Effects of Yucca Shidigera Extract and Candida Utilis on Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Weaned Piglets

Abstract BackgroundEconomic benefit is an important goal pursued by animal husbandry industry. The emergence of antibiotics has promoted the development of animal husbandry, but many problems caused by the abuse of antibiotics have caused concerns about the use of antibiotics from all walks of life. Therefore, it is imperative to find alternatives to antibiotics. A large number of studies have shown that plant extracts and probiotics have certain potential in improving animal growth performance, antioxidant capacity and immune function. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Yucca Shidigera Extract (YSE) and Candida Utilis (CU) on weaned piglets. We compared and evaluated the effects of YSE and CU on weaned piglets from the aspects of growth performance, immunity, antioxidant function, ileal morphology and microflora changes. Forty 28-day-old healthy weaned piglets (Rongchang pig×Landrace×Large white) were randomly divided into 4 treatments: (1) control group (CON); (2) CU; (3) YSE; (4) CU+YSE. ResultsOur results showed that YSE and CU improved the growth performance by significantly increasing final weight, average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.05), and there is decreasing trend of feed/gain ratio (P=0.087). The effect of adding YSE or CU alone on growth performance had little difference, and the effect of oral CU was slightly better than that of adding YSE. At the same time, the combination of YSE and CU had a good effect on reducing the diarrhea rate. In addition, both YSE and CU increased the diversity of cecal microflora, and CU increased the diversity more significantly, but did not change the dominant microflora of cecum. We also found that the addition of YSE and CU could maintain the structural integrity of intestinal tissue and regulate intestinal pH, to maintain the level of intestinal-associated immune proteins. At the same time, YSE and CU have certain benefits in regulating intestinal flora. ConclusionYSE and CU can improve the growth performance, reduce the diarrhea rate, improve intestinal health, and increase the diversity and abundance of cecal microflora in weaned piglets. Therefore, they are expected to be used as probiotics in the production of weaned piglets.

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Effects of Dietary Yucca Schidigera Extract and Oral Candida utilis on Growth Performance and Intestinal Health of Weaned Piglets

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.685540 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Zhenguo Yang ◽

Yao Wang ◽

Tianle He ◽

Gifty Ziema Bumbie ◽

Liuting Wu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Candida Utilis ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Health ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Villus Height ◽

Urine Ph ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Yucca Schidigera ◽

Cecal Microflora

Weaning piglets experienced the transformation from breast milk to solid feed and present the proliferation of pathogens, the presence of diarrhea, poor growth performance and even death. Plant extracts and probiotics have certain potential in improving animal growth performance, antioxidant capacity and immune function. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of dietary yucca schidigera extract (YSE) and oral Candida utilis (CU) on growth performance and intestinal health weaned piglets. According to a 2 × 2 factorial design with the main factors being CU (orally administered 1 mL of 0.85% saline with or without CU; fed basal diet with or without 120 mg/kg YSE), forty 28 d healthy weaned piglets were randomly allocated into four groups of 10 barrows each: (1) piglets fed basal diet and orally administered 1 mL of 0.85% saline (CON); (2) piglets fed basal diet and orally administered 1 mL 1 × 109 cfu/mL C. utilis in 0.85% saline (CU); (3) piglets fed the basal diet containing YSE (120 mg/kg) and orally administered 1 mL of 0.85% saline (YSE); (4) Piglets fed the basal diet containing 120 mg/kg YSE and 1 mL 1 × 109 cfu/mL C. utilis in 0.85% saline (YSE+CU). This study lasted 28 days and evaluated the effects of dietary YSE and oral CU on growth performance, immunity, antioxidant function, ileal morphology, and intestinal microflora in weaned piglets. Dietary YSE increased ADG, the spleen and lymph node indexes, serum GLU, BUN, T-SOD, T-AOC, CAT concentrations, ileal villus height and villus height/crypt depth, jejunal occludin, and β-definsin-2 concentrations and ileal occludin concentration in weaned piglets (P < 0.05); decreased the diarrhea rate and mortality, rectal pH and urine pH, the BUN and MDA concentrations, crypt depth (P < 0.05); improved the diversity of cecal microflora. Orally CU increased ADG, and ADFI, the T-SOD, T-AOC, and CAT activity, ileal villus height, villus height/crypt depth, jejunum occludin, and β-definsin-2 concentrations (P < 0.05); reduced the diarrhea rate and mortality, urine pH, the BUN and MDA concentrations, crypt depth (P < 0.05); improved the diversity of cecal microflora. Dietary YSE and orally CU increased the T-SOD, T-AOC, and CAT activity, villus height/crypt depth, jejunal occludin concentration; reduced the diarrhea rate of weaned piglets by 28%, gastric pH, ileal pH, cecal pH and urine pH, MDA, crypt depth; improved the diversity of cecal microflora. YSE and CU could improve the growth performance, reduce the diarrhea rate, improve intestinal health, and increase the diversity and abundance of cecal microflora in weaned piglets and expected to be used as antibiotics alternative feed additives in the production of weaned piglets.

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19 Effects of glutathione on growth performance and intestinal health of piglets

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.036 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 19-19

Author(s):

Xianyong Ma ◽

Zhimei Tian ◽

Yiyan Cui ◽

Zhichang Liu ◽

Huijie Lu

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Control Group ◽

Standard Diet ◽

Intestinal Health ◽

Large White ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Mda Content ◽

Villous Height ◽

Mucosal Morphology

Abstract Object: The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of different levels of glutathione (GSH) on growth performance and intestinal health of piglets. Methods: A total of 180 piglets of 21-day-old (Duroc × Landrace × Large White) were randomly divided into 5 groups. The control group was fed a standard diet based on NRC 2012. The treatment group 1 - 4 was supplemented with 50, 100, 200 and 400mg/kg GSH. The experiment lasted 28 days. Results: Compared with the control group, 50mg/kg GSH significantly increased the piglet’s skin and gross color, average daily gain (ADG) and decreased feed gain ratio (F/G) (P < 0.05), while the effect of 100, 200, 400 mg/kg GSH was contrary. The supplementation of 50mg/kg GSH significantly increased the mucosal villi height, the ratio of villous height to crypt depth (VH/CD) and decreased the crypt depth (P < 0.05) in duodenum, jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05), while the effect of 100, 200, 400 mg/kg GSH was contrary; The supplementation of 50mg/kg GSH decreased the concentration of triglyceride in plasma (P < 0.05); The supplementation of 50, 100, 200, 400mg/kg GSH had no effect on the antioxidative indexes of blood, but 400mg/kg GSH increased the activities of T-AOC, GSH, SOD and decreased MDA content in jejunum and ileum; 400mg/kg GSH increased the content of T-SOD in liver (P < 0.05), while 50mg/kg GSH had no effect on SOD, GSH-PX, GSH-SOD in intestine and liver (P > 0.05). 50mg/kg GSH significantly increased T-AOC activity and decreased MDA content in muscle (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Supplementation of 50mg/kg GSH in piglets` diet was the most appropriate and it could significantly improve skin and gross color, growth performance and intestinal mucosal morphology, it also increased the antioxidation ability in muscle of piglets.

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The Effects of Different Levels of Citric Acid on Growth Performance, Nutrient Digestibility and Gastrointestinal pH of Weaned Piglets

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.bf-1432 ◽

2022 ◽

Author(s):

Shi Wenying ◽

Lu Chunlian ◽

Li Shang ◽

Song Jiachun ◽

Cao Hongzhan

Keyword(s):

Citric Acid ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Nutrient Digestibility ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Control Group ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Gastrointestinal Ph ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Different Levels

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of citric acid (CA) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and gastrointestinal pH of weaned piglets. Methods: A total of 120 weaned piglets with an initial BW of 7.15±0.01 kg, were randomly divided into four groups including control treatment each with three replicates of 10 piglets each. Each group was supplemented with 0.5% (control group), 1%, 1.5% and 2% CA in the basal diet, respectively. Result: The results showed that the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) of added 1% CA group were significantly higher than that of 0.5% group (P less than 0.05). Dietary CA significantly improved the utilization rates of crude protein, calcium and phosphorus (P less than 0.05), while there was no significant difference between adding 1% and 1.5% CA (P greater than 0.05). Compared with the control group, adding CA effectively reduced the pH of the stomach, duodenum jejunum and ileum contents and adding 2% CA were significantly lower than those in other groups (P less than 0.05). Therefore, the addition of 1.0% CA in the diets of weaned piglets is suitable.

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Dietary Laminaria japonica Polysaccharide Regulates Systemic Defence Property of Weaned Piglets Improving Growth Performance under High Temperature Condition

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.b-1340 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

C.W. Wang ◽

Y. Jiang ◽

W.N. Chen ◽

Q. Liu ◽

X.F. Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Temperature ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Laminaria Japonica ◽

Control Group ◽

Feed Conversion ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Heat Stress Resistance ◽

High Temperature Condition

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary LJP supplementation on growth performance, heat stress resistance and immune status of weaned piglets raised in a high-temperature environment (34 ± 3°C).Methods: A total of 72 Barkshire × Licha Black crossbred piglets were weaned at 30 days of age (BW, 5.88 ± 0.16 kg) and fed either without or with 100, 200 or 400 mg/kg LJP in a completely randomized design, with 3 pens per diet (6 pigs per pen). On day 21, a total of 12 piglets were selected to collect blood samples.Result: The results showed that 200 and 400 mg/kg LJP supplementation decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) of piglets compared to the control group (P = 0.037) and dietary LJP linearly increased average daily gain and decreased FCR of piglets (P = 0.037 and 0.011, respectively). In addition, adding 100, 200 and 400 mg/kg LJP reduced the serum HSP70 content compared to the control group (P = 0.019) and dietary LJP linearly and quadratically decreased the serum HSP70 content of piglets (P = 0.030 and 0.011, respectively). Moreover, supplementation of 200 mg/kg and 400 mg/kg LJP increased the serum (NO) and nitric oxide acid phosphatase (ACP) content compared to the control group (P = 0.019; P = 0.003) and dietary LJP linearly increased the serum lysozyme, NO and ACP contents (P = 0.039; P = 0.005; P = 0.001). In conclusion, dietary LJP has potential to regulate systemic defence property of weaned piglets raised in a high temperature condition, accompanied by increased growth performance.

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Effects of Clostridium butyricum and Enterococcus faecalis on growth performance, intestinal structure, and inflammation in lipopolysaccharide-challenged weaned piglets

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz235 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (10) ◽

pp. 4140-4151 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kangli Wang ◽

Guangyong Chen ◽

Guangtian Cao ◽

Yinglei Xu ◽

Yongxia Wang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Enterococcus Faecalis ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Intestinal Flora ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Clostridium Butyricum ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Control Group ◽

Inflammatory Factor ◽

Weaned Piglets

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effects of Clostridium butyricum and Enterococcus faecalis on growth performance, immune function, inflammation-related pathways, and microflora community in weaned piglets challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). One hundred and eighty 28-d-old weaned piglets were randomly divided into 3 treatments groups: piglets fed with a basal diet (Con), piglets fed with a basal diet containing 6 × 109 CFU C. butyricum·kg−1 (CB), and piglets fed with a basal diet containing 2 × 1010 CFU E. faecali·kg−1 (EF). At the end of trial, 1 pig was randomly selected from for each pen (6 pigs per treatment group) and these 18 piglets were orally challenged with LPS 25 μg·kg−1 body weight. The result showed that piglets fed C. butyricum and E. faecalis had greater final BW compared with the control piglets (P < 0.05). The C. butyricum and E. faecalis fed piglets had lower levels of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), IL-1β, tumor inflammatory factor-α (TNF-α), and had greater level of serum interferon-γ (IFN-γ) than control piglets at 1.5 and 3 h after injection with LPS (P < 0.05). Furthermore, piglets in the C. butyricum or E. faecalis treatment groups had a greater ratio of jejunal villus height to crypt depth (V/C) compared with control piglets after challenge with LPS for 3 h (P < 0.05). Compared with the control treatment, the CB and EF treatments significantly decreased the expression of inflammation-related pathway factors (TLR4, MyD88, and NF-κB) after challenge with LPS for 3 h (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing revealed that C. butyricum and E. faecalis modulated bacterial diversity in the colon. The species richness and alpha diversity (Shannon) of bacterial samples in CB or EF piglets challenged with LPS were higher than those in LPS-challenged control piglets. Furthermore, the relative abundance of Bacteroidales-Rikenellanceae in the CB group was higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05), whereas EF piglets had a higher relative abundance of Lactobacillus amylovorus and Lactobacillus gasseri (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with C. butyricum or E. faecalis promoted growth performance, improved immunity, relieved intestinal villus damage and inflammation, and optimized the intestinal flora in LPS-challenged weaned piglets.

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Effects of sweetener sucralose on diet preference, growth performance and hematological and biochemical parameters of weaned piglets

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences ◽

10.5713/ajas.18.0863 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 33 (5) ◽

pp. 802-811 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Wenwei Zhang ◽

Holden He ◽

Limin Gong ◽

Wenqing Lai ◽

Bing Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Control Group ◽

High Dose ◽

Free Access ◽

Health State ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Treatment Groups ◽

Diet Preference

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of dietary sucralose on diet preference and growth performance of weaned piglets, and a third experiment was a 28-d safety study to examine if high-dose sucralose could affect the health state of weaned piglets.Methods: In experiment one, 48 piglets had free access to a corn-soybean based diet and the same diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg sucralose for 15 d. In experiment two, 180 piglets were blocked into 5 treatments with 6 replications. They were fed basal diets supplemented with 0, 75, 150, 225, and 300 mg/kg sucralose for 28 days. In experiment three, 108 piglets were randomly assigned to 3 treatments and fed diets supplemented with 0, 150 (suitable level), and 1,500 (ten-fold suitable level) mg/kg sucralose for 28 d.Results: The experiment 1 showed that piglets preferred (p<0.05) diets containing sucralose during experimental period. In experiment 2, piglets fed a diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg sucralose had a higher average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) than pigs in the control group and other treatment groups during the experiment period. The concentrations of sucralose over 150 mg/kg may decrease feed intake. However, no difference in feed conversion ratio was observed. In experiment 3, piglets fed diet supplemented with 150 mg/kg sucralose had a higher ADG and ADFI than that of pigs in the control group and 1,500 mg/kg treatment groups during the experiment period. Clinical blood metabolites, organ index and histological morphology were not significantly different between sucralose treatments.Conclusion: Sucralose can promote feed intake and thereby improve growth performance of weaned piglets. Moreover, inclusion of 1,500 mg/kg sucralose was demonstrated to have no observed adverse effects. Supplementing 150 mg/kg sucralose for weaned piglets is recommended in this study.

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Application of FOS and CPP in intestinal health of Weaned Piglets

E3S Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/e3sconf/201913101077 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 131 ◽

pp. 01077

Author(s):

Feng Zhao ◽

Zhongsheng Xia

Keyword(s):

Ph Value ◽

Intestinal Flora ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Female Group ◽

Intestinal Health ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Jejunal Segment ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Antibiotic Group

The present experiment was conducted to study the effects of different levels of oligosaccharide(FOS) and complex CPP preparation(CPP) in diets on growth performance and serum biochemical parameters for weaned piglets. 240 crossbred DLY( Duroc× Landrace× Yorkshire) 21-day-old weaning piglets, about 7.2 kg in initial body weight were selected and randomly divided into 6 groups, with 2 repeats for each group, 20 each repeat(half male and half female.). Group 1, as the control group, fed base diet(BD) , group 2 fed BD adding 0.10% aureomycin, group 3, 4, 5, 6, respectively, fed BD adding 0.05% CPP, 0.05% FOS, 0.20% FOS and 0.10% FOS + 0.05% of CPP. Feeding trial was conducted for 35 days.Results: (1) Intestinal pH: Compared with the control group, the pH values of jejunum, ileum, cecum and colon in the 3, 4, 5 and 6 groups were significantly lower (P < 0.05), while there was no significant difference between the antibiotic group and the control group (P > 0.05).(2) Small intestinal villus morphology: Duodenal segment, villus length of 6 groups was significantly increased compared with the control group (P < 0.05), villus height to recess depth ratio (V/C) was significantly increased (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in villus length between groups in jejunal segment (P > 0.05). Groups five V/C was significantly higher than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Compared with the control group and the antibiotic group, the ileal segment in the six groups significantly increased V/C (P < 0.05).(3) Intestinal flora Adding FOS, CPP and their combination could reduce the number of E. coli and Salmonella in different intestinal segments, and increase the number of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria. Among them, the effect of joint addition is the most obvious. Conclusion: Adding FOS and C PP to the diet of weaned piglets could effectively reduce the intestinal pH value of piglets, increase the length of intestinal villi and V/C, reduce the number of harmful bacteria and increase the number of beneficial bacteria. It is beneficial to maintain the balance of intestinal morphology and microflora and improve the intestinal health of piglets. Among them, the combination of 0.10% FOS and 0.05% CPP is the best, followed by 0.20% FOS.

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The effect of dietary addition of a polysaccharide from Atractylodes macrophala Koidz on growth performance, immunoglobulin concentration and IL-1β expression in weaned piglets

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185960999013x ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 147 (5) ◽

pp. 625-631 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

L. L. LI ◽

X. WU ◽

H. Z. PENG ◽

M. Z. FAN ◽

Z. P. HOU ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Live Weight ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Control Group ◽

Jejunal Mucosa ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Treatment Groups ◽

Weanling Piglets ◽

Daily Gain

SUMMARYThe present study was conducted to determine the effects of a polysaccharide of Atractylodes macrophala Koidz (PAM) as a dietary additive on growth performance, immunoglobulin concentration and IL-1β expression in weaned piglets. One hundred and twenty Landrace×Yorkshire piglets weaned at 28 days old (body weight 7·5±0·07 kg) were assigned to five treatment groups (three pens/group, eight piglets/pen) fed maize/soybean-based diets supplemented with 0, 3, 6 or 9 g of PAM/kg diet or antibiotics (0·4 g flavomycin/kg+0·13 g olaquindox/kg). The experimental period was 28 days. With increasing PAM supplementation levels, average daily gain was greater (quadratic, P<0·05) and the ratio of amount fed to live weight (LW) gain (feed/gain) improved (quadratic, P<0·05) during days 14–28 and overall, and diarrhoea incidence decreased (linear, P<0·05) during days 14–28. Supplementation of PAM also increased (quadratic, P<0·05) serum concentrations of interleukin (IL)-2 and IL-6 on day 14, and increased (quadratic, P<0·05) IL-1β expression in jejunal mucosa and lymph nodes. Concentrations of PAM between 6 and 9 g/kg presented the strongest bioactivity compared to the control group or antibiotic-fed group. These findings indicate that PAM is effective in improving growth performance and cytokine response, which suggests that PAM can be used as a diet additive for weanling piglets.

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Effects of Rocket Seed Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, and Their Mixture on Growth Performance, Feed Utilization, Digestibility, Redox Status, and Meat Fatty Acid Profile of Growing Rabbits

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11070662 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (7) ◽

pp. 662

Author(s):

Sabrin Abdelrahman Morshedy ◽

Ahmed M. Abdelmodather ◽

Mohamed M. Basyony ◽

Soliman A. Zahran ◽

Mohamed A. Hassan

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Wheat Germ ◽

Seed Oil ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Feed Utilization ◽

Nutrient Digestibility ◽

Control Group ◽

Wheat Germ Oil

Vegetable oils are a source of natural antioxidants, including tocopherols, sterols, phenolic compounds, coenzymes, and polyunsaturated fatty acids that provide nutritional value, organoleptic properties, and significantly delay or prevent lipid oxidation. Eighty-four V-line rabbits at 5 weeks of age with an initial body weight (BW) of 535.60 ± 13.48 g were assigned randomly to four experimental groups (seven replicates in each group with three rabbits each). The first group served as a control and received 0.3 mL/kg BW of distilled water (CON), while the second and third groups received 0.3 mL/kg BW of rocket seed oil (RSO) and wheat germ oil (WGO), respectively. The fourth group received a mixture of oils consisting of 0.15 mL of RSO and 0.15 mL of WGO/kg BW (MOs). The experiment lasted 7 weeks. The study investigated the effects of RSO, WGO, and their mixture on growth performance, feed utilization, antioxidant status, and immune response of growing rabbits. The results indicated that the rabbits that were administered orally with RSO and WGO or their mixture had higher (p ≤ 0.05) final BW, weight gain, and average daily gain when compared to the control group. In addition, the feed conversion ratio improved significantly with RSO, WGO, and MOs treatments. Different oil treatments improved nutrient digestibility, nutritive value, and nitrogen balance. Moreover, the rabbits that received RSO, WGO, and their mixture had an improvement the meat fatty acid composition compared to the control rabbits. Oral administration of RSO, WGO, and their mixture significantly improved serum protein fractions, decreased blood urea nitrogen, and had a positive effect on serum total lipids, HDL-c, and LDL-c. Furthermore, the treatments of RSO, WGO, and MOs had a significant improvement in the antioxidative status and immune response.

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Effects of Dietary Supplementation of gEGF on the Growth Performance and Immunity of Broilers

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11051394 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1394

Author(s):

Jianyong Zhou ◽

Jingyi Yao ◽

Luhong Bai ◽

Chuansong Sun ◽

Jianjun Lu

Keyword(s):

Antioxidant Capacity ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Crude Extract ◽

Serum Alkaline Phosphatase ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Control Group ◽

Serum Samples ◽

Chicken Embryos ◽

Growth Of Animals

EGF has been shown to stimulate the growth of animals. In this study, the content of EGF in chicken embryos (gallus EGF, gEGF) aged from 1 to 20 days of incubation were determined by ELISA kit, and the 5-day-old chicken embryos with the highest content of 5593 pg/g were selected to make gEGF crude extracts. A total of 1500 1-day-old Xianju chickens were randomly divided into five groups with six replicates of 50 chickens each. The control group was fed a basal diet, and other treatment diets were supplemented with 4, 8, 16 and 32 ng/kg gEGF crude extract, respectively. The experiment lasted for 30 days. Chicks were harvested at the end of the experiment, and liver, spleen, thymus, bursa and serum samples were collected. Results showed that average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of 16 ng/kg group were higher than those in the control group (p < 0.05). The serum uric acid (UA) of the 16 ng/kg group was reduced (p < 0.01), and the serum alkaline phosphatase (AKP) of the 16 ng/kg group increased (p < 0.01). The gEGF extract also increased chick’s antioxidant capacity, decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) and increased catalase (CAT) in the liver and serum of 16 ng/kg groups in compared to the control group (p < 0.01). Furthermore, immunity was improved by the addition of gEGF to broiler diets. The serum immunoglobin A (IgA) content of 8 and 16 ng/kg groups and the serum immunoglobin M (IgM) content of 4 and 8 ng/kg groups were increased (p < 0.05) compared to the control group. The bursa index of each experimental group was higher than the control group (p < 0.01). These findings demonstrate that the crude extract of gEGF prepared in this experiment could improve the growth performance, antioxidant capacity and immunity of broilers.

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