We studied the effects of photoperiods on the growth performance, blood profile, welfare parameters, and carcass characteristics of broilers. A total of 336 male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 4 treatments (84 birds per treatment with 4 replicates), based on the following lighting regimen: 24 h continuous light (24L), 18 h continuous light (18L:6D), 8 h continuous light (8L:16D), and intermittent light (4L:2D). Body weight and feed intake of 7- and 35-day-old broilers were measured. At 5 weeks of age, 12 birds per treatment were selected for blood collection and carcass analysis. Body weight, body weight gain, and feed intake were the lowest in the 8L:16D treatment (p < 0.05). The heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, aspartate aminotransferase, interleukin-6, and corticosterone levels in the 24L treatment increased significantly when compared to that in the 18L:6D treatment (p < 0.05). The footpad dermatitis score was significantly lower in the 18L:6D and 8L:16D treatments than in the 24L and 4L:2D treatments (p < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the carcass and meat characteristics, except for the shear force of breast meat (Pectoralis major), which was the lowest in the 8L:16D treatment (p < 0.05). These results indicate that a photoperiod of 18 h resulted in an improvement in the performance and welfare of birds and a simultaneous decrease in stress level. However, further research is needed to establish a lighting regimen that satisfies both the productivity and welfare requirements of broilers in different feeding phases.

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This study aimed to examine the effect of probiotics containing Bacillus subtilis and oregano essential oil on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and cecal microbial composition in pullets aged 0–18 weeks. A total of 324 day-old Hy-Line Brown chicks were randomly assigned to three treatment groups, with six replicates per group and 18 birds per pen. The experimental treatments consisted of the following: a control group receiving a basal diet (Con), a group receiving a basal diet supplemented with 1 g/kg (3 × 108 cfu/kg) of Bacillus subtilis (BS), and a group receiving a basal diet supplemented with 0.3 g/kg of oregano essential oil (ORO). The groups supplemented with BS and ORO demonstrated significantly higher villus height/crypt depth ratios than the Con group. Microbial richness was significantly higher in groups supplemented with BS (p = 0.0317) and ORO (p = 0.00794) than in the Con group. These findings revealed a distinct separation between gut microbial communities of the Con group and those supplemented with ORO, based on unweighted and weighted UniFrac indices. Therefore, supplementation with Bacillus subtilis and oregano oil improved the composition of the microbiota, suggesting their positive effects on the gut health of pullets.

This study was conducted to investigate the appropriate levels of crude protein (CP) and phytase in the diet of broiler chicks in order to reduce nitrogen and phosphorus contents in feces while maintaining performance of broilers. Six hundred forty-eight 1-day-old male broilers (41.9±0.91 g) had a total of 3 × 3 complex factor of 3 levels of CP (22%, 21%, 20%) and 3 levels of phytase (1,000, 800, 500 FTU/kg) in the diet. Divided into 9 treatments, 4 replications per treatment, 18 birds per replication, were completely randomly assigned and reared in a metabolic cage for 7 days. Seven-day-old body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG) of broilers were significantly lower at CP 20% treatment (P<0.05), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly lower at CP 21% and phytase 800 FTU/kg treatment (P<0.05). Nitrogen and phosphorus contents in chicken excreta were significantly lower in CP 20% and phytase 500 FTU/kg treatment, respectively (P<0.05). Interactions between CP and phytase in the feed were shown for nitrogen and phosphorus in feces (P<0.05). In conclusion, considering the broiler performance and excretion contents of nitrogen and phosphorus, it is thought that CP and phytase levels of broiler chicks diet can be reduced by 21% and 800 FTU/kg, respectively.

This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) and NH3 emissions from different types of laying hens poultry houses during spring. The concentrations of PM and NH3 were measured three times (2-week intervals; March to May) in Floor-pen-, Aviary-, and Cage-type poultry houses. Overall, PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations were found to be low from 22:00 to 04:00. The PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations in Floor-pen and Cage houses were similar with no significant daily deviation. NH 3 concentrations measured over 24 h at the center and end of Floor-pen house were relatively constant. Irrespective of measurement location, NH 3 concentrations were the lowest in Floor-pen house. Moreover, NH 3 concentrations were higher at the end of Floor-pen and Aviary houses than that at the center; however, lower concentrations of NH 3 were detected at the end of Cage house. The concentrations of PM 10 and PM 2.5 around the poultry houses were 57.5 and 34.0 μg/m 3 , respectively, with the daily average PM 10 and PM 2.5 concentrations (4,730 and 447.7 μg/m 3 , respective) being the highest in Aviary house. The concentrations of NH 3 at the center and end of Cage house were the highest at 12.0 and 9.31 ppm, respectively. Furthermore, in Cage house, the emission factor of NH 3 was the lowest, whereas there was no significant difference on that of NH 3 . In conclusion, among the three types of poultry houses assessed, PM (PM 10 , PM 2.5 ) concentrations were higher in Aviary house, whereas NH3 concentrations were higher in Cage house.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of three different photoperiods on growth performance, blood properties, and stress indicators in broiler chicks between 1-7 days after hatching. Two hundred and fifty-two 1-day-old male broiler chicks (57.0±0.12 g) were divided into three treatments, with 4 replicates per treatment and 22 birds per replicate subjected to three different photoperiods of 24L, 22L/2D and 18L/6D. A light-emitting diode bulb served as the light source, with an illuminance of 30 lx. As an experimental diet, a commercial feed based on a corn-soybean meal, with 22% CP and 3,150 kcal/kg ME diet, and water were fed ad libitum. Body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and liver weight ratio showed a statistically significant difference between the 18L/6D and 24L treatments (P<0.05), but with no significant difference between the 22L/2D treatment and either the 24L or 18L/6D treatment. The breast meat ratio was 5.59% in the 18L/6D treatment group, which was lower than that of other treatment groups (P<0.05). The triglyceride levels were highest (P<0.05) in the 18L/6D treatment among treatments, but alanine aminotransferase levels were significantly higher (P<0.05) in the 22L/2D treatment than in the 24L treatment. Levels of cytokines, i.e., Interleukin-6 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-α did not show a significant difference among the treatments, but corticosterone content was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the 24L treatment than in the 18L/6D treatment. In conclusion, 22 hours of lighting is appropriate between 1~7 days after hatching, considering growth performance and the overall health of broiler chicks.