An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of restricted feeding of a commercially available probiotic diet on production/processing performance, Campylobacter jejuni prevalence, and organ weights in broiler chickens. Five hundred forty 1-d-old broiler chicks were randomly assigned to a control or a direct-fed microbial (PrimaLac, DFM) diet and subjected to ad libitum full-fed (A), restricted 8-h (R), or skip-a-day (S) feeding regimens. Each of the 6 treatments was replicated 3 times with 15 male and 15 female chicks per pen for 49 d. Significant (P<0.05) differences between BW in the control and DFM groups with regard to feed type were found at d 7 (A), female d 21 (R) male and females, and d 49 (A and S) male and females. Body weights of males in the control group were significantly higher than the DFM (A) and differed by regimens (A>R>S) at d 49, whereas weights of females did not differ in regimens A and S. Body weight in the control females of regimen R was significantly higher than those in regimens A and S. Carcass yield was significantly higher for males in the control regimen A, 78.1 vs. 74.6% for the DFM regimen A; however, females did not differ significantly in this regimen, but did so in regimen S with 72.6 vs. 69.0%. The gizzard weights were significantly higher for broilers exposed to S and R regimens when compared with the A regimen. The prevalence of C. jejuni in the DFM-treated broilers regimen R was lower (33 vs. 60% positive) for the control group at 21 d. The weekly BW throughout the study reflected many variations, but broiler chickens receiving the control feed on regimen A performed better than those receiving the DFM feed. From the present results, it was concluded that supplementation of DFM reduced the presence of C. jejuni but had no significant effect on the growth performance of broilers; however, there were some significant trends regarding sex, feed, and feeding methods on the performance results.
A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of combined Shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) extract with probiotics (PrimaLac) on the growth and health of broiler chickens. In trial 1, 540 d-of-hatch chicks were randomly assigned to 6 treatment groups, replicated 3 times, with 15 males and 15 females per pen for 3 wk. Dietary probiotics and mushroom treatments were as follows: 1) control feed + ad libitum tap water; 2) control feed + skip-a-day mushroom water; 3) control feed + ad libitum mushroom water; 4) probiotic feed + ad libitum tap water; 5) probiotic feed + skip-a-day mushroom water; 6) probiotic feed + ad libitum mushroom water. Body weight gain, feed consumption and efficiency, mortality, bursa, liver, and spleen relative weights of chicks were taken. In trial 2, the performance of broilers 3 to 7 wk withdrawn from the mushroom extract was evaluated along with the comparative level of fecal biofidobacteria in the control and mushroom extract treatment (trt). Mortality, weight gain, feed consumption and efficiency, carcass yield, fat pads, bursa weights and fecal bifidobacteria were measured in trial 2. In trial 1, significant differences (P < 0.05) in female weight gain (trt 4-0.62 vs. trt 1-0.54 kg) and male spleen weights were observed. In trial 2, significant differences were observed in male weight gain (trt 2-2.40 vs. trt 4-1.12 kg), male and female fat pads, male bursa weights (trt 3-0.15 vs. trt 6-0.39), female carcass yield percentage (trt 1-77.8 vs. trt 4-66.4), and feed consumption and efficiency. Body weights were severely depressed in the male broilers receiving the probiotics feed in treatments 4, 5, and 6, but not in the female broilers. These results indicate that performance differences in gender occur with additives during different grow-out periods, and mushroom extract promotes bifidobacteria growth in broiler chickens after 4 wk of withdrawal. It appears that probiotics and mushroom extract offered no combination potential for weight gain, which was compromised in this study, but possible health-enhanced attributes.
This study investigated possible seasonal trends in the Campylobacter jejuni carrier state of market broilers. In this study, broiler carcasses, 15 each of two major companies, were obtained from a local supermarket each month for an entire year to evaluate the presence of C. jejuni on the carcasses. Direct plating and the whole carcass rinse procedure were used for C. jejuni detection. Resuscitation of damaged cells and preenrichment of low numbers of micoorganisms were accomplished by Hunt's procedure. None of the carcasses tested positive from direct plating of skin flora in this study. After both Company A and Company B broiler samples were enriched, 69% (229/330) of the raw commercial broilers were, positive for C. jejuni. The highest recovery rates were obtained during the warmer months of the year, from May through October (93, 97, 97, 87, 87, and 93% respectively), and the lowest were obtained in December (7%) and January (33%). Storage time, due to slow movement of broilers, appeared to affect the detectability of C. jejuni during December and January. This study shows that seasons of the year influence C. jejuni detectability and the carrier state in market broilers at retail level.
The suitability of leaves for use as broiler litter was evaluated in four 49-d floor pen trials of 150 Avian x Avian female chickens each. In each trial, 25 broiler chicks were weighed and randomly assigned to one of six pens at a density of 1.2 m2 per bird. There were two replicates of each of the following three treatments: 1) pine wood shaving (control), 2) a mix of 50% pine wood shaving and 50% leaves, and 3) leaves. Litter materials had no significant (P > or = 0.05) influence on live weight, feed conversion, breast blisters, dressed carcass weight, carcass yield percentage, or mortality. Mortality of birds reared on leaves tended to be higher than the other treatments, but it was found to be nonsignificant at the P < 0.05 level. No significant differences were observed for percentage litter moisture among treatments. Body weight gain was significantly (P < or = 0.05) higher for the broilers reared on the leaf litter. Leaves alone or mixed with wood shavings have potential as an alternate litter material without compromising production or processing parameters at a low placement density.
An experiment was carried out over a 1-yr period with broiler chickens to assess the influence of cage and floor rearing environments on the isolation trends of Campylobacter jejuni. The study used 36 7-wk-old broiler chickens that were raised in floor pens and naturally infected with or exposed to C. jejuni during the growout period. These broilers were then leg-banded and split into two groups with 18 per group. The groups were placed in wire cages or in a floor pen with unused litter in separate houses on the same farm. Each broiler was swabbed cloacally monthly to determine the presence of C. jejuni. The yearly average percentage isolation rates were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for the broilers held in the litter floor pen (130/185;66%) when compared to the broilers kept in wire cages (67/193;35%). There was a trend for higher isolation rates in the fall for caged and floor broilers and a decrease in rates near the end of the experimental year (summer) in the caged broilers. Isolation rates for both treatments reached their lowest level for the month of March. No caged broilers tested positive during the last 4 mo of the trial. The long-term cage isolation was linked to a reduced prevalence of C. jejuni. The results from this study suggest that housing environment and time spent in that environment play a major role in the continuing shedding and isolation of C. jejuni in broiler chickens.
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