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Simple Summary: Layer industries that are still using cage housing systems should encourage the provision of appropriate farm enrichments, especially at an early stage. Farm environmental enrichments such as litter, sand, alfalfa bales, chick papers, pecking stones, pecking strings, perches, slopes, elevated platforms, aviaries and outdoor access reduce feather and skin damage, as well as abdominal fat content. Additionally, they promote the development of the brain and musculoskeletal systems and improve biological function, productivity and product quality with lifelong benefits for hens by continuously exposing them to free access to forage, dust baths and free locomotion. In this review, we summarize several common and effective methods of farm environmental enrichments, including different manipulable materials, structural equipment, and outdoor access, moreover, the competence of the farm staff is a requirement to achieve useful utilization of these farm environmental enrichments that aim to reduce stress and improve the welfare and productivity of layers. Proper farm environmental enrichments benefit the wellbeing of caged birds. Currently, cage housing is regarded as a global mainstream production system for laying hens. However, limited living space and confinement of birds in cages cause welfare and health problems, such as feather pecking, osteoporosis, obesity, and premature aging. Many studies have been conducted to alleviate layer welfare problems by providing farm environmental enrichments such as litter, sand, alfalfa bales, chick papers, pecking stones, pecking strings, perches, slopes, elevated platforms, aviaries and outdoor access with a trend towards complex enrichments. The provision of appropriate enrichments continuously attracts layers towards pecking, foraging, dust bathing, and locomotion, thereby giving lifelong benefits to laying hens. Hence, raising chicks and pullets under such conditions may reduce feather and skin damage, as well as accumulation of abdominal fat, and improve several biological features such as health, productivity, quality products, and docility of laying hens. Therefore, providing enrichment during the first few days of the layer's life without any interruption is crucial. In addition, due to different farm conditions, environmental enrichment should be managed by well-trained farm staff. For example, in preventing feather pecking among the birds, litter materials for foraging are superior to dust bath materials or new items. However, a limited supply of litter creates competition and challenges among birds. Therefore, providing farm environmental enrichment for layers requires proper handling, especially in commercial layer farms. Hence, improving the welfare of chicks and pullets through optimizing on-farm environmental enrichments is essential for production systems practicing cage housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel analytical solution for the designing of the birdcage RF coil has been demonstrated in this paper. A new concept of dominant resonance path has been introduced in this paper which is used to identify the specific closed current loop in the birdcage RF coil which is responsible for the dominant resonance frequency mode. This concept is used to determine the precise numerical values of the lumped capacitance deployed in the legs and/or end-rings of the birdcage RF coil for its proper operation at the desired resonance frequency. The analytical solution presented in this paper has been established by performing the two-port network based equivalent circuit modeling of the birdcage RF coil. The proposed analytical solution uses T-matrix theory and develops a relationship between the input impedance of the birdcage coil and the impedances of its leg and end-ring segments. The proposed analytical solution provides the information about the resonance frequency spectrum of the birdcage RF coil and solves the issue of its interfacing with external circuits without affecting its resonance characteristics. Based upon the proposed analysis and designing strategy presented in this paper, the low pass, high pass and band pass configurations of the birdcage RF coil were successfully implemented with FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit board) technique for small volume NMR imaging applications at 1.5 T and 3.0 T MRI system. The results obtained for the implemented birdcage coils using the proposed analysis and designing technique are in closed agreement with already established methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This exploratory study expected crop management and climatic factors to significantly influence the nutrient composition and amino acid digestibility of tannin-free sorghum grain determined in broilers of 3 wks of age. Using data from six tannin-free sorghum samples harvested across the southeast USA, Pearson correlations were analyzed (r ≥ |0.8|; p < 0.05). Standardized ileal amino acid digestibility (SIAD) was determined in a previous study using eight replicate cages with 13 birds per sorghum sample. SIAD values were correlated with nitrogen fertilization, yield, seeding rate, and climatic data obtained by surveying the crop growers and from weather stations. Nitrogen fertilization positively correlated with dry matter and starch. Yield was positively associated with SIAD, while seeding rate was negatively correlated with dry matter and Lys. Fiber, particular neutral detergent fiber, showed an inverse relationship with SIAD. No significant correlations with climatic factors were found, which was likely due to the close proximity of growing locations (r ≤ |0.8|; p > 0.05). Despite the limitations of a small sample size (n = 6) and genetic variability within and between each sorghum sample, these findings provide preliminary insights into managing sorghum cultivation to enhance its nutritional value for poultry. Future research should explore larger datasets, from further locations apart, and standardized data collection measurements to be able develop predictive models for grain quality improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, there are no guidelines on housing or recommendations for practical environmental enrichments for chickens used for research and teaching purposes. This study was conducted to identify optimal enrichment programs to improve the health and welfare of caged hens used for teaching and research purposes. The 24-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens (n = 168) were allocated at random to six enrichment programs/treatments with 14 replicate cages of two birds per cage during a 5-week experiment. Hens had physical access to the following treatments: no enrichment provided (control); round, wooden perches provided (perch); scratch pads made of wood and covered with sandpaper provided (scratch pad); hanging CDs provided (hanging CD); all three enrichment forms provided (complex environment); and each enrichment form provided on a 2-week rotation (novelty). While the egg quality was consistent, the complex group had a significantly lower feed intake (p < 0.001) but similar egg mass; thus, they also had a lower feed conversion ratio (p < 0.001). Additionally, hens in the complex treatment group had the leanest average body weight at week 5 (p < 0.01). It should be noted that while some measures of welfare did show significant differences, the biological or practical difference may be negligible, as in the case of the body condition score in this study. The results show that providing three different forms of environmental enrichment had positive effects on the welfare, health condition, and laying performance of laying hens relative to no enrichment or only one enrichment item. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The relative importance of the early vs. adult environment on the adult phenotype is not fully mapped for all traits. We, therefore, tested the effect of the early (aviary vs. cage) and adult environments (standard vs. additionally enriched furnished cages) on the stress hormone response to restraint in birds that were 35 weeks into lay. Due to the association between stress, fearfulness and feather pecking, we also assessed their plumage condition. No effect of the early environment on stress hormone response to an acute stressor could be detected 35 weeks into lay, but adult enrichment had a favourable effect on overall corticosterone levels. Contrary to prediction, the enriched group had a slightly worse feather score on their bellies, but this did not seem to be associated with feather pecking. These findings add to the body of evidence showing the importance of environmental enrichment and also indicate that while important, early life experience is not always readily detectable in adult responses to challenges. The hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis responsivity is influenced by early life experience and also modified by the environment an individual experiences as an adult. Because laying hens are transferred from rearing to laying farms at 16–18 weeks of age, they are well suited to study the interaction effect between early (rearing) and adult (laying) environments on physiology and behaviour. In the European Union, there is a move towards cage-free systems for laying hens, but globally, the majority of layers are kept in conventional or furnished cages. Conventional cages have no enrichment, whereas furnished cages have little enrichment. Both cage types limit the movement of birds and the expression of highly motivated behaviours. Lack of enrichment may lead to under-stimulated birds that are more sensitive to stress and fear-inducing challenges later in life. Fearfulness has been linked to feather pecking, which has negative consequences for animal welfare and productivity. Previous research has shown that birds reared in cages are more fearful and perform more poorly in a test of spatial cognition than birds reared in aviaries when tested within five weeks after transition to adult housing. However, recent results suggest that these effects might not be long-lasting. We, therefore, tested the effect of the early (rearing) (aviary vs. cage) and adult (laying) environments (standard vs. additionally enriched furnished cages) on the corticosterone response to restraint in birds that were 35 weeks into lay (i.e., 52 weeks of age) and assessed their plumage condition. We hypothesised that a lower level of enrichment, both during rearing and adulthood, would represent a lower level of stimulation, resulting in a stronger corticosterone response to restraint and poorer feather cover. Both stressed (restrained) and control birds increased their corticosterone levels from the first (baseline) to second sample (p < 0.01 for both), but the increase in the restrained group was significantly higher than in the control group (F1, 111 = 9.51; p = 0.003). There was no effect of the early environment, but birds housed in standard furnished cages as adults had overall higher corticosterone levels than birds housed in enriched furnished cages regardless of their early life environment (F1, 51 = 4.12; p = 0.048). Neither early nor adult housing influenced the feather score except for on the belly, where birds housed in enriched cages as adults had a poorer feather score, contrary to our prediction. In conclusion, no effect of the early environment on HPA axis responsivity to an acute stressor could be detected at 52 weeks of age, but adult enrichment had a favourable effect on overall corticosterone levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explored feeding recycled food waste-based diets for gut health, nutrient digestibility, bone morphology, and bone mineral level in laying hens. Hy-Line Brown laying hens (n = 150) were randomly allocated to three experimental treatments consisting of a commercial control diet, a recycled food waste-based diet, and a 50:50 blend of the control and food waste-based diets, with 50 replicates of a single bird per cage per treatment from 24 to 63 weeks of age. Egg production was recorded daily and feed intake was measured weekly. The gut pH, jejunal and ileal morphology, nutrient digestibility, bone morphology, and mineral composition were measured at 63 weeks of age. Hens on the food waste-based treatment had similar egg production but lower feed conversion ratio (FCR, 1.948 vs. 2.172 kg feed/kg egg, p < 0.001) and higher ileal pH (p < 0.001) and bone ash content (p < 0.001) compared to birds on the control treatment. Moreover, hens fed the food waste-based diets had higher ileal digestible energy (p < 0.001); ileal energy digestibility (p < 0.01); tibia S, Fe, Mn, and Zn levels (p < 0.05); and Mg, K, S, Mn, and Mo digestibility (p < 0.05) compared to hens fed the control diets. Hens offered the 50:50 blend diets had higher tibia P, Mg, and Mo levels (p < 0.05) and higher Ca digestibility (p < 0.05) compared to those fed the control diets. Thus, feeding recycled food waste-based diets is effective to improve laying performance, nutrient digestibility, and bone mineralization in laying hens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Canaries, which have various songs and colors, play an important role in the pet industry as cage birds. Artificial insemination is a very important process to provide canaries with the desired genetic characteristics for the sector. Therefore, sperm quality should be improved. Improving sperm quality mainly depends on the preservation of lipids in the spermatozoa structure from oxidation. The lipids in the spermatozoa cell membrane can be easily oxidized, which can negatively affect the quality of the sperm. Natural and synthetic antioxidants are used to prevent lipid oxidation. In recent years, natural antioxidants have attracted considerable attention. In this study, the in vitro antioxidant content of wheat, which was germinated at different times (first, third, and fifth days), was determined, and sperm quality was examined by feeding this germinated wheat (germinated for 5 days) to Gloster canaries. It was revealed that the motility (%) and viability rates (%) increased in sperm samples obtained from canaries fed using germinated wheat. Given the results achieved, it is thought that germinated wheat can be used as a natural antioxidant source to improve some sperm quality parameters in canaries. The present study was carried out to determine the effects of germinated wheat on some spermatological parameters (motility, abnormal spermatozoa, hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST), and viability) in male Gloster canaries. For this purpose, the canaries were divided into two groups, each consisting of six canaries, one control (C), and the other experimental group (GW). Group C was fed commercial canary feed. The GW group was fed germinated wheat (germinated for 5 days) and commercial canary feed. The canaries were kept individually in four-storey cages (60 cm × 50 cm × 40 cm). In this study, which lasted 2 months, feed/water was provided ad libitum and lighting was applied daily for 16 h (turned on at 05:30 and turned off at 21:30). At the end of the experiment, the sperm samples obtained from the canaries were examined in terms of the aforementioned parameters. The effects of germination time × concentration, germination time, and solvent rate on DPPH radical scavenging activity and phenolic compounds in germinated wheat were significant (p < 0.001). The highest DPPH (2, 2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (86.06%) and phenolic content (316.25 mg GAE/g) in germinated wheats were obtained on the fifth day (90% solvent rate) of germination. It was determined that germinated wheat did not significantly affect abnormal sperm and HOST values (p > 0.05). However, it significantly affected the motility and viable sperm rates (p < 0.05). As a result, it is thought that germinated wheat can be used as a natural antioxidant source to increase motility and vitality in canary sperm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Considering the shortage of conventional feeds, such as corn and soybeans, researchers have gradually started to develop and apply unconventional feed resources. As an unconventional feed resource, Amaranthus hypochondriacus is a potential high-quality feed resource. Hence, this study applied different proportions of Amaranthus hypochondriacus stem and leaf powder in experimental diets to assess its nutritional value for broilers. This experiment aimed to study the effects of different proportions of Amaranthus hypochondriacus stem and leaf powder (AHSL) on the growth performance, apparent nutrient digestibility, carcass traits, meat quality, and blood biochemical parameters of broilers from day 1 to day 42. The experiment utilized a single-factor experimental design, with a total of 216 one-day-old male broilers (Ross 308) randomly assigned to three dietary treatment groups (eight replicate cages of nine birds per cage). The dietary treatments included a control diet, a 3% AHSL diet and a 6% AHSL diet for days 0–21. Then, the 3% and 6% AHSL diets were changed to 5% and 10% AHSL for days 22–42. The results showed that the inclusion levels of AHSL did not affect growth performance, carcass traits, or meat quality on days 21 and 42 (p > 0.05). However, the inclusion levels of AHSL decreased the apparent nutrient digestibility (AND) of dry matter (DM) (p ˂ 0.001) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (p ˂ 0.001) and increased the serum concentration of phosphorus (p ˂ 0.001) on day 21. On day 42, the inclusion levels of AHSL decreased the AND of DM (p = 0.025) and NDF content (p ˂ 0.001), but increased the AND of crude protein (CP) (p = 0.004). In particular, the diet containing 10% AHSL significantly increased the serum enzyme activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (p = 0.046) and the serum concentration of total protein (TP) (p ˂ 0.001) on day 42. Overall, AHSL can be used as a new and effective feed ingredient in broiler diets. It can replace part of the corn–soybean meal diet without any adverse effects, which is beneficial for conserving feed resources. Additionally, AHSL can be included at a level of up to 10% during the broiler growth period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The inevitable basal endogenous loss of nutrients from the body is closely associated with the animal's metabolic functions. A purified diet formulated with highly refined feed ingredients lacking phosphorus is commonly used to determine the basal endogenous loss of phosphorus. However, such diets may alter metabolic functions, thereby affecting the basal endogenous loss of phosphorus. Moreover, feeding a purified diet for a long period of time may cause abnormal gut health, resulting in a decrease in empty gut weight and shorter intestinal segments. To the best of our knowledge, information on the effect of the feeding duration of a phosphorus-free diet on the basal endogenous loss of phosphorus is limited. We found that feeding broiler chickens a phosphorus-free diet for up to 4 days did not affect the amount of basal endogenous loss of phosphorus. The study investigated the effects of feeding duration on the length and weight of the ileum, and basal endogenous loss (BEL) of phosphorus (P) on broiler chickens fed a P-free diet (PFD). A standard starter diet was fed to 384 birds for 15 days. On day 15, they were weighed and randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups in a randomized complete block design, with eight replicate cages per treatment and 16 birds per cage. The birds in each treatment group were fed the PFD for 2, 3, or 4 days. There was an increase in growth performance (p < 0.05) as the PFD feeding duration increased from 2 to 4 days. Although the relative dry weight of the ileum (mg/100 g of body weight) decreased linearly (p < 0.05) as the PFD feeding duration increased, the amount of dried ileal digesta (g/bird) was not affected. The BEL of P was 110.2, 128.2, and 133.6 mg/kg of dry matter intake in birds fed the PFD for 2, 3, and 4 days, respectively. Feeding a PFD to broiler chickens for 2, 3, or 4 days did not change P BEL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: In an era of increasingly complex global trade, continual evolution of production practices, and emerging threats from antibiotic resistance, new strategies for maintaining the health and performance of poultry flocks remain critical along with reducing risk from foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). Natural feed-additive technologies, often referred to as antibiotic alternatives, may play a key role. In this study, layer pullets were fed a control diet with or without a postbiotic feed additive and subsequently challenged directly or indirectly with SE at 16 weeks of age to evaluate the effect of the postbiotic for preventing or reducing SE colonization loads in birds directly or indirectly exposed to the pathogen. Within birds indirectly exposed to the SE inoculation, the postbiotic was associated with a significant reduction of SE-positive individual birds and their associated SE loads when compared to the control birds 7 days after inoculation, with non-significant yet explorable outcomes after 14 days post-challenge. These data support previous research findings in the literature indicating the postbiotic feed additive may aid in reducing SE in poultry production and may therefore be a candidate component of a comprehensive pre-harvest food-safety management plan. Determining the efficacy of feed-additive technologies utilized as pre-harvest food-safety interventions against Salmonella enterica may be influenced by factors including, but not limited to, mechanism of action, experimental design variables, Salmonella serovar(s), exposure dose, route, or duration in both controlled research and real-world field observations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dietary inclusion of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation-derived postbiotic (SCFP) additive (Diamond V, Original XPC®) on the colonization of cecal and ovarian tissues of commercial pullets directly and indirectly exposed to Salmonella Enteritidis (SE). Four hundred and eighty commercial, day-of-age W-36 chicks were randomly allotted to 60 cages per treatment in two identical BSL-2 isolation rooms (Iowa State University) with four birds per cage and fed control (CON) or treatment (TRT) diets for the duration of study. At 16 weeks, two birds per cage were directly challenged via oral gavage with 1.1 × 109 CFU of a nalidixic-acid-resistant SE strain. The remaining two birds in each cage were thus horizontally exposed to the SE challenge. At 3, 7, and 14 days post-challenge (DPC), 20 cages per group were harvested and sampled for SE prevalence and load. No significant differences were observed between groups for SE prevalence in the ceca or ovary tissues of directly challenged birds. For the indirectly exposed cohort, SE cecal prevalence at 7 DPC was significantly lower for TRT (50.0%) vs. CON (72.5%) (p = 0.037) and, likewise, demonstrated significantly lower mean SE cecal load (1.69 Log10) vs. CON (2.83 Log10) (p = 0.005). At 14 DPC, no significant differences were detected but ~10% fewer birds remained positive in the TRT group vs. CON (p > 0.05). These findings suggest that diets supplemented with SCFP postbiotic may be a useful tool for mitigating SE colonization in horizontally exposed pullets and may support pre-harvest food-safety strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Nowadays, keeping animals in cage systems is controversial. Regulations and increased consumer awareness are causing cage systems to lose ground in many countries. In the case of Japanese quails bred for both egg and meat production, their maintenance in a non-cage system is very difficult and uneconomical; therefore, they are kept in cages, and, unlike egg-laying hens, the regulations only regulate the basic parameters, such as cage size and access to food and water. Taking this into account, studies have been conducted that indicate that keeping quails in enriched cages improves the birds' welfare. The aim of this study was to evaluate the indicators of the behavioural and physiological welfare of Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) as possible responses to the enrichment of the birds' habitat. The study sample consisted of 280 Japanese quails (224 ♀ and 56 ♂, respectively). Birds of 5 weeks of age were randomly divided into seven equally sized groups and then divided into replication subgroups (four per group, 10 birds in each replication). Birds were maintained in 0.5 m2 cages with unrestricted access to water and food. The experimental factor was the presence or absence of enrichment of the birds' cages: the nest box, scratcher, plastic corrugated pipe (tunnel), limestone cubes, sandbathing box and feeder box with a drilled cover. Quails were subjected to behavioural tests (tonic immobility and open field tests) and, after 6 weeks, blood samples were taken from them to determine their biochemical indices as well as their cortisol and corticosterone levels. An additional element was the assessment of fertility indices. The presence of enrichment was shown to reduce behavioural disturbances in Japanese quails. This study also found that the colour and shape of an object were very important regarding the birds' interest in it. Additionally, individuals kept in enriched cages, who were allowed to exhibit their natural behavioural patterns, had lower stress levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Commercial laying hens are prone to injurious pecking (IP), a common multifactorial problem. A 2 2 2 factorial design assessed the effects of breed (Lohmann Brown Classic (L) or Hyline Brown (H)), beak treatment (infra-red treated (T) or not (NT)), and environment (extra enrichment (EE) or no extra enrichment (NE)) on mortality, behaviour, feather cover, and beak shape. Hens were allocated to treatments at 16 weeks of age and data were collected every four weeks from age 19 to 71 weeks. Data were analysed in Genstat using mixed models. L hens had higher all and IP-related mortality than H hens (p < 0.003), whilst NT hens had higher mortality than T hens but only due to culling of whole cages (p < 0.001). Feather cover for L hens deteriorated more quickly with age at most body sites than H hens (age breed body site p < 0.001). For NT hens, feather cover was worse at most body sites (beak treatment body site p < 0.001), and worsened more quickly with age (age beak treatment p = 0.014) than T hens. L and NE hens performed more bird-to-bird pecking than H and EE hens, respectively (breed p = 0.015, enrichment p = 0.032). More damage to mats and ropes was caused by L and NT hens than by H and T hens, respectively (age breed p < 0.005, beak treatment p < 0.001). Though H hens had fewer mortalities and better feather cover, breed effects may have been influenced by farm management practices, as they may have been better suited to H than L hens. Though EE hens performed less bird-to-bird pecking, the enrichments were less effective at reducing feather cover damage and mortality than expected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improvements in transmission and reception sensitivities of radiofrequency (RF) coils used in ultra-high field (UHF) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are needed to reduce specific absorption rates (SAR) and RF power deposition, albeit without applying high-power RF. Here, we propose a method to simultaneously improve transmission efficiency and reception sensitivity of a band-pass birdcage RF coil (BP-BC RF coil) by combining a multi-channel wireless RF element (MCWE) with a high permittivity material (HPM) in a 7.0 T MRI. Electromagnetic field (EM-field) simulations, performed using two types of phantoms, viz., a cylindrical phantom filled with oil and a human head model, were used to compare the effects of MCWE and HPM on BP-BC RF coils. EM-fields were calculated using the finite difference time-domain (FDTD) method and analyzed using Matlab software. Next, to improve RF transmission efficiency, we compared two HPM structures, namely, a hollow cylinder shape HPM (hcHPM) and segmented cylinder shape HPM (scHPM). The scHPM and MCWE model comprised 16 elements (16-rad BP-BC RF coil) and this coil configuration demonstrated superior RF transmission efficiency and reception sensitivity along with an acceptable SAR. We expect wider clinical application of this combination in 7.0 T MRIs, which were recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Mycotoxin contamination in feed is a significant problem worldwide because these toxic metabolites can have serious adverse effects on animals, resulting great economic loss. Deoxynivalenol (DON) is the most commonly detected mycotoxin in cereals and therefore in poultry feed. This mycotoxin could adversely affect the health of birds. In this work, broiler chickens were exposed to two different levels of DON (5 and 15 mg/kg feed) for 42 days. The results revealed that broilers fed the high level (15 mg/kg) had DON-3-sulphate (a specific metabolite of DON) deposited in the liver and had reduced blood hematological parameters. The ingestion of the guidance level (5 mg DON/kg fee) affected the immune system parameters in broiler chickens. Both levels did not adversely affect the broiler's welfare related-parameters. The current study was conducted to examine the effects of deoxynivalenol (DON) at different levels (5 and 15 mg/kg feed) on the metabolism, immune response and welfare parameters of male broiler chickens (Ross 308) at 42 days old. Forty-five 1 day-old broiler chickens were randomly distributed into three different dietary treatments: (1) control, (2) DON-contaminated diet with 5 mg DON/kg of feed (guidance level), and (3) DON-contaminated diet with 15 mg DON/kg of feed. Five replicated cages with three birds each were used for each treatment in a randomized complete block design. The results showed that DON was detected in excreta of birds fed contaminated diets compared with controls. The metabolite DON-3 sulphate (DON-3S) was detected in plasma and excreta in both treated groups, as well as in the liver (but only at 15 mg/kg feed). The increase in the level of DON decreased the hemoglobin concentration (p < 0.001), whereas the erythrocyte counts were only decreased at 15 mg DON/kg feed. No effect of DON on the responses to common vaccines was observed. In plasma, interleukin 8 levels in both contaminated groups were significantly higher than in the control group. The expression of interleukin 6, interleukin 1β and interferon-γ increased in jejunum tissues of broilers fed 5 mg/kg of DON compared with controls. The stress index (heterophil to lymphocyte ratio) was not affected by DON-contaminated diets compared with controls. The plasma corticosterone level was significantly lower in both DON groups compared with controls. In conclusion, DON-3S could be used as a specific biomarker of DON in different biological matrices, while the immune response in broiler chickens is stimulated by the presence of DON at the guidance level, but no adverse effect was observed on physiological stress parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The radio frequency (RF) coil is one of the key components of the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. It has a significant impact on the performance of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) detection. Among numerous practical designs of RF coils for NMR imaging, the birdcage RF coil is the most popular choice from low field to ultra-high field MRI systems. In the transmission mode, it can establish a strong and homogeneous transverse magnetic field B1 for any element at its Larmor frequency. Similarly, in the reception mode, it exhibits extremely high sensitivity for the detection of even faint NMR signals from the volume of interest. Despite the sophisticated 3D structure of the birdcage coil, the developments in the design, analysis, and implementation technologies during the past decade have rendered the development of the birdcage coils quite reasonable. This article provides a detailed review of the recent progress in the birdcage RF coil technology for the MRI system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The gut microbiota—the community of microorganisms that colonize the gut—is now recognized as a key regulator of immune activity, metabolism, and welfare in all vertebrates, including poultry. The diet and environment can both influence the gut microbiota, but the extent of these changes is unclear in poultry, where diets and environments are important management tools. As the majority of U.S. egg production (>90%) has pledged to move to cage-free egg production by 2025, it is necessary to understand how much the diet and the rearing environment contribute to gut microbiota composition and function, and ultimately to health and production traits of chicken. We addressed this unknown by analyzing the gut microbiota community of laying hens with both the housing environment and diet as variables. We compared conventional cage systems against cage-free systems. In both environments, hens were fed a standard soy-based diet, versus an alternate soy-free diet. We found that cage-free environments generated higher gut microbiota diversity, and that the diet had a relatively lower effect on changing the gut microbiota. Our results highlight the difficulty of promoting consistent, beneficial gut microbiota across production systems or diet variations in commercial poultry conditions. The gut microbiota of chicken has received much attention due to its importance for bird health, food safety, and performance. In the United States, the impending transition to cage-free housing environments has raised many questions about its consequences for poultry health, productivity, and welfare. Therefore, we investigated how housing environments and feed composition affect the poultry gut microbiome. Such data is necessary to inform the design of production systems that promote health and food safety. In this study, we investigated the cecal microbiome of both caged and cage-free laying hens that were fed either an industry-standard soy-based versus a soy-free diet. Caged hens were housed in standard industry-style layer cages with one bird per cage, and cage-free hens were housed in a poultry barn with an outdoor enclosed yard with multiple hens per pen. Our study showed significant differences in the gut microbiota between cage-free and caged environments. Cage free housing generated higher diversity compared to caged housing. Furthermore, we observed a synergistic interaction of soy-based feed in cage-free housing, as the cage-free soy group showed the highest alpha diversity, whereas the caged-soy group showed the lowest diversity overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Control of avian influenza and similar diseases in commercial poultry operations is challenging; the six major steps are surveillance, biosecurity, quarantine, depopulation, disposal, and cleaning and disinfection. Depopulation is used to cull animals that are terminally ill and to reduce the number of animals that can spread an untreatable disease. Water-based foam depopulation was used effectively during the 2014–2015 highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the United States. Water-based foam, however, cannot be used effectively in caged poultry operations. Compressed air foam systems were initially developed for structural fire-fighting and, with modifications, can provide the conditions required to effectively penetrate a poultry cage and provide sufficient residence time for depopulation. In this experiment, compressed air foam was used to depopulate caged layer hens. Compressed air foam resulted in faster unconsciousness than carbon dioxide gassing. The experiment demonstrated that compressed air foam systems have promise for depopulating birds raised in cages. Outbreaks of avian influenza (AI) and other highly contagious poultry diseases continue to be a concern for those involved in the poultry industry. In the situation of an outbreak, emergency depopulation of the birds involved is necessary. In this project, two compressed air foam systems (CAFS) were evaluated for mass emergency depopulation of layer hens in a manure belt equipped cage system. In both experiments, a randomized block design was used with multiple commercial layer hens treated with one of three randomly selected depopulation methods: CAFS, CAFS with CO2 gas, and CO2 gas. In Experiment 1, a Rowe manufactured CAFS was used, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to unconsciousness, brain death, altered terminal cardiac activity and motion cessation were recorded. CAFS with and without CO2 was faster to unconsciousness, however, the other parameters were not statistically significant. In Experiment 2, a custom Hale based CAFS was used to evaluate the impact of bird age, a selection of birds were instrumented, and the time to motion cessation was recorded. The difference in time to cessation of movement between pullets and spent hens using CAFS was not statistically significant. Both CAFS depopulate caged layers, however, there was no benefit to including CO2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]