The effect of green and brown seaweeds supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, serum lipid profile and antioxidant capacity was evaluated in Japanese quails. Five groups of Japanese quails (total = 180; 120 hens + 60 males) of 10 wks old were fed on diets without or with green (GS) and brown (BS) seaweeds, each at 1.5 and 3% for 14 weeks. Results indicate that GS and BS supplementation significantly improved egg-laying rate and increase egg number, egg weight and egg mass and decrease feed conversion ratio (FCR). However, feed consumption (FC) was not significantly affected by experimental treatments. The GS and BS supplemented groups led to improve the eggshell thickness, also helped to improve the egg yolk weight, index and color compared to the control. Supplementing dried GS and BS significantly decreased the value of Haugh unit, total lipids and total cholesterol content of egg yolk as well as displayed higher fertility and hatchability percentages than those of the control group. Quails received dried GS and BS treatments had a higher dressing percentage and a lesser percentage of abdominal fat compared to the control group. Serum total lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL and LDL values were significantly decreased compared to the control. There were significant effects on enzymatic antioxidant activity of blood serum (malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase). It is concluded that green and brown seaweeds supplementation can improve egg-laying performance and had a positive effect on fertility and hatchability values and resulted in significant reduction in total lipids and total cholesterol in the serum and yolk while enhancing total antioxidant capacity in blood serum as well as positively affecting economic parameters. Thus, these results suggested that green and brown seaweeds can be used safely as a feed additive in diets for laying Japanese quail.

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Exposure of male rabbits to heat stress during summer adversely affects their fertility, leading to major production losses. A total of 16 male rabbits were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups exposed to temperatures ranging from a high of 30.3 to a low of 27.3 °C. Animals from first to fourth groups were fed diets containing 0, 1.5, 3.0, or 4.5% pomegranate peel (PP) to evaluate the ability of PP feeding to enhance bucks' reproductive status. Pomegranate peel treatments significantly increased ejaculate volume by 19, 18 and 12%, increased seminal plasma fructose by 7, 18, and 24%, improved sperm motility by 28, 34 and 49%, increased sperm total output by 37, 69 and 102% and reduced dead sperm by 24, 32 and 64% with diets containing 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5% of PP compared to the heat stressed control animals. Seminal plasma total lipids, cholesterol and triglycerides increased while alkaline phosphatase decreased with PP treatments. Seminal plasma total antioxidant capacity increased to reach 126, 143 and 191% with diets containing 1.5, 3.0 and 4.5% of PP, while lipid peroxide (malondialdehyde) levels decreased significantly to reach around 54% of the heat stressed bucks' value with the three PP dietary doses used. It was concluded that supplementations of PP in the diet of bucks during summer season in Egypt can improve their semen characteristics, probably due to their antioxidant actions.

Essential oils (EOs) and their active components are attracting a lot of attention as sustainable feed additives due to their known antimicrobial properties against a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. They also have biological therapeutic, antioxidant, and flavor properties. They can be used for modifying the rumen environment and improving animal productivity. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of supplementation with 2.5 and 5 g/head/day of an essential oils blend (EOB) of clove, oregano, and juniper in equal proportions on milk production and quality, and physiological status of early lactating Holstein dairy cows for 8 weeks of treatment followed by 8 weeks of posttreatment. The results revealed an improvement in milk yield (p ≤ 0.02) and feed efficiency (p ≤ 0.001) with EOB at a dose of 2.5 g/head/day. The percentages of milk protein and lactose were increased (p ≤ 0.03) with a high dose of EOB inclusion during the treatment period as compared with the control group. Milk fat percentage, fat-corrected milk, and energy-corrected milk were not significantly affected by EOB supplementation. The supplementation of EOB tended to decrease milk total bacterial and somatic cell counts when compared to the control group. The supplementation of EOB at both doses increased serum total protein (p ≤ 0.02) and globulin (p ≤ 0.05), and decreased cholesterol level (p ≤ 0.001) and creatinine (p ≤ 0.001) as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the results show that the low dose of EOB had more desirable effects on milk yield, milk total bacterial count, milk somatic cell count, and feed efficiency than the high dose, suggesting that lower doses may not inhibit rumen microbial populations. Moreover, the low doses of EOB could be used as sustainable natural alternatives to antibiotics in livestock diets.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementing bee propolis as a growth promoter and antioxidant material on laying performance, egg quality traits, blood parameters, antioxidant status during laying period of quails. A total number of 72 laying quails, 15-wks-old were randomly divided into four groups, 18 birds each, and each treatment replicated three times in a completely randomized design. The birds were selected on basis of more than 70 % egg production rate after two-week of observation period. Dietary treatments were as follows: control (without supplementation), bee propolis at levels of 250 and 500 mg/kg diet and ascorbic acid at level 250 mg/kg diet (as a positive control). Results showed that quails fed diets supplemented with different levels of propolis or ascorbic acid had similar body weight change, egg laying rate, egg weight and egg mass as compared to those fed the control diet throughout the experiment. Feeding quails on different levels of propolis or ascorbic acid in the diet improved feed conversion ratio, but differences were not significant compared to the control. All studied egg quality parameters were not significantly affected by different treatments. Yolk total cholesterol concentration was significantly (P≤0.05) lower for groups fed 500 mg propolis diet and this decrease reached to 3.6 % as compared to those fed the control diet, whereas, yolk total lipids were significantly (P≤0.05) decreased for groups fed ascorbic acid or different levels of propolis as compared to the control group. The decrease in yolk total lipids reached to 18.9, 23.5 and 10.2 % for the groups given 250 mg ascorbic acid, 250 and 500 mg propolis / kg diet, respectively. The studied serum constituents were significantly influenced for quails fed ascorbic acid or different levels of propolis diets. Feeding both ascorbic acid and propolis supplementation diets resulted in significantly lower total lipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol and LDL values than those fed the control diet. Malondialdehyde was significantly decreased whereas, total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase significantly increased in all treatments compared to the control. In conclusion, results indicated that propolis could effectively be added to quail ration to improve laying performance and to optimize lipid profile in egg yolk and blood and enhance the antioxidative status under summer conditions.

total of seventy-two V-line rabbits of both sexes, 5 weeks old, with initial weights of 639.4 ±.25.97 g were used for the study. Rabbits were randomly allocated to 6 treatment groups, each of which included 4 replicates of 3 rabbits. The experiment lasted for 6 weeks to be finished at 11 weeks of age and dietary treatments were as follows: 1) Control (basal diet); 2) basal diet+ 100 mg/kg antibiotictylosin; 3) basal diet+ 0.5 g /kg turmeric (as a source of curcumin); 4) basal diet+ 1.0 g/kg turmeric; 5) basal diet+ 0.5 g/kg cinnamon; 6) basal diet+ 1.0 g /kg cinnamon. The results showed that there were significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences in body weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio among treatments and the control group. The highest body weight and weight gain values and the best feed conversion ratio were recorded in the groups given 1.0 g /kg diet turmeric or cinnamon. The highest feed intake values were observed in the control and Tyrosin fed groups, while the lowest feed intake values was recorded in cinnamon fed group. Tylosin, cinnamon and turmeric supplementation significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved digestibility of DM, OM, CP, CF, EE and NFE and also, improved the nutritive values of nutrients as TDN and DCP in comparison with control. General significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in RBCs, Hb and PCV % due to the different feed additives in comparison with control group. Serum lipid profile improved by phytogenic feed additives compared with tylosin and control groups. Phytogenic feed additives reduced Malondialdehyde (P ≤ 0.05), while, increased total antioxidant capacity concentrations and glutathione peroxidase activities. Immunostimulatory effects of phytogenic feed additives were recorded. In conclusion, we state that cinnamon and turmeric could have beneficial effects on performance, digestibility, immunomodulatory and play an important role as an exogenous antioxidant.Keywords: Rabbits, cinnamon and turmeric, antibiotic, performance, immunity and blood lipid profile. 1 Vit+Min mixture provides per kilogram contains: Vit A 6000 IU; Vit D 3 450 IU; Vit E 40 mg; Vit K 3 1 mg; Vit B 1 1 mg; Vit B 2 3 mg; Vit B 3 180 mg; Vit B 6 39 mg; Vit B 12 2.5 mg; Pantothenic acid 10 mg; biotin 10 mg; folic acid 2.5 mg; choline chloride 1200 mg; Manganese 15 mg; Zinc 35 mg; Iron 38 mg; Copper 5 mg; Selenium 0.1 mg; Iodine 0.2 mg; Selenium 0.05 mg. 2 Analyzed values according to AOAC (1995). Fekete and Gippert (1986) using the following equation: DE (kcal/ kg DM) = 4253 -32.6 (CF %) -144.4 (total ash). DE calculated according to

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary dried onion and dried cinnamon supplementation on laying performance, egg quality, serum lipid profile, and immune responses of Japanese quails. A total of 120 laying quails aged 12 weeks were randomly allocated into five groups (24 birds each). Each treatment was replicated 4 times with 6 quails in a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments were as follows: control (basal diet only, without any supplementation); tylosin (basal diet + 100 mg tylosin/kg diet); onion (basal diet + 800 mg dried onion/kg diet); cinnamon (basal diet + 800 mg dried cinnamon/kg diet); and onion + cinnamon (basal diet + mixture of 400 mg each of dried onion and dried cinnamon/kg diet). Cinnamon supplementation improved laying rate, egg numbers, egg mass, and feed conversion ratio of quails compared to the control treatment, followed by tylosin supplementation. Egg shell percentage was higher ( P < 0.05) in quails that consumed the onion + cinnamon mixture than those fed only the cinnamon supplemented diet. Serum total lipid content, egg yolk lipids and egg yolk cholesterol were lower ( P < 0.05) in birds fed with the supplemented diets than that of the control group. On the other hand, dietary supplements did not affect levels of triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein levels. The dietary supplementation with onion and/or cinnamon reduced serum malondialdehyde levels compared to control treatment. The foot web index was higher ( P < 0.05) in the onion treatment than in the other experimental groups. The dried cinnamon and the mixture of dried onion + dried cinnamon treatments showed higher ( P < 0.05) immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels than the control treatment. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with natural plant materials such as dried onion and cinnamon can be used to improve the laying Japanese quail performance, egg quality, and immunity.

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