Non-ruminantsFull-length research article Orange essential oil in the diet of broilers: performance, organ biometrics, bone characteristics, and intestinal morphometry ABSTRACT -Growth performance, organ biometrics, bone characteristics, and intestinal morphometry were evaluated in broilers fed a diet containing orange (Citrus sinensis L.) essential oil. A completely randomized design was used, with five treatments with orange essential oil (0, 100, 200, 300, and 400 mg kg −1 diet) and six replications with 20 birds per experimental unit. In the pre-starter phase, feed intake and weight gain of all birds linearly increased, while feed conversion decreased with the addition of orange essential oil in the feed. At day 21, bone density (Seedor Index) and body weight were higher in the birds that received the maximum level of essential oil (400 mg kg −1 ) compared with those not treated with essential oil. The observed effects resulted from the better functioning of the physiological mechanisms of digestion and absorption of nutrients, characterized by the increase in villus height. Glycemia and weights of gastrointestinal tract organs of broilers at 21 days of age were not influenced by the evaluated essential oil. The results show that the addition of phytogenic additives to the diet does not cause any physiological impairment in birds.

The intestinal health makes it possible to maintain the efficient and sustainable physiology of the gastrointestinal tract of birds. The gastrointestinal tract has digestive, absorptive, metabolic, immunological and endocrine functions. Thus, impaired intestinal health can systematically affect various functions of the body. The objective of this review is to characterize the importance of intestinal health in broilers. The methodology adopted was the bibliographic study, and the information obtained from documentary sources. Gastrointestinal functionality was found to be the stable state in which the microbiome and intestinal tract exist in symbiotic balance, with animal welfare and performance not restricted by intestinal dysfunction. Gastrointestinal functionality has gained prominence in poultry because of the growing demands for economic efficiency, welfare, food security, reduction of environmental impacts and restrictions on the use of performance enhancing antimicrobials. Among the essential factors for bird intestinal health are the care of chicks in the first weeks of life, enteric diseases, the quality of feed ingredients and the use of additives that favor the preservation of enterocytes. The intestinal health of broiler chickens is an important characteristic to be maintained and observed in poultry production. A healthy gut is necessary so that the bird can properly perform the physiological processes inherent in its organism and express its productive potential, with diet manipulation being a promising strategy for positively modulating the intestinal microbiota of poultry. The use of agents that have trophic effects on intestinal mucosa contributes to improve the digestibility of nutrients, growth performance and intestinal health of broilers.

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar o melhor nível de inclusão de caulim na ração de codornas japonesas no final do ciclo produtivo sobre o desempenho, qualidade dos ovos e umidade das excretas. Foram utilizadas 256 codornas japonesas com 54 semanas de idade, distribuídas em delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro tratamentos, oito repetições, contendo 8 aves por repetição. Os tratamentos foram: tratamento 1 = controle (dieta referência sem inclusão de caulim); tratamento 2 = dieta referência com inclusão de 1,5% de caulim; tratamento 3 = dieta referência com inclusão de 3,0% de caulim e tratamento 4 = dieta referência com inclusão de 4,5% de caulim. As variáveis estudadas: consumo de ração, produção de ovos, massa de ovos, conversão alimentar, viabilidade, Unidade Haugh, Índice de Gema (IG), porcentagem de componentes do ovo (casca, albúmen e gema); pigmentação da gema; pH da gema e do albúmen, espessura da casca, porcentagem da casca em e umidade das excretas.  A inclusão de caulim demonstrou comportamento quadrático melhorando o desempenho e aumentando o peso dos ovos no final do ciclo produtivo das codornas.