Mitigation Effects of Bentonite and Yeast Cell Wall Binders on AFB1, DON, and OTA Induced Changes in Laying Hen Performance, Egg Quality, and Health

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of mycotoxin binders in reducing the adverse effects of co-occurring dietary aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), deoxynivalenol (DON) and ochratoxin A (OTA) on laying hens. Three hundred and sixty 26-week-old Roman laying hens were randomly allocated into four experimental groups with 10 replicates of nine birds each. The four groups received either a basal diet (BD; Control), a BD supplemented with 0.15 mg/kg AFB1 + 1.5 mg/kg DON + 0.12 mg/kg OTA (Toxins), a BD + Toxins with Toxo-HP binder (Toxins + HP), or a BD + Toxins with TOXO XL binder (Toxins + XL) for 12 weeks. Compared to the control, dietary supplementation of mycotoxins decreased (P < 0.10) total feed intake, total egg weight, and egg-laying rate, but increased feed/egg ratio by 2.5–6.1% and mortality during various experimental periods. These alterations induced by mycotoxins were alleviated by supplementation with both TOXO HP and XL binders (P < 0.10). Furthermore, dietary mycotoxins reduced (P < 0.05) eggshell strength by 12.3% and caused an accumulation of 249 μg/kg of DON in eggs at week 12, while dietary supplementation with TOXO HP or XL mitigated DON-induced changes on eggshell strength and prevented accumulation of DON in eggs (P < 0.05). Moreover, dietary mycotoxins increased relative liver weight, but decreased spleen and proventriculus relative weights by 11.6–22.4% (P < 0.05). Mycotoxin exposure also increased alanine aminotransferase activity and reduced immunoglobulin (Ig) A, IgM, and IgG concentrations in serum by 9.2–26.1% (P < 0.05). Additionally, mycotoxin exposure induced histopathological damage and reduced villus height, villus height/crypt depth, and crypt depth in duodenum, jejunum and (or) ileum (P < 0.05). Notably, most of these histological changes were mitigated by supplementation with both TOXO HP and XL (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that the mycotoxin binders TOXO HP and XL can help to mitigate the combined effects of AFB1, DON, and OTA on laying hen performance, egg quality, and health.

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Effect of the Pellet and Mash Feed Forms on the Productive Performance, Egg Quality, Nutrient Metabolism, and Intestinal Morphology of Two Laying Hen Breeds

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11030701 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 701

Author(s):

Yi Wan ◽

Ruiyu Ma ◽

Anam Khalid ◽

Lilong Chai ◽

Renrong Qi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Feed Intake ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Laying Hen ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Production Performance ◽

Apparent Digestibility ◽

Villus Height ◽

Nutrient Metabolism ◽

Feed Form

One of the most important factors that determine feed utilization by chickens is the feed form. Although it is generally believed that pellet diets have a positive effect on chicken growth, there are some studies that have indicated no difference between pellet and mash on chickens performance. This study was conducted to assess the effects of feed form on production performance, egg quality, nutrient metabolism and intestinal morphology in two breed laying hens. Two hundred and sixteen 25-week-old Hy-Line brown (n = 108) and Hy-Line grey (n = 108) hens were selected. Each breed was randomly allocated into two treatments with 6 replications (9 birds in each replication), which were fed mash and pellet diets, respectively. Production performances were recorded daily and egg quality traits were measured every two weeks. At 42 weeks of age, one bird per replication from each experimental group was selected for metabolism determination and intestine morphology observation. Compared with mash diets, pellet diets improved laying rate (p < 0.05), ADFI (average daily feed intake, p < 0.05), egg weight, shell strength, yolk proportion and Haugh unit (p < 0.05) in both breeds and reduced the FCR (feed conversion ratio, p < 0.05) in Hy-Line grey. The apparent digestibility of DM% (dry matter) and CP% (crude protein) were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in both breed laying hens fed pellet than those fed mash. The apparent digestibility of P% (phosphorus) and Ca% (calcium) was higher in Hy-Line grey fed pellet and was higher in Hy-Line brown fed mash. Compared to mash diets, pellet diets increased the VH (villus height), CD (crypt depth) and VCR (ratio of villus height to crypt depth) of the small intestine of Hy-Line grey, and increased the VH and CD of duodenum and ileum of Hy-Line brown. Overall, pellet diets improved production performance and nutrition metabolism through positive changes in the laying rate, feed intake, egg albumen quality and apparent digestibility of laying hens. The current findings provided support for the advantages of feeding pellets during the peak egg laying period for the two popular laying hen strains, Hy-Line brown and Hy-Line grey.

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Dietary cadmium chloride impairs shell biomineralization by disrupting the metabolism of the eggshell gland in laying hens

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa025 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Mingkun Zhu ◽

Huaiyu Li ◽

Liping Miao ◽

Lanlan Li ◽

Xinyang Dong ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Complement C3 ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Palisade Layer ◽

Positive Effects ◽

Laying Performance ◽

Dietary Cadmium

Abstract In this study, we identified cadmium (Cd) as a potential endocrine disruptor that impairs laying performance, egg quality, and eggshell deposition and induces oxidative stress and inflammation in the eggshell glands of laying hens. A total of 480 38-wk-old laying hens were randomly assigned into 5 groups that were fed a basal diet (control) or a basal diet supplemented with Cd (provided as CdCl2·2.5 H2O) at 7.5, 15, 30, and 60 mg Cd per kg feed for 9 wk. The results showed that, when compared with the control group, a low dose of dietary Cd (7.5 mg/kg) had positive effects on egg quality by improving albumen height, Haugh unit, yolk color, and shell thickness at the third or ninth week. However, with the increase in the dose and duration of Cd exposure, the laying performance, egg quality, and activities of eggshell gland antioxidant enzymes (catalase [CAT], glutathione peroxide [GSH-Px]), and ATPase (Na+/K+-ATPase, Ca2+-ATPase, and Mg2+-ATPase) deteriorated, and the activity of total nitric oxide synthase (T-NOS) and the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased significantly (P < 0.05). The histopathology and real-time quantitative PCR results showed that Cd induced endometrial epithelial cell proliferation accompanied by upregulation of the mRNA levels of progesterone receptor (PgR) and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), downregulation of the mRNA levels of estrogen receptor α (ERα) and interleukin 6 (IL6), and inflammation of the eggshell gland accompanied by significantly increased expression of complement C3 and pro-inﬂammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) (P < 0.05). In addition, the ultrastructure of the eggshell showed that dietary supplementation with 7.5 mg/kg Cd increased the palisade layer and total thickness of the shell, but with the increase in dietary Cd supplementation (30 and 60 mg/kg) the thickness of the palisade layer and mammillary layer decreased significantly (P < 0.05), and the outer surface of the eggshell became rougher. Correspondingly, the expression of calbindin 1 (CALB1), ovocalyxin-32 (OCX-32), ovocalyxin-36 (OCX-36), osteopontin (SPP1), and ovocledidin-17 (OC-17) decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with increasing dietary Cd supplementation. Conclusively, the present study demonstrates that dietary supplementation with Cd negatively affects laying performance, egg quality, and eggshell deposition by disturbing the metabolism of eggshell glands in laying hens but has a positive effect on egg quality at low doses.

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Xylanase impact beyond performance: A microbiome approach in laying hens

PLoS ONE ◽

10.1371/journal.pone.0257681 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 (9) ◽

pp. e0257681

Author(s):

Veerle Van Hoeck ◽

Ingrid Somers ◽

Anas Abdelqader ◽

Alexandra L. Wealleans ◽

Sandy Van de Craen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Quality Parameters ◽

Laying Hen ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Significant Shift ◽

Microbial Composition ◽

16S Rrna Gene Analysis

Anti-nutritional compounds such as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) are present in viscous cereals used in feed for poultry. Therefore, exogenous carbohydrases are commonly added to monogastric feed to degrade these NSP. Our hypothesis is that xylanase not only improves laying hen performance and digestibility, but also induces a significant shift in microbial composition within the intestinal tract and thereby might exert a prebiotic effect. In this context, a better understanding on whether and how the chicken gut microbial population can be modulated by xylanase is required. To do so, the effects of dietary supplementation of xylanase on performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and cecal microbiome in laying hens were evaluated in the present study. A total of 96 HiSex laying hens were used in this experiment (3 diets and 16 replicates of 2 hens). Xylanase was added to the diets at concentrations of 0, 45,000 (15 g/t XygestTM HT) and 90,000 U/kg (30 g/t Xygest HT). The diets were based on wheat (~55%), soybean and sunflower meal. The lowest dosage, 45,000 U/kg, significantly increased average egg weight and improved feed efficiency compared to the control treatment (P<0.05). Egg quality parameters were significantly improved in the experiment in response to the xylanase addition. For example, during the last 28 days of the trial, birds receiving the 45,000 U/kg and the 90,000 U/kg treatments exhibited an increase in Haugh units and albumin heights (P<0.05). Compared with the control, the ATTD of organic matter and crude protein were drastically improved in the 45,000 U/kg treatment group (P<0.05). Furthermore, gross energy and the ATTD of crude fat were improved significantly for birds fed 90,000 U/kg group compared to the control. Importantly, 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that xylanase at 45,000 U/kg dosage can exert a change in the cecal microbiome. A significant increase in beneficial bacteria (Bacilli class; Enterococcaceae and Lactobacillales orders; Merdibacter, Enterococcus and Nocardiopsis genera; Enterococcus casseliflavus species) was documented when adding 45,000 U/kg xylanase to the diet of laying hens. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of xylanase 45,000 U/kg significantly improved laying hen performance and digestibility. Furthermore, microbiome data suggest that xylanase modulates the laying hen bacterial population beneficially, thus potentially exerting a prebiotic effect.

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Effects of chitooligosaccharide supplementation on egg production, egg quality and blood profiles in laying hens

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.b-881 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yang Jiao ◽

Rajesh Jha ◽

Wan Lin Zhang ◽

In Ho Kim

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Density Lipoprotein ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Linear Effects ◽

Dietary Treatments ◽

Haugh Unit ◽

Blood Profiles

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation of chitooligosaccharide (COS) on egg production, egg quality and blood profiles in laying hens. A total of 192 Hy-Line Brown laying hens (initial age- 46 weeks) were allocated to one of four treatments with eight replications per treatment and six adjacent cages as replication for eight-weeks study. Dietary treatments consisted of CON, basal diet; COS1, CON + 0.1% COS; COS2, CON + 0.2% COS; and COS3, CON + 0.3% COS. Linear improvement (p Lass Than 0.05) was observed in egg quality and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL/C) concentration at subsequent weeks. In week 8, linear (P=0.04) improvement was observed in haugh unit of egg with the increase in the dose of COS. In addition, linear effects (p Lass Than 0.05) on eggshell thickness at week 3, 5, 6, 7 and 8 were detected as the level for increased COS. In conclusion, the supplementation of COS in laying hens diets linearly improved the egg quality and the HDL/C concentration. Thus, COS has the potential to be used as a substitute to antibiotics in layer hen’s diets.

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Intestinal Morphology in Broiler Chickens Supplemented with Propolis and Bee Pollen

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9060301 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (6) ◽

pp. 301 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Ivana Prakatur ◽

Maja Miskulin ◽

Mirela Pavic ◽

Ksenija Marjanovic ◽

Valerija Blazicevic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Beneficial Effect ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

Bee Pollen ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Surface Areas

The aim of this study was to determine the influence of dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen on the intestinal morphology and absorptive surface areas of chickens. Two hundred day-old Ross 308 chickens (100 male and 100 female) were equally allocated into five groups. Throughout the whole study, the control group of chickens was fed with a basal diet, while the experimental groups of chickens were fed with the same diet supplemented with propolis and bee pollen: P1 = 0.25 g of propolis/kg + 20 g of bee pollen/kg; P2 = 0.5 g of propolis/kg; P3 = 1.0 g of propolis/kg; P4 = 20 g of bee pollen/kg. The duodenal villi of chickens from all experimental groups were significantly higher and wider (p < 0.001), while their duodenal villi crypts were significantly deeper (p < 0.001) in comparison with these parameters in chickens from the control group. The villus height to crypt depth ratio, as well as the absorptive surface areas of broiler chickens, were significantly increased (p < 0.001) in experimental groups of chickens in comparison with the control group. These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with propolis and bee pollen has a beneficial effect on broilers chickens’ intestinal morphophysiology.

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Dietary Supplementation With Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) Improves Meat Quality and Intestinal Development in Jiaji Ducks

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.753546 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Chengjun Hu ◽

Lihong Gu ◽

Mao Li ◽

Fengjie Ji ◽

Weiping Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Intestinal Development ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Elephantopus Scaber

Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine and has exhibited a beneficial role in animal health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with E. scaber on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in ducks. A total of 480 Jiaji ducks (42 days old, male:female ratio = 1:1) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. There were six replicates per treatment, with 20 ducks per replicate. The ducks in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the three experimental groups were fed a basal diet supplementation with 30 (T1), 80 (T2), and 130 mg/kg (T3) of E. scaber. After a 48-day period of supplementation, growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition were evaluated. The results showed that no differences were observed in the final body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain among the four groups. Compared with that in the Con group, the feed conversion in the T1 and T2 groups was increased significantly; the T2 group was shown to decrease the concentration of alanine aminotransferase in serum; the T3 group was lower than the Con group in the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase and was higher than the Con group in the concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The highest concentration of creatinine was observed in the T1 group. The T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of Phe, Ala, Gly, Glu, Arg, Lys, Tyr, Leu, Ser, Thr, Asp, and total amino acids in the breast muscle. Moreover, the T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of meat C18:2n−6 and polyunsaturated fatty acid. The concentration of inosinic acid in the T1, T2, and T3 groups was significantly higher than that in the Con group. However, the Con group was higher than the T2 or T3 group in the Zn content. The T2 group was lower than the Con group in the jejunal crypt depth. The T3 group was higher than the Con group in the ileal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. In addition, the T3 group had a trend to significantly increase the abundance of Fusobacteria. Compared with the Con group, the T1 and T2 groups displayed a higher abundance of Subdoligranulum. Collectively, dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg of E. scaber improves meat quality and intestinal development in ducks.

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Montmorillonite combined organic acid or essential oil complex improves the intestinal health status of laying hens

10.21203/rs.3.rs-52591/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Jifa Chen ◽

Xiaofeng Geng ◽

Ali Seif Ali

Keyword(s):

Health Status ◽

Essential Oil ◽

Organic Acid ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Expression Level ◽

Intestinal Health ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Laying Performance

Abstract Background: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of montmorillonite combined organic acid (MOA) complex and montmorillonite combined essential oil (MEO) complex on the laying performance and intestinal barrier functions in laying hens. Methods: Two hundred and seventy 29-wk-old laying hens were randomly assigned to 3 treatments consisted of 6 replicates of 15 hens, receiving the following diets for 10 wks, respectively: 1) basal diet; 2) the basal diet added with 0.65 g/kg of MOA complex; 3) the basal diet added with 0.70 g/kg of MEO complex. Results: Dietary supplementation with both MOA and MEO complexes tended to increase (P = 0.094) the hens’ egg production and improved numerically (P > 0.05) the egg mass and feed conversion ratio during 6–10 weeks of the experiment. Dietary MOA and MEO complexes decreased (P < 0.05) the relative amount of Clostridium perfringens and the mRNA expression levels of myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MyD88) and interleukin‐1 beta (IL-1β) in the ileum while increased (P < 0.05) the activity of suctase and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio of the ileum. Besides, dietary inclusion of MEO complex increased (P < 0.05) the mRNA expression level of claudin-5 in the ileum. The MOA complex supplementation reduced (P < 0.05) the relative amount of Salmonella and nuclear factor kappa B P65 (NF-κB p65) mRNA expression level of the ileum but enhanced (P < 0.05) the alkaline phosphatase activity in the ileum and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio of the jejunum. Conclusions: Dietary both MOA and MEO complexes could improve the intestinal health status of laying hens, which may contribute to the partially increase in hens’ laying performance.

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The Evaluation of UPro as a New Nutrient on High-Quality Egg Production From the Perspective of Egg Properties, Intestinal Histomorphology, and Oviduct Function of Laying Hens

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.706067 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Xinyu Chang ◽

Kai Qiu ◽

Jing Wang ◽

Haijun Zhang ◽

Shizhou You ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Adaptation Period ◽

Small Peptides ◽

Villus Height ◽

High Quality ◽

Relative Mrna Expression

This study was to investigate the effects of UPro as a new nutritive fortifier on high-quality egg production from the perspective of egg properties, intestinal histomorphology, and oviduct function of laying hens. Four hundred thirty-two Hy-Line Brown laying hens aged 56 weeks were allocated to four groups. Layers were given a basal diet or supplemented with different levels of small peptides (0.2, 0.4, and 0.8%) to replace soybean meal. After 1-week adaptation period, the feeding trial was conducted for 12 weeks. The results showed that UPro addition significantly decreased (P < 0.05) the hardness, stickiness, and chewiness of albumen of layers on weeks 12. A linear elevation (P < 0.05) in the albumen height, Haugh unit (HU), and crude protein content of albumen of layers were noted on week 12 along with dietary UPro addition increasing, and the villus height (VH) and villus height-to-crypt depth radio (VCR) of jejunum also linearly increasing (P < 0.05). In addition, there were linear elevations (P < 0.05) in the relative mRNA expression of Sec23 homolog A (Sec23A) and protein-O-mannosyltransferase1 (POMT1) in layers as dietary UPro addition increased. In conclusion, dietary UPro addition could improve intestinal health, increase the absorption of nutrients, and improve egg quality of laying hens. The possible mechanism underlying UPro improving the quality and processing characteristics of albumen is up-regulating Sec23A and POMT1 expression of magnum. These findings will promote the application of UPro as a new nutritional additive in the production of high-quality eggs.

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Dietary supplementation with sodium humate improves egg quality and immune function of laying hens

Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition ◽

10.3920/jaan2020.0009 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 93-99

Author(s):

A.R. Zhang ◽

S.A. Pirzado ◽

G.H. Liu ◽

Z.M. Chen ◽

W.H. Chang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Control Diet ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Shell Quality ◽

Sodium Humate ◽

Antioxidant Parameters

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of the dietary addition of sodium humate (HAS) on performance and immune response of laying hens during peak lay, over an eight-week period. Laying hens, aged 24 weeks old, were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments: a basal control diet or the basal diet supplemented with 0.1, 0.3 or 0.5% HAS. Each treatment had six replicates with 15 layers per replicate. Egg production, egg quality, serum antioxidant parameters and immunity indexes were measured. HAS had no significant effect on egg production or egg and shell quality, but all supplemental levels significantly improved Haugh unit values and egg yolk colour. Supplementation with all levels of HAS significantly increased serum immunoglobuline (Ig) level compared to the hens fed the control diet. Feeding either 0.1 or 0.5% HAS significantly increased serum IgM levels. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with HAS can enhance egg albumin quality and improve immunity in laying hens.

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Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Fermented Pine Needle Extract on Productive Performance, Egg Quality, and Serum Lipid Parameters in Laying Hens

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11051475 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1475

Author(s):

Damini Kothari ◽

Jong-Seok Oh ◽

Ju-Hee Kim ◽

Woo-Do Lee ◽

Soo-Ki Kim

Keyword(s):

Serum Lipid ◽

Egg Production ◽

Laying Hens ◽

Egg Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Egg Yolk ◽

Egg Mass ◽

Productive Performance ◽

Laying Performance

This study aimed to investigate the supplemental effects of fermented pine (Pinus densiflora) needle extract (FPNE) in laying hen diets on productive performance, egg quality, and serum lipid metabolites. A total of 108 40-week-old Hy-line brown laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the three dietary treatment groups: (1) basal diet + 0 mL FPNE/kg diet (CON), (2) basal diet + 2.5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T1), or (3) basal diet + 5 mL FPNE/kg diet (T2) for 6 weeks. Each group consisted of four replicates of nine hens each. Feed and water provided ad libitum. Results showed that dietary supplementation of FPNE increased egg production percentage (linear, p < 0.01 and quadratic, p < 0.05), egg mass (linear, p < 0.05), and feed intake (linear, p < 0.05) during the entire experimental period. In addition, dietary inclusion of FPNE significantly increased the eggshell color (linear, p < 0.01), egg yolk color (quadratic, p < 0.01), and eggshell breaking strength (linear, p < 0.05 and quadratic, p < 0.05) while the Haugh unit decreased (quadratic, p < 0.05). However, serum lipid profile did not differ among the dietary treatments (p > 0.05). Notably, antioxidant activity of egg yolk was improved by significantly decreasing the malondialdehyde content in egg yolks after 6 weeks of storage (linear, p < 0.001 and quadratic, p < 0.05). In summary, dietary inclusion of FPNE could improve laying performance and the antioxidant capacity of eggs.

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