•Despite intended, the control diet was not entirely free of glyphosate residues.•No impact of diet glyphosate on blood serum mineral status was observed.•Glyphosate was present in eggs of hens fed ...diets with 0.03 mg/kg glyphosate residue.•There were no clear adverse effects of diet glyphosate on performance.•Post hoc contrasts showed diet glyphosate ≥ 20 mg/kg to reduce rate of lay 0.9%-point.
Concern has been raised about the potential influence of glyphosate on livestock health and performance due to its antimicrobial and mineral-chelating properties. The present study investigated potential effects of feeding diets amended with glyphosate (as a commercial product, Glyphomax HL, or as pure isopropylamine salt, IPA) to laying hens (layers). At the age of 22 weeks, a total of 320 Lohmann LSL-Lite layers started on one of four treatment diets: Control (CON), 20 mg glyphosate/kg as Glyphomax HL (GM20), 20 mg glyphosate/kg as IPA (IPA20) and 200 mg glyphosate/kg as IPA (IPA200). The EU-defined maximum residue level (MRL) of glyphosate for several feed crops is 20 mg/kg. The layers were housed in 32 enriched cages for 27 weeks. Glyphosate levels in the diets (mg/kg feed) were analysed to 0.03 for CON, 19.3 for GM20, 18.5 for IPA20 and 191.7 for IPA200. Using preselected contrasts, there were no clear effects of diet glyphosate amendment on average egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion ratio and rate of lay, while post hoc contrasts suggested that diet glyphosate concentrations above 20 mg/kg may reduce rate of lay by 0.9%-point. Mineral levels of Mg, Ca, Mn, Fe, Cu and Zn in blood as well as indicators of welfare measured by plumage scoring and by a novel object test were not significantly affected by treatment. Glyphosate levels in blood serum (µg/L) were 0.29 for CON, 22.5 for GM20, 25.0 for IPA20 and 128.9 for IPA200. Glyphosate levels in egg yolk and egg white (ng/g) were respectively 0.26 and 0.01 for CON, 20.1 and 0.20 for GM20, 21.4 and 0.25 for IPA20 and 223.3 and 3.09 for IPA200. Glyphosate concentrations in blood serum, egg yolk and egg white reflected diet concentrations. The glyphosate degradation product, AMPA, followed the same trend as glyphosate in all analysed compartments. In conclusion, there were no clear adverse effects of glyphosate-amended diets on performance, welfare indicators and mineral status of Lohmann LSL-Lite layers even at a level approximately 10x higher than the MRL for soybeans and other common feed crops (20 mg glyphosate per kg feed). However, post hoc contrasts suggested that diet glyphosate concentrations above 20 mg/kg may reduce rate of lay by 0.9%-point. Moreover, the layers exposed down to 0.03 mg of glyphosate per kg feed produced eggs with residues of this pesticide.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Recently, the US FDA and Association of American Feed Control Officials approved Black Soldier Fly larvae (BSFL) as a feed ingredient for poultry. The objectives of this work were 1) to evaluate the ...nutritional profile of BSFL oil and meal in laying hens, and 2) measure the impact of the BSFL treatments on hen performance and egg quality. In 2 experiments, BSFL oil and meal were fed to replicate hens from 43 to 47 wk and from 51 to 55 wk of age. The hens were fed isocaloric, isonitrogenous diets with 3 treatment levels of BSFL oil (1.5, 3, and 4.5%, Exp. 1) or BSFL meal (8, 16 and 24%, Exp. 2). Data were analyzed by one-factor ANOVA for the main effect of diet and Tukey's multiple comparison for mean separation when significant. Exp. 1 results suggest BSFL oil could readily substituted for soybean oil with commercial hens at inclusion levels up to 4.5%. ADFI, BW, egg production, FCR, and egg weight were not impacted by the oil treatments (P > 0.05). Yolk color among hens fed the BSFL oil was greater averaging 7.88 compared to 7.37 from Control hen eggs (P = 0.0001). Exp. 2 diet formulation replaced soybean oil and meal with BSFL meal, and some additional corn was used in the higher BSFL diets. Diet amino acid balance at the highest level of inclusion (24% BSFL meal) indicates arginine and tryptophan are limiting and ADFI, BW and egg production were reduced (P < 0.05). Egg production averaged 85.14% for the Control, 8 and 16% BSFL meal hens and was significantly greater than hens fed 24% meal at 77.01%. However, 8 and 16% BSFL meal levels had no negative impact on performance and were not significantly different than the Controls. Yolk color was again higher among the meal treatments compared to the control (P = 0.0351). These experiments indicate that BSFL oil and meal can be used as dietary energy, protein and amino acids for hen maintenance, egg production and yolk coloration, although there may be upper limits of dietary inclusion.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
•Different aviary designs were examined regarding keel bone damage in laying hens.•Prevalence and causes of falls and collisions were analyzed in detail.•Ramps reduced falls, collisions and keel bone ...fractures for a major portion of life.•Ramps supported moving behavior of laying hens in aviaries.
Non-cage housing systems for laying hens such as aviaries provide greater freedom to perform species-specific behavior and thus are thought to improve welfare of the birds; however, aviaries are associated with a high prevalence of keel bone damage (fractures and deviations), which is a major welfare problem in commercial laying hens. Potential causes of keel bone damage are falls and collisions with internal housing structures that occur as birds move between tiers or perches in the aviary. The aim of this study was to investigate the scope for reducing keel bone damage by reducing falls and collisions through modifications of aviary design. Birds were kept in 20 pens in a laying hen house (225 hens per pen) that were assigned to four different treatments (n=5 pens per treatment group) including (1) control pens and pens modified by the addition of (2) perches, (3) platforms and (4) ramps. Video recordings at 19, 22, 29, 36 and 43 weeks of age were used to analyze controlled movements and falls (including details on occurrence of collision, cause of fall, height of fall and behavior after fall) during the transitional dusk and subsequent dark phase. Palpation assessments (focusing on fractures and deviations) using 20 focal hens per pen were conducted at 18, 20, 23, 30, 37, 44, 52 and 60 weeks of age. In comparison to the control group, we found 44% more controlled movements in the ramp (P=0.003) and 47% more controlled movements in the platform treatments (P=0.014) as well as 45% fewer falls (P=0.006) and 59% fewer collisions (P<0.001) in the ramp treatment. There were no significant differences between the control and perch treatments. Also, at 60 weeks of age, 23% fewer fractured keel bones were found in the ramp compared with the control treatment (P=0.0053). After slaughter at 66 weeks of age, no difference in keel bone damage was found between treatment groups and the prevalence of fractures increased to an average of 86%. As a potential mechanism to explain the differences in locomotion, we suggest that ramps facilitated movement in the vertical plane by providing a continuous path between the tiers and thus supported more natural behavior (i.e. walking and running) of the birds. As a consequence of reducing events that potentially damage keel bones, the installation of ramps may have reduced the prevalence of keel fractures for a major portion of the flock cycle. We conclude that aviary design and installation of specific internal housing structures (i.e. ramps and platforms) have considerable potential to reduce keel bone damage of laying hens in aviary systems.
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•Supplementation of peppermint oil at different levels was tested in the laying hens for 12 weeks.•Peppermint oil supplementation improved egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake and feed ...conversion ratio.•Peppermint oil in hens’ diets led to a higher Haugh unit, eggshell quality and decreased serum cholesterol of laying hens.•Inclusion of peppermint oil to laying hens diet increased the digestibility of crude protein, ether extract, and phosphorus.
Herbal plants and their extracts are commonly used as feed supplements to improve the performance and physiology of poultry. This study was conducted to determine the effects of supplementation of peppermint oil in laying hens’ diets on laying performance, egg quality, nutrients digestibility, and serum metabolic profile. A total of two hundred Bovans brown laying hens (32 weeks old) were assigned to five treatment diets including peppermint oil at 0, 74, 148, 222, and 296 mg/kg, respectively, for 12 weeks. Each treatment had eight replicates with five hens each. The results revealed that the incremental dietary peppermint oil linearly increased (P < 0.001) egg weight, egg production, egg mass, and feed intake from 32 to 38, 38 to 44, and 32 to 44 weeks of age. Moreover, feed conversion ratio significantly improved (linear, P < 0.001) following the increase of levels of peppermint oil in laying hens’ diet. Haugh unit and eggshell thickness and percentages were improved (P < 0.01) with the increase of levels of peppermint oil at 38 and 44 weeks of age. However, peppermint oil supplementation did not influence other egg quality characteristics like albumen and yolk percentages. Digestibility of crude protein, ether extract, and phosphorus linearly increased (P < 0.001) with the increase of levels of supplementation. Notably, serum total proteins increased (P < 0.01) while serum cholesterol significantly decreased (P < 0.001) with the increase of levels of peppermint oil. In conclusion, although all inclusion levels of peppermint oil improved egg production and quality, feed conversion ratio, digestibility of nutrients, and increased serum total proteins and decreased cholesterol levels of laying hens; however, better results were observed at higher levels of supplementation.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
This study focused on evaluating the influence of
Clostridium butyricum
and
Brevibacillus
strains on egg production, egg quality, immune response and antioxidant function, apparent fecal amino acid ...digestibility, and jejunal morphology when supplemented as probiotics in the diets of laying hens in the peak phase. A total of 288 healthy 30-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were arbitrarily assigned to four dietary groups, which included control diet and control diet supplemented with 0.02%
C. butyricum
zlc-17,
C. butyricum
lwc-13, or
Brevibacillus
zlb-z1, for 84 days. The results showed that dietary
C. butyricum
and
Brevibacillus
sp. exerted a positively significant influence (
P
≤ 0.05) compared to the control group on the performance, egg quality, and physiological response of the birds. The diets could reduce mortality rate and enhance (
P
≤ 0.05) egg weight and egg mass, egg production rate, and feed efficiency. Further analysis suggested that the probiotic strains can enhance (
P
≤ 0.05) eggshell quality, Haugh unit, thick albumen content, and albumen height. Also, probiotics enhanced (
P
≤ 0.05) the antioxidant status
via
increased antioxidant enzymes and jejunal morphology as evidenced by increased villi surface area (VSA), the ratio of villi height to crypt depth, villi width, and villi height, and a significant reduction in crypt depth. Besides, nutrient absorption and retention were enhanced, as apparent fecal amino acid digestibility of key essential amino acids was substantially improved in the diet-based group. The concentrations of immunoglobulin M and A (IgM and IgA) increased significantly (
P
≤ 0.05) in the probiotics group and the same effect was notable for complement proteins (C3) and immune organ (Spleen). Conclusively, the supplementation of
Clostridium butyricum
zlc-17 in comparison to
Clostridium butyricum
lwc-13 and
Brevibacillus
zlb-z1 strains significantly (
P
≤ 0.05) promoted the antioxidant status, modulated the intestinal structure, enhanced amino acid digestibility, and regulated the immunity index of the laying hens, which finally improves the laying performance and egg quality of the laying hens.
The experiment has been carried out in the Poultry Department from the Didactic Station of Banat`s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Timişoara, on laying hens - the Shaver ...579 hybrid, being in the plateau part of the laying curve. We have distributed the hens in 4 groups (n=25), with fodder recipes including two protein levels (16.2% - group 1 and respectively 15.2% groups 2,3 and 4) and different amino acid contents (about 0.77% lysine and 0.38% methionine – groups 1 and 2; only 0.70% lysine and 0.34% methionine group 3, respectively 0.82% lysine and 0.42% methionine group 4). For the entire studied period, the highest egg production and the lower specific consumption, was registered for group 4 and the lowest production performances were assigned in group 3, which had been fed with a diet containing 15.2% crude protein and an amino-acids level lower with 10% than the NRC 1994 requirements. A strong positive correlation (r=0.80, p=0.015) for the egg production versus protein, lysine and methionine intake was obtained in lot 3.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
The experiment on mineral supplementation of feed, in egg-laying hens, was carried out in concordance with the national and common legislation, with the feeding and maintenance conditions specific to ...the organic system. According to the experimental organization scheme, a group of 90 egg-laying hens, with the age of 19-34 weeks, was randomly distributed in three experimental variants and fed on a basic CM; the differentiating nutritional factor was represented by the level of microelement supplementation, as follows: -V1 – fed on CM, without mineral premix; the micromineral participation was provided by the CM basic components, determined according to specific chemical analyses, at the level of 60.68 mg Fe, 20.33 mg Mn, 28.16 mg Zn, 7.73 mg Cu, 0.12 mg Co, 0.06 mg I, 0.26 mg Se/kg SU – CM; -V2 – fed on CM, with supplementation of mineral premix; the microelement participation was adapted to the extensive breeding and the supplementation was 70.68 mg Fe, 40.33 mg Mn, 48.16 mg Zn, 9.23 mg Cu, 0.24 mg Co, 0.26 mg I, 0.36 mg Se / kg SU CM; -V3 – fed on CM + mineral premix with double microelement supplementation, reaching the level of 80.68 mg Fe, 60.33 mg Mn, 68.16 mg Zn, 10.73 mg Cu, 0.37 mg Co, 0.46 mg I, 0.46 mg Se / kg SU CM. In this experiment, we determined nutritive indices and also bioproductive indices related to egg quantity and quality. The results prove the necessity of feed supplementation with microminerals in the egg-laying hens bred in organic systems as well, but with levels reduced with 50% compared with the intensive systems.
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The problem of rapid decline in egg production performance and poor egg quality is a key obstacle to improving the economic benefits of laying hens. Garcinol is an antioxidant polyphenol plant ...extract that has multiple physiological functions. Diets with the appropriate amount of garcinol might be able to improve the performance traits and health of late laying hens. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the utilization of garcinol in late laying hens. A total of 400 healthy 59-wk-old Tingfen No. 6 hens were randomly allocated into 4 dietary treatment groups and fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 100, 300, and 500 mg/kg garcinol for 12 wk, denoted the Con, LG, MG, and HG groups, respectively. The results showed that the addition of garcinol in the diet tended to increase the egg production rate compared with that of the control group (P = 0.080), while the average egg weight was significantly lower (P < 0.05) during the whole period of the experiment. The results showed that MG group hens had higher egg quality and strengthened antioxidant capacity in their serum (P < 0.05). Moreover, the laying hens in the MG group had significantly decreased crypt depth (CD) and increased villus height (VH) in the jejunum and ileum (P < 0.05), as well as an increased ratio of VH to CD (P < 0.05) and increased expression levels of Occludin (P < 0.05) and Claudin-2 (P < 0.05) in the jejunum to improve intestinal barrier function. In addition, dietary supplementation with garcinol influenced the cecal microbiota of laying hens, which was characterized by changes in the microbial community composition, including increased abundances of Firmicutes, Romboutsia, and Ruminococcus torques. In conclusion, dietary 300 mg/kg garcinol supplementation could increase the egg production and egg quality of late laying hens, which may be attributed to the antioxidant effects of garcinol and the improvement of intestinal morphology and epithelial barrier function as well as the regulation of mucosal immune status by altering microbial composition.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
The present study aimed to investigate the mechanism of microRNA-129-1-3p (miR-129-1-3p) in regulating hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced autophagic death of chicken granulosa cell by targeting ...mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU). The results indicated that the exposure of hens' ovaries to H2O2 resulted in a significant elevation in reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, as well as the apoptosis of granulosa cells and follicular atresia. This was accompanied by an upregulation of glucose-regulated protein 75 (GRP75), voltage-dependent anion-selective channel 1 (VDAC1), MCU, mitochondria fission factor (MFF), microtubule-associated protein 1 light chain 3 (LC3) I, and LC3II expression, and a downregulation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator-1 alpha (PGC-1α) and mitofusin-2 (MFN2) expression. In hens’ granulosa cells, a luciferase reporter assay confirmed that miR-129-1-3p directly regulates MCU. The induction of oxidative stress through H2O2 resulted in the activation of the permeability transition pore, an overload of calcium, depolarization of the mitochondrial membrane potential, dysfunction of mitochondria-associated endoplasmic reticulum membranes (MAMs), and ultimately, autophagic cell death. The overexpression of miR-129-1-3p effectively mitigated these H2O2-induced changes. Furthermore, miR-129-1-3p overexpression in granulosa cells prevented the alterations induced by H2O2 in the expression of key proteins that play crucial roles in maintaining the integrity of MAMs and regulating autophagy, such as GRP75, VDAC1, MFN2, PTEN-induced kinase 1 (Pink1), and parkin RBR E3 ubiquitin-protein ligase (Parkin). Together, these in vitro- and in vivo-based experiments suggest that miR-129-1-3p protects granulosa cells from oxidative stress-induced autophagic cell death by downregulating the MCU-mediated mitochondrial autophagy. miR-129-1-3p/MCU calcium signaling pathway may act as a new target to alleviate follicular atresia caused by oxidative stress in laying hens.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
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