Effects of Yeast Culture on Growth Performance,Meat Quality and Intestinal Microflora of Broilers

The experiment was conducted to study the effects of yeast culture on growth performance, meat quality and intestinal microflora of broilers. A total of 432 1-day-old AA commercial broiler chicks with initial body weight of (41.73±0.15)g were randomly divided into 4 groups with 6 replicates per group and 18 broilers per replicate,receiving diets supplemented with 0,0.1%,0.2% and 0.3% yeast culture, respectively. The trial lasted for 42 days which was divided into two periods with 1 to 21 d and 22 to 42 d,respectively.The feed intake,body weight,death and culling rate were recorded in each period. At the end of the experiment,1 chickens in each replicate with the weight close to the average value were slaughtered after fasting for 12 h. The slaughter performance and intestinal microflora counts were determined.The results showed that compared with control group,the supplementation of 0.2% and 0.3% yeast culture significantly increased the body weight at 42 d and the average daily gain (ADG) during the whole trial (P< 0.05).The diet supplemented with 0.2% yeast culture significantly improved the ADG,decreased the F/G of broilers during 22 to 42 d (P< 0.05),and it also significantly increased the average daily feed intake (ADFI) and ADG (P< 0.05),decreased the F/G of the whole period (P< 0.05).Moreover,the supplementation of 0.2% yeast culture significantly decreased the drip loss of meat and the count of Escherichia coli (P< 0.05),and significantly increased the count of Bifidobacterium(P< 0.05). In summary, the supplementation of 0.2% yeast culture could significantly improve the growth performance and the muscle quality of broilers.The intestinal microflora in broiler cecum were effectively optimized after inclusion of yeast culture in the study.     

饲喂乳杆菌雏鸡对鸡白痢菌感染的影响

雏鸡饲喂乳杆菌培养物后，人工感染鸡白痢沙门氏菌，观察雏鸡盲肠主要正常菌群定植及雏鸡抵抗力情况。研究结果表明：人工感染鸡白痢沙门氏菌后，饲喂乳杆菌组同未饲喂乳杆菌组相比，雏鸡盲肠内正常菌群有一定变化，大肠杆菌数明显降低（Ｐ＜００１），双歧杆菌和乳杆菌数明显增加（Ｐ＜００１），而且死亡率降低２０％。     

有机,无机肥料配合施用对地膜棉田土壤微生物及生化特性的影响

主要研究了有机、无机肥料的配合施用对地膜棉田土壤微生物及生化特性的影响，结果表明：施肥对地膜棉田土壤微生物有较大影响，其中，有机、无机肥料配合施用的影响尤为显著，可增加微生物总数，有益的氮素生理群微生物的数量，降低反硝化细菌的数量。土壤呼吸强度、纤维素分解强度等体现微生物活性的生化过程强度指标均有所增长。     

Age‐dependent baseline values of faecal cortisol metabolites in the American mink (Neovison vison) under semi‐natural housing conditions

The welfare of an animal is ensured if it is able to fully satisfy its essential species‐typical needs in all functional aspects of behaviour. In mink, stereotypies and apathy, internal and/or external injuries as well as increased susceptibility to disease have been known to occur as a result of chronic stress. The non‐invasive method of analysing faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) allows conclusions to be drawn about the stress level in the respective housing system. The objective of this study is to find out how the cortisol metabolites content in the faecal changes with increasing age of the mink under semi‐natural housing conditions. Thus, 40 American mink (Neovison vison) were housed in two outdoor enclosures imitating natural conditions. Throughout the entire study (13th to 32nd week of life), faecal samples were collected to measure cortisol metabolites. No differences in FCM concentrations between the two outdoor enclosures were found. In the young mink lower, less fluctuating FCM levels were found than in older animals. After the first faecal collection in the 13th/14th week of life, the level of metabolites decreased slightly (p = 0.032; 17th/18th week). From the 22nd/23rd week onwards until the 30th/31st week, shortly before the animals were pelted, continuously increasing concentrations were then measured. Increasing FCM levels with advancing age of the animals are probably attributable to the onset of sexual maturity and/or the respective season. This has to be taken into account in future studies using this method for assessing welfare and when comparing different mink housing systems.     

Effects of straw treatment and nitrogen supplementation on digestibility,intake and physiological responses of water intake as well as urine and faecal characteristics

This study investigates the effects of feeding diet based on untreated (UT) or ensiled alkali‐treated (ET) barley straw with either urea or casein supplementation, on feed intake, digestibility, ruminal pH, water intake and faecal and urinary characteristics. Four sheep fitted with ruminal cannulas were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Barley straw was treated by the dry (spraying) method in pH adjusted of hydrogen peroxide (pH 11.5), ensiled for 6 weeks and included at 65% of the diet dry matter (DM). The results showed that straw pH reduced from 11.58 to 8.60 after 6 weeks of ensilage. The ET diet increased average DM digestibility and intake by 19% and 43% respectively. Total water intake was similar across treatments, while the water/DM intake ratio was 23% higher with the UT diet than with the ET one. Ruminal (6.73 vs. 6.84) and faecal (8.67 vs. 9.05) pH decreased but urinary pH (6.14 vs. 8.13) increased as a result of feeding animals on the ET diet compared with the UT diet. Compared with the UT diet, the ET one decreased faecal fibre (12%), moisture (32%) and water holding capacity, while it increased faecal ash (10%) and density (20%). The volume of urine excreted by the sheep fed with the ET diet increased by 67%, but their urine specific gravity (SG) decreased. No significant effects were observed for the dietary N supplementation and interactions between straw type × N supplementation with regard to any of the measured characteristics except for DM intake, which reduced due to the casein supplementation in the ET diet. These results indicate that the alkali treatment and ensilage of barley straw increased digestibility, intake, faecal consistency and urinary pH and dilution but decreased straw alkalinity as well as ruminal and faecal pH.     

Faecal nitrogen excretion as an approach to estimate forage intake of wethers

Data from twenty‐two digestibility trials were compiled to examine the relationship between faecal N concentration and organic matter (OM) digestibility (OMD), and between faecal N excretion and OM intake (OMI) by wethers fed tropical or temperate forages alone or with supplements. Data set was grouped by diet type as follows: only tropical grass (n = 204), only temperate grass (n = 160), tropical grass plus supplement (n = 216), temperate grass plus supplement (n = 48), tropical grass plus tropical legume (n = 60) and temperate grass with ruminal infusion of tannins (n = 16). Positive correlation between OMD and either total faecal N concentration (Nfc, % of OM) or metabolic faecal N concentration (Nmetfc, % of OM) was significant for most diet types. Exceptions were the diet that included a tropical legume, where both relationships were negative, and the diet that included tannin extract, where the correlation between OMD and Nfc was not significant. Pearson correlation and linear regressions between OM intake (OMI, g/day) and faecal N excretion (Nf, g/day) were significant for all diet types. When OMI was estimated from the OM faecal excretion and Nfc‐based OMD values, the linear comparison between observed and estimated OMI values showed intercept different from 0 and slope different from 1. When OMI was estimated using the Nf‐based linear regressions, the linear comparison between observed and estimated OMI values showed neither intercept different from 0 nor slope different from 1. Both linear comparisons showed similar R² values (i.e. 0.78 vs. 0.79). In conclusion, linear equations are suitable for directly estimating OM intake by wethers, fed only forage or forage plus supplements, from the amount of N excreted in faeces. The use of this approach in experiments with grazing wethers has the advantage of accounting for individual variations in diet selection and digestion processes and precludes the use of techniques to estimate forage digestibility.     

鱼食性与肠道菌群关系的初步研究

对淡水养殖池中的乌鳢、鲢鱼、鳊鱼、鲫鱼不同食性鱼的后肠菌群进行了定性、定量分析,结果表明:四种鱼的后肠壁和后肠内容物都是厌氧菌总数远大于好氧菌总数;后肠内容物菌数远大于后肠壁菌数;不同的鱼,后肠壁的好氧菌总数差别很大,而厌氧菌总数差别不大;后肠内容物中的厌氧菌总数和好氧菌总数为:乌鳢>鲫鱼>鲢鱼>鳊鱼;而后肠壁细菌含量与食物没有明显的关系;后肠内容物和后肠壁中的双歧杆菌数为:乌鳢>鲫鱼>鲢鱼>鳊鱼。表明后肠内容物中的细菌总数、后肠内容物和后肠壁中的双歧杆菌数都与食性相关。大肠杆菌、肠球菌和乳酸菌在后肠的分布没有规律,说明它们与食物相关性不强。     

穿心莲对草鱼肠内细菌的影响

给不同组草鱼分别投喂含0％、0.5％、1％和2％穿心莲的人工配合饲料，在不同时期取样检测各组草鱼前、中、后肠需氧和兼性厌氧菌的种类和数量。结果显示，草鱼肠内细菌的种类，特别是优势菌群的种类没有受到穿心莲的影响。各组草鱼肠内各部位的优势菌群均为气单胞菌Aeromonas和肠杆菌Enterobacteriaceae。草鱼肠内细菌数量为105～108CFU·g-1，分析后发现，各组草鱼肠内细菌数量之间没有显著差异(P＞0.05)。但1％及2％的穿心莲能降低气单胞菌的组成。上述结果表明，一定浓度的穿心莲可以通过降低优势菌群气单胞菌的组成而对草鱼肠内微生态系产生影响。