Reliable tracking of individual broilers in commercial poultry facilities is essential for large-scale welfare monitoring, behavior analysis, and precision breeding. Multi-camera systems have emerged to address challenges posed by occlusions, dense flock layouts, and strong appearance similarity. However, existing approaches often rely on hand-crafted association heuristics and cascade-style two-stage designs, which struggle to generalize in crowded and occlusion-heavy environments. To overcome these shortcomings, we propose DeepBroilerTrack, an end-to-end multi-camera tracking framework unifying early-stage feature fusion within a Bird’s-Eye View (BEV) representation. Our method leverages a camera-dropout augmentation strategy to improve cross-view generalization, aggregates multi-camera features into a unified BEV space for robust detection and temporal association, and projects BEV tracklets back to individual views through a learned ID assignment module to maintain identity consistency across all cameras. Experiments on a real-world broiler dataset demonstrate that our method significantly improves tracking stability and identity (ID) consistency over existing multi-camera baselines, offering a practical and scalable solution for intelligent poultry management in challenging production settings.

This experiment compared 14-day and 28-day inclusion schedules of 1,25(OH)2D3-glycosides in the broiler feed on the reduction of experimental clinical bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness, using the aerosol transmission induction model. Eight hundred and forty Cobb 500 chicks were randomly allocated to each of the following treatments at 60 chicks/pen as the initial stocking density and reared over 56 d: T1 (Positive Control-PC, 2 wire-flooring pens)-Basal diet (7166 IU/kg Vit-D3); T2 (Negative Control-NC, 4 litter pens)-Basal; T3 (4 litter pens)-Basal + 14d 1,25(OH)2D3-glycosides (1 µg/kg feed); and T4 (4 litter pens)-Basal + 28d 1,25(OH)2D3-glycosides (1 µg/kg feed). There were three feeding phases: Starter (d0-21), Grower (d22-42), and Finisher (d43-56). Clinical lameness assessment was conducted daily from d21, followed by euthanasia and necropsy of clinically lame birds to determine BCO lesion severity. Cumulative lameness incidence rates between treatments were assessed using binomial logistic regression analysis in a generalized linear mixed model. All statistical significance was determined at p < 0.05. Cumulatively, T4 (55.5%) was significantly lower in clinical lameness incidence compared to T2 (85.0%, relative decrease of 34.71%; p < 0.0001), while T3 (85.5%) was not significantly different (p = 0.89). These results further affirm efficacy of the 28-day inclusion period and the rate of 1,25(OH)2D3-glycosides against experimental clinical BCO lameness incidence.

Heat stress (HS) is a significant economic, welfare, and production burden to worldwide poultry production sustainability. Therefore, effective and sustainable mitigating strategies are needed. Driven by consumer’s changing preferences and demand for natural products, microalgae have attracted substantial attention from the poultry industry and have become the fastest growing segment of animal feed additives, yet their modes of action are still not well defined. This study aimed to determine the effect of Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina, SP) on growth performance in heat-stressed broilers and to delineate its underlying mechanisms by using in vivo and in vitro studies. Six hundred one-day old male Cobb500 chicks were randomly allocated to 12 environmental chambers (2 floor pens/chamber, 24 pens in total, 25 birds/pen) and fed two diets (standard control diet, C vs. SP-supplemented diet at 0.5% inclusion rate). On day 29, birds were exposed for two weeks to 2 environmental conditions (thermoneutral, TN, 24°C vs. cyclic HS 36°C, 8h/day). Growth performances, carcass parameters, and muscle myopathy incidences were determined. Chicken primary embryonic myoblasts (CPEM) were isolated, cultured, and treated with either benzoic acid (BA) or quercetin (QCT)-compounds abundant in SP- prior to a 6-h exposure to HS (45°C) or control conditions (37°C). Gene and protein expressions involved in protein proteostasis network (synthesis, degradation, and chaperonin) were measured by qPCR, immunoblot, and immunofluorescence. Data were analyzed by two-way ANOVA and Tukey test, and significance was set at P < 0.05. Heat stress significantly increased core body temperature (CBT) and water intake and depressed feed intake and growth performance in broilers. In-feed SP supplementation reduced CBT, improved water conversion ratio (WCR) by 36.5 points, and enhanced breast yield, without affecting muscle (woody breast and white striping) myopathies. Supplementation of SP significantly increased the phosphorylated levels of mTORSer2481, mTORSer2448, and S6KThr421/Ser424, decreased p-eIF2αSer51, ubiquitin, and HSP60/90 in heat-stressed broilers. Treatments of CPEM with BA or QCT recapitulated the effects of SP. Collectively, supplementation of SP enhanced breast yield in heat-stressed broilers through modulation of proteostasis network by enhancing protein synthesis (mTOR-S6K-eIF2α pathway), reducing protein degradation (ubiquitin machinery), and regulating chaperonins.

Environmental enrichments have the potential to improve broiler chicken welfare. Platforms, when designed and placed effectively, can improve spatial complexity and encourage positive natural behavior. This study evaluated the spatial and temporal patterns of platform use in broilers housed with sidewall-mounted platforms compared to unenriched controls. A total of 352 male broilers were randomly assigned to one of two environmental enrichment treatments: enriched pens with white plastic slatted platforms placed along both sidewalls (Platform, n=6 pens) and unenriched controls with no platforms (Control, n=2 pens). Overhead video recordings were captured, and behavioral observations of side occupancy were conducted using instantaneous scan sampling at 15-min intervals for 24 h on d 16, 23, 30, 37, 44, and 50 of age. Birds in platform pens had greater side occupancy than controls at all ages and lighting conditions, except during the photoperiod on d 50. The most pronounced differences occurred at younger ages during the scotoperiod, with over 80% of the birds on the sides of platform pens during the scotoperiod on d 16 and 23, compared to less than 40% in control pens (P<0.0001). Less pronounced platform use patterns were observed during the photoperiod. The most significant difference in side occupancy during the photoperiod was on d 30, where 27% more birds were on the sides in platform pens compared to controls (P<0.0001). Taken together, these results suggest that even in the absence of platforms, broilers showed a preference for the sides of the pen (thigmotaxic behavior) during the scotoperiod. The presence of platforms augmented this behavior, particularly during the scotoperiod and at younger to mid-growth ages.

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness has been a major concern in the broiler industry, causing financial losses and animal welfare issues. BCO lameness is caused by a bacterial infection in leg bones. Pathogens enter the bloodstream via respiratory and intestinal epithelial translocation and infect the tibia and femoral heads of the birds. Supplementation of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3 is crucial in regulating calcium and phosphorus homeostasis, immune system, and bone metabolism. 1,25(OH)(2)D-3 glycosides derived from Solanum glaucophyllum (G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3) were hypothesized to mitigate BCO lameness in broilers. In this study, G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 alone or in combination with phytogenic antioxidants were tested for their impacts on cumulative BCO lameness in the broiler population. BCO seeder group and the negative control had developed 78,0% and 73.5% cumulative lameness (P = 0.64), respectively. Supplementation of 1 mu g/kg of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 was more effective in reducing the cumulative lameness than 10 mu g/kg of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences between 1 g/kg of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 alone or in combination with 500 mg/kg of a mixture of Curcuma longa plus Trachyspermum ammi (PH1), 750 mg/kg of a mixture of Solanum xanthacarpum plus Piper longum (PH2), or 500 mg/kg thyme oil. Therefore, 1 mu g/kg of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 provided better protection against BCO lameness compared to 10 mu g/kg of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3. Additionally, the combination with phytogenic antioxidants did not result in any further reduction of cumulative BCO lameness compared to the use of G-1,25(OH)(2)D-3 alone.

Chick sexing, the process of determining the gender of day-old chicks, is a critical task in the poultry industry due to the distinct roles that each gender plays in production. While effective traditional methods achieve high accuracy, color, and wing feather sexing is exclusive to specific breeds, and vent sexing is invasive and requires trained experts. To address these challenges, we propose a novel approach inspired by facial gender classification techniques in humans: facial chick sexing. This new method does not require expert knowledge and aims to reduce training time while enhancing animal welfare by minimizing chick manipulation. We develop a comprehensive system for training and inference that includes data collection, facial and keypoint detection, facial alignment, and classification. We evaluate our model on two sets of images: Cropped Full Face and Cropped Middle Face, both of which maintain essential facial features of the chick for further analysis. Our experiment demonstrates the promising viability, with a final accuracy of 81.89% on the Cropped Full Face set, of this approach for future practices in chick sexing by making them more universally applicable.

Low crude protein (CP) diets can improve feed efficiency and reduce ammonia emissions, but negative impacts on broiler productivity can occur. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) supplementation in low CP diets on productivity, enzyme activity, neuropeptidergic gene expression, and behavior of broilers. A total of 360 male Ross 308 broilers were used in a factorial design experiment with two CP levels (19.5 and 18.0%) and three GABA levels (0, 100, and 200 mg/kg). Dietary CP and GABA levels did not significantly affect broiler productivity (P>0.05). Reducing CP in the diet increased amylase and decreased protease activities (P<0.05). GABA supplementation had no significant effect on enzyme activity (P>0.05). The expression of orexigenic genes (AgRP, NPY, ghrelin) was significantly downregulated, while anorexigenic genes (CCK, PYY, GLP-1, GLP-2) were upregulated in the 18.0% CP group (P<0.05). In contrast, dietary supplementation of GABA significantly increased the expression of orexigenic genes and decreased the expression of anorexigenic genes (P<0.05). The expression of the pro-inflammatory gene TNF-α was increased, while the anti-inflammatory gene IL-10 was decreased in the 18.0% CP group (P<0.05). GABA supplementation reversed this effect by downregulating TNF-α and upregulating IL-10 expression (P<0.05). Similarly, the expression of tight junction genes (ZO-1 and JAM2) was decreased in broiler fed 18.0% CP, but significantly upregulated following GABA supplementation (P<0.05). A significant CP×GABA interaction was observed for orexigenic, anorexigenic, inflammatory, and tight junction gene expression (P<0.05). A 1.5% reduction in CP had no significant effect on sitting or open-wings (P>0.05). However, it increased walking, resting, stretching, and preening, while decreasing feeding, drinking, and pecking (P<0.05). The GABA supplementation enhanced feeding and drinking and reduced pecking, walking, sitting, resting, stretching, preening, and open-wings (P<0.05), with a significant CP×GABA interaction effecting overall broiler behavior (P<0.05). A 1.5% reduction in dietary crude protein had no adverse effect on broiler production but resulted in the downregulation of tight junction and anti-inflammatory genes expression. Conversely, dietary supplementation of GABA in low-protein diets upregulated orexigenic gene expression, promoted homeostatic regulation, improved immune and gut barrier functions, and modulated broiler behavior.

Feeding low crude protein (LCP) diets supplemented with crystalline amino acids improves environmental and welfare parameters of broilers. However, increased body fat contents in broilers fed LCP diets have become a concern. Black soldier fly larvae oil (BSFLO), rich in lauric acid, has been reported to inhibit lipogenesis and reduce body fat. A 3 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of BSFLO on performance, blood biochemistry, carcass quality, fat metabolism gene expression, and litter quality in broilers fed protein-reduced diets. A total of 288 broilers were divided into 6 treatments: three CP levels (200, 185, or 170 g/kg; high [HCP], medium [MCP], or low [LCP]) and two oil sources (BSFLO and Crude Palm Oil [CPO]), with 6 replicate pens of 8 birds each. Results showed a 15 g/kg CP reduction had no effect on body weight and feed intake (P > 0.05) but increased FCR (P = 0.001). A 30 g/kg CP significantly reduced the body weight and feed intake with inferior FCR (P < 0.05). However, negative effect of low CP diets on FCR was mitigated by BSFLO (P = 0.008). Reducing CP by 30 g/kg increased fat pads (P = 0.033), whereas BSFLO reduced fat pads (P = 0.049) at all three CP levels. Protein-reduced diets increased blood cholesterol (P = 0.002), HDL (P < 0.001), and LDL (P = 0.002). BSFLO decreased blood triglyceride (P = 0.026) and cholesterol (P < 0.001). Reducing 30 g/kg CP increased meat cooking loss (P = 0.035), while BSFLO decreased cooking loss (P < 0.001). BSFLO increased meat protein (P < 0.001) and decreased cholesterol (P = 0.003). The inclusion of BSFLO in protein-reduced diet down-regulated the gene expression of FAS, ACC, SREBP-1, and HMGR in broilers (P < 0.001). Reducing CP levels decreased litter pH (P = 0.011), nitrogen (P < 0.001), ammonia (P < 0.001) and moisture (P = 0.018). The study concludes that BSFLO reduced body fat by down-regulating the lipogenesis gene expression. In addition, BSFLO enhanced feed efficiency in broilers fed protein-reduced diet.

Efficient and continuous tracking of individual broilers is critical for improving poultry management, welfare, and breeding decisions in commercial settings. However, standard Multi-Object Tracking (MOT) techniques face significant challenges in poultry environments due to occlusions, high object similarity, and dense flocks.In this work, we introduce BroilerTrack, a novel multi-camera multi-broiler tracking framework tailored for the poultry industry. Unlike traditional approaches that rely heavily on appearance features, BroilerTrack employs a position-based tracking strategy in a unified coordinate system (unified plane), thereby circumventing identity ambiguity caused by the homogeneous appearance of broilers. Our proposed BroilerTrack system comprises three key modules: Top-view Aggregation, Side-view Distribution, and Identification Assignment, enabling robust identification (ID) consistency across multiple calibrated views. Furthermore, we present a new Multi-View Broiler dataset collected under commercial-like conditions, featuring synchronized footage from six strategically placed cameras (two top-view and four side-view). Notably, our method requires no unified-plane annotations during training and achieves superior performance over state-of-the-art Multi-camera MOT methods on both detection and association metrics. This work provides a scalable, non-intrusive solution for real-time poultry monitoring, with strong potential for applications in behavior analysis, welfare optimization, and automated breeding selection.

Continual feed enzyme phytase development and cost reduction not only have nutritional, but environmental advantages. Two experiments were conducted to investigate the efficacy of a new biosynthetic bacterial 6-phytase characterized with a pH profile ranging from 2.5 to 6.5, a high affinity for myo-inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) and other myo-inositol phosphate (IP) esters and with a high intrinsic thermostability on precaecal phosphorus (P) digestibility, growth performance, bone traits and P excretion in broilers. Experiment 1 evaluated the effect of phytase on precaecal digestibility of P. It included six treatments: a nutrient adequate-positive control (PC) diet with calcium (Ca) and available phosphorus (avP) levels of 7.5 and 3.5g/kg, respectively, a negative control diet (NC) with Ca and avP levels of 5.5 and 1.5g/kg, respectively, and the NC diet supplemented with four levels of phytase (500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 FTU/kg diet). Results showed that with increasing dose of phytase added to the diets, the apparent precaecal digestibility of P increased linearly (P < 0.001) or quadratically (P < 0.001). Experiment 2 was a 21 day grow-out to investigate the efficacy of phytase on growth performance, bone traits and P excretion in litter. It included six treatments: a nutrient adequate-positive control (PC) diet with Ca of 9.0g/kg and avP of 4.5g/kg, a negative control (NC) diet with Ca of 9.0g/kg and avP of 1.8g/kg, and the NC diet supplemented with phytase at 500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 FTU/kg. Compared with the PC, the NC group had reduced ADG (P < 0.001) and ADFI (P < 0.001) and increased FCR (P = 0.001). Also, tibia breaking strength, weight, dry matter, ash, P content as well as P excreted in the feces were reduced in birds fed NC diet. Increasing phytase dose linearly or quadratically improved the performance (P < 0.001), bone mineralization (P < 0.001) and P excretion (P < 0.001). Indeed, compared with NC group, the highest dose of phytase increased the BW gain (+28.5%), feed intake (+25.1%), tibia breaking strength (+76.0%), ash (+53.2%) and P (+59.2%), and reduced FCR (-2.6%). It also reduced (P < 0.001) the amount of P excreted in feces up to 81.1% and increased (P < 0.001) the P retention up to 35.5% points. These results showed that the novel biosynthetic bacterial phytase could be an effective alternative to inorganic P to improving growth performance, feed efficiency and bone characteristics and supporting the sustainable poultry production by reducing the amount of P excreted in litter.

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is the most critical animal health and welfare issue facing the broiler industry worldwide. It is estimated that 1 to 2% of bird condemnation at marketing age is caused by BCO lameness, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in annual losses. Fast-growing broilers are prone to mechanical stress that triggers bacterial translocation across epithelial barriers into the bloodstream, followed by bacterial colonization in the growth plate of long bones, and eventually, bone necrosis and lameness. Mycotoxins (MTX) are secondary metabolites produced naturally by microfungi, of which deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin (FUM), and zearalenone are the most prevalent in corn and soybean-meal-based diets. The presence of these mycotoxins in feed has been proven to reduce the barrier strength of the intestinal tracts and trigger immunosuppressive effects. In this study, we investigated the effects of the DON and FUM-contaminated feeds on the incidence of BCO lameness in broilers reared in both wire- and litter-floors. 720 one-day-old broiler chicks were assigned to the 2 × 2 factorial design: 2 MTX diets containing DON and FUM on wire flooring (MTX-W) and litter flooring (MTX-L), and 2 diets without MTX contamination on control wire flooring (CW) and control litter flooring (CL). Throughout the trial, the cumulative incidence of lameness per treatment was assessed by necropsying the lame birds. Birds in the MTX-W group had a higher incidence of lameness compared to those in CW (73.3% vs. 62.0%) (P < 0.05), and birds in the MTX-L group had a higher incidence of lameness compared to birds in CL (54.0% vs. 34.0%) (P < 0.05). MTX elicited net increases in BCO to a greater degree on litter (+20%) than on wire flooring (+12%). The increased incidence of BCO lameness in the MTX-W coincided with increased intestinal permeability supporting a correlation between intestinal barrier integrity and BCO lameness. To conclude, DON and FUM are predisposing factors for increasing BCO. However, no significant interaction exists between the diet and floor types in inducing lameness in broilers.

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is a major welfare issue for broiler production worldwide affecting approximately 1.5% of broilers over 42 days old. Excessive body weight gain causes mechanical stress on long bones, leading to micro-fractures. This condition induces a bacterial infection of fractures, resulting in bone necrosis and eventual BCO lameness. Increasing gut integrity and supporting Calcium metabolism contribute to the optimal bone structure and subsequently reduce BCO lameness. Probiotics thus provide an excellent strategy for alleviating BCO due to the improvement of intestinal integrity and barrier function. Accordingly, the present study investigated the lameness reduction through the feed supplementation of a selected probiotic. Broiler chickens were assigned to three treatments, including a control litter group (FL), a PoultryStar®Bro probiotic fed group (BRO), and a control wire-flooring group (CW) designed to induce BCO lameness. The probiotic significantly decreased lameness by 46% compared to the control group (p < 0.05). The most predominant bacteria identified from the BCO lesions were Staphylococcus cohnii and Staphylococcus lentus. Moreover, significant increments of tight junction gene expression in jejunum and ileum, plus numerical improvements of body weight gain (BW; +360 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR; −12 pts) were observed in BRO-supplemented birds.

Object tracking, especially animal tracking, is one of the key topics that attract a lot of attention due to its benefits of animal behavior understanding and monitoring. Recent state-of-the-art tracking methods are founded on deep learning architectures for object detection, appearance feature extraction and track association. Despite the good tracking performance, these methods are trained and evaluated on common objects such as human and cars. To perform on the animal, there is a need to create large datasets of different types in multiple conditions. The dataset construction comprises of data collection and data annotation. In this work, we put more focus on the latter task. Particularly, we renovate the well-known tool, LabelMe, so as to assist common user with or without in-depth knowledge about computer science to annotate the data with less effort. The new tool named as TrackMe inherits the simplicity, high compatibility with varied systems, minimal hardware requirement and convenient feature utilization from the predecessor. TrackMe is an upgraded version with essential features for multiple object tracking annotation.

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is a leg disorder in broilers leading to huge economic losses, food safety concerns, and animal welfare issues in the poultry industry. The active metabolite of vitamin D-3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3,D- plays pivotal roles in mineral homeostasis, bone health, and immune systems which are essential for protection against BCO. Thus, we hypothesized that supplementation with a Solanum glaucophyllum-derived source of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D-3 (1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides) would be an effective measure to control lameness. Here, we report the optimum concentration of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides supplementation in reducing BCO by comparing the inclusions of 0 mu g/kg, 0.5 mu g/kg, 1.0 mu g/kg, and 2.0 mu g/kg of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides. The application of 1.0 mu g/kg of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides reduced lameness by 53.7%, which reciprocally differed (P < 0.05) from 0 g/kg and 0.5 mu g/kg but was similar (P > 0.05) to 2.0 mu g/kg. The second aim was to assess the timing for 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides feeding by comparing the applications of 1.0 mu g/kg of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides for the entire 56 d, the first 28 d, and the last 28 d. Feeding the broilers with 1.0 mu g/kg of 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides for the first 28 d alleviated BCO incidence by 53%, which significantly differed (P < 0.05) from the application for the last 28 d but was without significant difference (P > 0.05) from the supplementation for the entire 56 d. Therefore, feeding 1.0 mu g/kg 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides in the first 28 d is the optimum 1,25(OH)(2)D-3-glycosides administration and provides equal protection to the supplementation for the entire production cycle. This early feeding strategy would minimize feed additive costs without compromising bone health while promoting protection against BCO lameness.

Dietary CP reductions in broilers can result in increased FCR when 6 or 7 feed-grade amino acids are allowed to enter formulation, and a partial explanation may be a dietary limitation of His. Histidine requirement data are sparce in the current body of literature, especially beyond three weeks post-hatch. Therefore, a His dose-response experiment (expressed as a percentage of Lys) was conducted with male Cobb 500 broilers from 15 to 35 d post-hatch. A His deficient test diet was formulated to contain a digestible His to digestible Lys (dHis:dLys) ratio of 28.0%. Graded increments of L-His were added to the test diet to produce additional diets containing dHis:dLys ratios of 30.5, 33.0, 35.5, 38.0, 40.5, and 43.0%. A positive control (PC) diet was formulated to contain a dHis:dLys ratio of 38.0% met solely with intact protein. The PC diet outperformed the test diet in all live performance parameters and had a reduced peritoneal cavity fat yield. Linear responses to His were observed for final BW, BW gain, and FCR. In addition, a linear His response was observed for carcass yield and both linear and quadratic responses were observed for breast filet and tender yields. The 95% quadratic max method was used to derive the optimal dHis:dLys ratios of 39 and 37% for breast filet and tender yields, respectively. To accurately estimate quadratic asymptotes for live performance parameters, future His dose-response experiments may need to incorporate dHis:dLys ratios higher than 43%.

In the food industry, assessing the quality of poultry carcasses during processing is a crucial step. This study proposes an effective approach for automating the assessment of carcass quality without requiring skilled labor or inspector involvement. The proposed system is based on machine learning (ML) and computer vision (CV) techniques, enabling automated defect detection and carcass quality assessment. To this end, an end-to-end framework called CarcassFormer is introduced. It is built upon a Transformer-based architecture designed to effectively extract visual representations while simultaneously detecting, segmenting, and classifying poultry carcass defects. Our proposed framework is capable of analyzing imper- fections resulting from production and transport welfare issues, as well as processing plant stunner, scalder, picker, and other equipment malfunctions.To benchmark the framework, a dataset of 7,321 images was initially acquired, which contained both single and multiple carcasses per image. In this study, the performance of the CarcassFormer system is compared with other state-of-the-art (SOTA) approaches for both classification, detection, and segmentation tasks. Through extensive quantitative experiments, our framework consistently outperforms existing methods, demonstrating re- markable improvements across various evaluation metrics such as AP, AP@50, and AP@75. Furthermore, the qualitative results highlight the strengths of CarcassFormer in capturing fine details, including feathers, and accurately localizing and segmenting carcasses with high precision. To facilitate further research and collaboration, the source code and trained models will be made publicly available upon acceptance.

Spirulina platensis is an emerging poultry diet source due to its essential nutrition and bioactive ingredients. Spirulina microalgae confers beneficial effects on broiler's growth performance, immune response, and antioxidant activity. We investigated the effect of Spirulina platensis on BCO lameness, one of the most driving factors for economic and animal well-being concerns in the poultry industry. Additionally, supplementation of Availa ZMC containing organic trace minerals - zinc, manganese, and copper - was shown to alleviate lameness by 20 to 25%. We hypothesized that pairing microalgae and organic trace minerals might confer a synergistic effect in reducing BCO. A 2 x 2 factorial study, with microalgae (5% Spirulina platensis and 5% Spirulina platensis plus 0.15% Availa ZMC) and without microalgae (0.15% Availa ZMC and a negative control diet), plus one BCO source group were applied to 1,320 one-day-old chicks with 5 replicates of 60 chicks per treatment for lameness assessment. No significant difference in lameness was observed between the negative control and BCO source group (60.0% vs. 54.5%, P = 0.56). Compared to the negative control, Availa ZMC significantly reduced lameness by 51.2% (60.0% vs. 29.3%, P < 0.001), while microalgae slightly increased lameness by 6.3% (60.0% vs. 63.8%, P = 0.1). Availa ZMC plus microalgae alleviated lameness by 16.7% (50.0% vs. 60.0%, P = 0.005) compared to the negative control, which was statistically lower than microalgae alone and higher than Availa ZMC alone. These findings suggested the inclusion of 5% Spirulina platensis did not reduce BCO lameness, while Availa ZMC significantly alleviated lameness. When combined, there was no significant interaction between Availa ZMC and microalgae in mitigating broiler lameness.

Adjustments in dietary amino acid density, CP levels, and feed scheduling influence broiler performance, carcass traits, and integrator profitability. Therefore, 2 experiments were conducted to assess the former factors on the live performance and carcass traits of female Ross 708 broilers grown for a high -value bone -in market (36 d processing). Experiment 1 evaluated 4 amino acid densities while Experiment 2 was arranged as a 2 pound 2 factorial evaluating dietary CP and feed scheduling. Amino acid density in Experiment 1 had no effect on any performance or processing parameter except feed conversion which was decreased for birds fed the Medium diet. The lack of substantial improvement in live performance resulted in increased feed, live BW, and carcass costs per kg. Neither feed scheduling nor dietary CP had an effect on live performance in Experiment 2. However, feeding low CP diets resulted in increased total breast meat yield, whereas increasing the number of feeding phases decreased total breast meat yield. In conclusion, dietary alterations in amino acid density in female broiler broilers warrants further attention.

The aims of this study were to find suitable environmental enrichment (EE) and evaluate the combined effect of two EEs, variable light intensity (VL) lighting program and EH, on mental health and hepatic metabolic regulation in commercial broilers. To find the advantageous EEs for broilers, three different EEs (board, hut, and ramp) were tested in trial 1. EEs were placed and the engagement of birds to EEs, dustbathing behavior, and daily physical activity were observed. Birds treated with huts showed higher engagement than the board- or ramp-treated birds (p < 0.05). The results of dustbathing behavior and daily physical activity indicated that the environmental hut (EH) is the most favorable enrichment for broilers. In the second trial, to test the effect of EHs on mental health and hepatic metabolic conditions, the brain and liver were sampled from the four treatment birds (20 lx_Con, 20 lx_Hut, VL_Con and VL_Hut) on day 42. The lower expression of TPH2 (tryptophan hydroxylase 2) of VL_Hut birds than those of VL_Con and 20 lx_Hut treated birds suggests the combining effect of EHs with the VL lighting program on the central serotonergic homeostasis of broilers. Reduced expressions of TH (tyrosine hydroxylase), GR (glucocorticoid receptor), BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) of VL_Hut treated birds compared to those of VL_Con and 20 lx_Hut birds suggest lower stress, stress susceptibility, and chronic social stress in VL_Hut treated birds. The expression of CPT1A (carnitine palmitoyl transferase 1) increased over three-fold in the liver of VL_Con birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds (p < 0.05). EHs treatment in VL birds (VL_Hut) significantly decreased CPT1A but not in 20 lx birds (20 lx_Hut). The expression of ACCα (acetyl-CoA carboxylase alpha) was significantly decreased in VL_Con birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds. There was no significant difference in the hepatic FBPase (fructose-1,6-bisphosphatase), GR, and 11β-HSD1 (11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenease-1) expression between 20 lx_Con and VL_Con birds, but EHs significantly stimulated GR in 20 lx_Hut birds, and stimulated FBPase and 11β-HSD1 expression in the VL_Hut birds compared to 20 lx_Con birds, suggesting that the VL lighting program reduced fatty acid synthesis and increased fatty acid β-oxidation in the broilers’ liver and VL_Hut improved the hepatic de novo glucose production. Taken together, the results suggest that the stimulated voluntary activity by EHs in the light-enriched broiler house improved mental health and hepatic metabolic function of broilers and may indicate that the improved hepatic metabolic function contributes to efficient nutritional support for broilers.

This study investigated the effects of supplemental Gly, Ser, and Arg on growth performance, carcass traits, footpad dermatitis, and litter ammonia emission of broilers fed low-protein diets from 18 to 42 d of age. A total 576 one-day-old female Cobb 500 broilers were divided into 6 dietary treatments: 1) control, high CP (HCP 20%), 2) medium CP (MCP 18%), 3) low CP (LCP 16%), 4) LCP + 0.20% Gly+Ser, 5) LCP + 0.20% Arg, and 6) LCP + 0.20% Gly+Ser + 0.20% Arg. Although BW gain and feed intake were not affected by treatments, reducing CP to LCP (16% CP) increased FCR regardless of amino acid supplementation, with MCP being intermediate. The calculated net energy values of low CP diets were higher than MCP and MCP. Net energy intake per 1,000 g of gain was also higher for birds fed LCP diets. Protein efficiency ratio was improved for birds fed the LCP diet. LCP diets either with or without supplemental Gly+Ser or Arg resulted in significantly higher relative tender weight. Reducing CP from 20 to 16% significantly increased fat deposition and fat yield. Footpad scores and NH3 emission significantly decreased on LCP compared to HCP and MCP. Broilers fed reduced CP had good growth, reduced litter ammonia, and improved foot pad health, but increased FCR and peritoneal cavity adipose tissue.