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The effects of dietary palygorskite (Pal) supplementation on growth performance, oxidative status, and intestinal barrier function in ducks were investigated. In total, 720 one-day-old Cherry Valley ducks were categorized into 4 treatments comprising 6 replicates with 30 ducks each. Ducks were fed a basal diet supplemented with 0, 5, 10, or 20 g/kg Pal for 42 days. Twenty-four ducks (1 male/replicate) were slaughtered at 14 and 42 days and samples were collected for analysis. Pal supplementation quadratically increased weight gain and linearly and quadratically increased feed intake (P<0.05) during the starter period. Pal enhanced serum glutathione peroxidase activity (GSHPx) at 14 (linear and quadratic, P<0.05) and 42 days (linear, P<0.001), and lowered serum malondialdehyde (MDA) content at 14 and 42 days (quadratic, P<0.05). It enhanced 42-day liver superoxide dismutase activity (linear, P< 0.003) and GSH-Px activity at 14 (quadratic, P<0.044) and 42 days (linear and quadratic, P<0.001), but decreased 14-day liver MDA content (quadratic, P<0.003). Pal reduced 42-day serum diamine oxidase activity (linear and quadratic, P<0.05) and serum endotoxin content at 14 (linear and quadratic, P<0.05) and 42 days (quadratic, P<0.017). It linearly and quadratically increased jejunal mucosal immunoglobulin (Ig) M at 42 days and IgG at 14 and 42 days, and 42-day ileal mucosal IgG and secretory IgA (P<0.05). Ileal mucosal IgM content was quadratically increased at 14 and 42 days (P<0.05) by Pal. Moreover, Pal enhanced the mRNA expression of 14-day occludin in the jejunal mucosa (quadratic, P<0.033) and that of 42-day zonula occludens-1 in the ileal mucosa (linear, P<0.027). Thus, dietary Pal supplementation exerts beneficial effects through improving growth performance, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal barrier function of ducks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of hatching weight (HW) on the growth, immunity and oxidative status ofbroilers for 21 d. Male chicks (Arbor Acres) were divided into 2 groups according to HW (51.30 ± 0.21 and 42.97 ± 0.11 g, respectively), each of which consisted of 8 replicates of 10 birds. Chicks with high HW exhibited heavier body weight in the first two weeks (P<0.05). Concentrations of total protein (TP), globulin (GLB) and albumin (ALB) were higher in broilers with heavier HW at d 14, 14 and 7, respectively (P<0.05). At d 7, heavier chick exhibited a higher liver glutathione (GSH)/oxidized glutathione (GSSG) ratio (P<0.05), which may result from simultaneously decreased GSSG content (P=0.092). Meanwhile, a trend for decreased serum malon-dialdehyde (MDA) (P=0.055) and total corticosterone (CORT) content (P=0.086) was observed in heavier chicks. In addition, heavier chicks tended to have a higher serum GSH content at d 21 (P=0.063). A higher HW would exert a significant effect on the body weight and oxidative status of broilers but not on nutrient digestibility and immune function at immediate posthatch, which then gradually disappeared as birds grew older. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]