Effects of cold stress on physiologic metabolism in the initial phase and performance of broiler rearing.

This study aimed to investigate the effects of 8 h of cold stress (18 °C) every day in broiler chicks during the first 7 days of rearing on crop filling analysis, yolk sac consumption, digestive and immune organs weights, and physiological metabolism at seven days and performance between 1 and 35 days. Cobb500 male broiler chickens (n = 274) were randomly assigned to two treatments. The treatments consisted of varying environmental temperatures during the first week post-housing. Chicks were reared at a thermoneutral temperature (32 °C) or under cold stress (18 °C) for 8 h/day during the first week, and both groups were subsequently reared at a thermoneutral temperature for 8-35 days. The thermoneutral group reached 90% full crop after 48 h of housing (P < 0.05), while the cold-stressed group had more empty crops at 2 h and 48 h after housing (P < 0.05). The chick cloacal temperature was not affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Additionally, the treatment did not affect serum amylase and corticosterone levels, feed intake, body weight gain, or feed conversion ratio (P > 0.05, while the cold-stressed group had elevated heterophil/lymphocyte count at day 7 (P < 0.05). The thermoneutral group showed higher viability (%) at 7 and 35 days and a higher production factor at 35 days (P < 0.05). Broiler chickens under cyclic cold stress experienced decreased yolk sac absorption during the first week and increased feed intake and feed conversion ratio after 35 days of rearing. Viability was also lower in the cold-stressed group. An appropriate strategy to minimize these adverse effects is to rear the chicks in a thermoneutral environment during the first week.

Floor eggs: Hatchability, microbiological analysis, and effects of post-hatch use of ceftiofur on performance of broiler chicks.

The present study aimed to determine the effects of egg type (nest clean or floor eggs) on eggshell microbiological, hatching performance, chick quality, yolk sac microbiology, and the interaction between egg type and post-hatch use of ceftiofur on broiler performance at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 days. A total of 2500 fertile eggs were obtained from a commercial flock of Cobb Slow® broiler breeders. Half of the eggs were collected directly from the floor, and the other half were collected from the nests. Microbiological evaluation of eggshells was performed before and after sanitization. After hatching, 420 male chicks were randomly selected and distributed in a completely randomized design in a 2 × 2 factorial scheme, separated by the type of egg (clean nest or floor) and the inclusion or not of subcutaneous ceftiofur, totaling four treatments. Egg type did not influence hatchability although the contamination level was 1.3% higher. The body weight and body weight gain of chicks at seven days were greater for chicks from nest eggs that received ceftiofur than chicks from floor eggs that also received ceftiofur. There was no interaction between the studied factors or individual effects for performance at 14, 21, 28, and 35 days. It is concluded that incubation of floor eggs, after standard sanitization, does not influence the hatch results and chick quality. Furthermore, it has been proven that the use of ceftiofur is unnecessary when there is correct management during broiler rearing.

Feed form and nutritional level for rearing growing broilers in thermoneutral or heat stress environments.

The present study aimed to investigate the effects of different physical forms of feed and feeding programs on nutrient digestibility and performance of grower-finisher broilers under thermoneutrality or thermal stress. Three experiments were conducted using male broiler chickens (n = 720) aged 19-42 d. The design of two of the experiments was fully randomized in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two forms of feed (mash and pellet) and two nutritional levels (13.19 MJ/kg and 194.8 g/kg CP - normal level and 13.61 MJ/kg and 210.3 g/kg CP - high level). The experiments took place in a climate-controlled room: Experiment 1 at thermoneutrality (21-23 °C and 58-60% relative humidity) for 24 h/day; Experiment 2 under thermal stress cycle (31-32 °C and 63-65% relative humidity), for 6h/day and thermoneutrality (21-23 °C, 58-60% relative humidity) for 18h/day. The nutrient digestibility and performance was analyzed. The design of the third experiment was fully randomized with two ambient condition treatments (thermoneutral and thermal stress) on heat production, caloric increment and net energy. Pellet feed obtained higher digestibility of dry matter, digestibility of crude protein, AME and AMEn (P < 0.05) than mash feed for broilers reared in the thermoneutral environment. At the high nutritional level there was no effect of treatments on the coefficient of dry matter and crude protein (DCCP) (P > 0.05), while the highest digestibility of AME and AMEn were obtained by the high nutritional level diet (P < 0.05). Pellet feed had higher DCCP (P < 0.05) than mash feed for broilers reared under cyclic heat stress. Broiler chickens under cyclic stress experienced increased caloric increment, rectal temperature and respiratory rate. The appropriate strategy to minimize these effects in both ambient conditions is to pellet feed.

Effects of Caffeine on Egg Quality and Performance of Laying Hens.

This study's objective was to determine the effects of caffeine intake at various levels, incorporated in the layers' food, on performance and egg quality of hens. A total of 576 hens, aged 56 weeks, were used. The layers were fed rations containing 0 (control), 150, 300, or 450 ppm of caffeine for 12 weeks. During the experimental period, performance parameters (weight, feed consumption, and livability) and egg production and quality (weight, Haugh unit, percentages of yolk, albumen and eggshell, yolk color, eggshell thickness, and resistance, and calcium and phosphorus eggshell contents) were evaluated. The highest concentration of caffeine in the diet (450 ppm) promoted a significant increase in the mortality of hens (1.45% per week) compared to controls (0.23%). There was a reduction in feed consumption by hens, decreased egg production, and reduced eggshell thickness and percentage, with the increase of caffeine. The egg yolk percentage was increased, and the eggshell percentage was reduced in the groups treated with 300 and 450 ppm of caffeine. Furthermore, reduced eggshell thickness was found in all groups that received caffeine. However, it was found that 150 ppm of caffeine in the food did not cause significant changes in most egg production and quality parameters. In summary, caffeine consumption by laying hens increased mortality rate and promoted deleterious effects on chicken production and egg quality at concentrations of 300 and 450 ppm.

Determination of the residue levels of nicarbazin and combination nicarbazin-narasin in broiler chickens after oral administration.

The depletion times of the anticoccidial nicarbazin administered individually and of nicarbazin and narasin administered in combination were evaluated by determining the presence and levels of 4,4'-dinitrocarbanilide (DNC), the marker residue for nicarbazin, and narasin residues in the muscle tissues of broiler chickens subjected to a pharmacological treatment. A high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method was used. The results showed the presence of all anticoccidial residues; however, the DNC levels were higher when the nicarbazin was administered individually than when it was used in association with narasin throughout the experimental period. After six days of withdrawal, the DNC level following nicarbazin administration alone was lower than the maximum residue level (MRL) of 200 µg kg-1. However, when the nicarbazin was co-administered with narasin, the concentrations of DNC were lower than the MRL after four days of withdrawal. These results may be justified because the dosage of nicarbazin, when administrated individually, is greater than when it is used in combination with narasin. The levels of narasin were lower than the MRL of 15 µg kg-1 throughout the evaluation period. It was concluded that nicarbazin is rapidly metabolized from the broiler muscles up to six days of withdrawal since the DNC levels were lower than the maximum residue level (MRL) and the concentrations of narasin were lower than the MRL throughout the evaluation period.

Evaluation of the Presence and Levels of Enrofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Sulfaquinoxaline and Oxytetracycline in Broiler Chickens after Drug Administration.

The depletion times of enrofloxacin and its metabolite ciprofloxacin as well as sulfaquinoxaline and oxytetracycline were evaluated in broiler chickens that had been subjected to pharmacological treatment. The presence and residue levels of these drugs in muscle tissue were evaluated using an ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method that was validated in this work. The results showed the presence of all antimicrobial residues; however, the presence of residues at concentrations higher than the drugs' maximum residue limit (MRL) of 100 µg kg-1 was found only during the treatment period for oxytetracycline and until two days after discontinuation of the medication for enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and sulfaquinoxaline. It was concluded that the residues of all antimicrobials were rapidly metabolized from the broiler muscles; after four days of withdrawal, the levels were lower than the limit of quantification (LOQ) of the method for the studied analytes.

Uso da LIPE® como indicador externo na determinação da digestibilidade da proteína e matéria seca de alimentos em frangos de corte / Use of LIPE® as an external indicator in the determination of protein and dry matter digestibility of broiler chicken food

Realizou-se um ensaio metabólico para avaliar a lignina purificada de eucalipto (LIPE®), como indicador na determinação da digestibilidade da proteína bruta e matéria seca de alimentos para frangos de corte. Os tratamentos corresponderam a uma dieta basal e outras oito dietas contendo os alimentos-teste. Os alimentos foram: milho, milho expandido, farelo de soja, farelo de soja expandido, glúten de milho 22 por cento, glúten de milho 60 por cento, farinha de carne e ossos e farinha de penas e vísceras. Os alimentos protéicos e os com menor teor de proteína substituíram 25 e 40 por cento da dieta basal, respectivamente. Foram utilizados 270 pintos de corte, linhagem Ross, de ambos os sexos, dos 21 aos 31 dias de idade. Utilizou-se um delineamento experimental inteiramente ao acaso em esquema fatorial 9×3 (rações × métodos), com três repetições. Os coeficientes de digestibilidade (CD) da proteína e da matéria seca e os valores da proteína bruta digestível e da matéria seca digestível de sete das nove dietas, calculados pelos métodos da coleta total de excretas e dos indicadores óxido crômico e LIPE®, foram semelhantes. Com os alimentos-teste, farelo de soja expandido e farinha de penas e vísceras, o uso de óxido crômico resultou em CD e valores de proteína e matéria seca digestível mais altos, quando comparado com o uso da LIPE® e da coleta total de excretas que foram semelhantes entre si. Pode-se considerar que a proteína bruta digestível e matéria seca digestível dos alimentos, calculada pelos três métodos, foram equivalentes. A LIPE® pode ser validada como indicador de digestibilidade da proteína e matéria seca de alimentos para frangos de corte.

A metabolism experiment was carried out to evaluate the use of LIPE® as an external indicator of dry matter and protein digestibility in broilers. The treatments corresponded to a basal diet and eight other different diets. The foods used were: corn grain, expanded corn, soybean meal, expanded soybean meal, gluten meal 22 percent crude protein; gluten meal 60 percent crude protein, meat and bone meal and feather meal. The basal diet was replaced with 40 percent or 25 percent of the food containing more energy or protein, respectively. Two hundred and seventy broiler chickens were used from 21 to 31 days old. A completely randomized design in a 9x3 factorial arrangement (nine forms of rations x three methods) with three replicates was used. The digestible dry matter and protein and metabolizable energy of the food was calculated by the total fecal collection method and by the indicator methods of chromic oxide and LIPE®; the three methods were further compared. Chromic oxide use resulted in higher values of coefficient of digestibility for expanded soybean meal and feathers and viscera meal when compared to the use of LIPE® and total feces collection which were similar. The results validated the LIPE® as an external protein and dry matter digestibility index of the feed of broiler chicks evaluated.

Efeito de diferentes níveis de proteína bruta sobre o desempenho e composição de carcaça de frangos de corte machos de 21 a 42 dias de idade / Effect of different crude protein levels on performance and carcass composition of male broiler chickens from 21 to 42 days of age

O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento inteiramente ao acaso, para avaliar os efeitos da redução de proteína bruta (PB) com suplementação de aminoácidos essenciais sobre o desempenho e características de carcaça de frangos de corte machos da linhagem Ross, na fase de 21 a 42 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 720 frangos, distribuídos em 4 tratamentos e seis repetições com 30 aves cada. Os níveis de proteína bruta utilizados foram 21; 19 e 17 e 15 por cento de PB. A redução de proteína levou a um aumento linear dos teores de gordura e matéria seca. Houve ainda efeito quadrático dos níveis de proteína bruta, sendo para máximo ganho de peso, peso aos 42 dias e consumo de dieta os níveis de 19,28; 19,35 e 16,75 por cento de PB, respectivamente. Houve efeito quadrático sobre o rendimento de peito, estimando máximo rendimento para frangos alimentados com dietas contendo 18,28 por cento de PB.

A completely randomized experimental design was carried out to evaluate the effects of crude protein (CP) reduction of diets with essential amino acids supplementation on performance and body composition of male broiler chickens from 21 to 42 days of age. A total of seven hundred twenty broiler chickens were used. The birds were allotted in four treatments and six replicates of thirty birds each. The diet CP levels were 21, 19, 17 and 15 percent. The reduction of protein led to a linear increase in fat and dry matter. There was also a quadratic effect of the CP levels; for maximum weight gain; weight at 42 days and final weight and feed intake. The maximum performance of these parameters were estimated for broilers fed 19.28; 19.35 and16.75 percent CP diet, respectively. There was a quadratic effect of CP level on breast yield, the maximum performance estimated for broiler fed 18.28 percent CP diet.