Evaluation of Oregano Leaves and Plant Bioactive Lipid Compounds as Feed Additives for Growing Rabbits: Effects on Performance, Nutrient Digestibility, Serum Metabolic Profile and Carcass Traits

Author(s):  
Ahmed A.A. Abdel-Wareth ◽  
Saskia Kehraus ◽  
Karl-Heinz Südekum
2016 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 893-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
M.M. Abd El-Tawab ◽  
I.M.I. Youssef ◽  
H.A. Bakr ◽  
G.C. Fthenakis ◽  
N.D. Giadinis

AbstractSmall ruminants represent an important economic source in small farm systems and agriculture. Feed is the main component of livestock farming, which has gained special attention to improve animal performance. Many studies have been done to improve feed utilisation through addition of feed additives. For a long period, antibiotics have been widely used as growth promoters in livestock diets. Due to their ban in many countries, search for alternative feed additives has been intensified. Probiotics are one of these alternatives recognised to be safe to the animals. Use of probiotics in small ruminant nutrition has been confirmed to improve animal health, productivity and immunity. Probiotics improved growth performance through enhancing of rumen microbial ecosystem, nutrient digestibility and feed conversion rate. Moreover, probiotics have been reported to stabilise rumen pH, increase volatile fatty acids production and to stimulate lactic acid utilising protozoa, resulting in a highly efficient rumen function. Furthermore, use of probiotics has been found to increase milk production and can reduce incidence of neonatal diarrhea and mortality. However, actual mechanisms through which probiotics exert these functions are not known. Since research on application of probiotics in small ruminants is scarce, the present review attempts to discuss the potential roles of this class of feed additives on productive performance and health status of these animals.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Sara Khalil Sherif

Sixty 7-week-old New Zealand White rabbits were randomly distributed into 5 equal experimental groups. The experimental rabbits were fed the tested diets till 14 weeks of age during summer season. The basal diet without feed additives (control; T1) and the other experimental diets were supplemented with enzymes at 0.5 g/kg (T2), organic acids at 1.0 g/kg (T3), Beta-pro at 0.2 g/kg (T4) or their combination (T5). The criteria of response were body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, some blood constituents, carcass traits and economic efficiency. The obtained results can be summarized as follows: Positive effects of feed additives were observed on live body weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion of growing rabbits. There were no significant effects on blood parameters or carcass traits due to feed additives. It can be concluded that dietary Beta-pro (enzymes+probiotics) or a combination of enzymes, organic acids and Beta-pro at the tested levels can be used to improve the rabbit performance, with no adverse effects on carcass characteristics or blood parameters.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bich Van Le Thanh ◽  
Martin Lessard ◽  
Younès Chorfi ◽  
Frédéric Guay

Thanh, B. V. L., Lessard, M., Chorfi, Y. and Guay, F. 2015. The efficacy of anti-mycotoxin feed additives in preventing the adverse effects of wheat naturally contaminated with Fusarium mycotoxins on performance, intestinal barrier function and nutrient digestibility and retention in weanling pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 197–209. This study was designed to determine the effect of feeding deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated wheat to growing pigs on growth performance, digestibility and retention of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca). Secondly, we wished to evaluate the potential of four commercial anti-mycotoxin additives in preventing the adverse effects of DON. Sixty piglets (6.0 kg body weight) were assigned to six different corn-soybean meal-wheat diets (control diet: <0.5 mg kg−1 DON; contaminated diet (DON-contaminated): 4 mg kg−1; and four contaminated diets supplemented with a different anti-mycotoxin additive: DON+GLUC (glucomannan), DON+YBP (yeast, live bacteria, enzymes, plant extracts), DON+ALU (aluminosilicate) and DON+PC (preservation components). Piglets were housed individually in pens for 7 d and then transferred to metabolic crates for urine and feces collection for 7 d. At the end of these 2 wk, mannitol and lactulose doses were given by oral administration. Urine was collected for 24 h for an evaluation of barrier integrity of intestinal mucosa. The piglets were then euthanatized and intestinal samples collected for morphology studies. Feeding DON-contaminated wheat reduced average daily feed intake, average daily gain and G:F ratio compared with the control diet (P<0.05). Only DON+PC diet restored the growth performance of piglets fed DON-contaminated diet. Daily retention of N and P was not affected by DON contamination or anti-mycotoxin additives, but retention of Ca was higher in piglets fed the DON-contaminated diets than the control diet. DON-contaminated diet reduced digestibility of dry matter, gross energy and fat, villi height in jejunum, and recovery of mannitol and lactulose compared with the control diet (P<0.05). Finally, DON concentrations in serum from piglets fed the DON-contaminated diets were higher than in the control diet (P<0.05). Piglets fed DON-contaminated wheat had reduced growth possibly caused by impaired jejunal morphology and decreased digestibility of energy and fat.


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