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To evaluate the effects of whey protein (WP) sources on performance, liver antioxidants and immune responses of broiler chickens, 300 one-d-old male Ross 308 chickens were randomly allocated into six treatments with five replications of 10 birds each. This study was conducted on the basis of a completely randomized design in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement with dietary supplemental WP sources (no WP; 2% WP and 2% whey protein concentrate (WPC)) and ethanol (zero and 6%) into drinking water. Birds were challenged with ethanol 6% from 10 to 24 days of age. Growth performance, immune responses, intestinal morphology and antioxidant enzymes were assessed in both challenged and non-challenged groups. There was a significant interaction between ethanol and WP sources for growth performance, so that weight gain (WG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly improved in broiler chickens challenged with ethanol and fed with WP (p < .05). Intestinal morphology, humoral responses and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (H/L) were not affected by WP sources. Cellular immunity responses were significantly lower in control group and challenged birds fed with WP compared with other groups after 48 hr of phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) injection. Ethanol challenge decreased liver antioxidant enzyme activities and increased levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activities. Dietary inclusion of WP and WPC increased levels of liver antioxidant enzymes and decreased MDA and ALT activities. It can be recommended to use WP for improving the growth performance and liver antioxidant enzymes in broiler chickens challenged with ethanol.

The effects of gamma (GR; 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy) and electron irradiation (ER; 0, 5, 10, 15 and 20 kGy) on proximate compositions, fatty acid profiles, cyanid, total phenolic compounds, flavonoids and γ-tocopherols (γ-toc) contents of flaxseed (FS) were investigated. Irradiation had no effect on the proximate composition, cyanid content and fatty acid profiles of FS. Both GR and ER at high applied doses decreased (P

We investigated the effects of soluble or insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on growth performance, serum metabolites, and intestinal morphology of male broiler chickens. One hundred and forty 1-d-old male chicks (Ross 308) were assigned to 4 diets with 7 cages per treatment and 5 chickens per cage in a completely randomized design during a 15-d study. Experimental diets included: 1) semi-purified control diet (Ctrl), 2) Ctrl plus 3% pectin, 3) Ctrl plus 3% carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), and 4) Ctrl plus 3% cellulose. On d 10, 1 chicken from each cage was slaughtered to obtain the intestinal tissues for morphological indices, blood samples for serum metabolites, and ileal content for microbiological count at the end of the experiment. Adding pectin and CMC to broiler chicken diet decreased (P

Probiotics are beneficial microorganisms and have long been used in food production as well as health promotion products. Bioengineered probiotics are used to express and transfer native or recombinant molecules to the mucosal surface of the digestive tract to improve feed efficiency and promote health. Lactococcus lactis is a potential probiotic candidate to produce useful biological proteins. The aim of this investigation was to develop a recombinant Lactococcus lactis with the potential of producing phytase. To enhance the efficiency of expression and secretion of recombinant phytase, usp45 signal peptide was added to the expression vector containing phytase gene (appA2) derived from Escherichia coli. Sequencing of recombinant plasmid containing appA2 showed the correct construction of plasmid. Total length of the phytase insert was 1.25 kbp. A Blast search of the cloned fragment showed 99% similarity to the reported E. coli phytase sequence in the GenBank (accession number: AM946981.2). A plasmid containing usp45 and appA2 electrotransferred into Lactococcus lactis. Zymogram with polyacrylamide gel revealed that the protein extract from the supernatant and the cell pellet of recombinant bacteria had phytase activity. Enzyme activity of 4 U/ml was obtained in cell extracts, and supernatant maximal phytase activity was 19 U/ml. The recombinant L. lactis was supplemented in broiler chicken feed and showed the increase of apparent digestibility on phytate phosphorus in the digestive tract and it was same as performance of E. coli commercial phytase.

The effects of supplementation with α-tocopherol acetate (α-Toc), pomegranate pomace extract (PPE) and pomegranate pomace (PP) into chicken feed on antioxidant status, oxidation susceptibility and quality of the thigh meat during refrigeration were investigated. During six weeks broiler chickens were fed eight dietary treatments, which included: control diet, α-tocopherol diet (200 mg kg−1), PPE diets (0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 g kg−1) and PP diets (1, 2 and 3 g kg−1). Feed efficiency was significantly improved by supplementing chickens fed diet with 0.2 g kg−1 PPE. Long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC PUFA) n-3 level was higher in the thigh of broilers fed with α-Toc and PPE diets (except 0.1 g kg−1) than in chickens fed control and PP diets (p

Background: This study intended to assess individual and combined adsorption potentials of three adsorbents (processed bentonite as an inorganic adsorbent, and cell walls of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and of the GG strain of Lactobacillus rhamnosus as organic adsorbents) for aflatoxin B1 and ochratoxin A under in vitro conditions. Methods: This study was conducted in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran in 2106. A pre-test with four treatments of bacteria and yeast (live or dead) with five replications was designed and conducted to study the effects of these biotic and abiotic organic adsorbents on toxin adsorption efficiency. The experiment in the main study had seven treatments including two toxins (2 ppm) and three adsorbents with five replications using the completely randomized design. Toxin quantities were measured by an HPLC instrument. Results: The various types of dead organic adsorbents were more capable of adsorbing toxins compared to the live ones. The processed bentonite was considerably more efficient in adsorbing aflatoxin B1 (93.51) compared to the other treatment groups (P

The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of probiotic and drinking water (DW) supplemented with different levels of vinegar on performance, meat yields, immune responses, and small intestine histology of broiler chickens. Three hundred thirty day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks assigned to six treatments in a completely randomised design experiment with a factorial arrangement (2 × 3) and five replicates of 11 chicks each. The treatments included two levels of dietary probiotic supplementation (0 and 1 × 1010 CFU lactic acid/kg of diet) and three levels (0%, 1%, and 2%) of DW supplemented with vinegar (5% acetic acid concentration). The study lasted from 1 to 42 d. Growth performance, meat yields and lymphoid organs relative weight, humoral and cellular immune responses, and small intestine histomorphometry were measured. The average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during 1–10 days of age significantly decreased in the birds that fed supplemented diet with probiotic and drunk supplemented water with vinegar than the birds fed and drunk free of any additive. Experimental treatments did not have a significant effect on performance during other growth periods, carcase yields, and lymphoid organs relative weight. DW supplemented with vinegar significantly increased villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD) and decreased small intestine muscular thickness (MT) and abdominal fat. Dietary supplementation of probiotic significantly improved immune response to sheep red blood cell (SRBC) inoculation. In conclusion, this study confirms beneficial effects of probiotic and vinegar on 1–10 d performance, immune and intestine health of broiler chickens.

1. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of purine nucleosides on performance, gut morphology, intestinal enzymes and immunity functions in broiler chickens from 0 to 21 d of age. 2. A total of 360 1-d-old male chickens (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 6 replications. Experimental diets consisted of a control without any additives and diets containing 0.1% pure adenosine, 0.1% pure guanosine and 0.1% equal aliquots of pure adenosine and guanosine. Two birds per cage (12 birds per treatment) were killed on d 11 and 21 in order to obtain serum samples for lipid profile, jejunal samples for morphology and mucosal immunity, digestive enzymes for epithelial maturation, and bursa and spleen samples for relative weight of immune organs to live body weight. 3. Birds receiving adenosine in their diets showed a significant increase in body weight and average daily gain and a significantly lower feed conversion ratio compared to the control birds. Villus height and width in jejunal samples also increased significantly in birds supplemented with adenosine. Although maltase was not affected by the experimental diets, adenosine increased alkaline phosphatase and aminopeptidase. Adenosine and its combination with guanosine boosted mucosal immunity as a result of increased IgA production. While there was no significant difference among treatments regarding the relative weight of the spleen, adenosine increased the relative weight of the bursa of Fabricius. Present results also showed that adding guanosine to broiler diets had no significant effects on growth, gut morphology, enzymes activity and immunological indices. 4. In conclusion, the improvement in growth performance, gut morphology and immunity in birds receiving adenosine demonstrated that pure adenosine could be a beneficial feed additive for the poultry industry, while guanosine showed no significant improvement.

This study investigated the effect of dietary α-tocopherol (α-Toc), pomegranate peel extract (PPE), and pomegranate peel (PP) on phenolic content and breast meat quality of broilers during 11 days of storage with the addition of α-Toc, PPE, and PP. Broilers were fed eight dietary treatments, including: control diet, α-Toc diet (200 mg/kg), PPE diets (100, 200, and 300 mg/kg), and PP diets (1, 2, and 3 g/kg) during 0–42 days. The extents of lipid oxidation in samples were assessed by measuring thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and the 1, 1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical-scavenging activities were determined. The feed efficiency was improved significantly in chickens fed diet containing 0.2 g/kg PPE, and the growth performance of chickens was impaired in chickens fed with PP diet. Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 were increased in breast muscles of broilers fed α-Toc and high levels of PPE diets (P

1. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of conditioning times and processed sodium bentonite (PSB)-based pellet binder (G. Bind™) on pellet quality, performance, small intestine morphology, and nutrient retention in growing broiler chickens (d 11-24).2. A total of 540, one-day-old male broiler chicks were fed a commercial starter diet (d 1-10). On day 11, birds were assigned to a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement including two conditioning times (2 and 4 min) and three levels of PSB (0, 7.5 and 15 g/kg) with six replicates of 15 chicks each. Feed intake and weight gain were recorded to calculate growth performance. The jejunal segment and excreta samples were collected to determine intestinal morphology and nutrient retention, respectively.3. Diets produced with 2 min conditioning time and containing 15 g/kg PSB increased (P0.05) pellet durability index and hardness. Conditioning time and PSB levels had no significant effect on growth performance. The inclusion of PSB to broilers diet increased (P0.05) energy usage of the pelleting machine. Chickens fed the diet conditioned for 2 min and containing 15 g/kg PSB had the lowest (P0.05) relative jejunal length. Two minutes conditioning of diets containing 15 g/kg PSB increased (P0.05) apparent metabolisable energy retention in broilers.4. It was concluded that 2 min conditioning of diet containing 15 g/kg PSB improved pellet quality and nutrient retention of broiler chickens, while the main effects of conditioning time and PSB levels were controversial in most evaluated parameters.

The influence of feed form and particle size on the performance, coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility (CAID) of nutrients, apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and intestinal morphology in broiler starters fed maize-based diets was examined in this study. Two feed forms (mash and pellet) and three particle sizes (fine, medium and coarse) were evaluated in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. Birds fed pelleted diets had higher ( P P P > 0.05) of particle size. Gizzard pH was not influenced ( P > 0.05) by particle size in mash diets, but fine grinding increased ( P P P P > 0.05) on CAID of starch and AME in mash diets, but in pelleted diets, pellets made from medium and coarsely ground maize showed higher ( P P P P P P P P P P

The presence of aflatoxin B1 in livestock's feed results in contamination of milk and its products with aflatoxin M1. Different sequestering agents have been added to cows' ration to adsorb these toxins, although influence of processed bentonites on aflatoxins adsorption has not been evaluated yet. This experiment was carried out to assess the effects of incorporating natural and processed bentonite (local or commercially available), to the diet of Holstein dairy cows subjected to an aflatoxin B1 diet, and the transfer of aflatoxin metabolites (AFM1) to milk. Aflatoxin sequestering capacity, pH, CEC, XRD and XRF of natural and processed bentonites were measured. Then, twelve Holstein dairy cows were assigned to 3 treatments as the following: 1) local processed bentonite (G.Bind™), 2) local unprocessed bentonite (F), and 3) commercially available bentonite (M). Aflatoxin content in feed and milk was evaluated and transfer rate was measured. Results of the present study showed that the aflatoxin contents of milk were remained unchanged except for treatment G.Bind™ that considerably decreased aflatoxin M1 in milk after the second and third weeks of the experiment. G.Bind™ lowered the transfer rate of aflatoxin B1 from 1.17% at the beginning of the experiment to 0.43% and 0.39% after the first and second weeks, respectively. Processing of bentonites (basic processing in present study) can considerably help to adsorb aflatoxin from feed and also to decrease aflatoxin transfer to milk.

Aluminosilicates are feed additives used for multiple purposes in the poultry industry. Bentonites, zeolites, and kaolins are types of aluminosilicate compounds that appear in the marketplace due to their capabilities as mycotoxin adsorbents and other qualifications. While there are some differences among their efficacies, anecdotal evidence confirms that these additives ameliorate aflatoxicosis and manure ammonia emission, and improve the durability of pelleted diets. Furthermore, these supplements are safe at 0.2%-1% inclusion levels in the commercial diet of broilers and layers and did not have any adverse effects on productive indices, and even promoted birds' performance. Nevertheless, their upper levels, especially in purified diets, caused an unfavorable interrelationship with the adsorption of nutrients and anticoccidials. Overall, the origin, chemical composition, physical structure, inclusion level, and plausible interactions of aluminosilicates with other dietary components are important factors that should be considered before utilizing these compounds in practical farm situations.

1. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of steam-conditioning time and different levels of processed sodium bentonite (PSB) on pellet quality, growth performance, intestinal development and morphology, and nutrient digestibilities in broilers during finisher period (d 24-45). 2. A total of 810 male chicks were reared in commercial conditions on floor pens till d 24. Then, birds were weighed and used in a completely randomised design experiment with a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, including three levels of conditioning times (0, 2 and 4 min) and three PSB levels (0, 7.5 and 15 g/kg diet). Each of the 9 diets fed to 6 replicates group of 15 birds each. 3. The results showed that 2-min steam conditioning and 15 g/kg PSB supplementation significantly increased pellet durability index (PDI) and hardness, and decreased electrical consumption of pelleting. Diets had no significant effects on body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. Although dietary treatments did not influence relative weight and length of three segments of small intestine, 2-min steam conditioning significantly improved villus height (VH) and crypt depth. Steam conditioning of diet for 2 min significantly increased apparent metabolisable energy (AME), ether extract (EE), calcium (Ca) and dry matter (DM) retention in birds measured during 38-42 d of age. 4. It could be concluded that 2-min steam conditioning improved PDI and hardness, VH and nutrient retention (AME, EE, Ca and DM), but did not affect growth performance in broilers during finisher period.

In the present study, we investigated the effects of acidified dried whey and acidified yeast product and their combination on broiler growth characteristics, intestinal microflora and gut morphology. Seven hundred and fifty day-old Ross 308 male broilers were fed one of 10 dietary treatments with 5 replicates in a randomized design. A corn-soybean meal based diet (control group) was supplemented with 3 levels (0.15, 0.30 and 0.45%) of acidified whey powder (AW), acidified yeast product (AY), and acidified whey powder and yeast product (AWY). Acidified yeast product improved ADG and FCR at d 42, but the effects of additives on productive performance were not significant across the entire rearing period. The highest level of AY increased the population of Lactobacillus spp., decreased that of E. coli and did not affect the bacterial total count at d 42. Birds fed 0.45% AY showed higher villus height and better gut morphology compared to control birds. In conclusion, acidified yeast product increased the population of Lactobacillus, inhibited the growth of E. coli and improved gut morphology and structure, but did not affect growth performance and relative organ weight.

The negative effects of high ambient temperature during some months of the year on poultry production have been of great concern in many countries. Dietary modifications are among the most practical ways to alleviate the effects of high temperature. Possible effects of dietary supplementation with 200 or 400 mg/kg feed of lemon peel extract (LPE), orange peel extract (OPE) and Curcuma xanthorrhiza essential oil (CXEO) under hot conditions (34 °C with 50% relative humidity for 5 h daily starting from day 28 until day 38 of age) on blood antioxidant enzyme activities, biochemical parameters and antibody titres of broiler chickens were investigated. All extracts are rich in phenolic compounds and highly available. Compared to control, supplementation with OPE at 400 mg/kg and CXEO significantly increased erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activity, plasma growth hormone concentrations and serum phosphorus, total protein and chloride concentrations and decreased serum low-density lipoprotein and cholesterol concentrations in chickens at 38 days of age. Regarding antibody titres, CXEO supplementation at 400 mg/kg caused a significant increase in bronchitis antibody titres. Supplementation with LPE and OPE gave more inconsistent results. Most interesting, 400 mg/kg LPE significantly increased 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine and GH concentration as compared to the control. In conclusion, the herbal extracts tested in this study, in particular CXEO at 400 mg/kg, may relieve some of the changes in blood composition induced by increased ambient temperatures.

1. This study was carried out to investigate the effects of 1, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1, 25 (OH)2 D3) and a hydroalcoholic extract of Withania somnifera (WS) root on performance, mineral retention, bone mineralisation, bone mechanical and bone histological characteristics of broiler chicks. 2. A 2 × 3 × 2 factorial experiment consisted of a positive control diet with adequate Ca and a negative control diet (Ca concentration reduced by 30%), three concentrations of WS (0, 75 and 150 mg/kg diet), and two concentrations of 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 (0 and 0.5 μg/kg diet). 3. A total of 600 male one-d-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly distributed into 60 floor pens, with 10 birds each. Each treatment was replicated 5 times (50 birds). Diets were given ad libitum from one to 42 d of age. On d 21 and 42, one bird per replicate was killed and tibiae were removed. 4. Dietary treatments did not affect feed intake and feed conversion. The maximum body weight gain (2475 g) was noted in birds fed on a diet adequate in Ca and supplemented with 75 mg/kg WS. 5. The Ca and P retentions were significantly higher in birds that were given a diet with 30% less Ca. Supplementation of 150 mg/kg WS significantly improved Ca retention in birds receiving a negative control compared to those given a positive control diet (83.0% vs. 66.3%). Ca retention was significantly improved with the addition of 0.5 μg/kg 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 to the diet containing 75 mg/kg WS, regardless of dietary Ca concentration (79.5 vs. 73.3 and 77.9 vs. 68.9). 6. On d 21, birds that received WS had significantly higher tibia Ca compared to those of controls. No significant effects on tibia Ca were noted at 42 d. Birds given a negative control diet supplemented with 75 mg/kg WS and 0.5 μg/kg 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 displayed a similar tibia Ca compared to those given only 150 mg/kg WS. Dietary supplementation of 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 significantly increased tibia Ca and tibial mineralised zone width in birds at 42 d of age. 7. Tibia shear force and stiffness were significantly increased by supplementation of WS. Administration of 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 resulted in a significantly lower width of the proliferative zone at 21 d of age. Reduction of the Ca supply significantly reduced the mineralised zone and cortical thickness at this age. 8. The present study showed that WS supplementation improved Ca retention, bone calcification and mechanical properties with no adverse effects on performance. Also, synergistic effects of WS and 1, 25 (OH)2 D3 were observed on Ca retention and bone calcification.

SUMMARY A batch of full-fat soybean (FFSB) was wet extruded at 155°C for 15 s to provide an extruded full-fat soybean (EFFSB) sample. The urease activity index, protein solubility in KOH, and protein dispersibility index were determined in EFFSB samples as in vitro quality tests and indicated good quality of processing. In the first experiment, the EFFSB was substituted primarily at the expense of dehulled soybean meal (DSBM) and soybean oil (SO) in the grower diet as 0, 7.5, 15, and 22.5% to provide 4 diets; then birds received the diets from 15 to 21 d and excreta were collected from 18 to 21 d for chemical analysis. The AMEn and nutrient total tract apparent retention of EFFSB were calculated by regression analysis. The AMEn value of EFFSB was 3,908 kcal/kg, whereas the coefficients of total tract apparent retention for DM, organic matter, EE, CP, CF, and ash were 76, 79, 91, 74, 20, and 61%, respectively. In the second experiment, one hundred ninety-two 1-d-old male broiler chicks were divided into 16 groups of 12 birds each and allocated to 4 diets containing 0, 7.5, 15, and 22.5% of EFFSB at the expense of DSBM and SO. Feed intake and weight gain of chickens fed the diet contained 22.5% EFFSB were reduced (P 0.05) when birds were fed diets containing up to 15% EFFSB. The mucosa absorptive surface area in duodenum and jejunum of birds fed 22.5% EFFSB was reduced (P 0.05). It is concluded that growth performance of broiler chickens was not influenced (P > 0.05) when birds were fed a diet containing up to 15% EFFSB in place of DSBM and SO.

To study the effect of corn meal (CM) on performance, carcass characteristics and nutrient digestibility of chickens in a completely randomized design experiment with 4 × 2 factorial arrangement and 4 replicates per treatment, 384 Ross male broiler chickens in a 49 days period were evaluated. Treatments were 0 (CM0), 15 (CM15), 30 (CM30), or 45 (CM45) CM to replace corn and 2 levels of commercial NSP-degrading enzyme (0 and 0.025%). Corn meal had no effect (P > 0.05) on body weight gain, feed intake and carcass characteristics during the whole brooding period. Dietary corn meal level (CM45) had significant effect on digestibility of fat, apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (AME n ). However, enzyme supplementation significantly increased phosphorous digestibility (P < 0.05). Interaction between corn meal level and enzyme supplementation had significant effect on excreta dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), AME and AME n during 0 to 49 days of age. Together, the results suggested that replacement of corn by corn meal may affect the digestibility of OM, CP, AME, AME n , and enzyme supplementation has some beneficial effects on theses traits. Keywords: Corn meal, enzyme, broiler chickens, performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility

1. A total of 320 one-day-old Ross male broiler chickens were used to investigate the effects of 0·0, 2·5, 5·0 and 7·5 g/kg turmeric rhizome powder (TRP) in the diet, on antioxidant status, biochemical gas indices and mortality in broiler chickens with triiodothyronine (T(3)) induced ascites. 2. The TRP supplementation had no effect on blood pH, pO(2) or pCO(2) during the whole period of study. Moreover, supplementation of TRP did not influence the heart weight, right ventricle, left ventricle, or total ventricle weights, all relative to total live weight; RV/TV (right ventricle to total ventricle) ratio; or serum GPX (glutathione peroxidase) or SOD (superoxide dismutase) activities at week 6. 3. TRP supplementation influenced the blood [Formula: see text] and O(2) saturation during the whole period of study, total mortality due to ascites, and serum total tocopherol and malondialdehyde (MDA) contents. Blood [Formula: see text] and serum total tocopherol increased linearly as dietary TRP level increased. Blood O(2) saturation increased quadratically as dietary TRP increased. 4. Total ascites mortality and serum MDA content decreased linearly with increasing TRP level to 5 mg/kg and then reached a plateau. 5. The results of the study indicate that the addition of 5·0 g/kg TRP is sufficient to increase the blood O(2) saturation and bicarbonate ([Formula: see text]) concentration, and reduce the mortality due to ascites and serum MDA content.

In order to study the effect of turmeric rhizome powder (TRP) on the activity of some blood enzymes in broiler chicken, a 49 days experiment using corn-soybean meal based diet containing four levels of TRP (0.0, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.75%) as treatments with five replicates in a completely randomized design was conducted. 200 Ross male broiler chicken from 0-49 days were housed in 20 pens and received feed and water adlibitum. At 21 and 42 days of age, one blood serum sample from each replicate of treatment was collected. Inclusion of TRP significantly increased LDH and AST enzymes (P

An experiment was conducted with broiler chickens to study the effect of different non starch polysaccharides; NSPs (cellulose, pectin and carboxymethyl cellulose; CMC) on growth performance and intestinal microflora. 96 day-old male chickens were allocated to 4 experimental diets (a semi purified control diet or diets containing 3% of above mentioned NSPs) in a completely randomized design for two weeks. On day 10, one bird from each replicate was slaughtered to remove the intestinal contents for microbial analyses. According to the results, total feed intake over 2 weeks was increased (P

An in vivo study was conducted to evaluate dried berberry fruit (DBF) and enzyme on some blood parameters of laying hens. In a 5 * 2 completely randomized block design with factorial arrangement and 4 blocks as replicate, 5 levels of DBF (0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2%) and 2 levels of NSP-degrading enzyme (0.0, and 0.05%) in wheat-soybean based diets were tested in 480, 100-week old laying hens for 4 weeks. Some blood parameters of laying hens including hematocrit value, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL-cholesterol were recorded at 104 weeks of age. DBF significantly (P

Six hundred Ross 308 male broiler chickens were used to study the effect of licorice extract and the prebiotic, fermacto, on performance, blood metabolites and gastro-intestinal transit time (GTT) of feed in the birds. The birds were fed according to a three phase feeding programme on a starter, grower and finisher diet during the ages of 1 - 14 day, 15 - 35 days and 35 - 49 days of age, respectively. The basic diets during each phase contained either 100 or 95% of recommended digestible amino acid (RDAA) concentrations. The two basic starter diets were divided into five treatment diets: No supplement (control); and supplemented with 2.0 g fermacto/kg; and 2.0 (high); 1.0 (medium) and 0.5 (low) g licorice extract/kg diet. In the grower diets half the levels of these supplements were included, while the two finisher diets were fed without containing any of the experimental supplements. There was not a significant difference in body weight, feed intake and feed conversion ratio between the birds fed the control and the diets supplemented with the prebiotic or the different levels of licorice. However, birds receiving diets containing licorice extract had lighter abdominal fat pads compared to those fed the prebiotic or control diets. Blood cholesterol concentrations decreased significantly in birds receiving the high level of licorice in their starter and grower diets as compared to the control. The GTT of feed in the birds fed diets containing the prebiotic or licorice extract did not differ from that of the birds in the control. A 5% reduction in dietary RDAA concentration caused an increase in feed conversion ratio of chickens on the starter and grower diets and for the total duration of the experiment.

Three trials were conducted to determine the available energy of different wheat screening varieties collected from different locations of Khorasan in Iran. In experiment 1, chemical composition and the nitrogen corrected true metabolisable energy (TMEn) were evaluated. A precision-fed rooster assay was used, in which, each wheat screening sample was tube fed to adult roosters, and the excreta were collected for 48-h. In Exp. 2 and 3, five and two wheat screening verities-based diets with or without xylanase and phytase were fed to 16-day old battery reared chicks respectively, and total feed consumption and excreta were measured during next three days. The variable nature of wheat screening varieties led to significant differences in mean TMEn values (p of the mean value () and ranged from 2,734.90 to 3,245.12 kcal/kg. There was a significant correlation (p from using a single chemical analysis was obtained with NDF: TMEn = 4,152.09-27.80 NDF ( = 0.90, p = 0.98, p and in Exp. 2 and Exp. 3, respectively. Addition of xylanase and phytase to wheat screenings resulted in significant (p