scholarly journals Impact of Rotten Eggs on Hatchery Performances: A Multicentric Study

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 1725
Author(s):  
Giovanni Franzo ◽  
Wessel Swart ◽  
Miren Arbe Ugalde ◽  
Higor Cotta ◽  
Mathilde Lecoupeur ◽  
...  

Day-old chick quality is an essential element for the overall profitability of the broiler productive cycle and has been associated with the growth performance and feed conversion rate. An effect on the development of the immune system was also reported, which could likely account for reduced susceptibility to infectious diseases and improved animal welfare parameters. Besides direct cost reduction, lower antimicrobial use and improved animal welfare are crucial in the directive of European Union legislation and are at the forefront of customer choices. Several factors contribute to determining the chick quality. Breeder flocks genetics, health, and management affect the egg features, quality, and bacterial load. However, hatchery practices play a pivotal role, since adequate hygiene and handling are fundamental in reducing egg contamination and cross-contamination. The presence of rotten eggs is often regarded as a major risk, since the internal bacterial load can contaminate the needle used for in-ovo vaccination, the nearby eggs, and the whole incubator/hatching room when broken. In the present multicentric study, representative of 40 hatcheries located in 11 European countries, a remarkable impact of the rotten egg percentage on the hatchery productive parameters, representative of the hatchability, embryo mortality, and level of contamination, was demonstrated. Efficient rotten egg removal and the application of appropriate detection and removal tools should thus provide remarkable benefits for hatchery performance and indirectly for downstream poultry production.

Antioxidants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter F. Surai

For the last three decades poultry production worldwide has made tremendous progress in terms of quantity and quality of meat and egg production, including improvement of growth rate and feed conversion rate [...]


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Kozdruń ◽  
Jowita Samanta Niczyporuk ◽  
Natalia Styś-Fijoł

Marek’s disease (MD) is one of the widespread infectious diseases that causes huge losses in large-scale poultry production. This is due to weight loss, poorer feed conversion and an increased number of deaths among infected birds. The etiological agent is a Marek’s disease virus (MDV) belonging to the Herpesviridae family. It is mainly described in poultry, however, it is also found in geese. There are three MDV serotypes, and four patotypes within serotype 1. Currently, Marek’s disease is very rare in its classical form. There are non-specific clinical symptoms, and anatomopathological changes are mainly observed in the liver, spleen and the reproductive system. This may be due to the evolution in the pathogenicity of MDV field strains over the past several decades. The presence of MDV and number of molecular diagnostic tests based on the detection of viral nucleic acids and viral proteins is already found in birds that have several weeks old. Laboratory diagnostics are based mainly on molecular biology (mainly PCR) methods. The only relatively effective method instead of biosecurity measures, of preventing MD is prophylactic vaccination of 1-day-old chickens or in ovo vaccination. Nevertheless, Marek’s disease is still recorded in poultry flocks around the world, with estimated losses reaching several million dollars.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 520-532
Author(s):  
D. Babazadeh ◽  
K. Asasi

The present study investigated the efficacy of a synbiotic (Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgar-icus, Streptococcus salivarius subsp. thermophilus, and mannan oligosaccharide) along with an infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine in Cobb 500 broilers. A total of 1200 embryonated chicken eggs were randomly allocated in 10 groups with eight replicates. The first group did not receive any treatment. The second group was vaccinated post-hatch (PV), the third group was vaccinated in ovo (IV), the fourth group received dietary synbiotic and in ovo vaccination (DS+IV), the fifth group was treated in ovo with synbiotic (IS), the sixth group received in ovo and dietary synbiotic (IS+DS), the seventh group received in ovo synbiotic plus post-hatch vaccination (IS+PV) and the eighth group  in ovo and dietary synbiotic and post-hatch vaccination (IS+DS+PV). In the ninth group, the synbiotic and the vaccine were administered in ovo (IS+IV) while the tenth group re-ceived in ovo and dietary synbiotic, plus in ovo vaccine (IS+DS+IV). The in ovo treatment with the synbiotic in combination with DS, IV or PV had a positive effect on weekly weight gain. The sixth group provided a better feed conversion ratio at the end of fourth week. The synbiotic appli-cation, individually in sixth group or along with PV or IV treatment in eighth and tenth groups, elevated feed intake in fifth and sixth weeks respectively.The antibody titre of IBD was higher for groups which received IV along with IS. It is concluded that the application of synbiotic along to IBD vaccine improved growth performance and had positive effects on IBD antibody titres.


2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1849-1857
Author(s):  
P. P. Yeboah ◽  
L. A. Konadu ◽  
J. A. Hamidu ◽  
E. A. Poku ◽  
D. Wakpal ◽  
...  

Background and Aim: The quality of day-old chicks is a cornerstone to successful poultry production. Chicks with a poor quality start slowly in the field and may have high feed intake, poor growth rate, and poor feed conversion ratio. The current study aimed to assess chick quality challenges encountered from day-old chicks hatched in most commercial hatcheries in Ghana. Materials and Methods: A total of 300 day-old chicks each were obtained from commercial hatcheries in Ghana and Europe. The chicks were labeled as locally hatched broiler day-old chicks (LBDOC) and foreign hatched broiler day-old chicks (FBDOC), respectively. Chicks were reared and monitored from day old to 21 days post-hatch. Sample of chicks (n=25) from each hatchery was euthanized weekly at 1, 7, 14, and 21 days and blood samples collected for analysis. The parameters measured included physical, hematological, immunological, histological, and bacteriological characteristics. All data were analyzed by SAS Proc GLM at p<0.05. Results: The live weight of chicks was higher in FBDOC compared to LBDOC on the 1st day. The chick length and shank length of FBDOC were longer than the LBDOC. The 7-day chick mortality was 6% in LBDOC as compared to 1.5% in FBDOC. The LBDOC also had a higher wet and dry residual yolk sac percentages as well as higher residual yolk sac fluid volume than the FBDOC. The rate of yolk sac disappearance of the FBDOC was higher than the LBDOC. More than half of the LBDOC had developed navel strings and leaky navel compared to FBDOC. The LBDOC recorded Escherichia coli, Proteus, Streptococcus spp., and Gram-negative bacteria in the residual yolk sac isolated through the 21 days while FBDOC recorded E. coli, Proteus, and Gram-negative bacteria. The intestinal villi count, lengths, width, and surface area were all not significantly different. The blood monocyte levels appeared higher in FBDOC than LBDOC, which give evidence of higher immunity in FBDOC than LBDOC. Conclusion: The results indicate a challenging situation in maintaining the quality of locally hatched broiler day-old-chicks compared to foreign hatched broiler-day-old-chicks. The study demonstrates that chick quality impact goes beyond the physical characteristics of chick weight and chick length, and the higher performance of FBDOC may be influenced by compliance with international hatchery standards and vaccination protocols.


Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1705
Author(s):  
Shih-Chieh Liao ◽  
Pei-Xuan Lu ◽  
Shih-Yi Shen ◽  
Chih-Chang Hsiao ◽  
Ching-Yi Lien ◽  
...  

Footpad dermatitis (FPD) is a major foot disease in modern poultry production, and it affects both poultry health and animal welfare. It refers to inflammation and necrotizing lesions on the plantar surface of the footpads and toes. We investigated the effects of providing a swimming pool and different floor types on growth performance and FPD score in indoor-reared White Roman geese. Forty-eight male and 48 female White Roman geese were randomly allocated to pens with or without a swimming pool and with either mud or perforated plastic floor and reared from 15 to 84 days of age. Growth performance measurements included feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR). FI, WG, and FCR were significantly decreased at various growth periods in geese provided with a pool. Lower WG and bodyweight for the perforated plastic floor group were found at 15–28 and 28 days of age, respectively. The geese reared on the perforated plastic floors without a pool had higher FPD scores at 70 and 84 days of age than those with other rearing conditions. A higher incidence of FPD score 1 was observed in geese raised without a pool. In conclusion, providing a pool can improve footpad health in indoor-reared White Roman geese but may not benefit growth performance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Czech ◽  
Eugeniusz Ryszard Grela ◽  
Martyna Kiesz

AbstractThe aim of the study was to assess the effect of fermented dried soybean (FSBM) and/or fermented rapeseed meal (FRSM) in diets for weaned piglets on production results, nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal tract histology, and the composition of the gut microbiota. Piglets in the control group received standard diets with soybean meal. Animals in all experimental groups received diets in which a portion of the soybean meal was replaced: in group FR—8% FRSM; in group FR/FS—6% FRSM and 2% FSBM; in group FS/FR—2% FRSM and 6% FSBM and in group FS—8% FSBM. The use of 8% FRSM or 6% FRSM and 2% FSBM in the piglet diets had a positive effect on average daily gains. Piglets from the FR and FR/FS groups had the highest feed conversion rate. Group FS/FR and FS piglets had significantly lower mortality and lower incidence of diarrhoea. Piglets fed a diet with the fermented components, in particular with 8% FRSM or 6% FRSM and 2% FSBM, exhibited a positive effect on the microbiological composition and histology of intestines, which resulted in improved nutrient digestibility coefficients (ATTD and AID).


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang He ◽  
Xuan Liu ◽  
Yuanyang Dong ◽  
Jiaqi Lei ◽  
Koichi Ito ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The development and utilization of probiotics had many environmental benefits for replacing antibiotics in animal production. Bacteria in the intestinal mucosa have better adhesion to the host intestinal epithelial cells compared to bacteria in the intestinal contents. In this study, lactic acid bacteria were isolated from the intestinal mucosa of broiler chickens and investigated as the substitution to antibiotic in broiler production. Results In addition to acid resistance, high temperature resistance, antimicrobial sensitivity tests, and intestinal epithelial cell adhesion, Enterococcus faecium PNC01 (E. faecium PNC01) was showed to be non-cytotoxic to epithelial cells. Draft genome sequence of E. faecium PNC01 predicted that it synthesized bacteriocin to perform probiotic functions and bacteriocin activity assay showed it inhibited Salmonella typhimurium from invading intestinal epithelial cells. Diet supplemented with E. faecium PNC01 increased the ileal villus height and crypt depth in broiler chickens, reduced the relative length of the cecum at day 21, and reduced the relative length of jejunum and ileum at day 42. Diet supplemented with E. faecium PNC01 increased the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Lactobacillus, decreased the relative abundance of Bacteroides in the cecal microbiota. Conclusion E. faecium PNC01 replaced antibiotics to reduce the feed conversion rate. Furthermore, E. faecium PNC01 improved intestinal morphology and altered the composition of microbiota in the cecum to reduce feed conversion rate. Thus, it can be used as an alternative for antibiotics in broiler production to avoid the adverse impact of antibiotics by altering the gut microbiota. Graphic Abstract


Genes ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (5) ◽  
pp. 629
Author(s):  
Walaa A. Husseiny ◽  
Abeer A. I. Hassanin ◽  
Adel A. S. El Nabtiti ◽  
Karim Khalil ◽  
Ahmed Elaswad

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of colloidal nanoparticles of silver (Nano-Ag) on the expression of myogenesis-related genes in chicken embryos. The investigated genes included the members of the myogenic regulatory factors family (MRFs) and myocyte enhancer factor 2A (MEF2A) genes. A total of 200 fertilized broiler eggs (Indian River) were randomly distributed into four groups; non-injected control, injected control with placebo, treatment I in ovo injected with 20 ppm Nano-Ag, and treatment II in ovo injected with 40 ppm Nano-Ag. The eggs were then incubated for 21 days at the optimum temperature and humidity conditions. Breast muscle tissues were collected at the 5th, 8th, and 18th days of the incubation period. The mRNA expression of myogenic determination factor 1 (MYOD1), myogenic factor 5 (MYF5), myogenic factor 6 (MYF6), myogenin (MYOG), and MEF2A was measured at the three sampling points using real-time quantitative PCR, while MYOD1 protein expression was evaluated on day 18 using western blot. Breast muscle tissues were histologically examined on day 18 to detect the changes at the cellular level. Our results indicate that myogenesis was enhanced with the low concentration (20 ppm) of Nano-Ag due to the higher expression of MYOD1, MYF5, and MYF6 at the transcriptional level and MYOD1 at the translational level. Moreover, histological analysis revealed the presence of hyperplasia (31.4% more muscle fibers) in treatment I (injected with 20 ppm). Our findings indicate that in ovo injection of 20 ppm Nano-Ag enhances the development of muscles in chicken embryos compared with the 40-ppm dosage and provide crucial information for the use of silver nanoparticles in poultry production.


Author(s):  
J.M. Sorjonen ◽  
M. Karhapää ◽  
S. Holm ◽  
A. Valtonen ◽  
H. Roininen

As insect farming is becoming more popular in Europe and in the US, the use of food industry by-products in insects’ feed is drawing more attention. However, it is still unclear how to maximise the use of by-products in the feeds while meeting the nutritional requirements and maintaining profitable rearing yields with the current production technology. In this study, we conducted an experiment in Finnish small-scale cricket farming and laboratory conditions to determine whether five diet treatments, including by-product diets with barley mash and turnip rape, modify the overall fresh yield (kg), development time and feed conversion rate of the house crickets (Acheta domesticus). We discovered that the diets differed in the overall fresh cricket yield (kg) but not in the development time or the feed conversion rate of the crickets. The diets with a high proportion of by-product decreased the price of the feed but at the same time reduced the yield. Based on our results, complex by-product diets with the by-product proportion of 20-41% are the most suitable for house cricket rearing.


2012 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 192-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.M.R. Sousa ◽  
C.A. Agostinho ◽  
F.A. Oliveira ◽  
D. Argentim ◽  
P.K. Novelli ◽  
...  

The performance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) raised in cages furnished with an automatic dispenser, supplied at different frequencies (once per hour and once every two hours) and periods (daytime, nighttime and both) was evaluated. Eighteen 1.0m³ cages were placed into a 2000m² pond, two meters deep with a 5% water exchange. One hundred and seventy tilapias, with initial weight of 16.0±4.9g, were dispersed into each 1m³ cage and the feed ration was adjusted every 21 days with biometry. Data was collected from March to July (autumn and winter). Significant difference to final weight (P<0.05) among treatments was observed. The increase in feeding frequency improves the productive performance of Nile tilapias in cages and permitted better management of the food. The better feed conversion rate for high feeding frequency (24 times day-1) can result in saving up to 360kg of food for each ton of fish produced, increasing the economic sustenance for tilapia culture and suggesting less environmental pollution.


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