Age-related calcium signaling disturbance restricted cAMP metabolism and induced ovarian oxidation stress in laying ducks.

The ovary is the main controller of female fertility, unfortunately, its onset of aging processes was earlier than other organs. Our previous studies showed calcium (Ca) deficiency reduced ovarian weight and declined numbers of dominant follicles in an avian model. However, whether Ca provided a functional role in follicle development of aged avian, and its further mechanism was still unknown.

PPM1J regulates meat quality feature and glycerophospholipids composition in broiler by modulating protein dephosphorylation.

The quality of broiler meat affects consumers' purchasing decisions. Numerous studies have shown that phosphorylation of proteins in muscle can affect muscle quality. Here, metabolomics and transcriptomics were used to systematically identify the genetic regulation of differences in meat flavor among different broiler.

Nutritional Impacts of Dietary Selenium, Iodine and their Interaction on Egg Performance, and Antioxidant Profile in Laying Longyuan Duck Breeders.

The present study aimed to optimize the combined effect of dietary selenium (SE) and iodine (ID) on the productive and reproductive performance and antioxidant capacity of Longyuan breeding ducks. A total of 288 Longyan duck breeders aged 20 wk were randomly assigned to four groups with six replicates (n = 72 ducks/group; 12 ducks/replicate). A 2 × 2 factorial arrangement experiment was performed and included 2 supplementation levels of each SE and ID for 200 days of the experimental period.

Identification of key genes and pathways in duck fatty liver syndrome using gene set enrichment analysis.

High-laying ducks are often fed high-energy, nutritious feeds to maintain high productivity, which predisposes them to lipid metabolism disorders and the development of fatty liver syndrome (FLS), which seriously affects production performance and has a substantial economic impact on the poultry industry. Therefore, it is necessary to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the development of fatty liver syndrome. In this study, seven Shan Partridge ducks, each with fatty liver syndrome and normal laying ducks, were selected, and Hematoxylin Eosin staining (HE staining), Masson staining, and transcriptome sequencing were performed on liver tissue.

The impact of DSM32315 and L-Threonine supplementation on the amino acid composition of eggs and early post-hatch performance of ducklings.

Poultry requires Threonine, an essential amino acid, and its metabolites for proper metabolic function. Threonine is crucial in the biosynthesis of mucin, which is essential for intestinal health and nutrient absorption. () is a potential substitute for antibiotic growth promoters in the poultry industry.

Dietary supplementation with 2-hydroxy-4-methyl(thio) butanoic acid and DL-methionine improves productive performance, egg quality and redox status of commercial laying ducks.

This experiment aimed to study the effects of supplemental methionine sources, 2-hydroxy-4 methyl(thio) butanoic acid (HMTBa) and DL-Methionine (DL-Met), on productive performance, egg quality, and redox status of laying ducks. A total of 792 healthy 25-wk-old Longyan laying ducks with similar body weights were randomly allotted to 11 treatment groups. Each treatment group had 6 replicates of 12 ducks.

Age-related changes in eggshell physical properties, ultrastructure, calcium metabolism-related serum indices, and gene expression in eggshell gland during eggshell formation in commercial laying ducks.

This study evaluated the changes in eggshell mechanical properties, ultrastructure, calcium metabolism-related serum indices, and gene expression in eggshell gland during eggshell formation between laying ducks in the peak (young duck) and late phase (aged duck) of production. A total of 84 healthy young (31 wk of age) and 84 healthy aged (65 wk of age) Longyan laying ducks were each divided into 6 replicates of 14 birds, and caged individually. All the ducks were fed in one house with the same corn-soybean meal-based diet for 5 wk.

Dietary zinc supplementation affects eggshell quality and ultrastructure in commercial laying ducks by influencing calcium metabolism.

This study evaluated dietary Zn supplementation on productive performance, eggshell quality and ultrastructure, and calcium metabolism during eggshell formation in laying ducks. A total of 360 Longyan laying ducks (45-wk) were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups with 6 replicates of 12 birds each and fed for 20 wk. The 6 treatments fed the basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 20, 40, 80, or 160 mg Zn/kg (ZnSO·HO).

Effects of dietary barley inclusion and glucanase supplementation on the production performance, egg quality and digestive functions in laying ducks.

This study evaluated the effects of barley inclusion and glucanase supplementation on the productive performance and digestive function in laying ducks. The experiment used a randomized design with a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of 5 graded levels of barley (0%, 15%, 30%, 45% and 60%) with or without 1.5 g/kg β-1,3-1,4-glucanase (15,000 U/kg).

Tryptophan in poultry nutrition: Impacts and mechanisms of action.

Many studies have shown that productivity, immune system, antioxidant status, and meat and egg quality can be optimized by dietary supplementation with amino acids that are not usually added to poultry diets. Understanding the effects of these amino acids may encourage feed manufacturers and poultry producers to include them as additives. One of these amino acids is tryptophan (Trp).

Nutritional modulation of fertility in male poultry.

The increased consumption of protein derived from poultry demands greater poultry production, but increased poultry production (meat and eggs) is dependent on the fertility of the parent flocks. Clearly, the fertility of poultry flocks is associated with the fertility of both males and females, but the low numbers of males used for natural or artificial insemination mean that their role is more important. Thus, enhancing the semen volume, sperm concentration, viability, forward motility, and polyunsaturated fatty acids in sperm, as well as protecting against oxidative damage, could help to optimize the sperm membrane functionality, mitochondrial activity, and sperm-egg penetration, and thus fertility.

Effects of constant or intermittent high temperature on egg production, feed intake, and hypothalamic expression of antioxidant and pro-oxidant enzymes genes in laying ducks.

Heat stress is a major environmental factor contributing to lower production of poultry. The objective of present study was to evaluate the influence of constant or intermittent high temperature on the production performance and redox status of plasma and hypothalamus in laying ducks. A total of 288 weight- and laying-matched laying ducks were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatments (each with 6 replicates of 12 birds): control, pair-fed, constant high temperature (24 h, 34 ± 1°C), and intermittent high temperature (10 h, 34 ± 1°C).

Nutritional requirements of meat-type and egg-type ducks: what do we know?

The demand for duck meat, duck eggs, and associated products is increasing each year. Classic and modern selection programs have been applied to enhance the economic traits of ducks to satisfy the requirements of consumers and enhance the incomes of producers. The nutritional requirements of unselected ducks may not be adequate, however, to fulfill the potential productivity performance of modern birds, including both meat-type and egg-type ducks.

Effects of dietary methionine on productivity, reproductive performance, antioxidant capacity, ovalbumin and antioxidant-related gene expression in laying duck breeders.

The study investigated whether dietary methionine (Met) affects egg weight and antioxidant status through regulating gene expression of ovalbumin (OVAL), nuclear factor erythroid 2 like 2 (Nrf2) and haem oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in laying duck breeders. Longyan duck breeders (n 540, 19 weeks) were randomly assigned to six treatments with six replicates of fifteen birds each. Breeders were fed diets with six Met levels (2·00, 2·75, 3·50, 4·25, 5·00 and 5·75 g/kg) for 24 weeks.

Estimation of dietary arginine requirements for Longyan laying ducks.

This study aimed to establish the arginine requirements of Longyan ducks from 17 to 31 wk of age based on egg production, egg quality, plasma, and ovarian indices, as well as the expression of vitellogenesis-related genes. In total, 660 Longyan ducks with similar body weight at 15 wk of age were assigned randomly to 5 treatments, each with 6 replicates of 22 birds, and fed a corn-corn gluten meal basal diet (0.66% arginine) supplemented with either 0, 0.

Purification and partial characterization of an acidic α-amylase from a newly isolated Bacillus subtilis ZJ-1 that may be applied to feed enzyme.

An amylase-producing strain was isolated from soy sauce and designated as Bacillus subtilis ZJ-1. Purification of α-amylase from B. subtilis ZJ-1 to homogeneity by ethanol fractionation, ultrafiltration, and Sephadex G-100 gel filtration resulted in recovery of 8.