Effects of dietary Turkish propolis as alternative to antibiotic on growth and laying performances, nutrient digestibility and egg quality in laying hens under heat stress

In order to evaluate the efficiency of a dietary supplementation with propolis (a product of honey bees) in poultry, the growth and laying performances, the nutrient digestibility and the egg qualities were investigated in Hyline White Leghorn, 42 week old, laying hens reared under a chronic heat stress (ambient temperature of 34 degrees C for 9 hours per day for 2 months) supplemented with propolis (3g/kg) or with antibiotic (flavomycin 50 mg/kg) or not supplemented and compared with laying hens reared under thermoneutral conditions (constant temperature of 22 degrees C), each group containing 30 birds. In addition to the significantly mortality increase, body weights and weight gains, food intake and efficiency and egg production as well as the nutrient digestibility (dry and organic matters, crude proteins and ashes) and the egg shell qualities (thickness and weight) were dramatically altered by the heat stress exposure compared to thermoneutral conditions (P < 0.05). However the dietary supplementations of hens with flavomycin or with propolis have significantly reduced the negative effects of heat stress on performances, nutrient digestibility (dry matter, crude proteins and organic matter) and egg shell characteristics (P < 0.05). No significant difference on any parameter was evidenced between the 2 supplemented groups. These results demonstrate that propolis exhibited the same efficiency than antibiotic for restoring performances, nutrient digestibility and egg qualities in laying hens chronically exposed to heat stress

Effects of Propolis, Royal Jelly, Bee Pollen and Ronozyme Supplementation in Diets of Japanese Quails (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) on Yolk Lipid Peroxidation

This study discovers the possible effect propolis, royal jelly, bee pollen and Ronozyme supplementation in diets that can be beneficial for Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Total one hundred and sixty Japanese quails at 43 days of age were used and divided randomly into 4 replicate groups each containing 32 animals. The experimental groups as follows: control group was feed a basal diet, royal jelly group was added to the water with 500 mg/kg diet, propolis group was feed orally on a basal diet supplemented with 4 g/kg diet, bee pollen group was feed orally on a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg diet, Ronozyme group was feed orally a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg diet for 74 days. Malondialdehyde (MDA) levels of the yolk were found highest in the control, royal jelly and Ronozyme groups as compared with bee pollen and propolis groups (p<0.05). MDA levels was significantly improved in the bee pollen and propolis groups as compared with royal jelly and Ronozyme groups (p<0.05). In conclusion, this experiment demonstrated that quails supplemented with propolis and bee pollen could produce egg rich. This study will help the researcher to uncover the critical areas of egg quality that many researchers were not able to explore. Thus a new theory on these compounds may be arrived at