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The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of dietary boric acid supplementation on the development of incidence and severity of footpad dermatitis (FPD) in broiler chickens subjected to normal or high stocking densities (NSD or HSD). A total of 576 1-day-old ROSS 308 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments (8 replicate pens per treatment) in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of dietary boric acid (0 and 60 mg/kg) and stocking density (NSD 14 birds/m(2) and HSD 22 birds/m(2)). Basal diets were formulated for starter, grower, and finisher phases. Growth performance, litter quality (litter pH, moisture, temperature, and NH3 volatilization), serum and litter boron levels, and incidence and severity of FPD were recorded. The HSD affected the body weight gain and feed intake of broiler chickens during all phases and 0 to 42 (P < 0.05), whereas feed conversion ratio (FCR) was poor at 0 to 21 days only. Dietary boric acid had no effect on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Litter pH, moisture, and NH3 volatilization were higher in broiler chickens subjected to HSD (P < 0.05). Thus, the incidence and severity of FPD increased in response to HSD (P < 0.05). Dietary boric acid reduced the litter pH and NH3 volatilization on day 42 of experiment (P < 0.05). However, dietary boric acid supplementation had no effect on the incidence and severity of FPD. Boric acid supplementation in broiler diets increased the serum and litter boron levels at day 42 in broiler chickens subjected to NSD or HSD (P < 0.05). In conclusion, HSD resulted in poor growth performance, litter quality, and greater incidence and severity of FPD in broiler chickens. Dietary boric acid was ineffective against FPD in broiler chickens although it improved the litter quality by lowering the litter pH and NH3 volatilization.

In this study, effect of dietary nano-Zn and stocking density on performance, carcass yield, meat quality, and feathering score of broiler chickens was assessed at 42 d of age. Experimental treatments consisted of a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of stocking density (low = 12 broiler/m2 and high = 18 broiler/m2) and dietary Zn form (inorganic or nano). Four hundred eighty 1-d-old male broiler chickens were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 8 pens in each treatment having 15 chickens per pen. Corn-soybean meal diets were formulated for starter, grower, and finisher phases. The high stocking density (HSD) negatively affected body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake (FI) of broiler chickens at 24 to 42 and 0 to 42 d of experiment (P

SUMMARY A study was conducted to determine the effects of a dietary probiotic (a commonly used feed additive) and a posthatch holding time (0, 12, 24, and 36 h posthatching) on the growth performance, blood parameters, and intestinal microflora of male broiler chicks. The study used a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments. Eight experimental groups were formed by 2 levels of dietary probiotic supplementation [control and a dietary probiotic (Protexin), 0.5 kg/ ton] and 4 posthatch holding times (0, 12, 24, and 36 h). There were 4 replications for each treatment group, with each replication consisting of 20 birds. Depending on the time interval between arrival at the experimental site and feeding, holding chicks before free access to water and feed had a negative effect (P 0.05). A significant decrease in d 10 intestinal pH (P < 0.05) was noted in groups with probiotic supplementation (6.59 vs. 6.42). The number of lactobacilli in control chicks was significantly higher (7.96 vs. 7.13 and 7.28) than that in groups with a posthatch holding time before feeding on d 10 (P < 0.01). In brief, exposure to delayed feed access impaired early growth performance and microbiological measures in the gastrointestinal tract of fast-growing broiler chicks, and supplementing broiler chicks with a dietary probiotic was not an effective tool for ameliorating these negative effects.

SUMMARY The physicochemical properties of dietary nonstarch polysaccharides in barley and soybean meals have been correlated with increases in excreta viscosity and adherence, and hence footpad dermatitis (FPD), in broiler chickens. Moreover, high litter moisture has been identified as a possible causative agent of FPD. A total of 448 birds were raised in floor pens in a design involving a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of barley (0 or 25% of diet), feed enzyme mixture (supplementation with 0 or 0.1% of Farmazyme BR-M), and litter moisture (with or without added water) and a 3-stage feeding program (8 treatments; 32 replicates; 4 replicate pens per treatment combination, with 14 birds per pen). In addition to measuring live performance, the feet were scored on all birds at 14, 28, and 42 d of age, and the severity of FPD lesions was recorded as none, mild, or severe. A subsample of birds was processed at the end of the experiment to evaluate carcass yields. Pooled litter samples were collected for moisture determination (d 5 and 42) and pH (d 42). The incidence and severity of FPD on d 14 and 28 were due only to litter moisture. No effects on litter moisture or pH were due to barley, although growth performance was adversely affected at 25% dietary inclusion. Carcass yields did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05). Performance of birds was significantly improved by supplementing the feed enzyme mixture, irrespective of the addition of barley or the wetting treatment. Hence, management factors play a significant role in the etiology of FPD in broilers.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two commercially available probiotics, alone and in combination with an antibiotic, on the caecal flora of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) reared under unstressed conditions. Thirty-four 90-day-old Japanese quail were selected for this study. The birds were divided into four groups, two groups of nine birds and two groups of eight birds. The animals in these groups were given feed containing 0.5 kg per tonne of probiotics alone (Protexin or Biosacc), a mixture of probiotic plus antibiotic (Biosacc plus Zinc Bacitracin at 0.5 and 0.0525 ppm, respectively), and a group where no supplement was added to be used as controls. The total count of aerobic bacteria, lactobacilli, enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, enteroccoci, salmonellae, sulphite-reducing anaerobic bacteria (clostridia), and pH values in the caecal content of the birds were examined. No significant differences were detected among the four groups for pH values and bacterial number (p0.05), except for sulphite-reducing anaerobic bacteria (p0.001). These results suggest that the use of probiotics alone and/or a mixture of a probiotic plus antibiotic as a feed supplement does not have a major suppressing effect on the majority of bacterial groups in the caecal flora of mature, healthy Japanese quail reared in unstressed conditions.