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This study was performed to investigate the effect of water shower spray on rectal temperature (RT), serum levels of corticosterone (CORT), heat shock protein (HSP) 70 and creatine kinase (CK) in broiler chickens road transported at different times of the day. A total of 320 male broiler chickens (35 days of age) were crated and subjected to either water shower spray (WS) for 10 minutes or no water shower (control). The WS and control broilers were then loaded into an open truck and transported either from 0900 h to 1100 h (29.0oC and 89.0% RH) (AM) or 1900 h to 2100 h (26.0oC and 94.0% RH) (PM) with an average speed of 80 km/h. The CORT of AM birds were significantly reduced by WS, but the treatment had negligible influence on the PM group. Transportation during AM significantly elevated RT, CORT and HSP70 compared to the PM group. Water shower spraying of birds before transit significantly reduced RT and HSP70 compared to controls. Neither water shower treatment nor transportation time had a significant on CK and mortality rate of broilers. In conclusion, water shower spray is beneficial to alleviate the physiological stress response in road transported broilers under the hot and humid tropical environment.

Palm oil is a natural energy source ingredient in poultry diets that offers a broad range of beneficial effects on the performance of broiler chickens. This review was conducted to highlight the impact of palm oil as a feed ingredient on growth performance and carcass quality, as well as the biochemical, antioxidant activity and tissue fatty acids (FA) composition of broiler chickens. Palm oil inclusion in broiler chickens' rations contributes significantly to the high metabolisable energy (ME) of feed formulation, increases feed palatability and decreases digesta passage rate in the intestine. The reviewed literature indicated that dietary palm oil has a beneficial effect on broiler chickens' overall growth performance traits. The addition of palm oil can also improve the heat tolerance of chickens reared in high ambient temperature conditions. Regardless of breed and breeding conditions, palm oil exhibits good oxidative stability in broiler chickens due to the presence of prevalent phytonutrient elements in this oil. The inclusion of palm oil increased palmitic (C

Ammoniation of oil palm frond (OPF) with non-protein nitrogen (N) sources has been shown to improve the nutritional value and digestibility of OPF in ruminants. This study evaluated the effect of treating OPF without (control) or with different urea levels (1%-5%) on chemical composition and in vitro gas production, digestibility and fermentation properties using goat rumen fluids. The results showed that the treated OPF with urea (1%-5%) had significantly lower (p 0.05) dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and ash contents than that of the control. The crude protein (CP) content of treated OPF increased (linear p 0.05; quadratic p 0.05) with increasing levels of urea inclusion (1%-5%), whereas the contents of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent lignin (ADL) were significantly (p 0.05) decreased. The CH

Decreasing heat increment through lowering crude protein (CP) level via supplemental amino acids (AA) have long been suggested as a nutritional practice to alleviate negative heat stress effects on...

This study was conducted to explore the effect of the zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) supplement on the regulatory appetite and heat stress (HS) genes in broiler chickens raised under high or normal ambient temperatures. In this study, 240 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were randomly assigned to 48 battery cages. From day 1, these 48 cages were randomly subjected to four different treatment strategies: Control (wherein, their basal diet included 60 mg/kg of ZnO), ZNONPs 40 (wherein basal diet included 40 mg/kg of ZnONPs), ZnONPs 60 (basal diet included 60 mg/kg of ZnONPs), and ZnONPs 100 (basal diet included 100 mg/kg of ZnONPs). Thereafter, from day 22 to 42, the chickens from each dietary treatment group were subjected to different temperature stresses either normal (23 ± 1 °C constant) or HS (34 ± 1 °C for 6 h/d), which divided them into eight different treatment groups. Our findings revealed that dietary ZnONPs altered the gene expression of cholecystokinin (ileum), heat stress proteins (HSP) 70 (jejunum and ileum), and HSP 90 (duodenum, jejunum, and ileum). The gene expression of ghrelin was affected by the interaction between the ZnONPs concentration and temperature in the duodenum and stomach. More studies are required to elucidate its complex physiological and biochemical functions of the regulation of gene expression within the intestine in heat-stressed broiler chickens.

Oil palm frond (OPF) is a biomass residue from oil palm plantations that has received increasing interest for its promise as roughage resources to overcome limitations of ruminant feeding. However, the use of OPF as a feedstuff for optimal livestock productivity is limited by its high lignocellulosic content and low nutritional value. Chemical composition revealed that OPF was composed of 70% fibre and 22% soluble carbohydrates on a dry matter (DM) basis. Various physical, chemical, biological and physico-chemical treatments have been used to improve the digestibility of nutrients and the nutritional value of OPF. This review was conducted to study the treatment methods of OPF as a value-added feedstuff, and, to emphasize on the effects of treated OPF on in vitro ruminal fermentation and in vivo ruminant digestibility coefficients and growth performance. Biological treatment produced favourable outcomes in improving the nutritional value of OPF, and was more cost-effective, safe and environmentally friendly as compared to chemical and physical treatments. In vitro rumen fermentation studies on the digestibility and potential use of treated OPF as quality feedstuffs for ruminants have been widely reported. Several in vivo studies have found that small ruminants performed satisfactorily when fed diets with treated or pre-digested OPF at appropriate ratios. Nevertheless, chemically treated OPF has been found to be successfully used in both beef and dairy cattle feeding trials as it is a good source of protein and energy that can increase digestibility coefficients and have positive impacts on ruminal fermentation profiles and animal production.

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Palm kernel cake (PKC) is a residue of palm kernel after oil extraction and can be used as a by-product feedstuff for livestock. In the current study, various post-treated PKC fed to broiler chickens and their growth performance and expression of genes related to growth trait studied. A total of 2500-day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to following five isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets: 0% PKC (control: corn-soybean meal), 25% PKC in the forms of either untreated or less-shell or extrudedor enzymatically-treated. Each treatment group consisted of five replicates with 100 chicks each. Growth performance and expression of 27 selected genes related to growth and metabolism pathways were investigated. Chickens were fed with treated PKC diets had lower (p

Condensed tannin (CT) of varying molecular weights (MWs) may affect rumen microbial fermentation by shifting composition of fungal community. In this study the effects of unfractionated CTs (F0) and CT fractions of different MWs (F1 > F2 > F3 > F4 > F5) from Leucaena leucocephala hybrid-Rendang (LLR) on the fungal mass and composition of fungal community were determined using molecular approaches. The results showed that the total fungi biomass decreased (p

Previous studies carried out in mouse 3T3-L1 cell culture have shown that conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) inhibited adipocyte differentiation. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA isomers on morphological changes and on mRNA expressions in the in vitro adipocyte isolated from specific pathogen-free (SPF) chicken. The adipocytes were isolated from SPF chicken and cultured in differentiation-induction medium with different concentrations of cis-9, trans-11 and trans-10, cis-12 CLA. After day 7, the adipocyte differentiations were monitored morphologically and mRNA expressions of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and acyl-coenzyme A binding domain containing 5 (ACBD 5) were quantified by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Our data suggested that cis-9, trans-11 CLA downregulated the expression of LPL and ACBD 5 genes, which was concurrently observed with decrease in the adipocyte area size and cell number compared to the control and trans-10, cis-12 treated groups. Based on this finding, we concluded that dietary CLA modulate fat reduction in chicken via alteration of transcription of key adipogenic genes and adipose cellularity.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR) belong to a family of nuclear hormone receptors that are activated by fatty acids such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and/or their derivati...

The use of nanominerals, such as nano-zinc, represents a promising and emerging technology in the animal farming industry. Due to the small particle size and bioavailability of nano-zinc, it can be easily assimilated in the digestive system, thereby reducing excretion and environmental pollution. The present study was conducted to assess the effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnONPs) on the growth performance, zinc (Zn) concentration in edible tissues, thiobarbituric acid reactive substance, and corticosterone concentrations in broilers reared under normal or heat stress environmental conditions. The experiment was performed with a completely randomized design based on a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 4 diets (basal diet + 60 mg/kg conventional zinc oxide as control diet; basal diet + 40 mg/kg of ZnONPs; basal diet + 60 mg/kg of ZnONPs; and basal diet + 100 mg/kg of ZnONPs) and 2 environmental conditions (normal and heat stress). On day 22, birds from each dietary group were divided equally to normal temperature (23 ± 1°C throughout) or heat stress conditions (34 ± 1°C daily for 6 h from 10:00 am until 4:00 pm). From 1 to 42 D of age, the broiler chickens fed 100 mg/kg ZnONPs exhibited lower feed intake and feed conversion ratio than the control. The accumulation of Zn in the liver of broilers was significantly higher among all treatment groups compared to breast and thigh muscle tissues regardless of the temperature conditions. At 40 and 60 mg/kg ZnONPs, the malondialdehyde content increased in thigh muscle of broilers at 7 D postmortem, indicating that ZnONPs potentially inhibited the antioxidant system in muscle tissues. The control and ZnONPs at 40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg led to low serum corticosterone levels that may be attributed to the antioxidant and antistress properties of Zn. Taken together, although supplementation with ZnONPs at 40 mg/kg and 60 mg/kg alleviated the negative results of heat stress, further research is needed to determine the optimal level of dietary ZnONPs supplementation.

Aims: To evaluate the effects of condensed tannins (CTs) fractions of differing molecular weights (MWs) from a Leucaena leucocephala hybrid-Rendang on the rumen protozoal community in vitro. Methods and Results: The effects of unfractionated CTs (F0) and CT fractions of different MWs (F1 > F2 > F3 > F4 > F5) on protozoal population and community were evaluated in vitro using rumen microbes and ground guinea grass as the substrate. Higher-MW CT fractions F1 and F2 significantly (P < 0·05) decrease the number of ciliate protozoa. The real-time PCR analysis showed that the total protozoa was significantly (P < 0·05) lower in F0 and all CTs with fractions F1 and F2 having the lowest value. High-throughput sequencing of the partial 18S rRNA gene showed that the genus Entodinium significantly (P < 0·05) decreased with increasing MWs of CT, whereas Anoplodinium-Diplodinium were significantly (P < 0·05) increased. Inclusion of the highest MW CT fraction F1 decreased the relative abundance of the minor genera such as Eudiplodinium and Polyplastron compared to the control and CT fractions F2–F5. Conclusion: CTs of differing MWs could reduce and alter the rumen protozoa population in vitro. This effect was more pronounced for higher-MW CTs. Significance and Impact of the Study: The high MW CTs should be considered as a feed supplement in the ruminant diet to reduce the protozoal population which are known to be associated with methanogens as a means to mitigate methane production in the rumen.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different stocking densities on serum corticosterone (CORT), ovotransferrin (OVT), α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and ceruloplasmin (CP) concentrations, brain heat shock protein (HSP) 70 expression and performance in broiler chickens exposed to unheated and heated conditions. Day-old chicks were stocked at 0.100 m(2)/bird (low density (LD)) or 0.063 m(2)/bird (high density (HD)), in battery cages and housed in environmentally controlled rooms. From 21 to 35 days of age, birds from each stocking density group were exposed to either 24 or 32 °C. Growth performance was recorded during the heat treatment period, and blood and brain samples were collected to determine CORT, OVT, AGP, CP and HSP 70 levels on day 35. Heat treatment but not stocking density was detrimental to growth performance. There were significant temperature × density interactions for CORT, CP and OVT on day 35. Although HD elevated CORT, CP and OVT when compared to LD, the effects of the former were more obvious under heated condition. Both temperature and density had significant effect on AGP and HSP 70. In conclusion, irrespective of temperature, high stocking density was physiologically stressful to broiler chickens, as indicated by CORT, AGP, CP, OVT and HSP 70, but not detrimental to growth performance and survivability. As it was shown in the present study, AGP, CP and OVT could be useful biomarkers to determine the effect of overcrowding and high temperature on the welfare of broiler chickens.

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLA) act as an important ligand for nuclear receptors in adipogenesis and fat deposition in mammals and avian species. This study aimed to determine whether similar effects are plausible on avian abdominal fat adipocyte size, as well as abdominal adipogenic transcriptional level. CLA was supplemented at different levels, namely, (i) basal diet without CLA (5% palm oil) (CON), (ii) basal diet with 2.5% CLA and 2.5% palm oil (LCLA), and (iii) basal diet with 5% CLA (HCLA).The content ofcis-9,trans-11 CLA was between 1.69- and 2.3-fold greater (P<0.05) than that oftrans-10,cis-12 CLA in the abdominal fat of the LCLA and HCLA group. The adipogenic capacity of the abdominal fat depot in LCLA and HCLA fed chicken is associated with a decreased proportion of adipose cells and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA). The transcriptional level of adipocyte protein (aP2) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) was downregulated by 1.08- to 2.5-fold in CLA supplemented diets, respectively. It was speculated that feeding CLA to broiler chickens reduced adipocyte size and downregulated PPARγand aP2 that control adipocyte cellularity. Elevation of CLA isomers into their adipose tissue provides a potential CLA-rich source for human consumption.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on fatty acid composition, lipoprotein content, lipid peroxidation, and meat colour of broiler chickens. A total of 180 broiler chickens were allocated to 3 dietary treatments (0, 2.5, and 5% Lutrell) and given a standard broiler starter diet and finisher diet. Body weight of chickens and feed intake were recorded weekly. After slaughter, the breast meat was aged at 4°C for 0, 3, and 6 days. The fatty acid composition was measured in the breast meat. Body weight (BW) and feed efficiency were decreased by dietary CLA level (P<0.05). Chicken fed with 2.5% Lutrell had the highest feed intake compared to the control (CON) group. The total CLA increased significantly (P<0.05) in breast meat from birds supplemented with CLA. Propensity for lipid peroxidation was significantly higher after 6 days of meat storage (P<0.05) and the redness in chicken breast meat was lower in CLA-fed birds (P<0.05). It is also notable that a 5% Lutrell supplementation decreased the plasma total cholesterol (TC), low density protein (LDL), and HDL (high-density lipoprotein)/LDL ratio in chickens (P<0.05).

The competency of garlic and pennywort to improve broiler chicken growth and influence intestinal microbial communities and fatty acid composition of breast meat were studied. Two hundred forty, “day-old” chicks were randomly allocated to 4 treatment groups consisting of 6 replications of 10 chicks in each pen. The groups were assigned to receive treatment diets as follows: i) basal diet (control), ii) basal diet plus 0.5% garlic powder (GP), iii) basal diet plus 0.5% pennywort powder (PW) and iv) 0.002% virginiamycin (VM). Birds were killed at day 42 and intestinal samples were collected to assess for Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli. The pectoralis profundus from chicken breast samples was obtained from 10 birds from each treatment group on day 42 and frozen at −20°C for further analyses. Fatty acid profile of breast muscles was determined using gas liquid chromatography. Feed intake and weight gain of broilers fed with GP, PW, and VM were significantly higher (p