Risk of Heavy Metals from Using Broiler Litter as an Alternative Animal Feedstuff or Organic Fertilizer

Potential risk of heavy metal residues in poultry litter is considered as one of the environmental concerns of litter applications on agricultural land or as animal feedstuff. Therefore, a total of 136 litter samples were collected from broiler farms and examined for the presence of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), aluminum (Al) and nickel (Ni) using ZEEnit 700P Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer with Graphite Furness. The results showed that all litter samples contained notable concentrations of the analyzed metals and their order was Ni > Al > Pb > Cd. Standard limit for heavy metals in litter differs greatly if it is applied to pasture or as feed for animals. It was found that Pb content in litter was 8-10 times as FAO limit when used as fish feed. Meanwhile, Pb level was higher than the European Communities standard in 24% of litter samples when used as complete feedstuff for animals. However, Pb level was much lower than the Spanish legislation for fertilizers. Additionally, Al, Ni and Cd content did not exceed the legally permitted guideline limits when used as feedstuff or fertilizer. It was concluded that, poultry litter contained high Pb level, which may accumulate in the body and can pose health risk when used as an alternative feedstuff for fish and animals

Effect of Chinese Propolis Supplementation on Ross Broiler Chicks: Microbial Population in Fecal matter and Litter

Propolis has been considered a good candidate for health amelioration and disease prevention over a long period of time. Effect of feed supplementation with Chinese ether extract propolis was evaluated for the antibacterial action on (Ross 308) broiler chicks and their litter over 35 days. The addition of different levels of propolis (100, 250 and 750 mg/kg diet) on total aerobic and coliform bacteria as well as Lactobacillus spp. and bifidobacteria were determined. Supplementation of propolis significantly increased (p<0.05) the desired stimulating effect of Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacteria in fecal samples of all treatment groups compared to control group. However, propolis did not have an impact to reduce the total aerobic and coliform bacteria compared to control group in both fecal and litter samples. In conclusion, Chinese propolis improved the beneficial normal gut microflora and had a limited effect on the total aerobic and coliform bacteria in broiler chicks and litter quality

AGRIMOS® Prebiotics: Effect on Behavior, Performance, Cecal Microbial Population and Humeral Immunity in Broiler Chickens

The detrimental impact of summer temperature is a subject of huge concern for poultry health and production in Egypt. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of AGRIMOS® prebiotic on performance, internal organs weight, caecal bacterial count and humoral immunity for Avian influenza vaccine and behavioral tests in broiler chickens reared under cyclic heat stress. At day 28; the birds were exposed to 32°C for 9 hours daily after they were randomly allotted to four treatments: 0, 0.5, 2, and 4 g AGRIMOS kg-1, respectively. The experiment showed that, at 42 days of age, 4 g AGRIMOS kg-1 significantly improved the birds’ performance and significantly increased the abdominal fat, bursa and thymus relative weight as well as, the time of latency to lie and decreased the tonic immobility response. The total aerobic count in the caecal samples showed a significant decrease in all groups received AGRIMOS. However; the lactobacilli count and the Hemagglutination inhibition titers, for avian influenza vaccine, were significantly increased. In conclusion, the AGRIMOS supplement to broiler chickens could be considered a protective prebiotic which control the negative effects of hot environment in summer