Performance and egg quality of laying hens fed diets containing aflatoxin, fumonisin and adsorbent

The effects of aflatoxin and fumonisin and their combination on egg production and quality, as well as the efficacy of a mycotoxin adsorbent in reducing or eliminating these effects in commercial layers. A number of 168 layers with initial age of 37 weeks were submitted to an experimental period of 56 days. A completely randomized experimental design in a 3x2+1 factorial arrangement was applied (3 treatments with mycotoxins: aflatoxin (AF), fumonisin (FU), or aflatoxin + fumonisin (AF+FU); 2 treatments with or without adsorbent; and a control group that was fed no mycotoxins, nor adsorbent), totaling 7 treatments with 6 replicated of 4 birds/cage. The dietary inclusion levels were 1ppm AF, 25ppm FU, and 2 kg adsorbent/ton feed. Birds fed AF presented the lowest percentage of lay (p=0.0594). Egg mass was the lowest (p<0.05) in the AF+FU treatment (49.49g). The treatment with AF resulted in higher eggshell thickness and strength (p<0.05) than the FU treatment and the control group. The inclusion of the adsorbent in the AF contaminated feed reduced eggshell strength, which returned to levels similar to those of the control group. The observed changes indicate that aflatoxin is toxic at a concentration of 1ppm, and that the effects of fumonisin were less evident as a function of the low dose applied. The inclusion of the glucan (2kg/ton) effectively reverted some of the toxic effects of aflatoxin and, at lower extension, those of fumonisin, when these mycotoxins were invidually added to commercial layer feeds

Emulsifier in broiler diets containing different fat sources

This present study aimed at evaluating the effect of the addition of an emulsifier to diets containing soybean oil, poultry fat or their blend, on the performance, carcass traits, serum lipid levels, pancreatic lipase concentration and nutrient digestibility of broilers. A randomized block design was applied using a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement, with three fat sources (soybean oil, poultry fat, and a blend of 50% soybean oil and 50% poultry fat) and the addition or not of an emulsifier. In experiment I, broiler performance, carcass traits, serum cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride levels, and pancreatic lipase activity in 42-day-old broilers were evaluated. In experiment II, dry matter (DM), ether extract (EE), crude protein (CP) and crude fiber (CF) coefficients of digestibility were analyzed. Broilers fed the diet containing soybean oil and emulsifier presented higher body weight, weight gain and better feed conversion ratio. When birds were fed poultry fat and the fat blend (soybean oil and poultry fat) and the emulsifier was added to the diets, pancreatic lipase concentration increased. It was concluded that the use of soybean oil, poultry fat and their blend does no in the diet does not influence the performance, carcass traits, or serum cholesterol, HDL and triglyceride levels of 42-day-old broilers. The addition of emulsifiers to diets containing poultry fat improves ether extract digestibility and increases the production and secretion of pancreatic lipase

Effects of Phytogenic Additives and Organic Acids, alone or in combination, on the Performance, Intestinal Quality and Immune Responses of Broiler Chickens

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of phytogenic additives (PA) and organic acids (OA), alone or in combination, on the performance, intestinal histomorphometry and lipid oxidation, and immune responses of broiler chickens. In this experiment, 820 one-day-old chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized design in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial arrangement, with four replicates of 41 broilers each. The dietary treatments consisted of a control diet with no PA or OA (CD); CD with OA and no PA (CD+OA-PA); CD with PA and no OA (CD+PA-CD); CDwith both PA and OA (CD+PA+CD); and CD + avilamycin + monesin sodium. Broiler performance was not affected by the alternative feed additives, except from 1 to 21 days, when broilers fed the CD or CD+PA+OA diets showed higher body weight gain than those fed the CD with only OA. The broilers fed the diet containing avilamycin and monensin presented better performance. The supplementation of PA and OA increased bursalcortical area on21 and 42 days post-hatch. On 21 days post-hatch, broilers fed the AGP diet presented higher ileal villus height than those fed the control diet. The pH values of the jejunum content were reduced on the OA-fed chickens. Higher villus height and crypt depth were found in the alternative additive-fed chickens on 7 days post-hatch. On 42 days post-hatch, the percentage of the bursal cortex increased in PA-fed broilers; however, there was no increase in antibody production. The PA-fed chickens presented lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values in the small intestine. The dietary supplementation of phytogenic additives, individually or in combination associated with organic acids, does not affect broiler live performance or intestinal histomorphometry; however, it enhances immune responses and intestinal quality

Use of Organic Acids and A Competitive Exclusion Product as Growth Promoter and Salmonella Enteritidis Control in Commercial Turkeys

ABSTRACT It is estimated that Salmonella causes one million illnesses in the United States annually, with 19,000 hospitalizations and 380 deaths. There are various serotypes of this bacterium, and the serotypes Typhimurium and Enteritidis are commonly isolated from outbreaks and, in most cases, present resistance to the antibiotics utilized in clinical medicine. One of the current theories to explain the emergence of bacterial resistance is the continuous use of antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds. Despite the lack of evidences that antibiotic growth promoters cause bacterial resistance, the poultry industry has explored strategies to reduce or to eliminate the use of antibiotic growth promoters in the production chain, including the improvement of biosecurity programs, use of vaccines, genetic selection, and the feeding of other additives, such as organic acid blends (OAB) and competitive exclusion (CE) products. This study aimed at evaluating the effect of the continuous dietary supplementation of an OAB and a CE product on the growth performance, pH of the crop and cecal contents, control of Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) in the cecal content, and acute-phase protein serum levels in starter commercial turkeys. The additives promoting similar results as antibiotics under controlled experimental conditions should be further evaluated on commercial farms to allow their utilization under practical conditions. Supplementing commercial turkey diets with the evaluated OAB and CE product may reduce SE load. Serum OVT and AGP levels can be used as effective and fast indicators of infection, including that by SE

Histomorphology of bursa of Fabricius: effects of stock densities on commercial broilers

During the past few years, there has been considerable interest on the effects of stocking density on broiler behavior and immunity. Stress may cause immunodeficiency by affecting cell and humoral responses, as well as body weight decrease, and foot-pad dermatitis. The aim of this study was to study histomorphological changes of the bursa of Fabricius in broilers submitted to three different stocking densities (10, 15, and 20 birds/m²) from one to 42 days of age. Three birds from each group were sacrifieced on days 7 and 42. The bursa was collected, fixed, and processed for histomorphometric assessment using a Kontrom KS 400 image analyzer. Data were analyzed by Biostat 3.0 (Tukey Test). The results of average cortical area percentage in bursal follicles of 6-week-old birds were 45.12a (10 birds/m²), 30.43b (15 birds/m²), and 23.77b (20 birds/m²). Average body weight was 2.58a kg (10 birds/m²), 2.56a Kg (15 birds/m²), and 2.47b Kg (20 birds/m²), respectively. The percentage of foot-pad dermatitis in 6-week-old birds was 3.33a (10 birds/m²), 17.76b (15 birds/m²), and 49.17c (20 birds/m²). These differences were statistically significant at a P<0.05 level. Under these experimental conditions,, it was concluded that the best stocking density to produce broilers is between 10-15 birds per square meter