared to the control in the feed conversion factor trait, Furthermore, treatment of T2 (raw rice bran 25%) instead of wheat was superior in the Dressing percentage (%)and relative breast weight, Also, no significant differences were recorded in the percentage of fatalities. The 25% treatment of rice bran treated with bakery yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) achieved the highest significant value (P&lt;0.01) for the economic indicator and production index. And it did not differ significantly from the control treatment and the replacement treatment for raw rice bran by 25%.