A wide variety of feed additives like prebiotics are recently used in poultry diets as better alternative to antibiotic growth promoters, chitosan is one of those prebiotics. Chitosan is a natural bio-polyaminosacharides, biodegradable and non-toxic biopolymer (Vimal et al., 2013) derived from alkaline deacetylation of chitin from shrimp wastes and fungal biomass (Darwesh et al., 2018). Chitosan has specific bioactivities such as immune-enhancing properties and antibacterial activities (Alishahi, 2014). Many of studies have been performed on chitosan research Article Abstract | This study aimed to examine the effects of dietary chitosan (CH) and nano-chitosan (NCH) supplementation as prebiotics on growth performance, carcass characteristics, plasma constituents, antioxidant status and microbial counts of two lines of Japanese quail. A total of 840 unsexed selected Japanese quail (SJQ) and Japanese quail ( JQ) (one day old) with an average initial body weight of 11.65 ±0.03 g and 9.11± 0.04 g, respectively were used in 10 treatment groups, each group has 3 replicates having 28 quail chicks in each. The experimental groups for each line were as follows: The 1 st group was fed the basal diet and served as the control; the 2 nd and 3 rd groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with CH at 50 and 70mg/kg diet; the 4 th and 5 th groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with NCH at 30 and 50 mg/kg diet. The results showed that SJQ group had a higher (P<0.0001) live body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and better feed conversion ratio. The group of SJQ birds fed diet supplemented with 70 mg CH had the highest (P<0.05) live body weight. The diet supplemented with 70 mg CH gave the highest plasma total protein (P<0.05) for SJQ and JQ groups. Diets supplemented with 70 mg CH or 50 mg NCH exhibited the highest albumin level and TAOC (P<0.0001). The lowest cholesterol content (P<0.05) was obtained by SJQ groups fed diet supplemented with 70 mg CH or 50 mg NCH and JQ groups having 70 mg CH or 50 mg NCH. The lowest LDL cholesterol content (P<0.0001) of plasma was for SJQ fed diet supplemented with 70 mg CH and JQ fed diet supplemented with 30 mg NCH. Supplementation of 30 and 50 mg NCH recorded higher (P<0.0001) Lactobacillus count and the lowest (P<0.0001) E.coli and Salmonella counts for SJQ and JQ. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of CH and NCH in different quail lines diets could be used as an antioxidant and antibacterial additive without causing any negative effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics and plasma constituents.
ilk thistle seed extract consists mainly of flavonolignans, which include silybin (silibinin), sylichrisitn, and silydianin that commonly referred to Silymarin. A total number of thirty six, 9-10 month old New-Zealand white muliparous does, with an average weight of 3641g ± 94.02 were used to evaluate the response to dietary supplementation with ethanolic milk thistle extract (MTE) containing 70% silymarin on some performance aspects during pregnancy and lactation periods. Does were allocated to 4 experimental groups, 9 does of each. Rabbits were fed the experimental diets started one month before first mating. Does were allowed to the following treatments; a control group was fed a basal diet without MTE (T1), then the 2 nd , 3 rd , and 4 th were fed the basal diet supplemented with 3ml, 6ml or 9ml MTE/kg diet, respectively and abbreviated as 3MTE (T2), 6MTE (T3) and 9MTE (T4), respectively. The trail was ended after pregnant period and nursering kits till weaning. The results indicate that feed intake during pregnancy (except T2) and lactation , litter weight at birth and weaning (except T2) were significantly (P≤0.05) increased by supplementing does diets with MTE at 6 or 9ml/kg diet compared to the control. Also, litter size at birth and litter size at weaning (except T2) were significantly (P≤0.05) higher with MTE supplementation compared to the control. Milk production significantly (P≤0.05) was the highest in 9MTE group for the first four weeks compared with the control. Plasma prolactin hormone was significantly (P≤0.05) improved gradually by enriched does diet with MTE, but liver enyzmes (AST & ALT) was insignificantly higher in all MTE groups compared to the control. It could be concluded that adding milk thistle seed extract to does diets enhanced their performance during gestation and lactation periods, in term of increased their milk production and litter weight at birth and weaning.
A total of 375 un-sexed Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) chicks, 5 days-old were randomly allotted to 5 experimental groups to examine the effect of the inclusion of rice gluten meal (RGM) at levels of 2.5 and 5% and supplementation of betaine at levels of 0.5 and 1.0 g/kg diet on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, hematology, serum biochemistry and gastrointestinal tract microbiota of growing Japanese quail under summer season. Quails were fed a basal diet and the other four diets contained 2.5 and 5% RGM with 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine supplementation. The results revealed quails fed 5%RGM + 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine achieved the highest (P < 0.05) body weight at 5 weeks of age, quails fed 5%RGM + 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine recorded the highest (P < 0.05) body weight gain at 1–5 weeks of age. Quails fed 5%RGM + 1.0 g betaine improved (P < 0.05) DFI at all periods. 5%RGM + 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine groups recorded the best FCR at 1–5 weeks of age. RGM and betaine improved CP and EE digestibilities. RGM and betaine was lower (P < 0.05) in abdominal fat. Quails fed 5%RGM + 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine increased (P < 0.05) WBC count. HB level of the quails group fed diet contained 5%RGM + 0.5 or 1.0 g betaine was higher (P < 0.05). Betaine supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the lactic acid bacteria count and decreased (P < 0.05) E-coli and coliform counts. In conclusion, the combination of RGM and betaine could maintain the growth performance, intestinal health and improve nutrients digestibility of Japanese quails during summer season.
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