scholarly journals Comparison of growth performance and immune responses of broiler chicks reared under heat stress, cold stress and thermoneutral conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. e0505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Olfati ◽  
Ali Mojtahedin ◽  
Tayebeh Sadeghi ◽  
Mohsen Akbari ◽  
Felipe Martínez-Pastor

This study was conducted to compare the effects of thermal stress on growth performance and some immunity variables of broiler chickens. Birds were randomly assigned to one of three thermal treatments as follows: cold stress (CS, 12±1°C), (b) heat stress (HS, 33±3 °C) and (c) thermoneutral (TN, 24±2 °C). Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), water intake (WI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded. In order to evaluate the primary and secondary humoral immune responses, two birds per replicate were intravenously administrated with a suspension of 7% sheep red blood cell (SRBC) at 28 and 35 days. The heat-stressed broiler chickens had lower FI (-14.90%), BWG (-25.71%) and higher FCR (+13.06%) in comparison to broiler chickens reared under TN condition (p<0.001) from 1 to 42 days of age. The cold-stressed broiler chickens showed lower FI (-22.05%), BWG (-38.32%) and higher FCR (+22.47%) in comparison to birds reared under TN conditions (p<0.001). Stressed birds (CS and HS) showed decreased antibody titer against SRBC, lymphocyte count and the relative weights of lymphoid organs and increased heterophil count, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio and the serum concentration of corticosterone, in comparison to birds in TN group (p<0.001). In conclusion, HS and CS conditions have similar negative effects on performance and immunity of broiler chickens.

Author(s):  
Katayoon Nofouzi ◽  
Sorayya Mirzazadeh ◽  
Monireh Khordadmehr ◽  
Mohammad Sadegh Madadi ◽  
Soheila Amininia ◽  
...  

Background and Objectives: Tsukamurella species are Gram-positive rods that exist in a broad range of environments. In this study, the efficacy of heat-killed Tsukamurella inchonensis on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and humoral immune responses of broiler chicken was evaluated. Materials and Methods: Ross broiler chicks in the cage were randomly allocated to five groups. Trail diets were prepared by adding 106 cells per bird of heat-killed T. inchonensis into the basal trading diet for group 1 continuously dosed for 24 h from day 1 to day 13, and for group 2, 24 h on days 1 to 5; 8; 9, 12 and 13. Group 3 was received 10 6 bacteria as a subcutaneous injection on days 1, 6, and 12. Groups 4 and 5 were not received T. inchonensis during the experiment period. Results: Feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not altered by different delivery methods of T. inchonensis supplementation. The pulsed dosed in feed tended to provide higher body weight gain (BWG) than the negative control groups. T. inchonensis treatments, never less of the ways of delivery, boosted (P<0.05) the antibody titers to Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and avian influenza (AI) (H9N2) virus, especially when broiler chickens treated with pulse dosed in the feed. The most significant intestinal development (p<0.05) was observed between groups 1 and 2. There were no significant differences in the thymus, liver, and bursa of Fabricius relative weight. Still, there were significant increases in the relative weight of spleen on day 14 in vaccinated chickens treated with T. inchonensis pulse dosed. Conclusion: It seems that the supplementation of T. inchonensis in the broiler diet can improve intestinal morphology and humoral immune response, which was represented by increased antibody response to NDV, and AI vaccines significantly, but it cannot affect FI and FCR.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 2027
Author(s):  
Doaa Ibrahim ◽  
Tamer Ahmed Ismail ◽  
Eman Khalifa ◽  
Shaimaa A. Abd El-Kader ◽  
Dalia Ibrahim Mohamed ◽  
...  

Necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens) results in impaired bird growth performance and increased production costs. Nanotechnology application in the poultry industry to control NE outbreaks is still not completely clarified. Therefore, the efficacy of dietary garlic nano-hydrogel (G-NHG) on broilers growth performance, intestinal integrity, economic returns and its potency to alleviate C. perfringens levels using NE challenge model were addressed. A total of 1200 male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were assigned into six groups; four supplemented with 100, 200, 300 or 400 mg of G-NHG/kg diet and co-challenged with C. perfringens at 21, 22 and 23 d of age and two control groups fed basal diet with or without C. perfringens challenge. Over the total growing period, the 400 mg/kg G-NHG group had the most improved body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency regardless of challenge. Parallel with these results, the mRNA expression of genes encoding digestive enzymes (alpha 2A amylase (AMY2A), pancreatic lipase (PNLIP) and cholecystokinin (CCK)) and intestinal barriers (junctional adhesion molecule-2 (JAM-2), occludin and mucin-2 (Muc-2)) were increased in groups fed G-NHG at higher levels to be nearly similar to those in the unchallenged group. At 14 d post challenge, real-time PCR results revealed that inclusion of G-NHG led to a dose-dependently decrease in the C. perfringens population, thereby decreasing the birds’ intestinal lesion score and mortality rates. Using 400 mg/kg of G-NHG remarkably ameliorated the adverse effects of NE caused by C. perfringens challenge, which contributed to better growth performance of challenged birds with rational economic benefits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 778-787 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elmutaz Atta Awad ◽  
Muhamad Najaa ◽  
Zainool Abidin Zulaikha ◽  
Idrus Zulkifli ◽  
Abdoreza Farjam Soleimani

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of normal and heat stress environments on growth performance and, selected physiological and immunological parameters, caecal microflora and meat quality in Cobb 500 and Ross 308 broilers.Methods: One-hundred-and-twenty male broiler chicks from each strain (one-day-old) were randomly assigned in groups of 10 to 24 battery cages. Ambient temperature on day (d) 1 was set at 32°C and gradually reduced to 23°C on d 21. From d 22 to 35, equal numbers of birds from each strain were exposed to a temperature of either 23°C throughout (normal) or 34°C for 6 h (heat stress).Results: From d 1 to 21, strain had no effect (p>0.05) on feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), or the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Except for creatine kinase, no strain×temperature interactions were observed for all the parameters measured. Regardless of strain, heat exposure significantly (p<0.05) reduced FI and BWG (d 22 to 35 and 1 to 35), immunoglobulin Y (IgY) and IgM, while increased FCR (d 22 to 35 and 1 to 35) and serum levels of glucose and acute phase proteins (APPs). Regardless of temperature, the Ross 308 birds had significantly (p<0.05) lower IgA and higher finisher and overall BWG compared to Cobb 500.Conclusion: The present study suggests that the detrimental effects of heat stress are consistent across commercial broiler strains because there were no significant strain×temperature interactions for growth performance, serum APPs and immunoglobulin responses, meat quality, and ceacal microflora population.


Author(s):  
Nazim Ali ◽  
Mohammad Akram ◽  
Ahmad Fahim ◽  
Balvir Singh ◽  
Mohammad Imran

The study investigated the effect of supplementation of Vitamin E, Zn and Cr on growth performance and hematological characteristics of broiler chickens. The 240 day old Cobb 400 chicks were randomly distributed in eight groups consisting of 30 chicks in each. These chicks were kept on deep litter houses comprising of wood shavings. The supplementation of Vitamin E, zinc and chromium either individually or in combination improved the feed conversion ratio and body weight gain in broiler chicks. The body weight of broiler chickens at different age from day old to the 6th week were significantly different among treatments. The highest body weight was recorded in T8 groups. Heamoglobin, red blood corpuscles and white blood cells levels increased whereas heterophil: lymphocyte ratio statistically decreased with vitamin E, zinc or chromium supplemented groups either individually or in combinations.


Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 342 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doaa Ibrahim ◽  
Asmaa T.Y. Kishawy ◽  
Safaa I. Khater ◽  
Ahmed Hamed Arisha ◽  
Haiam A. Mohammed ◽  
...  

This study compares between different selenium forms (sodium selenite; SeS, selenomethionine; Met-Se or nano-Se) and levels on growth performance, Se retention, antioxidative potential of fresh and frozen meat, and genes related to oxidative stress in Ross broilers. Birds (n = 450) were randomly divided into nine experimental groups with five replicates in each and were fed diets supplemented with 0.3, 0.45, and 0.6 mg Se/kg as (SeS, Met-Se), or nano-Se. For overall growth performance, dietary inclusion of Met-Se or nano-Se significantly increased (p < 0.05) body weight gain and improved the feed conversion ratio of Ross broiler chicks at the level of 0.45 and 0.6 mg/kg when compared with the group fed the same level of SeS. Se sources and levels significantly affected (p < 0.05) its concentrations in breast muscle, liver, and serum. Moreover, Se retention in muscle was higher (p < 0.05) after feeding of broiler chicks on a diet supplemented with Met-Se or nano-Se compared to the SeS group, especially at 0.6 mg/kg. Additionally, higher dietary levels from Met-Se or nano-Se significantly reduced oxidative changes in breast and thigh meat in the fresh state and after a four-week storage period and increased muscular pH after 24 h of slaughter. Also, broiler’s meat in the Met-Se and nano-Se groups showed cooking loss and lower drip compared to the SeS group (p < 0.05). In the liver, the mRNA expression levels of glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase were elevated by increasing dietary Se levels from Met-Se and nano-Se groups up to 0.6 mg/kg when compared with SeS. Therefore, dietary supplementation with 0.6 mg/kg Met-Se and nano-Se improved growth performance and were more efficiently retained than with SeS. Both sources of selenium (Met-Se and nano-Se) downregulated the oxidation processes of meat during the first four weeks of frozen storage, especially in thigh meat, compared with an inorganic source. Finally, dietary supplementation of Met-Se and nano-Se produced acceptable Se levels in chicken meat offered for consumers.


Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 416 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dinh Hai Nguyen ◽  
In Ho Kim

We investigated the effects of a blend of organic acids (OAs) and medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) supplementation in 800 1-d-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens (42 ± 0.90 g) in a 7-week study. Broiler chicks were randomly allocated into one of the five dietary treatments (16 birds per pen with 10 pens per treatment). Dietary treatments consisted of corn-soybean meal based basal diet and the basal diet supplemented with blend of OAs and MCFAs at 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 g, and 1 g per kg of feed. In the current study, during the whole experimental period, the inclusion of the blend of OAs and MCFAs in the basal diet linearly improved (p < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and dry matter digestibility. The increasing inclusion of the blend of OA and MCFA levels in the diets linearly decreased (p = 0.002) feed intake during d 1 to 7. Broilers fed diets containing different levels of the blend of OAs and MCFAs showed a linear increase (p = 0.006) in Lactobacillus concentrations and decrease (p = 0.014) in ammonia (NH3) at the end of the experiment. However, the blend of OAs and MCFAs did not affect carcass quality, E. coli, and Salmonella counts, as well as hydrogen sulfide and total mercaptans gas emission (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the blend of OA and MCFA supplementation positively influenced growth performance, DM digestibility, excreta Lactobacillus counts, as well as NH3 gas emission in broiler chickens.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shadi Sedgh-Gooya ◽  
Mehran Torki ◽  
Maryam Darbemamieh ◽  
Hassan Khamisabadi ◽  
Alireza Abdolmohamadi

Abstract Climate change and the lack of conventional feed ingredients have made edible insects a highly nutritious alternative to feed production. The use of insects as food may help solve socio-economic and environmental problems around the world and be in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. In this study, the growth performance and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens were evaluated under the influence of adding different levels of Tenebrio molitor larvae meal (TM meal) to their diets. One hundred eighty day-old broiler chickens were divided into 3 treatments and 5 replications (12 chickens/pen). The experimental diets included a control diet and treatments containing 2.5 and 5% TM meal, which were fed to birds in the starter (0-10 days) and grower (11-25 days) stages, and during the final period (26-42 days), all birds were fed a regular finisher diet. The results showed that the diet containing TM meal had no remarkable effect on the mortality rate and feed intake (FI) of broilers (P > 0.05). In the period of starter, the addition of 2.5% TM meal to broilers diet increased body weight gain (BWG) than the control group (P £ 0.05). Also, the use of 2.5% TM meal in the starter period showed a significant effect on reducing the feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to the birds fed by the control diet (P £ 0.05). Besides, the height of the villus, the depth of the crypt, and the ratio of them were not altered among the different treatments (P > 0.05). Overall, it can be concluded that TM meal could improve growth performance in the starter period, and had no negative effects on broilers' performance and intestinal morphology in all the periods of the experiment.


2014 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-157
Author(s):  
Khalid M. Gaafar

The research was conducted to study the effect of feeding broiler chickens on diets containing isomaltooligosaccharides on the growth performance, carcass traits and immune response. 90-one day old broiler chicks were used according to completely randomized two treatment groups and one control, 30 birds each. Birds fed ad-libitum on basal starter and grower-finisher diets for 35 day. Diets of treatment`s groups contained 0.5 g/Kg and 1 g/Kg of Isomaltooligosaccharides, while the control group fed on the basal diets without Isomaltooligosaccharides supplementation. Dietary supplementation of broiler chickens with Isomaltooligosaccharides improved body weight, feed conversion, carcass traits, two lymphoid organs weight and log antibody titer against avian flu vaccine. Most of the highest values were for birds fed low levels of Isomaltooligosaccharides. Feed intake decreases as Isomaltooligosaccharides level increases. Dietary supplementation with Isomaltooligosaccharides did not affect the lipids profile (triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL and HDL), however the blood VLDL levels decreased with increased levels of Malondialdehyde and Glutathione reductase. Collectively, Dietary supplementation of broiler chickens with 0.5 g/Kg diet of Isomaltooligosaccharides improved growth performance, carcass traits and immune status.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 94
Author(s):  
Mohammed M. Qaid ◽  
Saud I. Al-Mufarrej ◽  
Mahmoud M. Azzam ◽  
Maged A. Al-Garadi ◽  
Hani H. Albaadani ◽  
...  

Ross 308 broiler chicks (n = 240) aged 1 day were assigned to five groups for eight replicates (six chicks for each) (3♂ and 3♀). Basal dietary groups were supplemented by 2000, 4000, and 6000 mg/kg cinnamon (CN) for 21 days. Basal diet alone was used as a negative control, and basal antibiotic diet (Colimox) was used as a positive control. At 10, 14, and 21 days of age, chicks that received 2000 mg CN and Colimox had a higher body weight, resulting in an increase in body weight gain. CN also resulted in the maximum improvement in the feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency over 1–21 days at the level of 2000 mg/kg. At days 10, the maximum relative breast weight was 2000 mg/kg of CN. Mean serum albumin concentrations, duodenal villus height, and goblet cell density increased (p < 0.05) by 2000 mg/kg of CN, and mean serum globulin and total protein concentrations and crypt depth increased (p < 0.05) by 6000 mg/kg of CN compared with control. Increased cecal Escherichia coli number was CN dose-dependent. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of 2000 mg/kg CN can be applied as an alternative to in-feed antibiotics for broiler starter diet.


Agriculture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 1087
Author(s):  
Muhammad Israr ◽  
Naila Chand ◽  
Rifat Ullah Khan ◽  
Ibrahim A. Alhidary ◽  
Mutassim M. Abdelrahman ◽  
...  

A total of 300 day old broiler chicks (Hubbard) were assigned to 30 floor pens (10 birds per pen) under cyclic heat stress. Three diets including a control, as well as two levels of grape seed powder (GSP) and zinc (OZ) at the rates of 2.5 g/kg GSP + 50 mg/kg OZ and 5 g/kg GSP + 50 mg/kg OZ, were supplied to the broilers for 35 days. According to the results, broiler feed intake improved (p < 0.05) in GSP + OZ groups from 3–5 weeks and on an overall basis compared to the control diet. Body weight increased (p < 0.05) in GSP-5 + OZ-50 during weeks 2–5 and on an overall basis. The findings indicated that feed conversion ratio (FCR) decreased (p < 0.05) during week 5 in broilers supplemented with GSP-5 + OZ-50. The antibody titer (HI) against Newcastle disease (ND) was higher (p < 0.05) in GSP + OZ groups compared to control treatment. The value of malondialdehyde (MDA) decreased (p < 0.05) under GSP + OZ diets compared to control. Moreover, paraoxonase (PON1) was higher (p < 0.05) in GSP + OZ groups compared to untreated broilers. In conclusion, GSP + OZ positively supported growth traits, reduced MDA, and augmented PON1 and HI titer against ND in broilers exposed to heat stress.


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