Graded levels of Eimeria infection linearly reduced the growth performance, altered the intestinal health, and delayed the onset of egg production of Hy-Line W-36 laying hens when infected at the prelay stage.

The aim of this experiment was to investigate how different levels of Eimeria infection affect the performance, intestinal health, oxidative status, and egg production of Hy-Line W-36 pullets and laying hens. Three hundred and sixty Hy-Line W-36 pullets, aged 15 wk, were randomly distributed into 5 treatment groups, each comprising 6 replicates and a nonchallenged control. At 15 wk, pullets were inoculated with different levels of mixed Eimeria species as high-dose, medium-high, medium-low, and low-dose treatments.

Impacts of phytase and coccidial vaccine on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, bone development, and intestinal gene expression of broilers fed a nutrient reduced diet.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of phytase and coccidial vaccine on growth performance, bone ash, bone 3-D microstructure, nutrient digestibility, and gene expression of intestinal biomarkers in broilers fed a regular or nutrient-reduced diet. The experiment was conducted in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement with 6 replicates per treatment and 10 birds per replicate. Two main factors were coccidial vaccine and dietary treatments.

Graded levels of Eimeria challenge altered the microstructural architecture and reduced the cortical bone growth of femur of Hy-Line W-36 pullets at early stage of growth (0-6 wk of age).

An experiment was carried out to evaluate the impact of mixed Eimeria challenge on skeletal health of Hy-Line W-36 pullets. A total of 540, 16-day-old pullets were randomly allocated into 5 treatment groups, including a nonchallenged control. A mixed Eimeria species solution containing 50,000 E.

Effect of the combination of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 and higher level of calcium and phosphorus in the diets on bone 3D structural development in pullets.

Bone issues such as osteoporosis are major concerns for the laying hen industry. A study was conducted to improve bone-health in pullets. A total of 448 one-day-old Hyline W36 pullets were randomly assigned to four treatments (8 rep; 14 birds/rep) until 17 weeks (wks).

Partial Replacement of Soybean Meal with Canola Meal or Corn DDGS in Low-Protein Diets Supplemented with Crystalline Amino Acids-Effect on Growth Performance, Whole-Body Composition, and Litter Characteristics.

A 42-day study was conducted to explore the application of supplemental amino acids (AA) in low-protein diets with soybean meal (SBM), canola meal (CM) or corn distillers dried grain with solubles (cDDGS) as the main protein feedstuffs. The responses of interest were growth performance, carcass yield, whole-body composition, litter ammonia and litter N. On d 0, a total of 540 Cobb 500 (off-sex) male broilers were allocated to 36 floor pens.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Probiotic on Performance and Cecal Microbiota in Hy-Line W-36 Laying Hens.

This study aimed to investigate the role of the probiotic on the production performance, egg quality, and cecal microbial load of , spp., and in Hy-Line W-36 laying hens. A total of 72, 45-week-old Hy-Line W-36 laying hens were randomly allocated to one of the three dietary treatments with six replicates, and each replicate had four individually caged laying hens ( = 6 and 4 hens/replicate).

Effects of mixed Eimeria challenge on performance, body composition, intestinal health, and expression of nutrient transporter genes of Hy-Line W-36 pullets (0-6 wks of age).

A study was aimed to investigate the effects of mixed Eimeria challenge on performance, gastrointestinal health, oxidative stress, inflammation, and expression of nutrient transporter genes of Hy-Line W-36 pullets. A total of 540, 16-d old pullets were randomly allocated into 5 treatment groups with 6 replicate cages, including a nonchallenged control group. A mixed Eimeria species solution containing 50,000 E.

Effects of dietary protein, energy and β-mannanase on laying performance, egg quality, and ileal amino acid digestibility in laying hens.

β-mannan is a nonstarch polysaccharide found in hulled and dehulled soybeans that can survive drying-toasting phase of processing soybeans and have antinutritive effects in poultry. β-mannanase is an active enzyme (endohydrolase) that can hydrolyze β-mannan to reduce its antinutritional effects. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of β-mannanase supplementation in low energy/protein diets on egg production, egg quality, and apparent ileal digestibility of the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), and amino acids in 21-week-old Single Comb White Leghorn hens (Hy-Line W-36).

Role of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D and 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D in Chicken Embryo Osteogenesis, Adipogenesis, Myogenesis, and Vitamin D Metabolism.

A study was conducted to understand the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25OHD) administration on the expression of key genes related to osteogenesis, adipogenesis, myogenesis, and vitamin D metabolism in the chicken embryo. A total of 120 fertilized Cobb 500 eggs were used in the current study and were reared under standard incubation conditions. On embryonic day 3 (ED 3), PBS (C), PBS with 40ng 1,25OHD (1,25D-L), 200ng 1,25OHD (1,25D-H), 40ng 25OHD (25D-L), or 200ng 25OHD (25D-H) were injected into the dorsal vein of developing embryos.

Role of 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D on Osteogenic Differentiation and Mineralization of Chicken Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25OHD) has been suggested to play an important role in osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. However, limited data have been reported in avian species. In the present study, the direct role of 1,25OHD on osteogenic differentiation and mineralization in chicken mesenchymal stem cells (cMSCs) derived from day-old broiler bones was investigated.

Effects of the housing environment and laying hen strain on tibia and femur bone properties of different laying phases of Hy-Line hens.

This study aimed to determine the effect of the housing environment and laying hen strain on tibia and femur properties. A 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of 3 housing environments (conventional cages [CC], enriched colony cages [EC], and free range [FR]) and 2 laying hen strains (Hy-Line W-36 [W-36] and Hy-Line Brown [HB]) in a completely randomized design was conducted from 32 to 85 wk of age. Six left tibias were collected at 8 different time points (38, 45, 52, 59, 65, 72, 79, and 85 wk of age), whereas 6 left femurs were collected at 3 time points (38, 65, and 85 wk of age).

Evaluation of Alternative Euthanasia Methods of Neonatal Chickens.

Hatched male layer chicks are currently euthanized by maceration in the United States. Public concerns on the use of maceration have led to the search for alternative methods. We hypothesized that gas inhalation and low atmospheric pressure stunning (LAPS) are viable and humane alternatives to instantaneous mechanical destruction.

Carbon Dioxide and Nitrogen Infused Compressed Air Foam for Depopulation of Caged Laying Hens.

Depopulation of infected poultry flocks is a key strategy to control and contain reportable diseases. Water-based foam, carbon dioxide inhalation, and ventilation shutdown are depopulation methods available to the poultry industry. Unfortunately, these methods have limited usage in caged layer hen operations.