Impact of feeding fermentable proteins and carbohydrates on growth performance, gut health and gastrointestinal function of newly weaned pigs

Feeding fermentable carbohydrates (FC) to weanling pigs may reduce the negative impact of proteolytic fermentation on gastrointestinal health and function. A total of 144 newly weaned pigs [6.23 kg body weight (BW); six pens per treatment; six pigs per pen) were used to determine the interactive effects of feeding additional fermentable protein (FP) and FC on growth performance, gastrointestinal function and intestinal health. Dietary treatments, based on a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, were: (1) basal diet (control); (2) control + 10% poultry meal (PM) as FP source; (3) control + 5% beet pulp (BP) as FC source; and (4) control + 10% PM and 5% BP. Diets were formulated to be similar in digestible energy (DE) and digestible amino acid contents. In general, no interactive effects of FC and FP were observed (P > 0.10). During the 3-wk post-weaning period, feeding FP reduced average daily gain (ADG) (242 vs. 269 g d-1; P < 0.05), while FC increased ADG (269 vs. 243 g d-1; P < 0.05). Overall, feed intake did not differ between treatments (P > 0.10). On days 14 and 28 post-weaning, Clostridia spp. counts in colon contents, counts of white cells and segmented neutrophils in blood were lowered (P < 0.05) by feeding FC. Blood urea nitrogen was increased by feeding FP (9.5 vs. 6.5 mg dL-1; P < 0.05), while ammonia concentration in colon contents was lowered by FC (154 vs. 193 µg mL-1) (P = 0.06). Among biogenic amines, levels of tyramine (140 vs. 304 nmol g-1 DM) and spermidine (174 vs. 219 nmol g-1 DM) in colon contents were lowered (P < 0.05) by FC. Acetic, proprionic and butyric acid contents in colon contents were increased by feeding FC, while valeric and caproic acid content decreased by feeding FP (P < 0.05). Feeding FC and FP had no effect (P > 0.10) on colon histology, pH, fecal consistency score and organ weights. Results suggest that FP and FC have independent effects on newly weaned pigs, while effects appear partly related to changes in gut microbiota. Key words: Enteric fermentation, fiber, gastrointestinal function, protein, pigs

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PSIII-16 Growth Performance of Weaned Pigs Fed Barley Differing in Fermentable Starch and Fiber Profile

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab054.296 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_1) ◽

pp. 175-176

Author(s):

Joaquin J Sanchez Zannatta ◽

L F Wang ◽

Eduardo Beltranena ◽

Aaron D Beattie ◽

Rex N Newkirk ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Energy Source ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Steam Explosion ◽

Phase 1 ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Barley Grain ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Cereal Grain ◽

Hulled Barley

Abstract Barley grain containing more fermentable starch or fiber might be an attractive energy source in weaned pig diets due to benefits on gut health. Barley rapidly-fermentable carbohydrates may serve as prebiotic and slowly-fermentable fiber may decrease diarrhea in weaned pigs. Steam-explosion processing may disrupt the fiber matrix of hulls, increasing slowly-fermentable fiber of barley. To explore, 220 pigs were fed 1 of 5 diets containing 60% cereal grain: 1) low-fermentable hulled barley (LFB); 2) LFB steam-exploded (LFB-E; 1.2 MPa, 120 s); 3) high β-glucan (10% DM) hull-less barley (HFB); 4) high amylose (17% DM) hull-less barley (HFA); or 5) low-fermentable wheat (LFW). Diets were fed starting 1-week post-weaning and formulated to provide 2.4 and 2.3 Mcal net energy (NE)/kg, 5.5 and 5.1 g standardized ileal digestible lysine/Mcal NE for phase 1 (day 1–14) and phase 2 (day 15–35), respectively. For the entire trial (day 1–35), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily gain (ADG) of pigs did not differ among diets. Gain:feed (G:F) did not differ between LFB and LFW diets, but steam-explosion of hulled barley reduced (P < 0.05) G:F. Feces consistency did not differ between LFB and LFW diets, but was better (P < 0.05) for LFB than HFB, HFA and LFB-E diets. For phase 1, G:F of pigs was lower (P < 0.05) for LFB-E diet than LFW diet. For days 22–28, LFB-E diet had greater (P < 0.01) ADFI than HFA diet and tended (P = 0.09) to have a greater ADG than HFB diet. In conclusion, hulled or hull-less barley grain replaced wheat grain without affecting growth performance in weaned pigs. Hulled barley increased feces consistency. Steam-explosion of hulled barley did not increase growth performance of weaned pigs. Barley grain is an attractive energy source for weaned pigs for managing growth and feces consistency.

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Effects of dietary seaweed extract supplementation in sows and post-weaned pigs on performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal microflora and immune status

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114511000997 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 106 (5) ◽

pp. 688-699 ◽

Cited By ~ 33

Author(s):

S. G. Leonard ◽

T. Sweeney ◽

B. Bahar ◽

B. P. Lynch ◽

J. V. O'Doherty

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Intestinal Microflora ◽

Immune Status ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Seaweed Extract ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Treatment Groups ◽

Daily Gain

The present study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of a seaweed extract (SWE) to sows and weaned pigs on post-weaning growth performance, intestinal morphology, intestinal microflora, volatile fatty acid concentrations and immune status of pigs at days 11 and 117 post-weaning. Gestating sows (n20) were supplemented with a SWE (0v.10·0 g/d) from day 107 of gestation until weaning (day 26). At weaning, pigs (four pigs per sow) were divided into two groups based on sow diet during lactation and supplemented with a SWE (0v.2·8 g/kg diet), resulting in four treatment groups: (1) BB (basal sows–basal pigs); (2) BS (basal sows–treated pigs); (3) SB (treated sows–basal pigs); (4) SS (treated sows–treated pigs). Pigs weaned from SWE-supplemented sows had a higher average daily gain (ADG) between days 0 and 21 (P < 0·05) post-weaning compared with pigs weaned from non-SWE-supplemented sows. Pigs offered post-weaning diets (PW) containing SWE had decreased colonicEscherichia colipopulations on day 11 (P < 0·01) and decreased colonic Enterobacteriaceae numbers on day 117 (P < 0·05). Pigs offered PW containing SWE had a greater mRNA abundance ofMUC2in the colon at day 11 post-weaning (P < 0·05) compared with pigs offered unsupplemented diets. In conclusion, these results demonstrate that SWE supplementation post-weaning provides a dietary means to improve gut health and to enhance growth performance in starter pigs. Dietary SWE supplementation increased ADG during the grower–finisher (GF) phases. However, there was no growth response to SWE inclusion in GF diets when pigs were weaned from SWE-supplemented sows.

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Growth performance and gut health of Escherichia coli-challenged weaned pigs fed diets supplemented with a Bacillus subtilis direct-fed microbial

Translational Animal Science ◽

10.1093/tas/txaa172 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (3) ◽

Author(s):

Sangwoo Park ◽

Jung Wook Lee ◽

Kevin Jerez Bogota ◽

David Francis ◽

Jolie Caroline González-Vega ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Bacillus Subtilis ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Feed Efficiency ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Feed Additives ◽

Growth Promoter ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

E Coli

Abstract This study was conducted to investigate the effects of a direct-fed microbial (DFM) product (Bacillus subtilis strain DSM 32540) in weaned pigs challenged with K88 strain of Escherichia coli on growth performance and indicators of gut health. A total of 21 weaned pigs [initial body weight (BW) = 8.19 kg] were housed individually in pens and fed three diets (seven replicates per diet) for 21 d in a completely randomized design. The three diets were a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet without feed additives, a basal diet with 0.25% antibiotics (neo-Oxy 10-10; neomycin + oxytetracycline), or a basal diet with 0.05% DFM. All pigs were orally challenged with a subclinical dose (6.7 × 108 CFU/mL) of K88 strain of E. coli on day 3 of the study (3 d after weaning). Feed intake and BW data were collected on days 0, 3, 7, 14, and 21. Fecal scores were recorded daily. On day 21, pigs were sacrificed to determine various indicators of gut health. Supplementation of the basal diet with antibiotics or DFM did not affect the overall (days 0–21) growth performance of pigs. However, antibiotics or DFM supplementation increased (P = 0.010) gain:feed (G:F) of pigs during the post-E. coli challenge period (days 3–21) by 23% and 24%, respectively. The G:F for the DFM-supplemented diet did not differ from that for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. The frequency of diarrhea for pigs fed a diet with antibiotics or DFM tended to be lower (P = 0.071) than that of pigs fed the basal diet. The jejunal villous height (VH) and the VH to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) were increased (P < 0.001) by 33% and 35%, respectively, due to the inclusion of antibiotics in the basal diet and by 43% and 41%, respectively due to the inclusion of DFM in the basal diet. The VH and VH:CD for the DFM-supplemented diet were greater (P < 0.05) than those for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. Ileal VH was increased (P < 0.05) by 46% due to the inclusion of DFM in the basal diet. The empty weight of small intestine, cecum, or colon relative to live BW was unaffected by dietary antibiotics or DFM supplementation. In conclusion, the addition of DFM to the basal diet improved the feed efficiency of E. coli-challenged weaned pigs to a value similar to that of the antibiotics-supplemented diet and increased jejunal VH and VH:CD ratio to values greater than those for the antibiotics-supplemented diet. Thus, under E. coli challenge, the test DFM product may replace the use of antibiotics as a growth promoter in diets for weaned pigs to improve feed efficiency and gut integrity.

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216 Effect of Dietary L-valine Supplementation on Growth Performance, Immune Response, and Microbial Metabolites in Weaned Pigs Raised in Varying Sanitary Conditions

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skab235.207 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 99 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 113-114

Author(s):

Bonjin Koo ◽

Martin Nyachoti

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Experimental Unit ◽

Microbial Metabolites ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Sanitary Condition ◽

Sanitary Conditions

Abstract This study investigated the effects of dietary L-valine supplementation and sanitary conditions on growth performance, immune response, and microbial metabolites in weaned pigs. Thirty-two weaned pigs (6.98 ± 0.47 kg) were randomly assigned to treatments in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement based on dietary Val level and sanitary condition (clean or unclean). The pigs were fed either a basal diet containing the standard levels of Val suggested by NRC (2012) or the basal diet with an additional 0.1% of L-Val. A room designated as the clean room was washed weekly, whereas the designated unclean room was not washed throughout the experiment and 5 kg of manure from the nursery pig barn was spread on the pen floors on day 1. All data were analyzed using a mixed procedure of SAS, with the individual pen as the experimental unit. The pigs raised in unsanitary conditions exhibited a lower average daily gain and average daily feed intake and a higher incidence of diarrhea than those raised in sanitary conditions during the 14-day experimental period (P < 0.05). The pigs in the unclean group also had a lower concentration of butyrate in the jejunum and a higher concentration of ammonia-N in the colon than those in the clean group (P < 0.05). Dietary valine supplementation reduced plasma interleukin (IL)-1α and IL-1 receptor antagonist concentrations as well as isovalerate and ammonia-N concentrations in the colon (P < 0.05). Interactions between dietary Val supplementation and sanitary conditions were observed in the abundance of mRNA-encoding β-defensins 113, 125, and 129 (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary Val supplementation beneficially modulates inflammatory response and microbial metabolites regardless of sanitary condition, while transcriptional levels of β-defensins are regulated by dietary Val supplementation in a manner dependent on housing hygiene conditions.

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PSVII-42 Growth performance, gut health, and immune responses of Escherichia coli-challenged weaned pigs fed probiotic-supplemented diets

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skz258.718 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 97 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 359-360

Author(s):

Sangwoo Park ◽

Jinsu Hong ◽

David Francis ◽

Caroline J González -Vega ◽

John K Htoo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Escherichia Coli ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Immunoglobulin A ◽

Dietary Treatment ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

E Coli ◽

Randomized Design ◽

Villous Height

Abstract To evaluate the effects of probiotics on performance and gut health of Escherichia coli-challenged weaned pigs, a total of 28 weaned pigs (initial BW = 8.25 kg) were housed individually in pens and fed 4 experimental diets for 21 d in a completely randomized design. The 4 diets were corn-soybean meal-based basal diet without or with 0.25% antibiotics (neomycin + oxytetracycline), 0.05% Bacillus subtilis DSM 32540, or 0.05% Bacillus pumilus DSM 32539. All pigs were orally challenged with K88 strain of E. coli on d 3. Feed intake and BW data, and blood samples were collected on d 3, 7, 14, and 21. Fecal scores were recorded daily. On d 21, pigs were sacrificed to determine gastrointestinal histomorphology, pH and organ weights. Supplementation of the basal diet with antibiotics or B. pumilus did not affect the overall (d 0 to 21) ADG and G:F. The B. subtilis supplementation did not affect the overall ADG, but tended to increase (P < 0.1) the overall G:F by 15%. Fecal score was unaffected by dietary treatment. Supplementation of the basal diet with either probiotic, but not antibiotics increased (P < 0.05) jejunal villous height and reduced (P < 0.05) cecal digesta pH. Supplementation with B. pumilus tended to increase (P < 0.1) colon weight relative to BW; however, antibiotics or B. subtilis supplementation did not affect colon weight. The addition of B. subtilis to basal diet tended to increase (P < 0.1) serum immunoglobulin A concentration on d 21 of the study; however, such effect was not observed with the addition of antibiotics or B. pumilus. In conclusion, dietary B. subtilis improved G:F and jejunal villous height and reduced cecal digesta pH, indicating that dietary supplementation with B. subtilis at 0.05% could improve growth performance and gut health of weaned pigs.

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Effect of seaweed-derived laminarin and fucoidan and zinc oxide on gut morphology, nutrient transporters, nutrient digestibility, growth performance and selected microbial populations in weaned pigs

British Journal Of Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s0007114513004224 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 111 (9) ◽

pp. 1577-1585 ◽

Cited By ~ 36

Author(s):

G. Heim ◽

A. M. Walsh ◽

T. Sweeney ◽

D. N. Doyle ◽

C. J. O'Shea ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Live Weight ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Nutrient Digestibility ◽

Gut Health ◽

Gross Energy ◽

Weaning Age ◽

Nutrient Transporter ◽

Dietary Treatments

In the present study, two experiments were conducted to (1) evaluate the effect of laminarin and/or fucoidan on ileal morphology, nutrient transporter gene expression and coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients and (2) determine whether laminarin inclusion could be used as an alternative to ZnO supplementation in weaned pig diets. Expt 1 was designed as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, comprising four dietary treatments (n 7 replicates, weaning age 24 d, live weight 6·9 kg). The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) basal diet; (2) basal diet+300 ppm laminarin; (3) basal diet+240 ppm fucoidan; (4) basal diet+300 ppm laminarin and 240 ppm fucoidan. There was an interaction between laminarin and fucoidan on the CTTAD of gross energy (GE) (P< 0·05) and the expression of sodium–glucose-linked transporter 1 (SGLT1/SLC5A1) and GLUT1/SLC2A1 and GLUT2/SLC2A2 (P< 0·05) in the ileum. The laminarin diet increased the CTTAD of GE and increased the expression of SGLT1, GLUT1 and GLUT2 compared with the basal diet. However, there was no effect of laminarin supplementation on these variables when combined with fucoidan. Expt 2 was designed as a complete randomised design (n 8 replicates/treatment, weaning age 24 d, live weight 7·0 kg), and the treatments were (1) basal diet, (2) basal diet and laminarin (300 ppm), and (3) basal diet and ZnO (3100 ppm, 0–14 d, and 2600 ppm, 15–32 d post-weaning). The laminarin diet increased average daily gain and gain:feed ratio compared with the basal diet during days 0–32 post-weaning (P< 0·01) and had an effect similar to the ZnO diet. These results demonstrate that laminarin provides a dietary means to improve gut health and growth performance post-weaning.

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179 Efficacy and safety of amino acids with biomass for growth and health of newly-weaned pigs

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa054.138 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_3) ◽

pp. 77-77

Author(s):

Yi-Chi Cheng ◽

Marcos E Duarte ◽

Sung Woo Kim

Keyword(s):

Amino Acids ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Function Analysis ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Jejunal Mucosa ◽

Phase 2 ◽

Efficacy And Safety ◽

Gut Health ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Dietary Treatments

Abstract The objective was to test the efficacy of L-Thr or L-Val with biomass (ThrPro or ValPro; CJ BIO, Fort Dodge, IA) on growth performance and health compared with L-Thr or L-Val (purified) in newly-weaned pigs. There were 9 dietary treatments based on NRC (2012) requirements: NC (basal diet meeting 70% of requirements for SID Thr and Val); 4 treatments based on basal diet meeting 95% of requirements: LT (with L-Thr), LV (with L-Val), PT (with ThrPro), and PV (with ValPro); HLT (fivefold L-Thr in LT), HLV (fivefold L-Val in LV), HPT (fivefold ThrPro in PT), and HPV (fivefold ValPro in PV). Pigs were fed for 26 d in 2 phases. Feed intake and BW were measured at d 0, 5, 10, 17, and 26. Blood was collected on d 21 for liver function analysis. Pigs were euthanized on d 26 to collect jejunal mucosa for gut health parameters. Data were analyzed by SAS using MIXED procedure. Pigs fed LT and LV or PT and PV had higher (P < 0.05) ADG than pigs fed NC during phase 2. Pigs fed LT, LV, PT, and PV had higher ADFI and G:F than pigs fed NC during d 17 to 26. Pigs fed PT and PV had lower (P < 0.05) G:F than pigs fed HPT and HPV during phase 2. Pigs fed LT and LV or PT and PV had lower (P < 0.05) BUN than pigs fed NC. Overall, pigs fed PT and PV had no differences in any analyzed measurements from pigs fed LT and LV and pigs fed HPT and HPV. In conclusion, PT and PV were equally efficient to LT and LV for growth performance and health. HPT and HPV did not impair liver and gut health compared with PT and PV.

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Effect of Dietary Inulin Supplementation on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Growing–Finishing Pigs

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9100840 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (10) ◽

pp. 840 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Weikang Wang ◽

Daiwen Chen ◽

Bing Yu ◽

Zhiqing Huang ◽

Yuheng Luo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Control Diet ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Carcass Traits ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Expression Level ◽

Finishing Pigs ◽

Gut Health ◽

Dietary Treatments

Inulin is one of the commercially feasible dietary fibers that has been implicated in regulating the gut health and metabolism of animals. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary inulin supplementation on growth performance and meat quality in growing–finishing pigs. Thirty-six Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire White growing barrows (22.0 ± 1.0 kg) were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments consisting of a basal control diet (CON) or basal diet supplemented with 0.5% inulin (INU). Results showed that inulin supplementation tended to increase the average daily gain (ADG) at the fattening stage (0.05 < p < 0.10). Inulin significantly increased the dressing percentage (p < 0.05) and tended to increase the loin-eye area. The serum concentrations of insulin and IGF-I were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the INU group than in the CON group. Moreover, inulin supplementation significantly elevated the expression level of myosin heavy chain II b (MyHC IIb) in the longissimus dorsi (p < 0.05). Inulin significantly upregulated the expression of mammalian rapamycin target protein (mTOR) but decreased (p < 0.05) the expression level of muscle-specific ubiquitin ligase MuRF-1. These results show the beneficial effect of inulin supplementation on the growth performance and carcass traits in growing–finishing pigs, and will also facilitate the application of inulin in swine production.

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Effect of γ-aminobutyric acid on growth performance, behavior and plasma hormones in weaned pigs

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/cjas2013-148 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 95 (2) ◽

pp. 165-171 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Y. H. Li ◽

F. Li ◽

M. Liu ◽

J. J. Yin ◽

B. J. Cheng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Daily Intake ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Aminobutyric Acid ◽

Feed Consumption ◽

Weaned Pigs ◽

Plasma Hormones ◽

Performance Behavior

Li, Y. H., Li, F., Liu, M., Yin, J. J., Cheng, B. J., Shi, B. M. and Shan, A. S. 2015. Effect of γ-aminobutyric acid on growth performance, behavior and plasma hormones in weaned pigs. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 165–171. The study was conducted the effects of dietary γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA, 0 and 30 mg kg−1) on average daily intake, growth performance, behavior and plasma hormone levels in weaned pigs. A total of 96 28-d-old healthy weaned male pigs (Duroc×Landrace×Yorkshire) with similar weight were randomly assigned into two groups. Six units were included in each treatment, with eight pigs in each unit. The trial lasted 35 d. Four pigs were exchanged between every two pens in the same treatment on day 28. No difference was observed on average daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed-to-gain ratio between the pigs fed 30 mg kg−1 GABA diets and the pigs fed basal diet, respectively. Longer feed consumption time and lower biting incidences were observed in pigs fed GABA, compared with those fed basal diet, respectively. Plasma growth hormone concentration was significantly increased and the plasma concentrations of adrenocorticotrophic hormone and cortisol were lower in weaned pigs in the GABA supplementation group on day 35. Dietary GABA significantly increased the plasma neuropeptide Y concentration on day 14 and day 35. It is indicated that dietary GABA reduced aggressive behavior and regulated endocrine hormones in weaned pigs, ultimately reducing the negative influences of stress (weaning and mixing) on the pigs.

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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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