• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.11
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• pp.1773-1780
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• 2018

Objective: This study was to evaluate effects of mixed plant oils (identified as mixed oil 1 [MO1] and mixed oil 2 [MO2]) on performance, serum composition, viscera percentages, meat quality, and fatty acid deposition of broilers. Methods: A total of 126 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broiler chicks (weighing $44.91{\pm}0.92g$) were randomly allocated to 1 of 3 treatments with 7 replicate pens per treatment (6 broilers per pen). Dietary treatments included a corn-soybean basal diet supplemented with 3% soybean oil (CTR), basal diet with 3% MO1 (a mixture of 15% corn oil, 10% coconut oil, 15% linseed oil, 20% palm oil, 15% peanut oil and 25% soybean oil; MO1), or basal diet with 3% MO2 (a combination of 50% MO1 and 50% extruded corn; MO2). The trial consisted of phase 1 (d 1 to 21) and phase 2 (d 22 to 42). Results: Compared to CTR, broilers fed MO (MO1 or MO2) had greater (p<0.05) average daily gain in phase 1, 2, and overall (d 1 to 42), redness in thigh muscle, concentrations of serum glucose, serum albumin, saturated fatty acids (SFA) and n-6/n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ratio in breast muscle, while these broilers also showed lower ($p{\leq}0.05$) drip loss and concentrations of C18:3n-3 and PUFA/SFA ratio in breast muscle. Broilers fed MO2 had higher (p<0.05) liver percentage, while broilers fed MO1 had lower ($p{\leq}0.05$) feed conversion ratio in phase 1 and increased (p<0.05) contents of C18:2n-6, C20:5n-3, C22:6n-3, and n-3 PUFA in breast muscle compared to CTR. Conclusion: Mixed plant oils had positive effects on performance, serum parameters, meat quality, liver percentage and fatty acid deposition in broilers, which indicates they can be used as better dietary energy feedstocks than soybean oil alone.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.843-848
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• 2009

This experiment was conducted to compare the effects of oak acorns and corn on broilers growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat fatty acid (FA) composition according to different ages of broilers. Two separate groups of 400 male broilers, reared for six weeks, were fed diets containing 33.5% green oak acorns (GO) and 67% of corn (C), respectively. At day 35, the body weight of the chickens fed the GO diet was 12% lower (p<0.05) compared with controls (C). However, at day 56 birds reached similar final weights. Abdominal adipose tissue (AAT) was 78% higher in the controls compared to those fed the oak acorn-based diet. The total lipids (TL) of thigh muscle were higher in the controls compared to dietary treatment GO (3.1 against 2.5 g/100 g of muscle). There were significant differences in fatty acid (FA) composition of the muscle between two groups. The broilers fed oak acorn exhibited more C18:2, as well as a higher proportion of polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and PUFA:SFA (saturated fatty acid) ratio than those on the control diet, but no significant differences were observed among groups for the age of birds. There was a higher proportion of linolenic acid in broilers fed the oak acorn compared to the controls (0.8 vs. 0.6%). Furthermore, linolenic acid content decreased with age (p<0.001) in both groups. The results indicated no significant differences in FA with the age of birds. In conclusion, the meat fatty acids provided by the GO diet appeared to improve the nutritional quality preferred by the consumer.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.559-567
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• 2019

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of pig skin collagen supplementation on growth performance, organ weight, blood characteristics, and intestinal microbiota in broilers. A total of 50 Ross 308 broilers were used for 2 weeks. The five dietary treatments were as follows: NC) basal diet, PC) NC + fish collagen powder 0.1%, T1) NC + pig skin collagen 0.1%, T2) NC + pig skin collagen 0.5%, and T3) NC + pig skin collagen 1.0%. The body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not affected (p > 0.05) by the dietary treatments in this experiment. Additionally, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) in the organ weights among the treatments. Broilers fed T1, T2 and T3 diets had higher (p < 0.05) white blood cell (WBC) counts than the broilers fed the NC and PC diets. The Lactobacillus counts in the excreta were improved (p < 0.05) in the broilers fed the T1 and T2 diets. Moreover, the Salmonella counts in the excreta were decreased (p < 0.05) in the broilers fed the PC and T1 diets. In conclusion, supplementation of pig skin collagen in diets improved the white blood cells (WBCs) in the blood and Lactobacillus counts in the excreta, and reduced the Salmonella counts in the excreta. However, when pig skin collagen was increased in the diets, there were no significant differences (p > 0.05). Therefore, the addition of 0.1% pig skin collagen in the feed provided beneficial effects on the blood characteristics and the intestinal microbiota environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1164-1170
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• 2005

This study was conducted to evaluate performance, breast (thigh) muscle yield, nutrient digestibility and serum biochemical parameters of broilers fed low-protein diets supplemented with various threonine to lysine ratios (Thr/Lys). Three hundred and twenty four day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted to six dietary treatments with six replicates per treatment and nine broilers per replicate. Six treatments included one control diet [formulated according to NRC (1994)], and five experimental diets (treatments 1-5). In treatments 1-5, the crude protein level was 2% lower than that of the NRC control diet. The Thr/Lys in treatments 1-5 was 0.65, 0.70, 0.75, 0.80 and 0.85 during the starter and grower phases and 0.70, 0.75, 0.80, 0.85 and 0.90 during the finisher phase with other nutrient levels kept consistent. The results showed that: (1) With increasing Thr/Lys, ADG of treatments 1, 3 and 4 were lower (p<0.05) than those of the NRC control diet during the starter phase; ADG of treatments 1-5 were lower (p<0.05) than those of the NRC control during the grower phase, and ADG of treatment 1 was lower (p<0.05) than that of the NRC control during the finisher phase. Average daily feed intake in treatments 1 and 4 were lower (p<0.05) than that of broilers on the NRC control diet during the grower phase. Feed/gain (F/G) of the NRC control diet was lowest (p<0.05) during the starter phase. F/G in treatments 2 and 5 were higher (p<0.05) than that of NRC during the grower phase. (2) Breast muscle proportion on d 21 increased linearly (p<0.05) in response to graded levels of Thr/Lys. (3) No differences were detected for dry matter, energy and crude protein digestibility among all seven treatments. (4) On d 21, serum triglyceride of broilers on dietary treatments 3 and 5 was higher (p<0.05) than that of broilers in control. The results indicate that the low-protein diets supplemented with an appropriate Thr/Lys could not support the same performance that was achieved by the broilers fed the NRC control diet.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.11
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• pp.1711-1724
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• 2022

Objective: The present study was to evaluate the effects of different rapeseed meal substitution (RSM) and glutamine (Gln) supplementation on growth performance, intestine morphology, and intestinal mucosa barrier of broilers. Methods: Four hundred and twenty Qiandongnan Xiaoxiang Chicken at 1 day of age with similar weight were chosen and were randomly assigned into 7 groups, consisting of 10 replicates per group and 6 broilers per replicate. Three groups were provided with diets separately containing 0%, 10%, and 20% RSM, and the other four groups were fed with diets separately supplemented with 0.5% and 1% Gln based on the inclusion of 10% and 20% RSM. At 21 and 42 days of age, 10 broilers per group were chosen to collect plasma and intestinal samples for further analysis. Results: The results showed that 10% RSM decreased average daily feed intake (ADFI) and average daily weight gain (ADG) of broilers at 21 days of age (p<0.05). Furthermore, both ADFI and ADG of broilers at 21 and 42 days of age were decreased by 20% RSM, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) was increased (p<0.05). Besides, 10% RSM resulted in lower intestinal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth, deeper crypt depth (p<0.05), combined with the lower mRNA expressions of occludin, claudin-1, and zonula occludens-1 (ZO-1) in broilers at 21 days of age (p<0.05). Similar results were also observed in broilers at 21 and 42 days of age fed with 20% RSM. However, 1% Gln improved the growth performance of broilers fed with 10% and 20% RSM (p<0.05), ameliorated intestine morphology and elevated mRNA expressions of occludin, claudin-1 and ZO-1 (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the increasing inclusion of RSM resulted in more serious effects on broilers, however, 1.0% Gln could reverse the negative effects induced by the inclusion of RSM.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1757-1762
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• 2011

Aflatoxins are natural contaminants of poultry feeds and feed ingredients and cause liver damage, immunosuppression, reduction in performance and mortality in broilers. A number of studies have been carried out to study the effects of aflatoxin on feed conversion ratio in broilers. The results on feed conversion ratio of 10 research articles in broilers fed with aflatoxin from first day of age to six weeks of age were compiled and were subjected to meta-analysis. Chi-square test and $Tau^2$ (heterogeneity co-efficient) were applied to test for significance of heterogeneity of studies. To integrate results, fixed effect model by Inverse Variance method (IV method) was used when heterogeneity was insignificant and otherwise random effect model by DerSimonian and Laird Method (DL method) was used. The results of meta-analysis showed that the adverse effect of aflatoxin on feed conversion ratio at the end of first week was negligible, second week was medium and third to six weeks was very large.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.11
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• pp.1673-1679
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• 2003

Two hundred forty 1-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks were used to investigate the effects of Cu (II)-exchanged montmorillonite (CEM) or montmorillonite on the growth performance, intestinal microflora, bacterial enzyme activities and morphology of broilers. The chicks were assigned randomly into three groups with 80 chicks per treatment. The three dietary treatments were basal diet only (control group), basal diet +1 g $kg^{-1}$ montmorillonite, and basal diet +1 g $kg^{-1}$ CEM. The results showed that the addition of CEM to the diet increased significantly the body weight and feed efficiency, but a similarly significant increase was not found in broilers fed the diet containing montmorillonite. Supplementing the CEM in the diet of broilers also decreased the numbers of Clostridium perfringens and Escherichia coli in the small intestine and cecum. The addition of either CEM or montmorillonite to the diet depressed the activities of $\beta$-glucosidase and $\beta$-glucuronidase in the small intestinal and cecal contents. Data of villus height and crypt depth for duodenum, jejunum and ileum indicated that dietary addition of CEM or montmorillonite improved the small intestinal mucosal morphology.

• 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.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.700-705
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• 2009

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of Ligustrum lucidum (LL) on growth performance, antioxidation, and meat quality in broilers. 270 birds (1 d old) were allotted to 3 treatments with 6 replicates per treatment. The feeding program included a starter diet from d 1 to 21 of age and a grower diet from d 22 to 42 of age. The birds were given a basal corn-soybean meal diet supplemented with 0 (the control), 5 or 10 g of LL/kg, respectively. The results showed that in the starter, grower and overall phase, broilers fed with 5 or 10 g of LL/kg had better (p<0.01) average daily gain, but there were no differences in feed: gain between treatments. In the starter and overall phase, average daily feed intake of LL groups was greater (p<0.05) than that of the control, but this difference was not observed in the grower phase. Supplementation of LL significantly increased (p<0.05) superoxide dismutase activity and total antioxidant capability in serum of chickens. In breast muscle, birds fed 5 g of LL/kg had an increase (p<0.05) in superoxide dismutase activity. The LL supplementation significantly decreased (p<0.05) malondialdehyde contents. Adding 5 or 10 g of LL/kg to the diet significantly increased pH value and reduced drip loss of meat (p<0.05). The results of this study indicated that dietary LL could improve growth performance, increase pH value and reduce drip loss of meat by decreasing lipid peroxidation and by improving antioxidative status in broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.96-102
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• 2011

In this study, we examined the effects of formic acid administration to the drinking water on performance, intestinal microflora and carcass contamination in male broilers. A total of 312 day-old male broiler chicks were allocated to two groups with three replicates. The first group (control) received normal drinking water (pH 7.4) during the experiment. The second group consumed acidified drinking water (pH 4.5) after 5 d of age. At 43 d of age, twelve birds were randomly selected from the control group to determine the effect of acidified drinking water on carcass contamination. These birds were only given normal or acidified (pH 3) drinking water for 8 h prior to slaughter. The reduction of water pH from 7.4 to 4.5 significantly decreased body weights of male broilers at 21 and 42 d of age. However, no differences were observed between male broilers given normal and acidified drinking water in terms of feed intake, feed conversion ratio and mortality. The pH value of the gizzard contents was not significantly affected by acid water treatment. There were no significant differences in the intestinal population of E. coli, total organism and Salmonella between the groups. The total organism and E. coli counts of the carcass slightly decreased in the acidified group. No Salmonella was identified in carcass samples of any of the treatment groups. The results showed that drinking water acidification did not provide beneficial effects on performance, intestinal microflora and carcass contamination in male broilers.