Effect of an Alliaceae Encapsulated Extract on Growth Performance, Gut Health, and Intestinal Microbiota in Broiler Chickens Challenged with Eimeria spp.

This study analyzed the effects of an Alliaceae encapsulated extract (AE-e) on daily gain (ADG), feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), oocysts per gram of feces (OPG), intestinal lesion (LS), and microbiota composition in broilers challenged with Eimeria spp. A total of 4800 one day Cobb-500 were allotted into 10 treatment groups with 12 replicates of 40 birds in a 2 × 4 + 2 factorial arrangement. The first factor was non-challenged (NC) or challenged (C), the second was four levels of AE-e added in the basal diet, 0 (AE0), 250 (AE250), 500 (AE500), and 750 mg·kg-1 (AE750), plus two ionophore controls, non-challenged (NC-Ion) and challenged (C-Ion). No interactions were observed between factors (NC0, NC250, NC500, NC750, C0, C250, C500, and C750), while C-Ion improved FCR at 21 d. The challenge affected negatively ADG and FCR and promoted enteropathogens in cecum. AE750 improved FCR in the finisher and cumulative phases, while C-Ion had fewer total OPG than C0 and C250. Likewise, at 21d, C250, C500, and C-Ion had fewer LS than C0, while at 28 d, C750 showed lower than C-Ion. In the cecum microbiota, C500 had more Ruminococcus, Firmicutes b, and Intestinimonas than C-Ion. In summary, AE-e showed beneficial results in broilers infected with Eimeria spp.

The Effect of Encapsulated Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate (PTSO) on Apparent Ileal Digestibility and Productive Performance in Broiler Chickens.

This study analyzed the effects of different dietary doses of encapsulated propyl propane thiosulfonate (Pe-PTSO) on the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of nutrients and productive performance in broilers. A total of 100 one-day-old Cobb 500 were housed in battery cages for 20 days. At 10 days of age, the birds were assigned to one of five diets: negative control (P0), 250 mg/kg of Pe-PTSO (P250), 500 mg/kg of Pe-PTSO (P500), 750 mg/kg of Pe-PTSO (P750), and positive control, nicarbazin-narasin (ION). Titanium dioxide was the external marker, which was added to the diets from day 17 to 20. In the birds fed the P250 diet, there was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in the AID values for amino acids and energy compared to those that consumed the P0 diet. Furthermore, the P250 diet significantly increased (p ≤ 0.05) the average daily weight gain compared to the P0 diet. No significant differences were observed between treatments in average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio. In summary, the inclusion of 250 mg of encapsulated PTSO per kg in broiler chickens diet improved the digestibility of amino acids and energy, as well as weight gain.