Intestinal health of broilers challenged with Eimeria spp. using functional oil blends in two physical forms with or without anticoccidials.

This study aimed to assess the impact of a commercial blend of functional oils, specifically cashew nutshell liquid and castor oil (FO), in two physical forms (solid: P; liquid: S), in comparison to a combination of virginiamycin and anticoccidials on the gut health of broilers challenged with coccidiosis. A total of 1760 1-day-old male chicks were randomly distributed in a study design with eight treatments. The treatments included: a control group (without additive), OFS_0.75_kg/t (FO spray), OFP_1.0_kg/t (FO powder), OFP_1.5_kg/t (FO liquid spray), Sal (anticoccidials), Sal_Vir (virginiamycin and anticoccidials), Sal_OFS_0.5_ kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO spray), and Sal_OFP_1.0_kg/t (anticoccidials plus FO powder). All birds were challenged with Eimeria spp. at 14 days. The physical form of FO did not affect performance and intestinal health parameters. At 42 days, broilers from the control and OFS_0.75 treatments were the lightest, while those from the Sal_Vir and Sal_OFP_1.0 treatments were the heaviest (P < 0.05). FO reduced the presence of Clostridium perfringens. The individual phytogenic additives did not prevent weight loss in birds challenged with Eimeria, but they mitigated the effects of the infection by modulating the intestinal microbiota. A synergistic effect was observed between the FO and anticoccidials, yielding satisfactory results in substituting virginiamycin.

Desenvolvimento folicular e desempenho produtivo no início do ciclo de postura em duas raças de poedeiras / Follicular development and productive performance at the onset of production in two egg-laying breeds

Avaliaram-se as características reprodutivas de duas raças puras de poedeiras semipesadas. Foram utilizadas 800 fêmeas, 400 da raça Plymouth Rock White (PRW) e 400 da raça Plymouth Rock Barred (PRB) no período compreendido entre a 16ª e a 24ª semanas de idade, quando todas as aves tiveram o mesmo manejo e receberam água e ração ad libitum. Semanalmente, foram mensurados os parâmetros peso corporal, consumo alimentar, taxa de postura, conversão alimentar, peso dos ovos, peso de oviduto e número de folículos ovarianos. Foi utilizado um delineamento inteiramente casualizado (DIC) com dois tratamentos (PRW e PRB) e cinco repetições de oitenta aves cada, sendo que os dados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste "T" de Student a 5% de significância. Observou-se que na 24ª semana de idade as aves da raça PRW apresentaram uma maior taxa de postura (P=0,006) e melhor conversão alimentar (P=0,020), comparado às aves da raça PRB. As aves PRB apresentaram maior peso corporal, comparado ao peso das PRW, entretanto, o peso do oviduto em relação ao peso corporal na 24ª semana e o número de folículos grandes amarelos na 20ª semana de idade foram maiores nas aves da raça PRW, comparado com as aves da raça PRB (P=0,029). Aves poedeiras da raça PRW são mais eficientes nos parâmetros produtivos e apresentam o desenvolvimento do aparelho reprodutivo mais precoce em relação às aves da PRB.

It was evaluated the reproductive traits of two pure breed laying hens. There were used 800 females, 400 White Plymouth Rock (PRW) and 400 Barred Plymouth Rock pullets, from 16 to 24 week of age. Pullets were managed in the same manner and received water and feed ad libitum. Body weight, feed intake, hen-day egg production, feed conversion, egg weight, oviduct weight and number of ovarian follicles were weekly measured. It was used a completely randomized design with two breeds (PRW and PRB) and five replicates of 80 pullets. The data were submitted to ANOVA and means compared by Student's T test 5% of significance. At 24 weeks of age the PRW pullets had a higher egg production (P=0.006) and better feed conversion (P=0.020) than the PRBs. The PRBs presented higher body weight than the PRWs, however, the number of large yellow follicles at 20 weeks, and the relative oviduct weight at 24 weeks of age were greater in the PRW pullets (P=0.029). The PRW pullets were more efficient in the production parameters and were more precocious in the development of the reproductive tract than PRB pullets.

Cation-anion ratios in poultry diets.

The electrolyte balance is termed as the balance between income, consumption and loss of essential monovalent ions such as sodium (Na(+)), potassium (K(+)), and chloride (Cl(-)), which is dissociated into its ionic components, and the main physiological function of which is maintaining acid-base balance and osmotic pressure of the body. The adjustment in the electrolyte balance of rations must be done at any stage production of animals, and that the improvements in performance are more evident in the finishing stages of growth and under conditions of heat stress. The high metabolic level required by the animals that have genetic for rapid growth, demand adjustments in modern formulations where small adjustments can make a difference for better performance. In this article important patents are also discussed.

Pastoral da Família e Aids: comunicaçäo, saúde e conscientizaçäo / Family and Aids Pastoral - Communication, Health and Awareness

Este texto procura registrar a comunicaçäo, no todo, tendo como estudo a informaçäo sobre Aids na Pastoral da Família, da Igreja Católica, de três Paróquias da cidade de Campinas. Tem por objetivo detectar qual a informaçäo utilizada nestas pastorais, ou se existe alguma informaçäo que possa orientar as famílias. Esta comunicaçäo sobre a Aids nas pastorais é considerada um dos grandes desafios da Igreja Católica neste novo século