Selenized Yeast Protects Against Cadmium-Induced Follicular Atresia in Laying Hens by Reducing Autophagy in Granulosa Cells.

Cadmium (Cd) exposure can induce follicular atresia and laying performance reduction in hens, which is linked to autophagy within the granulosa cells. Selenium (Se) can influence autophagy and counteract Cd toxicity. This study aimed to investigate the protective effect of Se on Cd-induced follicular atresia in laying hens.

Effects of xylo-oligosaccharide supplementation on the production performance, intestinal morphology, cecal short-chain fatty acid levels, and gut microbiota of laying hens.

This study investigated the effects of xylo-oligosaccharide supplementation on the production performance, intestinal morphology, cecal short-chain fatty acid levels, and gut microbiota of laying hens. A total of 800 Lohmann pink layers, each 48 wk old, were randomly divided into 5 dietary treatment groups, namely XOS at 0 (CON), 100 (XOS1), 200 (XOS2), 300 (XOS3) and 400 (X0S4) mg/kg. The experimental period was 24 wk.

Effects of enzyme supplementation on growth performance, digestibility of phosphorus, femur parameters and fecal microbiota in growing pigs fed different types of diets.

A 42-days study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary types (corn-or wheat-soybean meal-based diet) and phytase (Phy) or a multi-carbohydrase and phytase complex (MCPC) supplementation on growth performance, digestibility of phosphorus (P), intestinal transporter gene expression, plasma indexes, bone parameters, and fecal microbiota in growing pigs. Seventy-two barrows (average initial body weight of 24.70 ± 0.

Effects of Long-Term Coated Sodium Butyrate Supplementation on the Intestinal Health and Colonization of Cecal of Laying Hens Infected with .

ser. Enteritidis () is widely found in chickens and eggs, and it can potentially induce human illness. The investigation in this study centers on the impacts of long-term dietary supplementation with coated sodium butyrate (CSB) on intestinal well-being and the colonization of cecum in laying hens infected with We segregated a total of 120 Lohmann laying hens aged 51 weeks into four treatment categories: 0 (CON), 300 (CSB1), 500 (CSB2), and 800 (CSB3) mg/kg of CSB, supplemented with CSB from the first day of the experiment.

Pu-erh tea theabrownin improves the ovarian function and gut microbiota in laying hens.

Studies have reported that theabrownin can moderate the lipid metabolism and intestinal microbiota, thereby affecting the health of humans and model animals, however the research on laying hens is scarce. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary theabrownin supplementation on lipid metabolism, microbial composition and ovarian function in laying hens. A total of 80 laying hens (25 wk of age) were fed with normal diet (CON) and normal diet +100 mg/kg theabrownin (PT group) for 12 wk.

Extract of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicerae flos improves growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier of yellow-feather broiler chickens against Clostridium perfringens.

In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Scutellaria baicalensis and Lonicerae Flos (SL) extract on the growth performance and intestinal health of yellow-feather broilers following a Clostridium perfringens challenge. In total, 600 one-day-old yellow-feather broilers were divided into five treatments (6 replicate pens of 20 birds per treatment), including a control (Con) group fed a basal diet and the infected group (iCon) fed a basal diet and infected with Clostridium perfringens, the other 3 groups receiving different doses of SL (150, 300, and 450 mg/kg) and infected with Clostridium perfringens. The total experimental period was 80 d.

Metabolomics analysis to interpret changes in physiological and metabolic responses to chronic heat stress in Pekin ducks.

Heat stress (HS) is a major environmental threat that affects duck production in subtropical and tropical regions, especially in summer. This study aimed to evaluate the physiological and metabolic responses of Pekin ducks to chronic HS conditions via liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) using a paired-fed (PF) experimental design. On the basis of equivalent feed intake (HS vs.

Effects of Dietary Level of Corn Bran on Laying Performance and Cecum Microbial Communities in Laying Ducks.

The application of corn bran (CB) to laying ducks via iso-energy and iso-nitrogen diets is rarely reported. Six hundred laying ducks (49 weeks) were equally assigned to five treatments: the control group with 0% CB and the other four groups with 3%, 6%, 9%, and 12% CB. The experiment lasted for 11 weeks.

Effects of stevia extract on production performance, serum biochemistry, antioxidant capacity, and gut health of laying hens.

In the present study, we aimed to elucidate the effects of stevia extract on production performance, serum immune indexes, intestinal structure, and cecum microbial structure. We randomly divided eight hundred 46-wk-old Roman hens into 5 groups, with 8 replicates in each group and 20 chickens in each replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet, whereas the 4 experimental groups were fed 50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg stevia extracts.

Research Note: Effects of feeding corn naturally contaminated with aflatoxin B1, deoxynivalenol, and zearalenone on reproductive performance of broiler breeders and growth performance of their progeny chicks.

To evaluate the toxic effects of mycotoxin-contaminated corn (MC) on the breeders and their progeny chicks, a total of 480 fifty-wk-old Cobb broiler breeder hens were fed the following dies: 1) a corn-soybean meal diet (Control; containing 70.35% corn), 2) MC substituting for 50% of corn in Control (LM), 3) LM diet plus 2 g/kg 1 mycotoxin sequestrant, Toxy-Nil Plus (TNP) (LMT2.0), 4) MC substituting for 100% of corn in Control (HM), 5) HM diet plus 2 g/kg TN (HMT2.

The improving effect of soybean isoflavones on ovarian function in older laying hens.

Emerging evidence suggests an association between estrogen levels and reduced egg-laying performance as the layer became old. Since soy isoflavones (SF) have estrogen-mimic effects, whether it can enhance production performance and ovarian function of older layers is still not known. A total of 160 Lohmann pink layers (66-wk-old) were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design, which included 2 egg-laying levels [low (76.

Novel colorimetric detection of oxytetracycline in foods by copper nanozyme.

In this study, copper nanozyme (CuNZs) possess good laccase-like activity were synthesized by grinding method with cupric chloride dihydrate as copper source, sodium borohydride as reducing agent and β-cyclodextrin as protective agent. The CuNZs can oxidize colorless 2,4-dinitrophenol (2,4-DP) to red product. When oxytetracycline (OTC) was added to the above three solutions, the color changed from red to orange and the absorbance increased again, indicating that OTC was also an affinity substrate for CuNZs.

Effects of Thymol and Carvacrol Eutectic on Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Parameters, and Intestinal Health in Broiler Chickens.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of diets supplementing with various levels of thymol and carvacrol eutectic (TCE) on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, intestinal morphology, and the expression of intestinal nutrient absorption, barrier function- and inflammation-related genes in broiler chickens. A total of 640 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers with similar body weights were randomly divided into four groups (8 replicates/group, 20 broilers/replicate). Birds in the four experimental groups were fed a basal diet with TCE at 0, 30, 60, or 120 mg/kg.

Effects of cadmium, lead, mercury, chromium, and selenium co-treatment on egg quality and fatty acids.

This study aimed to reveal the effect of selenium (Se) and heavy metals (chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg)) on the quality, fatty acids, and 13 kinds of ions in the egg yolk and albumen. Four experimental groups were established, including a control group (control; basal diet), Se group (basal diet + Se), heavy metals group (basal diet + CdCl + Pb(NO) + HgCl + CrCl), and Se + heavy metal (HM) group (basal diet + Se + CdCl + Pb(NO) + HgCl + CrCl). Se supplementation significantly increased the experimental egg yolk percentage since Se accumulation mainly occurred in the yolks of the eggs.

Effects of dietary theabrownins on production performance, egg quality, and ovarian function of laying hens with different ages.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of theabrownins (TB) on production performance, egg quality, and ovarian function of laying hens at different ages. A total of 240 Lohmann laying hens were assigned in a 2 × 2 factorial design, which encompassed 2 layers ages (47-wk-old and 67-wk-old) and 2 dietary levels of TB (0 and 100 mg/kg) for 12 wk. Results showed that older layers had lower laying rate, egg mass, and higher feed-to-egg ratio (F/E), egg weight and unqualified egg rate than the younger layers (P < 0.

Dietary 25-hydroxyvitamin D improves productive performance and intestinal health of laying hens under Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide challenge.

The effect of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD) on the immune response of laying hens is not well elucidated. This study investigated the effects of 25OHD on egg production, egg quality, immune response, and intestinal health of laying hens challenged with Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS). One hundred and sixty laying hens at 45 wk of age were randomly divided into 4 dietary treatments with 10 replicates of 4 birds.

Effect of benzoic acid, Enterococcus faecium, and essential oil complex on intestinal microbiota of laying hens under coccidia and Clostridium perfringens challenge.

The objective of this study was to investigate whether dietary supplementation with benzoic acid, Enterococcus faecium, and essential oil complex (BEC) could help laying hens recover from coccidia and Clostridium perfringens type A challenge. A total of 60 (35-wk-old) Lohmann-laying hens were randomly assigned to 3 experimental groups (10 replicates with 2 hens per replicate): I) control group (CON), II) challenge group (CC), and III) BEC group (2,000 mg/kg BEC). The total experimental period was 8 wk.

Improvement in ovarian function following fecal microbiota transplantation from high-laying rate breeders.

The underlying mechanism between the gut microbiota and reproductive function is not yet well-known. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of the administration of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from highly laying rate donors on the cecal microbiota, intestinal health and ovarian function in broiler breeders. A total of 60 broiler breeders (53 wk of age) were selected by their laying rate [high (HP, 90.

Comparison of zinc bioavailability in zinc-glycine and zinc-methionine chelates for broilers fed with a corn-soybean meal diet.

The objective of this study was to compare the bioavailability of zinc (Zn) from zinc-glycine (Zn-Gly) and zinc-methionine (Zn-Met) as compared with zinc sulfate (ZnSO) used as a standard in broilers. A total of 1,200 one-day-old male broilers (Cobb 500) were randomly allotted to one of 10 treatments with eight replicate cages of 15 birds each. The broilers were fed a corn-soybean meal basal diet (containing 26.

Effects of Dietary Zinc Deficiency on Skin Breaking Strength and Fatty Acid Composition in Broiler Chickens and Pekin Ducks.

This study is aimed at investigating the effect of dietary zinc deficiency (ZnD) on skin breaking strength and skin chemical and fatty acid composition in broiler chickens and Pekin ducks. A total of 200 1-day-old male broiler chickens and 200 1-day-old male ducklings were used in a 2 × 2 factorial design and randomly allocated to 4 treatments with 10 replicated cages of 10 birds per cage. Diets containing zinc at 84.

Dietary Theabrownin Supplementation Improves Production Performance and Egg Quality by Promoting Intestinal Health and Antioxidant Capacity in Laying Hens.

Theabrownin, an activated and ample pigment in Pu-erh tea, is known to exert antiobesity and antihyperlipidemic effects in humans, mice, and rats. In this study, we aimed to explore the effects of theabrownin (TB) dietary supplementation on production performance, egg quality, intestinal health, and antioxidant capacities in laying hens. In total, 160 Lohmann laying hens (25 weeks old) were randomly split into four groups (each group 40 hens), namely the CONT (control, basal diet + 0 mg/kg TB), TB1 (basal diet + 100 mg/kg TB), TB2 (basal diet + 200 mg/kg TB), and TB4 (basal diet + 400 mg/kg TB) groups, respectively.

Effects of Fat Pre-Emulsification on the Growth Performance, Serum Biochemical Index, Digestive Enzyme Activities, Nutrient Utilization, and Standardized Ileal Digestibility of Amino Acids in Pekin Ducks Fed Diets with Different Fat Sources.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of fat pre-emulsification on growth performance, the serum biochemical index, intestinal digestive enzyme activities, nutrient utilization, and the standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (SIDAA) in Pekin ducks fed diets containing different fat sources. Three hundred and twenty healthy ten-day-old Pekin male ducks (409 ± 27 g) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial design and given one of two types of poultry fat (duck fat or a mixed type of fat composed of chicken fat and duck fat in a 1:1 ratio) that had been pre-emulsified or not. This resulted in four treatments of eight replicates, with each replicate having ten ducks.

Protective effects of selenized yeast on the combination of cadmium-, lead-, mercury-, and chromium-induced toxicity in laying hens.

The objective of this study was to investigate the toxic effects of a combination of cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), mercury (Hg), and chromium (Cr) on laying performance, egg quality, serum biochemical parameters, and oxidative stress of laying hens, as well as the alleviating action of dietary supplementation of selenized yeast. A total of 160 Lohmann pink-shell laying hens (63-week-old) were randomly divided into four treatments with 10 replicates of four hens each. The treatments were the corn-soybean meal basal diet (control; CON), the CON diet supplemented with 0.

Microbiome-metabolomics analysis insight into the effects of dietary resistant starch on intestinal integrity.

Resistant starch (RS) has caught much attention for its potential to exert a beneficial impact on intestine and certain members of its resident microbiota. In this study, we examined how dietary RS promotes intestinal barrier in meat ducks by microbiome-metabolomics analysis. Ducklings were fed corn-soybean basal diet or RS diet.