• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.31-39
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of exogenous protease supplementation in diets formulated with poultry by-product meal on growth performance, small intestine magnitudes, and meat physiochemical characters in broiler chickens from 21 to 35 days post-hatch. A total of 120, one-day-old "Arbor Acres Plus" broiler chickens (male: female - 50:50) were allocated one of two dietary treatments to give six replicates and ten birds per cage. Two dietary treatments included a control diet (CON) and a diet supplemented with protease (CON+Pro). At day 35, body weight and feed intakes were measured to calculate the feed conversion ratio for the entire experiment period. Two birds from each pen were euthanized to measure the relative lengths and relative weights of three small intestine sections and meat samples were collected for physiochemical characteristic analyses at 35 days post-hatch. Exogenous protease supplementation did not influence (P>0.05) growth performance but showed a tendency to improve FCR (P=0.082). Protease supplementation showed a tendency to reduce proximal small intestine length (P=0.091). Broilers offered dietary treatments influenced minced meat color where protease supplementation resulted in lower CIE b^* (P<0.001) colorimetric value for yellowness and showed a significant trend (P=0.059) on reducing meat redness CIE a^*. In conclusion, the addition of exogenous protease to a broiler diet formulated with poultry by-product meal did not affect the growth performance, small intestine magnitudes, and meat physiochemical parameters (except CIE b^*) in broiler chickens.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 2023

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of vitamin E and nanoparticle-sized vitamin E (NVE) in a broiler diet on growth performance, blood profiles, and meat quality. A total of 45 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers (initial body weight of 37.00 ± 0.41 g) were used in this experiment for 28 days. All broilers were randomly allocated into three dietary treatments in a randomized complete block design. The dietary treatments were as follows: a basal diet (CON), a basal diet supplementing with 380 mg/kg of vitamin E (T1), and a basal diet supplementing with 380 mg/kg of NVE (T2). Each treatment had five replicates with three birds per cage. On days 0-7, the T1 and T2 groups significantly increased (P<0.05) body weight gain compared to the CON group. Also, the T1 and T2 groups significantly increased (P<0.05) vitamin E content in blood and breast meat compared to the CON group. In shearing force, the T2 group showed a lower tendency (P=0.070) than the CON group. The T1 group showed a higher tendency (P=0.086) in the b* (yellowness) value than the T2 group. On day 7 after the end of the experiment, the T2 group significantly decreased (P<0.05) TBA values compared to the CON group. In conclusion, supplementation with vitamin E or NVE can improve broiler growth performance in the starter period, reduce TBA value through the antioxidant action of vitamin E, prevent lipid oxidation, and improve shelf life.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.65 no.1
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• pp.113-131
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• 2023

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplementing clay minerals and organic chromium in feed on broiler chicken under heat stress (HS). A total of 90 one-day-old broiler chicken (Arbor Acres) with an initial body weight of 45.0 ± 0.2 g were assigned to five treatment groups (six replications, three birds each cage): 1) NC group, basal diet under room temperature environment; 2) PC group, basal diet under high temperature (HT) environment; 3) ILT group, basal diet + 1% illite + HT; 4) ZLT group, basal diet + 1% zeolite + HT; 5) OC group, basal diet + 400 ppb/kg organic chromium + HT. The ILT and ZLT groups had significantly higher body weight than the PC group in 4 weeks. Apparent total tract digestibility of gross energy was increased in the ILT, ZLT, and OC groups compared to the PC group. The NC group had lower foot-pad dermatitis score than other groups. Escherichia coli population in the cecum and feces was decreased in the ZLT group than in the PC group. Lactobacillus in cecum and feces was significantly increased in the ZLT group than in the PC group. Regarding blood profiles, blood cortisol was decreased in the NC and ILT groups compared to the PC group. Water holding capacity and pH were increased in the ZLT group than the PC group. In conclusion, according to the results of growth performance, nutrients digestibility, bacteria counts, and meat characteristics, supplementation of the ZLT in broiler diet can alleviate HS.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.1221-1227
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• 2023

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary lutein on egg production, follicles, reproductive hormones, fertility, hatchability, and oxidative injury indexes of hens. Methods: Treatments consisted of a control diet (CON) and three lutein-supplementing diets at 25 (L1), 50 (L2), or 75 (L3) mg/kg of diet. Egg production was measured using 576 Arbor Acres breeder hens at 61 to 65 wk and follicles grades, reproductive hormones, fertility, hatchability, tissue lutein contents, and oxidative injury indexes were determined at 65 wk. Results: The results showed that at 65 wk, lutein- supplementing diets increased (p<0.05) egg production, follicular grades, fertility, hatchability, estradiol (E2), luteinizing hormone, progesterone (PROG), lutein content in the serum and yolk, compared to CON. L2 and L3 showed more pronounced (p<0.05) effects on egg production, PROG, and yolk lutein content than L1. With the increase of lutein doses from 25 to 75 mg/kg, there were linear increases (p<0.05) in egg production, lutein content, and PROG, and a quadratic trend (p<0.05) in E2. For the oxidative injury products, lutein-supplementing diets decreased (p<0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PCO) in the serum, MDA and 8-hydroxy 2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in the yolk. There were linear decreases (p<0.05) in 8-OHdG in the serum, MDA, PCO, and 8-OHdG in the yolk, a quadratic trend (p<0.05) on serum 8-OHdG. Conclusion: It is concluded that lutein supplementation can improve egg production and fertility by beneficially regulating reproductive hormones and oxidative status in aged hens.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.315-322
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• 2024

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-slaughter fasting time on carcass yield, meat quality, blood parameters and glucose metabolism in broilers. Methods: Four hundred and fifty Arbor Acres (AA) broilers at 42 days of age were divided into 5 groups with 6 replicates in each group and 15 chickens as one replicate. Following this period, broilers from each group were distributed among five groups according to preslaughter fasting period as 4, 8, 12, 16, or 20 h. Results: With increasing fasting time, the carcass yield (p<0.01), the breast muscles yield (p<0.01) and the thigh yield (p<0.01) of the broilers were all linearly increased. With increasing fasting time, the L^* values (p<0.01), cooking loss (p = 0.020), moisture content (p<0.01) in the leg muscles linearly downregulated, while the drip loss (p = 0.043), pH_{45 min} (p<0.01) and pH_{24 h} (p<0.01) were linearly upregulated. A trend for a lower (p = 0.071) shear force in the leg muscles was also observed in broilers fasted for longer time. Similar results were also found in breast muscles. The different fasting treatments did not influence the breast muscles glycogen content (p>0.10), while the increase of fasting time resulted in a linear decrease of the blood glucose (p = 0.021) and, more specifically, the glycogen content of the liver and leg muscles (p<0.001). With increasing fasting time, the aspartate transaminase (p<0.01), uric acid (p<0.01), and triglycerides (p<0.01) in serum linearly downregulated, while the alanine aminotransferase was linearly upregulated. Conclusion: The results of this study show a significant influence of fasting time on carcass yield and meat quality in broilers. Moderate fasting (8 to 12 h) before slaughter can reduce the weight loss of broilers. Prolonged fasting (≥16 h) increased body weight loss, decreased slaughtering performance and fluctuating blood indexes of broilers.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.1041-1052
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• 2024

Objective: Bacillus subtilis, a kind of probiotic with broad-spectrum antibacterial function, was commonly used in livestock and poultry production. Recent research suggested that Bacillus subtilis may have antioxidant properties and improve immune response. This study aimed to verify the probiotic function of Bacillus subtilis in the production of broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 324 (1-day-old) Arbor Acres broilers were selected and randomly divided into three groups: basal diet group (Ctr Group), basal diet + antibiotic growth promoter group (Ctr + AGP) and basal diet + 0.5% Bacillus subtilis preparation group (Ctr + Bac). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Muscle, serum and liver samples were collected at 42 days for determination. Results: The results showed that Bacillus subtilis could decrease malondialdehyde content in the serum and liver (p<0.05) and increase superoxide dismutase 1 mRNA expression (p<0.01) and total superoxide dismutase (p<0.05) in the liver. In addition, compared with AGP supplementation, Bacillus subtilis supplementation increased interleukin-10 (IL-10) and decreased tumor necrosis factor-α and IL-1β level in the serum (p<0.05). At 45 minutes after slaughter Ctr + Bac presented a higher a^* value of breast muscle than Ctr Group (p<0.05), while significant change in leg muscle was not identified. Moreover, there was no difference in weight, shear force, cooking loss and drip loss of breast and leg muscle between treatments. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that Bacillus subtilis in diet can enhance antioxidant capacity and optimize immune response of broilers.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1408-1417
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• 2024

Objective: This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with lysolecithins (LPC) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles, immunity, and liver health in broiler chickens. Methods: A cohort of 240 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers of comparable weight was divided into four treatment groups, each comprising six replicates of 10 birds. The groups were defined as follows: positive control with recommended metabolizable energy (PC+ME), negative control with 90 kcal/kg reduced ME (NC+ME), PC supplemented with 300 mg/kg LPC (PC+LPC), and NC supplemented with 300 mg/kg LPC (NC+LPC). Results: LPC supplementation led to a statistically significant reduction in the feed conversion ratio (p = 0.05) and a decrease in the proportion of abdominal fat and the liver (p<0.05). Digestibility of dry matter was also enhanced (p<0.05). Malondialdehyde concentrations in the liver were significantly reduced by LPC (p<0.01), with a noteworthy interaction between energy levels and LPC affecting this reduction (p<0.05). Serum levels of interleukin-6 were reduced on day 21, and both endotoxin and interleukin-6 levels were lower on day 42. Notably, a significant interaction was observed between the energy levels and LPC on relative liver weight and endotoxin concentrations in the serum (p<0.05). Conclusion: The study concluded that LPC positively affects growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune response, and antioxidative capacity in broiler chickens, affirming its value as a beneficial feed additive in poultry nutrition.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.167-181
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• 1991

In order to study the effects of dietary yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) products on the performance of broiler chickens, tow feeding trial using Arbor Acres strain were conducted. In experiment 1, 200 hatched male broiler chickens were divided into groups of 10 birds each and four groups were given each of the five dietary treatments : control, 0.25% yeast culture supplemented (YC-0.25%), 2.5% yeast culture supplemented(YC-2.5%), 0.05% live yeast supplemented(LY-0.05%) and 0.1% live yeast supplemented(LY-0.1%) . In experiment 2, 240 hatched broiler chickens(120 birds in each sex) were assigned to 2$\times$3(sex$\times$feed) factorial design Dietary treatments were control, 0.1% live yeast supplementation in finisher diet(LY-Finisher) , and 0.1% live yeast supplementation in whole period (LY-Whole). Results of experiment 1 showed that weight gain, feed intake and mortality were not significantly different among treatments. However, weight .gain of YC-0.25% and LY-0.1% tended to be greater than other treatments after 3wks of age Feed efficiency of LY-0.05% was poorer than those of control, YC-0.25% and LY-0.1% . Although nutrients availabilities were not significantly different among treatments, availiabilities of Ca and P were greater in yeast products supplemented groups than in control group. The number of Lactobacillus spp., Streptococcus spp . and yeast in small intestine tended to be greater in supplemented groups while that of Coliforms bacteria tended to be greafter in control group. In experiment 2, there were significant effects of factors (feed and sex) and interaction on growth rate. LY-Whole groups showed best weight gain in male while LY-Finisher groups did best in female broiler chickens. Feed intake and mortality were significantly higher in male broiler chickens. Feed$\times$sex interaction had a significant effect on feed efficiency. LY-Whole groups showed best feed efficiency in male while LY-Finisher did best in female broiler chickens. Availabilities of dry matter, Ca and P were higher in male than in female broiler chickens. Availabilities of Ca and P were higher in live yeast supplemented groups than in control groups. Live yeast supplemented groups tended to have greater number of Lactobacillus spp . and yeast in the small intestine and Stre))tococcu spp. in the small intestine and cecum, and lesser number of Coliforms bacteria in the small intestine The pH of small intestinal contents tended to be higher in live yeast supplemented groups.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.229-233
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• 2003

A study was conducted to investigate the effects of different BW control methods during rearing on laying performance of broiler breeder pullets. D-old 540 female breeder chicks (Arbor Acres) were assigned to three treatments consisted of standard BW (Control), 110% of standard BW at 12 wk of age (T1), and 90% of standard BW at 12 wk of age (T2), with three replicates of 60 birds per replicate (pen) for each treatment. At 20 wk of age, all birds from three treatments reached the BW reqired in the Arbor Acres Manual. There were no significant differences in egg production, egg weight and viability during laying period(p>0.05). However, total egg production rates were improved in T2 and T3. Average egg weight was the highest in T1 among all treatments. Fertility and hatchability were similar among treatments, but T2 tended to be higher than other treatments at 37 and 53 wk of age. No significant difference was found in hatchability among three treatments. The number of hatching egg of T2 reached 168 per year, showing higher number of eggs than did the other treatments. The number of hatched chicks in T2 was 131, which was also higher than the other treatments, but the difference was not significant. It appears that the laying performance of broiler breeder hens could be improved when their BW at 12 wk of age are kept at 90% of standard BW, and reach the standard BW at 20 week of age.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.674-680
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• 2016

This study investigated the effects of feeds naturally contaminated with mycotoxins on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, carcass traits, and splenic heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) mRNA expression levels in broiler chickens. The efficacy of yeast cell wall (YCW) adsorbent in preventing mycotoxicosis was also evaluated. Three hundred 1-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 3 treatments in completely randomized design for 42 d. Each treatment group had 5 replicate pens with 20 birds. The treatments were as follows: i) basal diet (control), ii) naturally contaminated diet (NCD), and iii) NCD+0.2% YCW adsorbent (NCDD). The NCD decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.01) of 0 to 21 d, 22 to 42 d, and 0 to 42 d, and increased feed conversion ratio (p<0.01) of 22 to 42 d and 0 to 42 d. Both the breast meat percentage and thigh meat percentage of the NCD group were significantly higher (p<0.01) than that of the control group on d 21. The NCD group showed significantly increased levels of triglycerides (p<0.05) and cholesterol (p<0.05) on both d 21 and d 42 compared to the control group. However, the NCD significantly reduced (p<0.01) the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) on d 42 compared to controls. Compared with the NCD, supplementation with YCW significantly improved (p<0.01) the ADG of 0 to 21 d and 0 to 42 d, and increased (p<0.01) concentrations of HDL on d 42, and on d 21, and triglycerides (p<0.05) on d 21 and d 42. Supplementation with YCW reduced (p<0.01) the breast meat percentage, the thigh meat percentage, the concentrations of cholesterol (p<0.01) and the low-density lipoprotein (p<0.05) on d 21, and improved (p<0.01) the splenic Hsp70 mRNA expression levels compared with the NCD group. The results of this study indicated that feeding NCD for 42 d had adverse effects on broiler chickens, and that YCW might be beneficial in counteracting the effects of mycotoxins.