The use of medicinal plants represents a new approach for utilizing phytogenic feed additives to improve production, health, and growth performance in the poultry industry. In this study, the effects of different phytogenic diets on egg production, egg quality, and blood parameters in laying hens were investigated. The experimental treatments included the following: (1) control basal diet (CON); (2) basal diet + bioherbal 1.5% + mineral supplement 0.15% (BHM); (3) basal diet + bioherbal 1.5% (BH); (4) basal diet + mineral supplement 0.15% (M); (5) basal diet + bioherbal plus 1.5% + mineral supplement 0.15% (BHPM); and (6) basal diet + bioherbal plus 1.5% (BHP). The results showed that egg quality indicators did not significantly differ in response to the addition of the various phytogenic feed additives, whereas the yolk index significantly differed among treatments only during the first period of the study (P< 0.05). The findings of this study revealed that the experimental treatments had no significant effect on the hematological parameters of the blood of the birds, whereas they caused significant changes in the means of the biochemical attributes, including triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHO), albumin, total protein (TP) and uric acid. The BHP and M treatments caused the highest and lowest triglyceride contents in the blood, respectively (P<0.05). Adding BH to the diet of birds reduced blood cholesterol levels (P<0.05). The BHMcontaining treatment tended to increase egg production percentage in the whole period of the experiment relative to the control (P<0.10). The results revealed that the content of immunoglobulin Y reached the highest value in the BHM treatment group at the second immunization, whereas the lowest value was obtained in the BHP diet group (P<0.05). These findings show that the use of Bioherbal supplemented by minerals may have some effect on the performance of laying hens that may be significant in stressful conditions. Therefore, the evaluation of these additives in stress conditions is suggested.
Ascites syndrome is a multifactorial disease in poultry, associated with high mortality and significant economic losses. Genomic studies have identified UTS2B gene as a candidate gene associated with ascites syndrome in poultry. Therefore, this study employed an in-silico approach to explore the structural and functional characteristics of the UTS2B protein and its potential link to ascites. The amino-acid sequence of UTS2B protein was retrieved from the NCBI database and subjected to analyze through ProtParam, ProtScale, NetPhos, NetNGlyc, LocTree3, and SignalP tools to determine its sequence features and physicochemical properties. Secondary and tertiary structures were predicted using I-TASSER, AlphaFold, and trRosetta, with structural quality validated by PROCHECK (Ramachandran plot analysis) and ERRAT scores. Promoter analysis was performed using MEME Suite, TOMTOM, and GOMo to identify regulatory motifs. The UTS2B protein exhibited a theoretical isoelectric point of 5.67, an instability index of 42.33, and an average hydrophilicity coefficient of -0.199, indicating a hydrophilic and moderately unstable nature. It contains 17 phosphorylation sites and 4 N-glycosylation sites, suggesting post-translational modifications that impact extracellular activity in peptide signalling pathways. Secondary structure analysis revealed a predominance of alpha helices and random loops. Among the predicted 3D models, the trRosetta structure achieved the highest quality, with 92.4% of residues in favorable regions of the Ramachandran plot and an ERRAT score of 85.6. Protein network analysis indicated that UTS2B may interact with proteins involved in pathways associated with calcium ion binding and cellular stress responses, both of which play a critical role in the pathophysiology of ascites. Promoter analysis identified regulatory motifs potentially linked to ion transport and inflammation, providing further insights into gene regulation. The findings suggest that UTS2B may play a role in calcium ion signalling and peptide-mediated extracellular pathways, contributing to ascites syndrome. This study presented critical bioinformatics insights into the UTS2B protein, providing foundational knowledge for future research aimed at understanding its role in ascites syndrome.
Accurate gastrointestinal transit time was essential to the digestibility determination tests. However, the effects of different feedstuffs on intestinal transit time remain unclear. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different feedstuffs on the gastrointestinal transit time of 18-wk-old geese. A total of 80 male Magang geese of 18 weeks old were weighed individually and randomly divided into 10 groups with eight geese per group. Ten treatment groups were fed corn, sorghum, wheat, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, rapeseed meal, 25% rice bran and hulls (RBH), 50% RBH, 75% RBH, and 100% RBH, respectively. Fresh excreta samples were collected and weighed from each pen every 6 h during the next 48 h after being tube-fed. Excreta weight increased significantly during the first 24 h after tube-feeding of all feedstuffs (P< 0.05). From 24 to 48 h, no significant changes were observed in excreta weight following tube-feeding of cereal or protein source feedstuffs (P> 0.05). In contrast, birds tube-fed diets containing 25% to 100% RBH showed a progressive increase in excreta weight from 24 to 36 h post-tube-feeding, after which excreta output remained stable. No significant changes in TiO2 recovery were observed in excreta following tube-feeding of cereal or protein source feedstuffs from 24 to 48 h, whereas birds tube-fed diets containing different levels of RBH showed an increase in TiO2 recovery from 24 to 36 h, which then remained stable. In conclusion, for Magang geese, the optimal gastrointestinal transit time was 24 h for cereal and protein source feedstuffs, in which diets with different fiber contents require a relatively prolonged period of 24-36 h.
The use of alternative feed additives, such as prebiotics, probiotics, or their combination (synbiotics), can help control pathogens and enhance the physiological performance of poultry. This study evaluated the effects of dietary probiotic and prebiotic supplementation on productive performance, egg quality, blood parameters, gut morphology, carcass traits, and cecal microflora in Japanese laying quails. A total of 196 laying quails, 22 weeks old, were randomly assigned to seven dietary treatments with seven replicates of four birds each for 56 days: basal control diet (C), 1% whey powder (W), whey powder + 1% dried mealworm (WM), whey powder + Lactobacillus plantarum (WB), whey powder + commercial probiotic (100 g/ton) (WP), mealworm + Lactobacillus plantarum + whey powder (MBW), and mealworm + commercial probiotic + whey powder (MPW). Egg production, feed conversion ratio, and most egg quality traits were not significantly affected by dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Feed intake was significantly reduced in the W, WB, MBW, and MPW groups compared with the control (P < 0.05). Gut morphology was significantly altered, with supplemented diets generally increasing duodenal villus length, villus width, and villus-to-crypt ratio compared with the control (P < 0.05). Whey supplementation increased serum protein, phosphorus, and triglyceride levels, whereas combining whey with probiotics and prebiotics mitigated the rise in triglycerides (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in carcass yield, internal organ weights, or cecal Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli counts (P > 0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation with prebiotic and probiotic sources, whether administered individually or in combination, improved specific gut morphological traits and modulated selected blood biochemical parameters without compromising performance or egg quality in laying Japanese quails.
The use of medicinal plants represents a new approach for utilizing phytogenic feed additives to improve production, health, and growth performance in the poultry industry. In this study, the effects of different phytogenic diets on egg production, egg quality and blood parameters in laying hens were investigated. The experimental treatments included the following: (1) a control basal diet (CON); (2) the basal diet+0.15% bioherbal (BHM) mineral supplement; (3) the basal diet+ 1.5% bioherbal (BH); (4) the basal diet+0.15% mineral supplement (M); (5) the basal diet +0.15% bioherbal plus 1.5% mineral supplement (BHPM); and (6) the basal diet + 0.5% bioherbal plus 1.5% BHP. The results showed that egg quality indicators did not significantly differ in response to the addition of the various phytogenic feed additives, whereas the yolk index significantly differed among the treatments only in the first period of study(P<0.05). The findings of this study revealed that the experimental treatments had no significant effect on the hematological parameters of the blood of the birds, whereas they caused significant changes in the means of the biochemical attributes, including triglyceride (TG), cholesterol (CHO), albumin, total protein (TP) and uric acid. The BHP and M treatments caused the highest and lowest triglyceride contents in the blood, respectively (P < 0.05). Adding BH to the diet of birds reduced blood cholesterol levels(P<0.05). The treatment contained BHM trend to increase egg production percent in the whole period of the experiment relative to the control (P < 0.1). The results revealed that the content of immunoglobulin Y reached the highest value in the BHM treatment group at the second immunization, whereas the lowest value was obtained in the BHP diet group(P < 0.05). These findings show that the use of Bioherbal supplemented by minerals may have some effect on the performance of laying hens that may be significant in stressful conditions. Therefore, the evaluation of these additives in stress conditions is suggested.
