Inclusion levels and modes of whole grain incorporation into wheat-based rations differentially influence the performance of broiler chickens

1. The objective was to compare three whole grain (WG) inclusion levels (7.5, 15 and 30%) offered to broiler chickens by three modes of WG incorporation: (i) pre-pellet WG inclusion, (ii) post-pellet WG inclusion as a blend of WG and pelleted concentrate and (iii) post-pellet WG inclusion where WG and pelleted concentrate were provided in separate feed trays against a ground-grain, wheat-based control diet.

2. Ten dietary treatments were offered to 6 replicate cages (6 birds per cage) of male Ross 308 chickens from 7 to 28 d post-hatch. The effects of treatment on relative gizzard weights, gizzard contents, pancreatic weights and pH of gizzard digesta were monitored. Parameters of growth performance, nutrient utilisation (apparent metabolisable energy [AME], metabolisable to gross energy [ME:GE] ratios, nitrogen [N] retention and N-corrected AME [AMEn]), apparent starch and protein (N) digestibility coefficients and disappearance rates in for small intestinal segments and concentrations of free amino acids in plasma taken from the anterior mesenteric vein were determined.

3. Whole grain feeding (WGF) did not influence weight gain, but 30% post-pellet blended and 15 and 30% post-pellet separated treatments significantly depressed (P < 0.05) feed intakes while the 30% post-pellet separated treatment improved (P < 0.01) feed conversion ratios (FCR). WGF regimes significantly increased relative gizzard weights.

4. Overall, WGF generated profound responses in AME, ME:GE ratios, N retention and AMEn that were highly correlated with relative gizzard weights. In general, WGF improved starch and protein (N) digestibilities and again there were some correlations with these outcomes and relative gizzard weights.

5. Post-pellet WG inclusions where WG and pelleted concentrate were offered separately provided chickens with the opportunity to choice feed. Birds showed a preference for the relatively high-protein pelleted concentrate and at 30% WG, this resulted in an improvement in FCR of 7.69% (1.260 versus 1.365; P < 0.001) relative to the ground-grain control diet.     

Modulation of broilers’ caecal microflora and metabolites in response to a potential probiotic Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

Studies have found that a dietary supplement of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens improved the growth performance, increased the nutrient digestibility of hosts and modulated the intestinal microflora. A total of 360 1‐day‐old Ross broilers were randomly divided into three treatments: a control group with a basal diet, an antibiotic group with a basal diet and added colistin sulphate, and a probiotics group with a basal diet and added Bacillus amyloliquefaciens. The HiSeq high‐throughput sequencing analysis of 16S rRNA was used to investigate the differences in birds’ caecal microflora, and metabolomics was used to analyse changes in caecal metabolites. Results showed that the supplementation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens significantly improved the BW and ADG compared with the control birds. Results of sequencing indicated that (i) 645, 670, 596 unique operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were found in birds supplemented with Bacillus amyloliquefaciens on day 7, 21 and 42, separately, (ii) due to the diversity and relative abundance of the birds’ caecal microflora, the OTUs of the caecal microflora clustered according to age and treatment, except on day 42, (iii) among the six predominate families (Ruminococcaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Erysipelotrichaceae, Lactobacillaceae and Rikenellaceae), the supplementation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens significantly increased Enterobacteriaceae on day 42, (iv) Bacillus amyloliquefaciens increased the relative abundance of Faecalibacterium and Ruminococcus on day 21, increased the Faecalibacterium and Blautia and decreased the Ruminococcus on day 42. The metabolomics of caecal metabolites showed that the dietary Bacillus amyloliquefaciens changed the caecal metabolites involved of amino acid metabolism and glyceride metabolism, and the antibiotics changed the caecal metabolites that were related to carbohydrates and amino acid metabolism on day 21.     

青蒿素包合物的表征及其对鸡球虫病的防治评价

为了拓宽青蒿素在动物中的应用,扬州大学兽医学院临床兽医实验室制备了青蒿素-β-环糊精包合物,利用X射线粉末衍射（XRD）和核磁共振氢谱（^1 HNMR）技术对该包合物的表征进行了鉴定。XRD谱图中包合物特征峰的变化和^1 HNMR中包合物的青蒿素质子的化学位移移向高场,确认青蒿素-β-环糊精包合物的形成。应用青蒿素-β-环糊精包合物预防鸡感染柔嫩艾美耳球虫的试验结果表明,不同剂量的青蒿素抗球虫指数均低于160,说明其防治效果不佳。     

Hypophagic and dipsogenic effect of the 5‐HT1A receptor agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT in broiler chickens

The effects of the 5‐HT_1A receptor agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT on food and water intake in male broiler chickens were investigated. The injection of 25 or 50 μg/kg of 8‐OH‐DPAT 15 min before refeeding in fasted animals produced a decrease in food intake. No effect was observed in drinking. The injection of 25 or 50 μg/kg of the 8‐OH‐DPAT 60 min after the start of refeeding did not produce any significant modification in food intake. No effect on drinking was recorded. The agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT injected 15 min before water presentation in water‐deprived chickens, produced an increased drinking 60 min after the presentation of water. No effect on food intake was observed. The results show that the effect on food intake of the agonist 8‐OH‐DPAT in fasted–refed broiler chickens was similar to those observed in mammals and layer‐strain chickens. However, the agonist did not alter significantly the food intake when the broilers were fed 60 min before the injection. These results are contrary to the observed effects in mammals and in layer‐strain chickens. Probably, the selection for rapid growth rate in broilers causes modifications in the feeding control pattern. The comparison between broilers and layers strain may be a useful tool to elucidate the complex mechanisms involved in food and water intake regulation in chickens.     

云南屏边大围山微型鸡肉品质的研究

试验选用14周龄云南屏边大围山微型鸡公母各10只,对其肉品质物理特性指标进行测定分析。结果显示,公鸡、母鸡腿肌的系水率、嫩度、多汁性、红度（a值）、pH及肌纤维密度均显著高于胸肌,而公鸡、母鸡腿肌的剪切力、蒸煮损失和贮藏损失、亮度（L值）、肌纤维直径与胸肌相比显著降低;相同部位不同性别间比较结果显示,公鸡胸肌与腿肌的剪切力、肌纤维直径、胸肌贮藏损失显著高于母鸡,而母鸡胸肌与腿肌的嫩度和肌纤维密度均比公鸡的高。综合对剪切力、蒸煮损失、贮藏损失、系水率、嫩度、多汁性、风味和总体口感等指标分析,公鸡、母鸡腿肌的肉质高于胸肌,母鸡肉质高于公鸡。     

珍禽贵妃鸡商用配套系的选育——商品代雏鸡自别雌雄结果的观察和分析

据伴性遗传基因的遗传原理和羽速基因的遗传特点,选择8只珍禽贵妃鸡快羽公鸡与32只慢羽母鸡按1:4的公母比例组成8个组合进行配套杂交。其杂交种蛋经孵化出雏,观察每只公鸡的后代中快慢羽雏鸡的数量,再通过翻肛鉴别和解剖验证。结果表明贵妃鸡快慢羽杂交后代雏鸡自别雌雄的总体准确率的96.77%,其中7个组合后代雏鸡的雌雄自别准确率达到100%。因此珍禽贵妃鸡商用配套系的杂交后代完全可以实现商品雏鸡自别雌雄。     

Variation in seed protein digestion of different pea (Pisum sativum L.) genotypes by cecectomized broiler chickens: 1. Endogenous amino acid losses, true digestibility and in vitro hydrolysis of proteins

The aim of this study was to investigate the cause of variation in the digestibility of pea protein in poultry and to find a tool to select genotypes with high digestibility potential by using an in vitro hydrolysis assay. Eight pea genotypes were selected for their difference in seed protein content and composition. To reduce the variation due to tannins and particle size, seeds from these 8 genotypes were dehulled and micro-ground. They were incorporated as the only protein source in 8 different experimental isoproteinaceous diets with similar metabolisable energy content. The amino acid digestibility was studied in cecectomized chickens. A balance method was used to obtain apparent digestibility, and the isotope dilution technique was used to determine endogenous losses and true digestibility, after feeding a double labelled test meal containing chromic oxide and ¹⁵N-labelled peas. The 8 diets showed differences in apparent amino acid digestibility. The average apparent digestibility for all amino acids varied between 79.5 and 86.3%, with the highest values for arginine (85.2 to 90.8%) and glutamic acid (85.2 to 90.5%), and the lowest values for cystine (63.3 to 69.7%) and tryptophan (69.1 to 80.3%). This variability of apparent amino acid digestibility was due to variations in endogenous losses and true digestibility among the 8 pea genotypes. The average endogenous losses as determined for 9 amino acids ranged from 3.6 to 5.4% of ingested amino acids, with the highest value for threonine (8.0 to 11.0%). The average true digestibility varied between 84.4 and 90.2%, with the highest values for lysine (89.0 to 95.0%), and the lowest for isoleucine (81.0 to 88.7%) and valine (82.4 to 88.7%). In vitro hydrolysis of protein from micro-ground seeds was performed for the 8 pea genotypes using three proteases (pepsin, trypsin and chymotrypsin). The quantity of small peptides (< 3 kDa) that appeared after the combined hydrolysis with pepsin (3 h) followed by trypsin and chymotrypsin (15 min) was significantly correlated with the average true digestibility of the 8 genotypes (R = 0.74; P < 0.05).     

Genetic diversity of Bangladeshi native chickens based on complete sequence of mitochondrial DNA D-loop region

ABSTRACT

1. The aim of this study was to explore genetic diversity and possible origin of Bangladeshi (BD) native chickens. The complete mtDNA D-loop region was sequenced in 60 chickens representing five populations; naked neck, full feathered, Aseel, Hilly and autosomal dwarf. The 61 reference sequences representing different domestic chicken clades in China, India, Laos, Indonesia, Myanmar, and other Eurasian regions were included. The mtDNA D-loop sequence polymorphism and maternal origin of five BD populations were analysed.

2. A total of 35 polymorphic sites, and 21 haplotypes were detected in 60 mtDNA D-loop sequences. The haplotype and nucleotide diversity of the five populations were 0.921 ± 0.018 and 0.0061 ± 0.0019, respectively. Both mtDNA network and phylogenetic analysis indicated four clades (four haplogroups) in BD populations (21 haplotypes) along with 61 reference haplotypes. Clade E contained the most individuals (20) and haplotypes (11) of BD chickens, followed by clade D (17, 6), clade C (12, 2) and clade F (11, 2), respectively.

3. The higher number of unique haplotypes found in Yunnan, China, suggested that the origin of BD chickens was in this region. The haplotypes from different haplogroups were introduced in Bangladeshi chickens from India, China and Myanmar. The phylogenetic tree showed a close relationship of BD chickens with the clusters from India, China, Myanmar and Laos, and indicated the dispersion of BD chickens from these sources. The phylogenetic information revealed high genetic diversity of BD chickens because of their origin from different lineages with high genetic variation and distance, which was determined from four cluster and neighbour-joining trees.

4. In conclusion, BD populations had high genetic diversity. The mtDNA network profiles and phylogenetic trees showed multiple maternal origins of BD chickens from India, China, Myanmar and Laos.     

Pharmacokinetics of thymoquinone in layer chickens following oral and intravenous administration

Thymoquinone (TQ) is the major constituent of Nigella sativa and known to possess a variety of pharmacological effects. This study was designed to evaluate the pharmacokinetic profile of TQ following oral (PO) and intravenous (IV) administration in layer chickens. The layer chickens were equally divided into two groups (six chickens in each group, total 12 chickens), and TQ was administered via PO and IV routes. For PO route, the dose was 20 mg/kg b.w. and for IV route, 5 mg/kg b.w. was administered, respectively. A sensitive and accurate High‐Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) technique was validated for the quantification of TQ from plasma. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.02 µg/ml and 0.05 µg/ml, respectively with >80% recovery. Maximum plasma concentration (C_max) following PO and IV administration was 8.805 and 4.497 µg/ml, respectively, while time to reach at maximum concentration (T_max) was 1 and 0.1 hr, respectively. The elimination half‐lives were recorded as 1.02 and 0.978 hr, whereas the mean residence times were 1.79 and 1.036 hr following both PO and IV administration, respectively. The 85% PO bioavailability was indicative that TQ could be used for various therapeutic purposes in layer chickens.     

茶园地散养方式对瑶山鸡生长及屠宰性能的影响

为探讨茶园地散养方式对瑶山鸡生长及屠宰性能的影响,选用30日龄、体重基本一致的瑶山鸡共计120只,随机分为2组,每组各60只,每组再分为6个重复小组,每小组10只。分别采用一般坡地散养和茶园地散养方式进行饲养。饲养至90日龄时进行屠宰,并对生产及屠宰性能相关指标进行测定。结果显示:一般坡地散养方式的瑶山鸡90日龄体重低于茶园地散养组、平均日增重显著低于茶园地散养组(P<0.05),料重比高于茶园散养组;茶园地瑶山鸡90日龄的屠体重、半净膛重、全净膛重、腿肌重和瘦肉率均高于坡地散养组,但差异不显著(P>0.05);茶园地散养组的肝重、脾脏重显著高于一般坡地散养组(P<0.05);茶园地散养组瑶山鸡的组氨酸、精氨酸、肌苷酸含量显著高于一般坡地散养组(P<0.05),其他指标差异不显著(P>0.05)。综上表明,与一般坡地散养方式相比较,茶园地散养方式更利于瑶山鸡的生长。