Ö. Cengiz

MYCOTOX and aflatoxicosis in quails.

1. This study was to evaluate the toxic effects of aflatoxin (AF) on growth performance of quail, and to determine the preventive efficacy of MYCOTOX® (oxicinol, tymol, micronised yeast). 2. One hundred and eighty 1-d-old quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) of both sexes were weighed and randomly divided into 4 experimental groups each with 5 replicates of 9 birds. 3. There were 4 dietary treatments: (1) control with 0 mg AF/kg diet and 0% MYCOTOX®; (2) 0 mg AF/kg diet and 0·5% MYCOTOX®; (3) 2·5 mg AF/kg diet and 0% MYCOTOX®; (4) 2·5 mg AF/kg diet plus 0·5% MYCOTOX®. The chicks were maintained on these treatments to 3 weeks of age. Quail consumed the diets and water ad libitum. 4. Body weight (BW) gains in groups receiving AF alone were the lowest at all periods. Feed intake was lowest in the group consuming the AF diet. The addition of MYCOTOX® to the AF diet did not prevent or reduce the toxic effects of AF on feed intake at any time period. Feeding diets containing MYCOTOX® alone did not change feed intake significantly. With the exception of the 1 to 7 d period, feed conversion of chicks fed the AF diet was similar to those of the other experimental groups. 5. Bursa of Fabricius weight decreased, whereas the relative weights of liver, kidney and spleen increased in quail consuming diets containing AF and AF plus MYCOTOX®. Liver colour was normal in the control and MYCOTOX® alone group, but was lighter in groups fed AF. 6. The results indicated that MYCOTOX® was not effective in preventing the deleterious effects of AF.

Sodium butyrate in chicken nutrition: the dynamics of performance, gut microbiota, gut morphology, and immunity

The effect of sodium butyrate on various bodily parameters of broilers such as performance, gut microflora, gut morphology, and immunity is reviewed in order to highlight its importance as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Sodium butyrate is used as a source of butyric acid, which is known for its beneficial effects in the gut in monogastrics. Sodium butyrate is available in uncoated and enteric-coated forms protected with fat or fatty acid salts. Varying results in productive performance, gut microbes, and gut morphology have been reported in the literature in response to supplementation of broiler diets with uncoated and fat-coated types of sodium butyrate. However, sodium butyrate has shown pronounced effects on immunity of chickens that are not fully understood yet. Although there are contrasting results of sodium butyrate in chicken, further research is needed using the sodium butyrate coated with the salts of fatty acids.

Feed enzyme supplementation does not ameliorate foot pad dermatitis in broiler chickens fed on a corn-soyabean diet

1. Foot Pad Dermatitis (FPD) can be a serious health, quality and welfare problem in poultry production, with a significant affect on the economics of production. The physico-chemical properties of (NSP) have been correlated with increases in excreta viscosity and adherence, and hence FPD in broiler chickens. 2. Two broiler experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary non-starch polisaccharide (NSP) applications to corn-soyabean based diets in replicated floor pens. In addition to live performance, the incidence and severity of FPD was scored and, in experiment 2, intestinal viscosity and ammonia volatilization were measured. 3. Live performance did not vary with the different treatments in either experiment and the incidence and severity of FPD, and ammionia volatisation in experiment 2, were unaffected. However, birds reared on enzyme supplemented diets had lower (P < 0·001) intestinal viscosity levels in experiment 1. 4. In this study with corn-soyabean meal based diets, dietary enzyme supplementation had no affect on the incidence and severity of FPD. The lack of an association between the excreta viscosity and FPD is attributed to the multifactorial etiology of this condition.

Supplemental boric acid does not prevent the development of footpad dermatitis in broilers subjected to high stocking density

ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to evaluate the protective effect of dietary boric acid supplementation on the development of incidence and severity of footpad dermatitis (FPD) in broiler chickens subjected to normal or high stocking densities (NSD or HSD). A total of 576 1‐day‐old ROSS 308 broiler chickens were randomly allocated to 4 treatments (8 replicate pens per treatment) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary boric acid (0 and 60 mg/kg) and stocking density (NSD 14 birds/m2 and HSD 22 birds/m2). Basal diets were formulated for starter, grower, and finisher phases. Growth performance, litter quality (litter pH, moisture, temperature, and NH3 volatilization), serum and litter boron levels, and incidence and severity of FPD were recorded. The HSD affected the body weight gain and feed intake of broiler chickens during all phases and 0 to 42 (P < 0.05), whereas feed conversion ratio (FCR) was poor at 0 to 21 days only. Dietary boric acid had no effect on the growth performance of broiler chickens. Litter pH, moisture, and NH3 volatilization were higher in broiler chickens subjected to HSD (P < 0.05). Thus, the incidence and severity of FPD increased in response to HSD (P < 0.05). Dietary boric acid reduced the litter pH and NH3 volatilization on day 42 of experiment (P < 0.05). However, dietary boric acid supplementation had no effect on the incidence and severity of FPD. Boric acid supplementation in broiler diets increased the serum and litter boron levels at day 42 in broiler chickens subjected to NSD or HSD (P < 0.05). In conclusion, HSD resulted in poor growth performance, litter quality, and greater incidence and severity of FPD in broiler chickens. Dietary boric acid was ineffective against FPD in broiler chickens although it improved the litter quality by lowering the litter pH and NH3 volatilization.

Evaluation of Correlations Between Nutrients, Fatty Acids, Heavy Metals, and Deoxynivalenol in Corn (Zea mays L.)

SUMMARY This study was conducted to develop linear regression equations to estimate nutrients, fatty acids, heavy metals, color characteristics (L,* a,* b*), and deoxynivalenol (DON) level of corn grains (n = 54) collected from different feed mills in Turkey. Procc corr and reg procedures were used to analyze the data. Among the nutrients, asit detergent lignin, Ca, and P had the highest variability. The heavy metal concentrations (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Zn) were lower than certain limits posted by regulation agencies for animals. Occurrence of DON was 53%, with the highest level of 0.725 ppm. Total of 32 highly significant (P < 0.01) correlations among nutrients, fatty acids, heavy metals, and color characteristics were determined in the current study. Correlations for estimating the range of parameters measured in corn from color characteristics lacked the practical importance. The correlations between C18:2 C18:1, ADF−NDF, Zn−Ca, Pb−Cu, and Pb−Cd produced the highest R (0.64 to 0.87) and R2 (0.41 to 0.74) values that would be of practical importance. The research showed that there are significant correlations among different components in corn grains that could provide necessary information to both plant breeders and feed manufacturers in the field.

Use of mannan oligosaccharide in broiler diets: an overview of underlying mechanisms

Antibiotic resistance has led poultry nutritionists to find alternatives for antibacterial growth promoters in broilers. Among these substitutes, one is mannan oligosaccharides (MOS), a yeast cell wall derived prebiotic. MOS decreases the load of pathogenic bacteria through 1) binding bacterial type-1 fimbriae 2) increasing goblet cells which produce bactericidal mucin and 3) providing favourable environment for the growth of beneficial bacteria leading to competitive exclusion. Balance between pathogenic and beneficial bacteria causes increase in villus length and decrease in crypt depth which are biomarkers for gut morphological improvement. As structure is equal to function, improvement in intestinal morphology increases activity of digestive enzymes and ultimately improves digestion. Besides these, immunomodulatory effect of MOS activates macrophages of gut associated lymphoid tissues resulting in improvement in cellular, humoral and cutaneous immunity. MOS also increases production of butyric acid and decrease pH of intestine in broilers. Though these combined mechanisms, MOS improves growth rate and performance of broilers.