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Objective: Pre-slaughter transportation adversely impacts the welfare, meat yield, and quality of broilers, yet the effects of different crate types on broiler chickens during winter remain underexplored. The goal of this study was to investigate the effect of plastic and iron crates in transit on meat quality, carcass, and physiological traits of broiler chickens during winter., Methods: A total of 175, 35-day-old Ross 308 male broilers with an average body weight of about 1,708 ± 33.3 g (mean ± standard error of the mean) were picked after 4 hours of feed withdrawal before transport. The control group comprises birds in the farm (n = 15) without transportation at 173 cm2/kg density. The birds were transported into fixed iron (25 birds per crate) and plastic crates (15 birds per crate) with four replicates per crate type at the same 173 cm2/kg densities. The transportation distance was 20 km for 40 min at an average speed of 30-50 km/h early morning at 8:00 am under - 1 ℃ and 47% relative humidity., Results: There was no difference (p>0.05) in carcass traits among the treatments. Concerning meat quality, broilers transported in both crate types exhibited lower (p<0.01) a* values compared to the control group. Additionally, the iron crate group demonstrated higher (p<0.05) b* values for the breast meat compared to the other groups. In terms of blood metabolites, the iron crate group had higher (p<0.05) cortisol, glucose, and lactate levels compared to the control group that did not transport., Conclusion: Broilers transported in the iron crates increase stress levels in terms of higher cortisol, glucose, and lactate contents in the blood plasma compared to untransported broilers during the winter. Therefore, employing plastic crates, which induce significantly reduced cortisol and numerically lower glucose levels compared to iron crates, appears more favorable for animal welfare by mitigating stress.

The impact of dietary non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on performance and carcass traits of broilers fed wheat-bran substituted into corn-soybean meal-based diets supplemented with xylanase was investigated. A total of 280 (7-day-old) Ross 308 broilers were randomly allotted to one of five dietary treatments with 8 replicates, 7 chicks per pen. Treatments were; i) CON: Control diet, ii) CON-X (CON + 3,000 U/kg xylanase), iii) L-X: low NSP (2% wheat bran in CON + 3,000 U/kg xylanase), iv) M-X: medium NSP (4% wheat bran in CON + 3,000 U/kg xylanase), v) H-X: higher NSP (8% wheat bran in CON+ 3,000 U/kg xylanase). Birds fed the H-X diet increased (p < 0.05) daily gains, and average daily feed intake and had marginally improved body weights (p = 0.074) on day 35. Relatively, the H-X diet tended to increase the average daily gains (p = 0.053; p = 0.073) of birds during the grower phase (d 24-35) and the entire experimental period (d 8-35), respectively. Moreover, there were no significant differences among treatments in the feed conversion ratio of birds throughout the entire experiment period. Birds fed diets CON-X, L-X, and M-X had improved (p < 0.05) the ileal digestibility of energy on d 24 and 35 compared to those fed the H-X diet. Furthermore, birds fed diet CON-X improved (p < 0.05) N digestibility on d 24. Improved carcass moisture content and lowered crude fat of leg meat (p < 0.05) were noted in birds fed the diet M-X and H-X on d 35, respectively. The intestinal viscosity was reduced (p < 0.05) in xylanase-supplemented treatments CON-X, L-X, M-X, and H-X diets when compared to CON. Our results suggest that supplementing 3,000 U/kg xylanase in a higher NSP (8% wheat bran substituted level) diet could improve the intestinal viscosity and growth performance of broilers., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2024 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy of Bacillus-based probiotics supplemented at two different levels to modulate the productive performance, egg quality, tibia traits, and specific cecal bacteria counts of Hy-Line Brown layers from 25 to 37 weeks of age., Methods: A total of 216 twenty-five-week-old hens were randomly distributed into 3 experimental diets with 12 replicates of 6 birds per cage. Diets included basal diet supplemented with 0 (CON), 3×108 (PRO1), or 3×109 (PRO2) colony-forming unit (CFU) of the test probiotic containing Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 per kilogram of feed., Results: Improved egg weights and mass at 29 weeks; and feed intake at 31 weeks (p<0.10) were noticed with the probiotic-supplemented PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Considering egg quality, the shell thickness, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was lowered (p<0.05) with PRO1 and PRO2 diets at 29 weeks. At both 33 and 37 weeks, the egg-breaking strength, shell color and thickness, albumen height, Haugh units, and yolk color were improved; but yolk cholesterol was similarly lowered (p<0.05) with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia Ca, ash, weights, and density; and raised cecal counts of Bifidobacteria and Lactobacilli (p<0.05) were noticed with PRO1 and PRO2 diets. Improved tibia P but reduced Clostridia counts (p<0.10) were also observed with the PRO1 and PRO2 diets., Conclusion: Probiotic supplementation of Bacillus subtilis PB6, Bacillus subtilis FXA, and Bacillus licheniformis G3 at 3×108 CFU/kg of feed is adequate to significantly improve egg quality, lower yolk cholesterol, enhance several tibia traits, and raise the populations of beneficial cecal bacteria. Modest improvements in several productive parameters and tibia P but reduced Clostridia were also observed; and could warrant further investigation of probiotic effects beyond the current test period.

Objective: The goal of the current study was to investigate the impact of various concentrations of xylanase in energy-deficient corn-based diets on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and digesta viscosity in broilers from 7 to 35 days of age., Methods: A total of 280 seven-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly allocated to one of the five dietary treatments following a completely randomized design with 8 replicates and 7 birds per cage. The treatments were: i) positive control (PC, without xylanase); ii) NC-1 (80 kcal/kg ME reduced from PC); iii) NC-2 (100 kcal/kg ME reduced from PC); iv) NCX-1 (NC-1 + 2,000 U/kg xylanase); and v) NCX-2 (NC-2 + 3,000 U/kg xylanase). Body weight, weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were determined weekly to evaluate growth performance. One bird per pen was sacrificed for ileal digesta collection to determine the viscosity and digestibility of energy, dry matter, crude protein on days 24 and 35, however breast and leg meat samples were obtained for proximate analysis (moisture, crude protein, fat, and ash) on day 35., Results: Birds fed diets supplemented with xylanase regardless of the amount had higher (p<0.05) body weights, daily gains, and improved feed efficiency compared to NC diets all throughout the experimental period. Feed intake was not affected (p>0.05) by the addition of xylanase. Moreover, lowered (p<0.05) viscosity of the ileal digesta were observed upon xylanase inclusion in the diets compared to the birds fed NC diets on day 24. Ileal nutrient digestibility and meat proximate composition were not affected (p>0.05) by xylanase., Conclusion: The present study indicated that the xylanase at 2,000 U/kg and 3,000 U/kg levels compensates for the 80 kcal/kg and 100 kcal/kg dietary energy levels, respectively, without having adverse effects on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility, and digesta viscosity of broilers.

Duck meat is recognized as a healthier poultry product that contains higher amounts of unsaturated and essential fatty acids, iron, and excellent amounts of protein. It has been found to possess the ability to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and subsequently, blood pressure in the human body; and improve the immunity system. The current study investigated the appropriate bedding depths of rice hulls as a preferred bedding material by evaluating the growth performance and carcass traits of White Pekin ducks raised for 42 days. A total of 288 one-day-old White Pekin ducklings were randomly allotted to floor cages with one of four bedding depths at 4 cm, 8 cm, 12 cm, and 16 cm. Ducklings were fed standard duck starter (days 1-21) and finisher (days 22-42) diets. The birds were stocked at a rate of 6 birds/m 2 with 6 replicates per treatment. Growth performance evaluation for the body weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake were measured to calculate the weekly feed conversion ratio. Breast, leg, and carcass yield were assessed as carcass traits. The muscle color and proximate composition were also analyzed for meat quality. Footpad dermatitis was also evaluated on day 42. Ducks reared on 16 cm bedding depth over the 42 days recorded higher ( p < 0.05) body weight, average daily, average daily feed intake, and improved feed conversion ratios compared to other groups. The crude fat in breast meat also lowered ( p < 0.05) in ducks reared at 16 cm (1.02%) when compared to ducks raised at 4 cm bedding depth (2.11%). Our results showed improved redness ( p < 0.05) when the depth of bedding materials was elevated. Except for the breast meat fat, the dissimilar bedding depths did not affect ( p < 0.05) the breast and leg meat composition, footpad dermatitis, and mortality for the current study. In conclusion, this study indicated that the bedding depths would directly or indirectly affect the growth performance and meat color of White Pekin ducks; and the bedding depth of rice hulls at 16 cm improved the growth performance of White Pekin ducks for 42 days., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported., (© Copyright 2024 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

The objective of this study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of phytase alone and in combination with multi-carbohydrase in available phosphorus (AP) and energy-deficient diets on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, tibia traits, and carcass quality of broilers. A total of 288 1-d-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to one of 6 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design, with each treatment having 6 replicates and 8 birds per cage. The treatments were as follows: 1) positive control with adequate nutrition (PC); 2) 0.20% AP-deficient diet without phytase (NC-1); 3) 0.25% AP-deficient diet without phytase (NC-2); 4) NC-1 diet plus 500 FTU/kg phytase (NCP-1); 5) NC-2 diet plus 750 FTU/kg phytase (NCP-2); and 6) NC-2 with 100 kcal/kg ME deficient diet plus 1,000 FTU/kg phytase and multi-carbohydrase: 2,200 U/kg galactomannanase, 30,000 U/kg xylanase, 22,000 U/kg β-glucanase, and 700 U/kg α-galactosidase (NCPM). Broilers in the PC group and those fed enzyme-supplemented diets exhibited greater (P < 0.05) growth performance in terms of body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio, along with enhanced tibia mineralization through the ash, calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) composition, and tibia breaking strength compared to NC diets throughout the study. Among the treatments, broilers assigned to the NCPM group showed greater (P < 0.05) levels of energy and P digestibility on days 21 and 35. Concerning carcass characteristics, the leg meat yield was greater (P < 0.05) in broilers fed the NCP-2 diet compared to all other treatments on days 21 and 35. Supplementation of phytase at doses of 500 FTU/kg and 750 FTU/kg effectively recovers AP deficiencies of 0.20% and 0.25%, respectively, in broiler diets without compromising the growth performance of broilers. Additionally, combining multi-carbohydrase and phytase led to AP and energy loss recovery, which improved tibia mineralization and nutrient digestibility through their synergistic interaction., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of phytase on the performance, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility, tibia characteristics, and inositol phosphorus (IP) degradation in broiler chickens. Additionally, the available phosphorus (AP) equivalency of phytase in AP-deficient diets was estimated for 35 days after hatching. A total of 336 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were allocated to one of seven dietary treatments with six replications with eight birds per cage. The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) positive control containing 0.45% AP of the starter and 0.42% AP of the grower diet (PC), (2) 0.10% AP deficiency from the PC (NC-1), (3) 0.15% AP deficiency from the PC (NC-2), (4) 0.20% AP deficiency from the PC (NC-3), (5) NC-3 +phytase (500 FTU/kg; NC-3-500), (6) NC-3 + phytase (1000 FTU/kg; NC-3-1000), and (7) NC-3 + phytase (1500 FTU/kg; NC-3-1500). On d 35, the NC-3 diet exhibited lower tibia weight compared to the other treatments ( p < 0.001). The NC-3-1500 group had higher calcium and phosphorus contents in the tibia than the other treatments on d 35 ( p < 0.01). Phytase supplementation led to a reduced IP 6 concentration and increased IP 3 concentrations in different sections of the gastrointestinal tract on d 21 and 35 compared to the control diet ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, based on the tibia phosphorus content, this study determined that 500 FTU/kg phytase was equivalent to 0.377% and 0.383% AP in the diet on d 21, and 0.317% and 0.307% AP in the diet on d 35, respectively. Likewise, 1000 FTU/kg was determined to be equivalent to 0.476% and 0.448% AP on d 21, and 0.437% and 0.403% AP on d 35, respectively. Furthermore, 1500 FTU/kg was determined to be equivalent to 0.574% and 0.504% AP on d 21, and 0.557% and 0.500 AP on d 35, respectively.

Lipids are a concentrated source of energy with at least twice as much energy as the same amount of carbohydrates and protein. Dietary lipids provide a practical alternative toward increasing the dietary energy density of feeds for high-performing modern broilers. However, the digestion and absorption of dietary lipids are much more complex than that of the other macronutrients. In addition, young birds are physiologically limited in their capacity to utilise dietary fats and oils effectively. The use of dietary emulsifiers as one of the strategies aimed at improving fat utilisation has been reported to elicit several physiological responses including improved fat digestibility and growth performance. In practical terms, this allows for the incorporation of lipids into lower-energy diets without compromising broiler performance. Such an approach may potentially lower feed costs and raise revenue gains. The current review revisits lipids and the different roles that they perform in diets and whole-body metabolism. Additional information on the process of dietary lipid digestion and absorption in poultry; and the physiological limitation brought about by age on lipid utilisation in the avian gastrointestinal tract have been discussed. Subsequently, the physiological responses resulting from the dietary supplementation of exogenous emulsifiers as a strategy for improved lipid utilisation in broiler nutrition are appraised. Suggestions of nascent areas for a better understanding of exogenous emulsifiers have been highlighted., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.)

The digestibility of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in feedstuffs including corn, soybean meal (SBM), and corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) was investigated in White Pekin ducks. The test ingredients were the sole source of AA and CP. A nitrogen-free diet was also formulated for determining endogenous losses of AA and nitrogen. Birds were fed a standard starter diet for the first 15 d posthatch. On d 16, 96 ducklings (860 ± 50 g BW) were selected and allocated into 1 of 4 dietary treatments containing the test ingredients with 6 replicates per treatment in a randomized complete block design. All the crumbled assay diets were offered ad-libitum for 5 d and contained chromic oxide as an indigestible marker at 0.05%. On d 21, ducks were euthanized to collect the ileal digesta for digestibility analysis. Basal endogenous losses were abundant in glutamine, aspartic acid, leucine, proline, and serine, consecutively. For apparent ileal digestibility (AID), lysine and methionine were the highest (P < 0.05) in SBM, followed by corn and DDGS. For threonine, the highest values (P < 0.05) were similarly noted for SBM, followed by DDGS and corn; the values were 80.44, 69.88, and 64.89%, consecutively. Considering standardized ileal digestibility (SID), higher values (P < 0.05) for SBM were similarly noted for all the amino acids including lysine, methionine, and threonine; the values were 89.40, 93.58, and 86.50%, respectively. Conclusively, improved AA and CP digestibility was noted with SBM. Dietary protein source affected the extent of digestibility at the distal ileum; and the utilization of digestible amino acid coefficients during ducks' feed formulation is emphasized., (Copyright © 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The effect of different commercially available bedding materials on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of ducks for 42 days was investigated. 336 one-day-old White-Pekin ducklings (60.48 ± 0.16 g) were randomly allocated into 24-floor pens with one of the three beddings namely i) coco peat, ii) rice husks, or iii) sawdust. 14 ducklings per pen and 8 replicate pens per bedding material were used. Birds were fed a starter diet from days 1-21 and a grower diet from days 22-42. Weekly growth performance evaluation was conducted for the average body weight, weight gains, daily feed intake, and feed conversion efficiency. One bird per pen was sacrificed on day 42 for the evaluation of carcass characteristics including the carcass, breast, and leg muscle percentages. Breast and leg muscle samples were then collected and analyzed for their proximate and pH values. Higher body weights (p < 0.05) were noticed with rice husks on day 42 only. Improved daily gains ( p < 0.05) were also noticed for birds raised with rice husks over the entire period (days 1-42). Concerning feed intake, higher values ( p < 0.05) were similarly noted with rice husks for the grower phase (days 22-42), and the entire experimental period (days 1-42). Marginally improved feed intake values were also noted with the use of rice husks as the bedding materials on day 42 ( p = 0.092). Improved feed efficiency ( p < 0.05) was noticed with rice husks on day 35, the grower period, and the entire 42-day period. However, no significant differences were noticed for most of the carcass characteristics that were evaluated. Nevertheless, higher ( p < 0.05) pH values for the breast muscle were noticed with the use of coco peat and sawdust as the bedding. Conclusively, the bedding type could have a significant impact on the growth performance of ducks without adverse effects on carcass characteristics. The use of rice husks as bedding might be advantageous and is therefore recommended., Competing Interests: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article were reported., (© Copyright 2023 Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology.)

Objective: To investigate the physiological effects of exogenous emulsifiers in broiler chickens that were fed tallow-incorporated reduced-energy diets over 35 days., Methods: A total of 256 Ross 308 one-day-old broilers (42.28±0.16 g) were randomly allocated in a 2×2 factorial arrangement to 32 pens with eight chicks per cage. Birds were fed one of four dietary treatments as follows: i) positive control (PCN; energy sufficient diet); ii) negative control (NCN; energy-deficient diet, -100 ME kcal/kg); iii) PCL (PCN plus 0.05% emulsifier); and iv) NCL (NCN plus 0.05% emulsifier). Growth performance was evaluated weekly whereas assessments for the carcass traits, digestibility, some blood metabolites, ileal morphology, and meat quality were measured on d 21 and d 35., Results: Birds fed the NCL diet had higher (p<0.05) body weights, daily gains, daily feed intake, and improved feed efficiency over the entire 35-day period. Improvements (p<0.05) for the ileal digestibility of crude fat, energy, and dry matter commensurate with longer (p<0.05) villus heights were also observed with emulsifiers in the NCL and PCL diets. For the carcass measurements, only the liver weights were increased (p<0.05) with emulsifiers in the supplemented groups. For blood metabolites, higher (p<0.05) lipase levels were noticed with emulsifiers in the NCL and PCL diets. In addition, marginal reductions (p = 0.076; p = 0.095, respectively) were also noted with emulsifiers for the total cholesterol and triglyceride contents on d 35. Regarding meat quality, breast muscle yellowness was increased (p<0.05) with emulsifier use in supplemented groups., Conclusion: Our results suggest that emulsifier supplementation at 0.05% in diets could potentially improve the growth performance and nutrient digestibility of broilers over 35 days. This could compensate for the lower growth performance that could be recorded with fat-incorporated lower-energy diets.

This paper addresses the features of Hough Transform (HT) butterflies suitable for image-based segment detection and measurement. The full segment parameters such as the position, slope, width, length, continuity, and uniformity are related to the features of the HT butterflies. Mathematical analysis and experimental data are presented in order to demonstrate and build the relationship between the measurements of segments and the features of HT butterflies. An effective method is subsequently proposed to employ these relationships in order to discover the parameters of segments. Power line inspection is considered as an application of the proposed method. The application demonstrates that the proposed method is effective for power line inspection, especially for corner detection when they cross poles.