The effect of dietary Yucca schidigeraextract supplementation on productive performance, egg quality, and gut health in laying hens with Clostridium perfringensand coccidia challenge

Yucca schidigeraextract (YSE) is a green feed additive that is known to reduce toxic gas emissions and promote intestinal health in animal production. This study investigated the potential of dietary YSE supplementation to mitigate the negative effect of Clostridium perfringensand coccidia infection on productive performance and gut health in laying hens. A total of 48 Lohmann gray laying hens (35 wk of age) were randomly allotted to 1 of 2 groups (n = 24) fed with either a basal diet or a YSE-supplemented diet for 45 d. From d 36 to 45, half of the hens in each group were orally administrated with Clostridium perfringenstype A and coccidia. This challenge impaired productive performance and egg quality (P< 0.05), destroyed jejunal morphology and functions (P< 0.05), induced jejunal epithelial cell apoptosis (P< 0.05), and downregulated the antioxidant capacity and Nrf2 pathway expression of jejunal mucosa (P< 0.05) in laying hens. Supplementing YSE in the laying hen diet, to some extents, improved productive performance and egg quality (P< 0.05), and alleviated the effect of challenge on morphology, functions, cell apoptosis, and antioxidant capacity in the jejunum (P< 0.05). Overall, the results suggested that dietary YSE supplementation might mitigate the negative effects of Clostridium perfringensand coccidia infection on gut health, and thereby improve the productive performance and egg quality of laying hens, possibly through enhancing the antioxidant capacity of the jejunum.