The synergetic effects of some phytobiotics mix on growth, hematology and microbial loads of broiler chickens

This study investigated the growth and health-promoting effectiveness of three medicinal plants (black cumin, fenugreek, and turmeric) on broilers. A total of 270 (Cobb 500) day-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 6 dietary treatments: basal diet (T0), basal diet + oxytetracycline (T1), basal diet + black cumin and fenugreek (T2), basal diet + black cumin and turmeric (T3), basal diet + fenugreek and turmeric (T4), basal diet + black cumin, fenugreek and turmeric (T5). BWG and ADG had no differences (p ≥ 0.05) between T5 and antibiotics-fed birds. Phytobiotic supplemented birds (T2, T3, T4, and T5) had lower feed intake and higher FCR (T3 and T5) than controls T0 and T1 (p ≤ 0.05). Comparable (p ≥ 0.05) RBC counts were observed between birds fed phytobiotics (T2 and T4) and fed an antibiotic (T1), likewise, there were no (p ≥ 0.05) differences between T0 and birds fed phytobiotics (T3 and T5). A mixture of phytobiotics (T2, T4, and T5) outperformed in lowering total coliform and E. coli bacteria in the cecum than antibiotics (p ≤ 0.05). A mixture of the three phytobiotics can replace commercial antibiotics and have a favorable effect on broiler growth and health by safeguarding human health from the negative effects of antibiotic residue in broiler products.

The effects of fucoidan as a dairy substitute on diarrhea rate and intestinal barrier function of the large intestine in weaned lambs

This paper explores the effects of fucoidan on the frequency of diarrhea, colon morphology, colon antioxidant status, cytokine content, short-chain fatty acids, and microflora of cecal contents in early weaned lambs in order to provide a reference for the intestinal health of young ruminants. Fucoidan is a natural active polysaccharide extracted from kelp and other large brown algae. It has many biological effects, such as improving immunity, nourishing the stomach and intestines, and anti-tumor properties. This study investigated the effects of fucoidan supplementation in milk replacer on the large intestine's ability to act as an intestinal barrier in weaned lambs. With six duplicate pens and one lamb per pen, a total of 24 weaned lambs (average starting body weight of 7.32 ± 0.37 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four milk replacer treatments. Four concentrations of fucoidan supplementation (0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.6% dry matter intake) were employed to investigate the effects of fucoidan on cecal fermentation and colon microbial organization. The test period lasted 37 days (1 week before the test and 1 month after the test), and lamb cecal contents and colon organization were collected for examination. In addition, the fecal status of all lambs was observed and recorded daily, allowing us to calculate the incidence of diarrhea in weaned lambs. The findings demonstrated that fucoidan may significantly increase the concentration of short-chain fatty acids (propionic acid and butyric acid) in the cecal digesta of weaned lambs. In weaned lambs, 16S rDNA testing showed that fucoidan at 0.3-0.6% (dry matter intake) was beneficial for boosting the variety of the intestinal bacteria and modifying the relative abundance of a few bacterial strains. In addition, fucoidan enhanced colon antioxidant and immune functions and decreased the diarrhea rate to relieve weaning stress. This result demonstrates that milk replacer supplementation with fucoidan contributes to the improvement in the large intestinal health of weaned lambs.