Laying hens behave as omnivores with poultry meal included in their diet

This study was conducted to determine egg yield performance and quality, animal partiality to poultry meal, and consumer preferences for eggs produced by various feeding methods. A total of 72 Nick Brown laying hens, aged 22 weeks, were offered three feeding methods with 24 replicates per treatment and one hen per experimental unit. These methods consisted of i) vegetarian (no poultry meal), ii) omnivorous (5% poultry meal), and iii) a choice between vegetarian and omnivorous. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. The study lasted for 10 weeks. Feeding methods did not affect feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg yield, and egg quality. However, they affected the malondialdehyde (MDA) value of eggs on the 42nd day of storage significantly (P <0.05). The highest MDA value was obtained from the eggs of ‘omnivorous’ hens. More hens (51.4%) in the choice group preferred omnivorous feed to ‘vegetarian’. Panellists found organoleptic differences among sample eggs from hens subjected to various feeding methods. They reported that the eggs obtained from vegetarian hens were preferable. The conclusions were that i) no feeding method changed egg yield performance and quality, ii) omnivorous feeding shortened the shelf-life of eggs, iii) hens with a choice of feed did not reject the omnivorous diet, but increased their intake, and iv) the panellists disliked eggs from the omnivorous hens. Finally, these preferences should be considered in legislation for poultry feeding and animal husbandry

Spraying opened sugar beet pulp silage with oregano essential oil helps to sustain quality and stability

This study was conducted to determine the effects of spraying oregano essential oil (OEO) onto sugar beet pulp silage (SBPS) on silage quality and aerobic stability after opening. A factorial experiment with three replicates of three treatments and four time periods was conducted using laboratory-type plastic silos. The treatments were an untreated control, silage sprayed with 10 ml/75 cm2 OEO, and silage sprayed with 20 ml/75 cm2 OEO. The silages were sampled at 0, 72, 120, and 168 hours after spraying. Temperature, L*, a*, and b* colour values, pH, water-soluble carbohydrates, crude nutrient contents, Fleig score, metabolizable energy (ME) value, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), total live bacteria (TLB), yeast, and mould formation were assessed. Spraying OEO onto SBPS did not affect L*, a*, and b* values, pH, water-soluble carbohydrates, and Fleig score values, but decreased temperature. Spraying OEO onto the silage increased organic matter, ether extract, acid detergent fibre, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent lignin contents without affecting crude protein, crude fibre, nitrogen free extract, and ME contents. Irrespective of treatment, crude protein, ether extract, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin, nitrogen free extract, Fleig score, and ME contents of silages increased with time after spraying. The OEO spraying reduced LAB, TLB, and yeast contents in silages. In conclusion, OEO spraying onto opened SBPS reduced LAB, TLB, and yeast formation and stopped mould growth up to 72 hours without affecting their nutritional properties, suggesting that OEO could be used to ensure the stability of SBPS. Keywords: aerobic stability, mould growth, silage microbiology, nutrients, feeding managemen

Re: the protection of therapeutic lifestyle change in individuals with prehypertension; a valuable study

[No abstract available

The effect of triclosan on in vitro embryonic development in rat [Triklosanın in vitro embriyonik rat gelişimi üzerine etkisi]

Triclosan (TCS) is a broad spectrum antimicrobial agent showing its effect by deactivating the fatty acid synthesis of bacteria. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of TCS on in vitro embryonic development in rats and to determine the levels of caspases 2, 7, 8, and 9 inducing cells to apoptosis through gene expression. According to the TCS dose added to the culture whole rat serum, 3 experimental groups and a control group were formed with each including 10 embryos. After 48 h culturing period, embryos were subjected to morphological scoring for developmental evaluation. The levels of caspases 2, 7, 8, and 9 were measured by performing gene expression on 40 embryos. Significant decreases were obtained in all parameters of morphological scoring in the experimental groups as the dose of TCS increased. While the caspase-2 level showed a significant decrease among the groups and was inversely proportional to the level of TCS, the caspase-9 level showed a significant increase among the groups and was directly proportional to the level of TCS. In conclusion, TCS was determined to cause apoptosis in the cells via the intrinsic pathway during pregnancy period and lead to embryonic growth retardation, which increased with increased dose of TCS. © 2020, Veteriner Fakultesi Dergisi. All rights reserved