Effects of Biochar with Vitamin C as Replacement of Dietary Mineral Supplements on Performance and Egg Shell Quality of Laying Hens

Introduction: Humate material was used as feed additives in poultry nutrition. The biochar as a useful fertilizer in agriculture industry is a humate material that increases growth of plants. This fertilizer can as an additive be use in the poultry and animals feed, due to has many minerals material and two organic acid (humic and fulvic) in its compound. The reduce cost of diet in poultry industry for egg production, is an important goal. The biochar as a dietary additive is easily derived from burn organic material and agriculture byproduct. In recent years, several studies have been conducted to determine the effect of humic acid as an additive on performance poultry. In a study, dietary supplementation of laying hens with humic acid improves the performance and egg shape index. Investigating the effect of biochar as replacement of dietary mineral supplements on performance and egg shell quality of laying hens is rare. One of the properties of vitamin C (VC) is chelating properties, and with this property, it increases the intestinal absorption of minerals in birds. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of biochar (as a humate material) in five levels and vitamin C in two levels as replacement of dietary mineral supplements on performance and egg shell quality of laying hens.                       Materials and Methods: The current experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of biochar with vitamin C as replacement of mineral supplement in diet of laying hen. A total of 400 laying hens of Bovans strain, were randomly assigned to 10 experimental groups in a 5×2 factorial treatment arrangement with five replications and eight laying hens in each replicate during three 30-day periods. Factors tested included biochar levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% replacement with mineral supplements of diet) and vitamin C levels (0 and 100 mg/kg of diet). The feed intake, feed conversion ratio and daily weight gain were determined. Records of the feed intake were taken on by daily basis. Feed conversion ratio was calculated as grams of feed consumed to grams of egg mass. To determine egg shell quality characteristics, the shape index was calculated by using egg height and egg width. The egg specific gravity was evaluated by floating eggs in soluble of water and salt with different density. The egg breaking strength was measured by resistance meter.Results and Discussion: Replacing biochar levels from 25 to 100% mineral supplement of diet, with and without vitamin C, had no effect on performance characteristics (feed intake, feed conversion ratio and daily weight gain) and egg shell quality traits (egg shape index, egg specific gravity and egg breaking strength) in total of period of the experiment (50 to 61 weeks of age). The levels of 25 and 50% biochar, plus vitamin C in diet decreased feed intake in the first period. Whereas, the level of 75% biochar, plus vitamin C in diet increased feed intake in this period. The egg shape index with the addition of vitamin C in diet decreased in the third period. The reason of no significant effect of biochar on performance and egg shell quality can be due to the different sources and amounts of biochar in poultry diet. The reason of no significant effect of vitamin C on performance and egg shell quality in laying hens can be due to the bird environmental temperature. The use of vitamin C in diet of laying hens under heat stress improves their performance. Whereas, this study was performed in normal environmental temperature. The second reason is the chelating properties of vitamin C,  that can be increased absorption minerals in birds intestinal. But due to advanced digestive tract of laying hens, maybe decrease its properties.   Conclusion: The results of present study showed that biochar across all levels had similar cost with control group, and it had no effect on egg shell quality and performance of laying hens. There was no significant interaction between biochar and vitamin C regrding to performance, egg shell quality traits and cost of diet during 50 to 61 weeks of age, too. Therefore, biochar can be completely replaced with dietary mineral supplements of laying hens due to its low cost, high availability, easy production without adverse effects on performance and egg quality traits

Investigating the Effects of Using of Biochar as a Replacement for Minerals Premix in Layers Diet on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Their Egg Shells

Biochar is a mineral compound with a low cost of production. This compound can also be used as a fertilizer in agriculture to help plants grow faster and is a main source of bioenergy for heating and cooking. The goal of this study was to investigate how replacement of biochar with a mineral supplement, as well as its interaction with vitamin C, would affect eggshell quality of laying hens. In a 5×2 factorial treatment design, 400 laying hens were randomly assigned to 10 treatments, 5 replications, and 8 laying hens for each repetition. Factors tested included biochar levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 percent replacement with mineral supplements of diet) and vitamin C levels (0 and 100 mg/kg of diet). The results showed that different experimental diets had no significant effect on eggshell quality (shell breaking strength, shell weight, eggshell thickness, and eggshell ash) of laying hens. The results revealed that biochar, due to its availability and easy production, can replace mineral supplements in laying hens’ diet, with no adverse effects on eggshell quality traits

The Effects of In ovoInjection of Ascorbic Acid on Hatchability, Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology, and Tibia Breaking Strength in 36h Post Hatch Fasted Broiler Chickens

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of intra-amnion administration of different doses of ascorbic acid (AA) on hatchability, growth performance, blood metabolites, jejunal morphology, and tibia breaking strength in 36h post hatch fasted broiler chickens. Two hundred eighty-eight Ross-308 fertile eggs at the 15thday of incubation were divided into four treatment groups, each containing four replicates of 18 eggs. The treatments included non-injected (control), injected into the amnion with 0.7 mL diluent (distilled water; sham treatment), and injected with 0.7 mL diluent containing 3 or 6 mg AA. The neonatal chicks were deprived of feed and water for 36 h. Hatched chicks were raised till 10 d of age. Hatch percentage was increased due to in ovo injection of 6 mg/egg AA.In ovo injection of different levels of AA had no significant effect on body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio. In ovo injection of AA, especially at the 6 mg level, significantly increased villus height, villus width, and villus height: crypt depth ratio at 3 d of age. Tibia resistance and breaking strength were improved by in ovo injection of 6 mg AA when compared to the control at 10 d of age. In conclusion, it seems in ovo injection of 6 mg AA/egg on 15th d of incubation could have a positive impact on hatchability, intestinal morphology, and bone characteristics in broiler chickens

Effects of Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) Essential Oil Compared with Growth Promoter Antibiotic and Probiotic on Growth Performance, Meat Quality, and Immune Response of Broiler Chickens

Introduction: Application of growth-promoting antibiotics in poultry nutrition improves growth, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and reduces mortality. But, due to their persistent effects and increased drug resistance to pathogenic bacteria and the transmission of bacteria to humans through the food chain, the European Union banned their use. One of the natural alternatives is medicinal plants. Because plant products for reasons such as availability, ease of use, reduction of side effects, antibacterial and antioxidant properties, were used to treat some diseases in humans and animals. Among these medicinal plants we can mention yarrow with the scientific name of Achillea millefolium. This plant in addition to high antimicrobial and antioxidant properties; has antifungal properties, stimulates appetite, improves digestion and feed intake, improves the condition of the gastrointestinal tract, etc. This plant also accelerates digestion and shortens the passage of food through the gastrointestinal tract by increasing bile production and enzymatic activity. On the other hand, probiotics are living microorganisms of a nonpathogenic and nontoxic in nature that improve gastrointestinal health and improve performance in birds by improving intestinal microbial balance. According to these cases, this study was performed to evaluate the effect of yarrow essential oil in comparison with a growth-promoting antibiotic and probiotic on performance of broiler chickens.Materials and Methods: A total of 200 day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were studied in a completely randomized design with five treatments, and four replicates. Experimental diets were: 1) basal diet (control), 2 and 3) basal diets supplemented with 100 and 200 mg/kg of yarrow essential oil, respectively, 4) basal diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg probiotic, and 5) basal diet supplemented with 500 mg/kg antibiotic (flavophospholipol). Body weight and feed intake were measured at the end of each growing period and were used to calculate Performance parameters such as body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio. At the end of the experiment, one bird per each replicate was slaughtered for meat quality tests, including measurements of TBARS, pH, water holding capacity, dripping loss and antibody titer. For TBARS, the amount of fat oxidation of the sample was measured by measuring the amount of malondialdehyde and the microtiter hemagglutination method was used to determine the antibody titer produced against sheep erythrocytes.Results and Discussion: During the whole experimental period, birds received yarrow essential oil at 100 mg/kg diet, showed significantly higher body weight and lower FCR compared to the control group(P <0.05).  The lowest feed intake was observed in birds that were fed from the level of 200 mg/kg of yarrow essential oil. However, this effect was significant only in comparison with antibiotic treatment, which showed the highest feed intake (P <0.05). Different results have been reported in this regard which can be related to the type of plant, the amount of active ingredients, the level of the medicinal plant used and the interactions with other components of the diet. The TBARS index, indicating lipid oxidation of meat, in chickens fed with different levels of yarrow essential oil and probiotic were lower compared to the control group and antibiotics. In vitro, researchers have shown that plant essential oils, such as yarrow alkaloids, can reduce free radicals and can be a good alternative to synthetic antioxidants. Also in the study of using a mixture of plant extracts increased the concentration of phenols and decreased the amount of TBARS in the meat of broilers. pH, water holding capacity, dripping loss and cooking loss were not affected by the dietary treatments. The antibody titer against sheep red blood cell (SRBC) was lower in the control group in compare to those fed different levels of yarrow essential oil. In some studies, yarrow has increased humoral immunity with its antimicrobial and antioxidant properties; but, the amount used and the concentration of plant material were also effective.Conclusion: Based on the results, the use of 100 mg/kg yarrow essential oil increased body weight, improved feed conversion ratio and also increased antibody titer at 42 days of age. On the other hand, the TBARS index in chickens fed with different levels of yarrow essential oil was lower in compare to control group. Finally, according to the results, it can be concluded that the use of yarrow essential oil at the level of 100 mg/kg can be a good substitute to antibiotics in poultry nutrition

Effect of using different levels of Nigella sativa meal on the growth performance and meat quality of Japanese quails

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary Nigella sativa meal (NSM) on the growth performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics, egg yolk cholesterol and meat quality in Japanese quail. For this purpose 300 one-day old Japanese quail chicks in a completely randomized design was used with five treatments in four replicates )containing 15 birds each(. The experimental diets were control group (without NSM) and diets containing 5, 10, 15 and 20% of NSM. Feed intake of birds fed diets with 5 and 15% of NSM were statistically higher than control group. Weight gain in birds fed with 15% of NSM was significantly higher than control group. Feed conversion ratio of birds fed diets with 20% of NSM was statistically higher than control. No significant treatment effect was observed on egg yolk cholesterol, blood parameters (including triglyceride, HDL and total cholesterol concentrations) and meat quality parameters (TBA, WHC, Dripping loss, Cooking loss). And also the use of different levels of NSM had no any significant effect on internal organs weight, except gizzard. NSM significantly decreased feed costs compared to control group. So, by using NSM up to 15% in Japanese quails diets, can improve weight gain and feed conversion ratio and decrease feed and meat production costs

Effect of Zinc Sulfate and Organic Chromium Supplementation on the Performance, Meat Quality and Immune Response of Japanese Quails under Heat Stress Conditions

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different levels of zinc sulfate and chromium picolinate on the performance, immune response and meat quality of Japanese quails under heat stress condition. The birds (n = 540; 7-d-old) were randomly assigned to 9 treatment groups consisting of 3 replicates of 20 birds each in a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments [zinc (0, 40, 80 mg/Kg); chromium (0, 500, 1000 μg/Kg)]. Birds were kept in floor cages in a temperature controlled room and subjected to heat stress for 8 h/d (9.00 to 17.00) from 7 d to the end of the study. Zn was supplemented to the basal diet as ZnSO4 and Cr as chromium picolinate. A linear decrease in feed intake and an improvement in feed conversion ratio were found by supplementing Zn and Cr to the quails diets. Chromium supplementation increased daily weight gain linearly. By  increasing the level of dietary Zn and Cr in the diet, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio and meat quality parameters were improved linearly. The results of this study revealed positive effects of Zn and Cr supplementation on the performance, immune responses and meat quality of quails under heat stress condition. It seems that supplementation of the quail's diets with 80 mg/Kg Zn and 1000 mg/Kg Cr can be greatly helpful for improving the adverse effects of heat stress

The effect of replacing sodium selenite with selenium-chitosan in laying hens on production performance, egg quality, egg selenium concentration, microbial population, immunological response, antioxidant enzymes, and fatty acid composition

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to investigate into the effects of Se-chitosan and Na selenite supplementation on laying hen production performance, egg quality, egg Se concentration, microbial population, immunological response, antioxidant enzymes activity, and yolk fatty acid profile. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, 168 27-wk-old laying hens were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups and 7 replications. Se source (Na selenite and Se-chitosan) and Se level (0.3 and 0.6 mg/kg) were used as treatments. Se-chitosan enhanced egg production percentage and egg mass (P < 0.05) when compared with Na selenite. There was an interaction, with 0.6 mg Se-chitosan/kg causing an increase in albumen height, Haugh unit, albumen index, and shell thickness of fresh eggs (P < 0.05). Se-chitosan increased yolk share, yolk color, and shape index of fresh eggs and shape index, albumen index, albumen height, Haugh unit, yolk color, shell thickness, and specific gravity of stored eggs (P < 0.05). The interaction showed that, 0.6 mg Se-chitosan/kg increased albumen Se concentration and decreased the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) in fresh egg yolk compared with 0.3 and 0.6 mg Na selenite/kg (P < 0.05). When compared with Na selenite, Se-chitosan increased the Se concentration in the yolk and decreased level of MDA in stored egg yolk (P < 0.01). When compared with Na selenite, Se-chitosan reduced coliforms (P < 0.01), increased lactic acid bacteria, and the lactic acid bacteria/coliform ratio (P < 0.05). Se-chitosan supplementation increased antibody response to sheep red blood cells and IgM titers and the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in plasma (P < 0.05). Furthermore, compared with Na selenite, supplementing diets with Se-chitosan decreased ∑ n-6 PUFA/∑ n-3 PUFA ratio (P < 0.01). In conclusion, Se-chitosan supplementation of laying hen feed improved production performance, egg quality, egg Se concentration, yolk lipid oxidation, microbial population, immune response, antioxidant enzymes activity, and yolk fatty acid profile, with 0.6 mg Se-chitosan/kg supplementation being optimal

Effect of pennyroyal, savory and thyme essential oils on Japanese quail physiology

An experiment was conducted to show the effects of different levels of pennyroyal, thyme and savory essential oils dietary supplementation on performance, organs weight, intestinal morphology, and serum lipids in quails. A total of 550 day-old Japanese quail chicks were allocated into 11 dietary treatments of 5 replications (10 birds in each cage) under a randomized experimental design. The treatments were a basal diet (Control), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of thyme essential oil (TO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of savory essential oil (SO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of pennyroyal essential oil (PO) added separately to the basal diet, or also the basal diet supplemented with 100 ppm of flavophospholipol. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured weekly and calculated totally for 35 d. The organs weight and morphology of intestine parts of one bird from each cage were measured on 35 d. At the same day, blood samples were collected and cholesterol and triglyceride values were separately determined for male and female quails. Although the addition of different levels of essential oils in quail's diet did not affect BWG, a significant decline in FI was observed in the group supplemented with 400 ppm of TO. At the same time, FCR significantly improved (P < 0.05) in the same group as well as in the group supplemented with the antibiotic. However, the organs weight was not significantly affected by the experimental treatments. Nevertheless, villi height of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was significantly increased and crypt depth was significantly decreased in the quails fed diets supplemented with different levels of TO and SO. The values of serum triglycerides decreased in both sexes in the groups that received diets supplemented with different levels of essential oils whereas the values of cholesterol decreased only in males of the essential oils supplemented groups. From the present observations it can be concluded that thyme and savory essential oils can improve FCR by decreasing FI through boosting the absorption of nutrients in intestine. These plant essential oils can replace antibiotic growth parameters without having any adverse effect on quail's health with thyme essential oil exerting the most effective activity