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Marcato F, Rebel JMJ, Kar SK, Wouters IM, Schokker D, Bossers A, Harders F, van Riel JW, Wolthuis-Fillerup M, de Jong IC. Host genotype affects endotoxin release in excreta of broilers at slaughter age. Front Genet 2023; 14:1202135. [PMID: 37359374 PMCID: PMC10285083 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1202135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Host genotype, early post-hatch feeding, and pre- and probiotics are factors known to modulate the gut microbiome. However, there is a knowledge gap on the effect of both chicken genotype and these dietary strategies and their interplay on fecal microbiome composition and diversity, which, in turn, can affect the release of endotoxins in the excreta of broilers. Endotoxins are a major concern as they can be harmful to both animal and human health. The main goal of the current study was to investigate whether it was possible to modulate the fecal microbiome, thereby reducing endotoxin concentrations in the excreta of broiler chickens. An experiment was carried out with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement including the following three factors: 1) genetic strain (fast-growing Ross 308 vs. slower growing Hubbard JA757); 2) no vs. combined use of probiotics and prebiotics in the diet and drinking water; and 3) early feeding at the hatchery vs. non-early feeding. A total of 624 Ross 308 and 624 Hubbard JA757 day-old male broiler chickens were included until d 37 and d 51 of age, respectively. Broilers (N = 26 chicks/pen) were housed in a total of 48 pens, and there were six replicate pens/treatment groups. Pooled cloacal swabs (N = 10 chickens/pen) for microbiome and endotoxin analyses were collected at a target body weight (BW) of 200 g, 1 kg, and 2.5 kg. Endotoxin concentration significantly increased with age (p = 0.01). At a target BW of 2.5 kg, Ross 308 chickens produced a considerably higher amount of endotoxins (Δ = 552.5 EU/mL) than the Hubbard JA757 chickens (p < 0.01). A significant difference in the Shannon index was observed for the interaction between the use of prebiotics and probiotics, and host genotype (p = 0.02), where Ross 308 chickens with pre-/probiotics had lower diversity than Hubbard JA757 chickens with pre-/probiotics. Early feeding did not affect both the fecal microbiome and endotoxin release. Overall, the results suggest that the chicken genetic strain may be an important factor to take into account regarding fecal endotoxin release, although this needs to be further investigated under commercial conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Marcato
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - J M J Rebel
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - S K Kar
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - I M Wouters
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - D Schokker
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - A Bossers
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
- Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - F Harders
- Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Lelystad, Netherlands
| | - J W van Riel
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - M Wolthuis-Fillerup
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - I C de Jong
- Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, Netherlands
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Lingens JB, Visscher C, Sürie C, Grone R, von Felde A, Wilke V, Abd El-Wahab A. Effect of replacing whole wheat with broken rye as a sustainable grain in diets of fattening turkeys on growth performance, litter quality, and foot pad health. Front Vet Sci 2023; 10:1142500. [PMID: 37113560 PMCID: PMC10126500 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2023.1142500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Rye is one of the most important cereal crops in Central Europe, thus attempts have been made to include it in the diets of birds to reduce production costs, since the cost of feed accounts for as much as 50 %-70 % thereof. Nevertheless, the use of rye has been limited to date, particularly in turkeys. This study aimed to test the effects of rye inclusion up to 10 % on growth, excreta, and/or litter dry matter, and foot pad health. Methods Four trials were performed with a total of 4,322, 4,307, 4,256, and 4,280 female turkeys (BUT BIG 6, Aviagen) for trials 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. All birds were fed commercial starter diets for the dietary phases 1 and 2 (up to d 35 of life). Thereafter, at the start of the study, the control group received commercial supplementary feed with 5 % or 10 % wheat until the end of the fattening period. The experimental group was offered supplementary feed to which instead of wheat increasing levels of rye were added stepwise from 5 % to 10 %. Results Using supplementary feed with rye showed no significant differences in the final body weight between the control and experimental groups (10.9 vs. 10.8 kg). The dry matter content of fresh excreta for turkeys during the experimental period did not show significant differences between both groups, except at weeks 10 and 14 of life. The feed type (either control diet or experimental diet) did not significantly affect litter dry matter content between the groups throughout the experimental period. No significant differences were noted in food pad dermatitis scoring between both groups throughout the experimental period, except at weeks 11 and 16 of life. Overall, this study showed that including proportions of rye up to 10% could replace conventional ingredients and may increase sustainability in poultry production regardless of the addition of supplementary feed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Berend Lingens
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christian Visscher
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Christian Sürie
- Farm for Education and Research Ruthe, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Sarstedt, Germany
| | | | | | - Volker Wilke
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Science and Innovation for Sustainable Poultry Production (WING), University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Vechta, Germany
| | - Amr Abd El-Wahab
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Hannover, Germany
- Department of Nutrition and Nutritional Deficiency Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
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Early Post-Hatch Nutrition Influences Performance and Muscle Growth in Broiler Chickens. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12233281. [PMID: 36496802 PMCID: PMC9740399 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The poultry industry is under pressure to produce safe and good quality meat in the welfare conditions. Many areas such as genetics, biosecurity, and immunoprophylaxis were improved, and hatchery is one of the areas in which welfare could be improved for better production output. The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of early post-hatch nutrition providing body weight and muscle development in broiler chickens. The experiment involving two groups (chicken hatched with access to water and feed in the hatcher, and chicken without feed and water in hatcher) was replicated three times, and the body weights and breast-muscle index of the randomly chosen 30 chickens per group in each term were measured on the 1st, 7th, 21st, and 35th day of life. The breast-muscle sample was taken for genetic examination (the expression of the myoD, myoG, and MRF4 genes) and histological examination. The results showed that the positive effect of early nutrition was observed on the seventh day of bird life with higher expression of myoG and MRF4 and higher body weight of the birds. The positive effect of early nutrition on the diameter of the breast-muscle fibers was visible on days 21 and 35 of chicken life. The average final body weight in groups with early access to food and water was 5% higher than in groups hatched under classic conditions. Conclusions: early feeding in the hatcher improves performance and muscle growth in broiler chickens.
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Li D, Wang J, Liu L, Li K, Xu Y, Ding X, Wang Y, Zhang Y, Xie L, Liang S, Wang Y, Zhan X. Effects of early post-hatch feeding on the growth performance, hormone secretion, intestinal morphology and intestinal microbiota structure in broilers. Poult Sci 2022; 101:102133. [PMID: 36174266 PMCID: PMC9520077 DOI: 10.1016/j.psj.2022.102133] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 07/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
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Sonnabend SJ, Spieß F, Reckels B, Ahmed MFE, El-Wahab AA, Sürie C, Lingens JB, Visscher C. Influence of Using Perforated Plastic Flooring Beneath the Waterline on Growth Performance, Litter Quality, and Footpad Health of Broiler Chickens: A Field Study. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12141749. [PMID: 35883295 PMCID: PMC9311644 DOI: 10.3390/ani12141749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2022] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The standard housing method in Europe’s poultry farming is to keep broilers on a littered concrete floor. Therefore, wood shavings are used to catch moisture to prevent wet litter. In particular, the broilers frequently visit the wet area beneath the waterline, where the wet litter causes the main problem in footpad health and animal welfare. The current study tested the impact of slatted flooring beneath the waterline by dividing the barn into three areas (drinkers, feeders, comfort) in terms of growth performance, litter quality, and footpad health of the broilers. The quality of the litter was assessed on the basis of different parameters, for example, dry matter. No effect on growth performance between a littered floor and partially slatted flooring was noted. However, the litter parameters show a small positive impact on the litter quality, especially in the areas of drinkers and comfort, while using partially slatted flooring. Nevertheless, the slatted flooring had an impact on the footpad health of the broilers, with a lower FPD score at the end of the fattening period. Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of slatted flooring beneath waterlines in broiler barns on litter quality and, subsequently, footpad health. The hypothesis tested was that installing slatted flooring underneath waterlines helps to improve litter quality and thus reduces footpad diseases, enhancing animal welfare as a result. Five experimental runs with two groups were conducted. Each run was defined as one fattening period of 32 days and consisted of 15,000 broiler Ross 308 of both sexes. Every barn was divided into three areas (drinkers, feeders, and comfort area) for weekly sampling. No influence on growth performance was noted. The slatted flooring influenced the litter quality by preventing the litter in the experimental group (EG = 690 ± 167 g/kg DM) from becoming moisture until day 14 of the fattening period compared to the control group (CON = 636 ± 198 g/kg DM). The footpad health was also influenced by using slatted flooring, with lower camera-based footpad scores in the EG (8.80) compared to CON (22.0) at the slaughterhouse (p = 0.0258). Installing slatted flooring beneath the waterline reduced the moisture of the litter compared to the control barn in the first two weeks of age and showed a positive effect on the footpad health of the broilers at the end of fattening, which indicates an improvement in animal welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvan-Justin Sonnabend
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
| | - Fabian Spieß
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
| | - Bernd Reckels
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
| | - Marwa F. E. Ahmed
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
- Department of Hygiene and Zoonoses, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Amr Abd El-Wahab
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
- Department of Nutrition and Nutritional Deficiency Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
| | - Christian Sürie
- Farm for Education and Research Ruthe, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Schäferberg 1, D-31157 Sarstedt, Germany;
| | - Jan Berend Lingens
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
- Correspondence:
| | - Christian Visscher
- Institute for Animal Nutrition, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany; (S.-J.S.); (F.S.); (B.R.); (M.F.E.A.); (A.A.E.-W.); (C.V.)
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