Effects of Phytogenic Feed Additive and Enzyme on Growth Performance of Broilers Fed Diets with Reduced Energy Concentrations

The effects of dietary supplementation with phytogenic feed additives (PFA) and enzyme (E) on performance parameters were investigated using Ross 308 as hatched broilers fed standard diets or diets with reduced energy concentrations. Birds were assigned to 5 treatments with 5 replications each and fed either a standard basal diet or a re-formulated basal diet with reduced energy concentrations. Reduction was made according to enzyme matrix (Ronozyme WX, DSM). Treatments were: (1) Standard diet; (2) Negative control (NC) – 4% reduction in ME (3) NC + E; (4) NC + PFA (5) NC + E + PFA. Body weight and feed consumption were recorded weekly. Mortality was recorded on daily basis. Foot pad lesions were scored at day 35 using scale from 0 (no lesion) to 2 (lesion extending through skin). The results showed that birds fed Negative control diets had a significantly lower body weights (P0.05). Mortality and FCR did not differ significantly between treatments. Average foot pad lesion score was the highest in Negative control (1.05) and the lowest in NC+E (0.55). In conclusion, re-formulation of diets for 4% energy reduction decreased broiler growth rate. Supplementation of diets with PFA improved live weight especially in combination with enzyme, hence confirming a growth-promoting effect of both phytogenics and enzymes in broilers

A Syriac Incantation Bowl in the Finnish National Museum, Helsinki. A Specimen of Eastern Aramaic "koiné"

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Effect of a dietary essential oil mixture on performance of laying hens in the summer season

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplements of either an essential oil mixture (EOM) or a mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) as alternatives to an antibiotic feed additive (avilamycin) for layers kept under hot summer conditions. Four hundred and eighty 54-week old Nick-Brown hens were assigned to four dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of four replications of 10 cages (three hens per cage). The treatment groups were: 1) Control: Basal diet without additive; 2) Basal diet plus antibiotic (10 mg avilamycin/kg feed); 3) Basal diet plus 1 g MOS/kg feed; 4) Basal diet plus 24 mg EOM/kg feed. Performance of laying hens was affected by dietary treatments. Dietary supplementation of EOM and MOS significantly increased egg production compared with control and antibiotic groups. There were no significant differences in feed consumption between treatments. The EOM significantly improved feed conversion ratio above that of the control group. Egg weights were significantly different between treatments. Laying hens consuming MOS produced significantly lower egg weights than the other groups, while egg weights in the EOM, antibiotic and control groups did not differ significantly. Cracked-broken egg rate was decreased by dietary addition of EOM, MOS and antibiotic compared with the control. Number of deaths among hens was significantly affected by dietary treatments with the number of deaths in the MOS treatment being significantly lower than in the other treatments. The performance of laying hens during the summer season could be maintained with inclusions of EOM and MOS in the diet. Keywords: Essential oils, mannan oligosaccharide, antibiotic, egg production, laying hen, summer seasonSouth African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 36 (4) 2006: pp. 215-22

Effects of rearing systems on performance, egg characteristics and immune response in two layer hen genotype

White (Lohmann LSL) and Brown (ATAK-S) laying hens, were reared under organic and conventional cage rearing systems, and the effects of the rearing system on performance parameters, egg production, egg characteristics, and immune response were investigated. For this purpose, a total of 832 laying hens of two commercial hybrids, i.e., 416 white (Lohmann LSL) and 416 Brown (ATAK-S) layers, were used. The experiment lasted between 23 and 70 wk of age. In this study, the white layers yielded more eggs as compared to the brown layers in both organic and conventional production systems. Egg weight exhibited a similar pattern to that of laying performance. However, the total hen-housed egg number for the white birds in the organic system was fewer than that of white birds in the conventional cage facility; conversely, a contradictory tendency was observed for the brown birds. Livability of the white layers in the organic system was remarkably lower (14%) than that of the brown line, whereas the white line survived better (3.42%) than their brown counterparts in conventional cages. The feed conversion ratio of the white hens was markedly inferior in the organic system as compared to that of the white hens in the conventional system, whereas relatively lower deterioration was reported in brown layers when reared in an organic system. The organic production system increased egg albumen height and the Haugh unit in eggs of the brown layers. The yolk color score of organic eggs was lower than that of conventional eggs for both brown and white hens. The egg yolk ratio of eggs from white layers was found to be higher in organic eggs as compared to those obtained in the conventional system. All organic eggs had heavier shells than those produced in the conventional system. Eggs from brown layers had more protein content than eggs from white layers. Neither housing systems nor genotype influenced egg yolk cholesterol concentration. When compared to conventional eggs, n-3 fatty acid content was lower in organic eggs, and the n-6:n-3 ratio was higher in organic eggs. In conclusion, two hen genotypes showed different responses in terms of performance and egg quality to two different rearing systems. A commercial white strain produced more eggs with higher egg quality as compared to a native brown strain. The brown strain was found to have adapted well to organic production conditions when survival and total egg number was taken into consideration

Kvalitet mesa grudi brojlera hranjenih brašnom od kalifornijskih glista i svežim glistama (Lumbricus rubellus)

The goal of the work was to investigate the physical and chemical characteristics of the meat of broilers fed with mixtures in which fishmeal had been replaced with fresh earthworms and worm meal. The experiment was carried out on 100 day-old chickens of both sexes, Hybro provenance, divided into 4 groups, 25 broilers each. The experiment lasted for 42 days and had three phases: the first lasted for 3 weeks, the second 2 weeks and the third 1 week. The control group of broilers were fed with complete feed for chickens for fattening, of standard fiber and chemical composition, while I and II experimental groups were fed with mixture in which fishmeal had been replaced by worm meal in an amount of 50 and 100 %, and III experimental group obtained a mixture with no fishmeal, but fresh, chopped earthworms ad libitum instead, from the 1st day to the end of the experiment. At the end of the experiment, on the 42nd day, the broilers were transported to a slaughterhouse. After individual weighing they were slaughtered, and primary processing and cooling of the carcasses were performed. Then the carcasses were cut up to the main parts and the breast samples were taken for examining the physical and sensory properties of the meat. The results of the investigation have shown that there was no difference in physical properties (colour, pH) of the breast meat (p>0.05) among the experimental groups. The breast meat sample ranking has shown that the E-II group samples were rated as the most acceptable while the least acceptable were the meat samples of the control group as well as of the group fed with food in which fishmeal was completely replaced with fresh earthworms.Cilj rada je bio da se ispitaju fizičke i senzorne osobine mesa brojlera hranjenih smešama u kojima je izvršena supstitucija ribljeg brašna svežim glistama i brašnom od glista. Ogled je izveden na 100 jednodnevnih piladi oba pola Hybro provenijencije, podeljenih u 4 grupe po 25 brojlera. Ogled je trajao 42 dana i odvijao se u tri faze, pri čemu je prva faza trajala 3 nedelje, druga 2, a treća 1 nedelju. Kontrolna grupa brojlera je bila hranjena potpunim smešama za ishranu piladi u tovu, standardnog sirovinskog i hemijskog sastava, I i II eksperimentalna grupa hranjena je smešom u kojoj je riblje brašno supstituisano brašnom glista u količini od 50 i 100%, a III eksperimentalna gupa je dobijala smešu iz koje je potpuno isključeno riblje brašno s tim što je ova grupa dobijala od 1. dana do kraja ogleda sveže, seckane gliste ad libitum. Na kraju ogleda, 42. dana, brojleri su transportovaní u klanicu. Posle pojedinačnog merenja obavljeno je klanje, primarna obrada i hlađenje zaklanih brojlera. Potom se pristupilo rasecanju trupa na osnovne delove i uzimanju uzoraka grudi za ispitivanje fizičkih i senzornih osobina mesa. Rezultati ispitivanja su pokazali da između eksperimentalnih grupa nije bilo razlike u fizičkim osobinama (boja, pH) mesa grudi (p>0.05). Rangiranjem uzoraka mesa grudi kao najprihvatljiviji ocenjeni su uzorci E-II grupe, a kao najmanje prihvatljivi uzorci mesa kontrolne grupe i grupe hranjene hranom u kojoj je potpuno izvšena zamena ribljeg brašna svežim glistama

Application of botanicals in poultry production to improve microbiological quality

Foodborne illness and outbreaks associated with poultry products are commonly caused by Campylobacter jejuni or Salmonella enterica. These pathogens colonize the bird intestines during rearing, and if processing, handling or cooking is not done properly, contamination and human illness can occur. Probiotics, prebiotics and botanicals are being evaluated as novel feed additives to reduce pathogen colonization and serve as growth promoter additives in poultry production. Some botanicals are of industrial interest because they are natural antimicrobials or possess beneficial effects on human health. In this research, the application of a botanical (yerba mate) and a probiotic were evaluated as feed additives for broiler chickens to reduce Salmonella colonization. First, the antimicrobial activity of yerba mate extract was evaluated in vitro against Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB). Then, in vivo evaluations were conducted. Day-of-hatch chicks were treated with of the following 1) no treatment (control); 2) ground yerba mate in feed; 3) probiotic treatment (Lactobacillus acidophilus and Pediococcus; 9:1 administered once on day-of-hatch by gavage) or 4) both yerba mate and probiotic treatments. At day 3, all chicks were challenged with SE and at day 10, all birds were euthanized and cecal contents enumerated for Salmonella. For the in vitro evaluation, antimicrobial activity was observed against Salmonella, while the same treatment enhanced growth of LAB. For in vivo evaluations, the probiotic treatment significantly reduced Salmonella colonization in the horizontal transmission experiment while none of the yerba mate treatments significantly reduced SE colonization. Yerba mate decreased chicken body weight and decreased the performance of the probiotic treatment when used in combination. It is important to evaluate the use of novel probiotics, prebiotics or botanicals for poultry production. Bird health, growth promoter effects or antinutritional factors of botanicals should be considered before designing diets

Effect of housing environment and laying hen strain on performance, egg quality and bone properties as well as cloacal and eggshell microbiology

Laying hen welfare is gaining importance in the United States and several states have passed legislation for a welfareriendly housing environment, which has forced the egg industry to explore alternative housing environments. For this reason, our first objective was to determine the effect of housing environment and laying hen strain on production performance and egg quality. Results showed that production performance of the hens raised in the alternative housing system was similar to the conventional system. The second objective was to compare the eggshell and cloacal microbiology. Our results indicated that the microbial load observed was higher in the alternative system compared to the conventional system. The third objective was to determine the effects of housing environment and laying hen strain on tibia and femur bone properties. The results demonstrated that the alternative system provided better tibia and femur bone characteristics, but it varied among laying hen strains

Effects of the In Ovo Injection of Inovocox Em1 Vaccine on the Embryogenesis, Posthatch Performance, and Gut Pathology of Ross Ross 708 Broilers

Effects of the in ovo injection of Inovocox EM1 vaccine (EM1 vaccine) suspended in commercial diluent on developing broiler embryos were investigated in 3 trials. Effects of the EM1vaccine administered by in ovo injection on broiler embryogenesis and posthatch performance was determined by evaluating site of injection (SOI), embryo staging (ES), hatchability, and chick quality parameters. Oocyst output, microscopic lesion scores, and grow-out performance were further examined through day 35 posthatch. In these studies, it was shown that oocyst output began at day 3 posthatch (6 days post-injection), and peaked at day 7 posthatch (10 days post-injection). The EM1 vaccine had no effects on hatchability, various and chick quality parameters that were examined in the study. Similarly, grow-out performance through day 35 posthatch was not affected by the EM1 vaccine. SOI and ES provided information on the accuracy of in ovo vaccine delivery to the embryos, and were found to be significantly influenced by embryo age. In conclusion, in ovo injection of the EM1 vaccine has no detrimental effect on broiler embryogenesis, hatching chick quality, or the performance characteristics of Ross × Ross 708 broilers