The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of vitamin E, grape seed extract and green tea extract with or without supplementation of coated calcium butyrate in broilers based on carcass traits, some biochemical parameters, intestinal morphology and lipid peroxidation in meat. Two hundred fifty-two one-day-old broiler chicks were divided into nine groups, one control and eight experimental. Control group fed only a basal diet (control). The experimental groups' diets contained feed additives as; coated calcium butyrate (CCB), vitamin E (VitE), grape seed extract (GSE), green tea extract (GTE), a combination of vitamin E with coated calcium butyrate (VitE+CCB), grape seed extract with coated calcium butyrate (GSE+CCB), green tea extract with coated calcium butyrate (GTE+CCB), and a combination of grape seed extract, green tea extract, and coated calcium butyrate (GSE+GTE+CCB) respectively. According to the study results; no significant differences were observed in gut morphology and serum biochemical parameters. The broilers fed with GSE and GTE with/without CCB had significantly higher hot carcass yield than control, VitE, and VitE+CCB. Furthermore, all groups showed significantly lesser lipid peroxidation in meat than control; however, the VitE group had the lowest malondialdehyde (MDA) levels. It can be concluded that the combination of CCB with natural antioxidants could be used to improve carcass traits and meat antioxidant capacity in broilers.

The aim of this study was to determine effects of different dietary rosemary essential oil levels on growth performance, carcass traits and haematological values of breeder chukar partridge. Eighty (60 females and 20 males), 32-week-old breeder chukar partridge were randomly divided in five treatments, with four replicate pens with 4 birds each. Five experimental diets were formulated according to rosemary essential oil inclusion rates 0 mg/kg, 24 mg/kg, 48 mg/kg, 72 mg/kg and 96 mg/kg, respectively. The experiment lasted for 8 weeks. The chukar partridges had free access to ad libitum feed and water. At the end of the trial, 1 male and 1 female partridge were slaughtered for blood analysis. The obtained results showed that there was no significant difference in feed intake, body weight gain between the control and treatment groups. Dietary rosemary essential oil supplementation did not affect blood serum glucose, urea, triglyceride, total cholesterol, HDL-C and LDL-C levels in breeder Chukar partridges. It could be concluded that supplementing rosemary essential oil into Chukar partridges diet show no negative effect on growth performance.

In this trial, it was planned to determine the effect of protected calcium butyrate (PCB) supplemented at different amounts on performance, carcass characteristics, blood biochemical values, jejunum histomorphology, and meat traits in Japanese quails. 196 one-day-old unsexed Japanese quails divided into 4 groups with 7 replicates. A conventional corn and soybean meal-based diet was formulated, and all groups’ diets were supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 g/kg PCB respectively for 42 days. From the results, PCB supplementation significantly improved body weight (BW) on the 21st day, body weight gain (BWG) between 0 to 21 days, hot carcass yield (HCY), relative weights of the hearth. Similarly, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and villus height (VH) levels were lower in PCB supplemented groups. Besides, PCB supplementation in Japanese quails decreased villus-crypt rate (VCR) except for the control and the group fed with 2.0 g/kg PCB. This study showed that dietary PCB supplementation in Japanese quails’ diet improved growth performance in young chicks and carcass yield, BUN, and lipid profile. On the other hand, the supplementation didn’t affect the antioxidant status, homocysteine, and folic acid values in blood and meat traits.

In this study, the effects of two different levels of sweet almond supplementation (2,500 and 5,000 mg/kg) to Japanese quails’ diets (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) on performance, carcass group, blood values and meat quality were examined. For this purpose, 72 one-day-old Japanese quails were randomly distributed under control and two different experimental groups for 35 days experiment, and their body weight and feed consumption were evaluated. At the end of the study, a total of 8 animals from each group were selected and slaughtered. Hot carcass yield, relative weights of liver, heart, spleen, gizzard, proventriculus and bursa of Fabricius to body weight were determined in slaughtered animals. Total cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, high-density lipoprotein, and lipase levels in blood serum samples and water holding capacity, pH, malondialdehyde, L, a*, and b* values in breast meat samples were investigated. As a result of the study, it was determined that the addition of sweet almond oil had a positive effect on performance, decreased lipase level in blood serum, and 2,500 mg/kg sweet almond oil supplementation reduced the ratio of proventriculus to body weight. To sum up, it was found that the addition of sweet almond oil to Japanese quail rations had a positive effect on performance and feed consumption; it also appears to reduce blood serum lipase value and proventriculus weight.

Öz: Beslenme, hızlı gelişen ve yüksek verime sahip hayvanların elde edilmesinde genetik faktörler kadar önem taşımaktadır. Buzağılarda, özellikle sütten kesim öncesinde sağlıklı bir rumen gelişimi sağlamak, hem kuru yem tüketimine geçişi hızlandırarak maliyeti azaltmada, hem de fizyolojik gelişimi hızlandırmada fayda sağlamaktadır. Buzağıların sütten kesim öncesi beslenmesinde katı gıdalar rumen gelişimi açısından büyük öneme sahiptir. Yapılan çalışmalarda konsantre yemlerin içerdikleri bütirik ve propiyonik asitler nedeniyle, rumen epiteli ve papillaların gelişimini uyardığı saptanmıştır. Ayrıca kaba yemlerin de rumen kas gelişimini, motilitesini, haciminin artmasını, ruminasyonun uyarılmasını ve salyanın ön midelere akışını olumlu etkilediği ifade edilmiştir. Yemlerin türü ve partikül büyüklüğü de buzağılarda rumen gelişimini etkileyen diğer etmenler arasında yer almaktadır. Bununla birlikte başta probiyotikler olmak üzere yem katkı maddelerinin de rumen gelişimine olumlu etkileri bulunmaktadır.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of the inclusion of sodium bentonite (SB) in Japanese quails’ diet on performance, carcass traits, blood biochemical status, and meat quality traits. A total of 120 seven-day-old Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) were randomly divided into four groups, with each group containing five replicates, six birds each. SB was mixed with the diet at four concentrations (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0%). Performance indicators were determined for an experimental period of six weeks. At the end of the experiment, 2 quails from each replicate were slaughtered and carcass traits were measured. The blood serum biochemical values, antioxidant status, and meat quality indicators were determined from blood and breast meat samples. The results showed that SB supplementation significantly improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the 2–7 week period, the relative weight of the proventriculus, glucose and total cholesterol (TC) and a* (redness) colour traits in meat. Moreover, the total oxidant status (TOS) in blood serum and malondialdehyde (MDA) values were decreased with SB addition to Japanese quails’ diet. Hence, dietary SB supplementation could be used to improve the performance and antioxidant status in Japanese quails.