Effects of rearing systems on performance, egg characteristics and immune response in two layer hen genotype

White (Lohmann LSL) and Brown (ATAK-S) laying hens, were reared under organic and conventional cage rearing systems, and the effects of the rearing system on performance parameters, egg production, egg characteristics, and immune response were investigated. For this purpose, a total of 832 laying hens of two commercial hybrids, i.e., 416 white (Lohmann LSL) and 416 Brown (ATAK-S) layers, were used. The experiment lasted between 23 and 70 wk of age. In this study, the white layers yielded more eggs as compared to the brown layers in both organic and conventional production systems. Egg weight exhibited a similar pattern to that of laying performance. However, the total hen-housed egg number for the white birds in the organic system was fewer than that of white birds in the conventional cage facility; conversely, a contradictory tendency was observed for the brown birds. Livability of the white layers in the organic system was remarkably lower (14%) than that of the brown line, whereas the white line survived better (3.42%) than their brown counterparts in conventional cages. The feed conversion ratio of the white hens was markedly inferior in the organic system as compared to that of the white hens in the conventional system, whereas relatively lower deterioration was reported in brown layers when reared in an organic system. The organic production system increased egg albumen height and the Haugh unit in eggs of the brown layers. The yolk color score of organic eggs was lower than that of conventional eggs for both brown and white hens. The egg yolk ratio of eggs from white layers was found to be higher in organic eggs as compared to those obtained in the conventional system. All organic eggs had heavier shells than those produced in the conventional system. Eggs from brown layers had more protein content than eggs from white layers. Neither housing systems nor genotype influenced egg yolk cholesterol concentration. When compared to conventional eggs, n-3 fatty acid content was lower in organic eggs, and the n-6:n-3 ratio was higher in organic eggs. In conclusion, two hen genotypes showed different responses in terms of performance and egg quality to two different rearing systems. A commercial white strain produced more eggs with higher egg quality as compared to a native brown strain. The brown strain was found to have adapted well to organic production conditions when survival and total egg number was taken into consideration

Screening of Salmonella enteritidis specific O and H antiserum potency against isolated field strains of Salmonella from aegean region

Background: The increasing prevalence of foodborne human salmonellosis caused by Salmonella Enteritidis is a major foodborne illness throughout the world. Prevention from Salmonella infection is more important in an effective ongoing screening program. The slide agglutination test could be more widely used in developing countries to obtain local and regional data due to its rapid, valid, and relatively cheap and ease application. The main purpose of this study is to characterize Salmonella Enteritidis O and H specific polyclonal antibodies for the detection of Salmonella Enteritidis in field samples by comparing with different species of Salmonella field samples isolated from Aegean Region. Materials, Methods & Results: The polyclonal antibodies used in this study were produced in rabbits as a diagnostic tool in our previous study. A total of 70 Salmonella field samples isolates collected between the years 2009 and 2012 from the layers and broilers poultry farms in Aegean Region were examined against Salmonella Enteritidis O and H specific polyclonal antibodies by slide agglutination test. Isolated Salmonella suspect colonies were subjected to biochemical identification by VITEK 2 compact microbial identification system and further serotyping to identify the serovar was done in the Salmonella National Reference Laboratory of Turkey. Seventy isolates of Salmonella, representing 8 different serotypes were obtained from field samples. In serotyping, the strains together with Salmonella Schwarzengrund, Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Gallinarum, Salmonella Mbandaka, Salmonella Infantis, Salmonella Kentucky, Salmonella Virchow and Salmonella Corvallis were determined in accordance with the Kauffman White Le Minor scheme. The results of Salmonella Enteritidis O and H hyperimmune rabbit sera reactivity with a variety of field strains of Salmonella by slide agglutination test demonstrated that the polyclonal antibodies showed stronger binding capacity to Salmonella Enteritidis without showing cross reactivity between O and H antigen in different field strains. The avidity test result verified a range between 15 and 31 s for O antisera, whereas H antisera showed a range from 15 to 26 s. Discussion: The prevalence of Salmonella may possibly vary from country to country attributable to the geographical properties, sampling strategies and isolation methods performed in the countries. In this study, Salmonella strains were isolated from the Aegean region and polyclonal antibodies were examined for the detection of possible antigenic differences among isolated field strains of Salmonella by using slide agglutination test. Comparing our result with previous studies in literature, the isolated field strains of Salmonella from layers and broilers poultry farms were parallel to those obtained by other researchers. Additionally, according to the study results for the distribution of Salmonella serotype, Salmonella Enteritidis was found the predominant serovar in the Aegean region of Turkey which is also the most frequently isolated serotype worldwide. The results confirm that previously produced polyclonal antibodies were able to identify all Salmonella isolated serotypes without generate any false negative positive results interpreted in accordance with National Reference Laboratory findings. Consequently, the findings show that the prepared polyclonal antibodies can be used in detecting Salmonella Enteritidis from field and clinical samples. From this point of view, importance of the study was clearly put forward that the development of novel diagnostic reagent against Salmonella Enteritidis is very critical in our country since the diagnostic reagents have been exported from various countries with higher cost

Determination of the most significant serotypes and antimicrobial susceptibilities of avian pathogenic escherichia col isolates in turkey [Bestimmung der wichtigsten serotypen und der antibiotika-resistenz von pathogenen escherichia coli isolaten beim geflügel in der türkey]

The present study aimed to isolate Escherichia coli from chickens with colibacillosis, to detect the presence of important serotypes (O1, O2, O18, O78) and to examine antibiotic susceptibility profiles and resistance genes in antibiotic resistant isolates in Turkey. A total of 150 E. coli isolates collected from internal organs of broilers with colibacillosis were used in the study. Antibiotic resistance status of these isolates to 12 antimicrobial agents that belong to 7 antimicrobial families was examined by the disk diffusion method. The most important 23 resistance genes in antibiotic-resistant isolates and important APEC (Avian pathogenic E. coli) serotypes were investigated by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). While 6.7% of the isolates were found to be susceptible to all antimicrobials, 66.7% were multidrug resistant. It was determined that 150 isolates of E. coli were resistant at a rate of 73.3%, 68.7%, 63.4%, and 60.7% to amoxicillin/ampicillin, tetracycline, enrofloxacin, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, respectively. The blaTEM, blaCMY, blaSHV, blaCTX, blaOXA, tetA, tetB, qnrA, drfA1, drfA7,17 and sulII antibiotic resistance genes were detected. It was determined that 18.0% of isolates were O78, 10.0% were O2, 2.7% were O1, and 2.0% were O18. It was concluded that further epidemiological studies should be designed to investigate the virulence properties and clonal groups of APEC. This study was the first research of serotypes and antibiotic resistance genes of APEC isolates in Turkey using molecular methods. © 2019, Verlag Eugen Ulmer. All rights reserved

Performance and egg quality of aged laying hens fed diets supplemented with meat and bone meal or oyster shell meal

Meat and bone meal (MBM) and oyster shell meal (OSM) were supplemented to a basal diet (LMS), either alone or in combination, in order to assess the dietary influences of those complementary Ca sources on performance and egg quality of laying hens. Four hundred and thirty-two Brown-Nick hens, at the beginning of their second production period, were divided into four treatment groups with six replicates each. The final body weight of OSM-fed hens was highest, whereas others did not differ significantly. Hens receiving OSM produced more eggs and egg mass along with considerably greater feed intake than those on all the other treatments. Egg weight was not affected by the treatments except for the lower egg weight of the MBM+OSM treatment. Hens fed a diet supplemented with MBM laid at a rate of 1.14%, 3.66% points lower than those on the control and OSM treatments, respectively. Feed efficiency was not influenced by origin of calcium source. Egg shape index and eggshell weight did not differ among treatments. Eggshell thickness and eggshell breaking strength were higher in hens fed with MBM as compared to control and OSM fed birds. Similar to the tendency in shell quality, MBM inclusion in the diet tended to enhance albumen height and Haugh unit. Dietary treatment with OSM resulted in the highest serum Ca and P concentrations. These results indicate that partially replacing limestone with OSM in the laying hen diet provided significant improvements in egg production performance, whereas most of the egg quality traits were enhanced bydietary supplementation with MBM at 4%.Keywords: Animal by-product, egg shell traits, performance, serum mineral concentratio