RESUMO
The intensification of production systems has resulted in detrimental effects on sow welfare, which can have an adverse influence on their offspring. Considering the relevance of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, probiotics can mitigate such impacts. To investigate the effects of the dietary inclusion of probiotics on the welfare of sows and piglets, 147 multiparous sows were randomly assigned to two groups: a control group or a group supplemented with a multistrain probiotic from the beginning of pregnancy to the end of lactation. The human-animal relationship (HAR), stereotypic behavior, position changes, salivary cortisol, and plasma serotonin levels were assessed in the sows. The piglets' back test behavior and organ weight were analyzed. The probiotic-supplemented sows exhibited a better HAR index (p = 0.017), which indicated reduced aversion towards humans. The frequency of stereotypies was not influenced by the treatments. However, the supplemented sows spent more time standing (p = 0.054) and less time lying down (p = 0.008). The cortisol level of the supplemented sows was 50% lower (p = 0.047) and the serotonin levels were 11% higher (p = 0.034) than control animals. The multistrain piglets were more passive and less resistant (p = 0.076) in the back test. The organ weights were not influenced by treatments. In conclusion, the sows supplemented with probiotics showed less fear and more motivation indicators, while their piglets showed less aggression behaviors.
RESUMO
An infection by protozoa Eimeria spp. can cause coccidiosis, which negatively affects broiler chicken performance and causes economic and production losses. To understand the effect of coccidiosis on broilers' performance, we evaluated the independent variables and their interactions on the severity of coccidiosis in broilers that cause variation (Δ) of average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain per feed (G:F) of broiler chicks using a meta-analysis approach. A database of 55 papers describing 63 experiments was gathered; broilers were challenged by Eimeria species (E. acervulina, E. maxima, E. tenella, and mixed) and at least 2 variables among ADFI, ADG, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were studied. The variation induced by the challenge was calculated relative to the control group of each experiment. The indirect factors evaluated were days postinfection (DPI), Eimeria type and dose, infection age (IA), bird's mean age in the analyzed period, genetic line, sex, and whether they were raised in a cage or a pen. Graphical, correlation, and variance analyses were performed to evaluate the form of the responses. Then, a linear plateau model was adjusted for each response variable as a function of DPI to determine the consequences of the disease on the variation of performance over time after infection. The impact of the infection challenge on the variation of performance vs. nonchallenge broilers was only impacted by DPI (P < 0.05). The adjustment of the data with the linear plateau model allows us to determine the host response to the coccidiosis disease at different stages. At 5 DPI (acute phase), ΔADFI, ΔADG, ΔG:F were of -19.0; -39.8, and -25.5, respectively. After almost 13 DPI birds achieved the recovery phase for all variables with Δ varying from -19 to -3.75% for ADFI, from -39.8 to -10.5% for ADG, and from -25.5 to -7.24% for G:F. The Eimeria impact was higher in ADG than ADFI in all periods due to Eimeria aggressive action form causing lesions in gut epithelial reducing the use of nutrients and energy. The results can be used as a quantitative approach to determine the consequences of Eimeria spp. on broiler performance.
RESUMO
Pig and poultry production systems have reached high-performance levels over the last few decades. However, there is still room for improvement when it comes to their environmental sustainability. This issue is even more relevant due to the growing demand for food demand since this surplus food production needs to be met at an affordable cost with minimum impact on the environment. This study presents a systematic review of peer-reviewed manuscripts that investigated the environmental impacts associated with pig and poultry production. For this purpose, independent reviews were performed and two databases were constructed, one for each production system. Previous studies published in peer-reviewed journals were considered for the databases if the method of life cycle assessment (LCA) was applied to pig (pork meat) or poultry (broiler meat or table eggs) production to estimate at least the potential effects of climate change, measured as CO2-eq. Studies considering the cradle-to-farm gate were considered, as well as those evaluating processes up to the slaughterhouse or processor gate. The pig database comprised 55 studies, while 30 publications were selected for the poultry database. These studies confirmed feeding (which includes the crop cultivation phase, manufacturing processes, and transportation) as the main contributor to the environmental impact associated with pig and poultry production systems. Several studies evaluated feeding strategies, which were indicated as viable alternatives to mitigate the environmental footprint associated with both production chains. In this study, precision feeding techniques are highlighted given their applicability to modern pig and poultry farming. These novel feeding strategies are good examples of innovative strategies needed to break paradigms, improve resource-use efficiency, and effectively move the current productive scenario toward more sustainable livestock systems.