Effects of Bacteriophage Supplementation on Egg Performance, Egg Quality, Excreta Microflora, and Moisture Content in Laying Hens

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of bacteriophage supplementation on egg performance, egg quality, excreta microflora, and moisture content in laying hens. A total of 288 Hy-line brown commercial laying hens (36-wk-old) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments in this 6-wk trial and dietary treatments included: i) CON, basal diet; ii) T1, CON+0.020% bacteriophage; iii) T2, CON+0.035% bacteriophage; iv) T3, CON+0.050% bacteriophage. There were 6 replicates for each treatment with 6 adjacent cages (2 hens/cage). Laying hens in T2 and T3 treatments had higher (p<0.05) egg production than those in CON and T1 treatments during wk 0 to 3. In addition, egg production in T1, T2, and T3 treatments was increased (p<0.05) compared with that in CON treatment during wk 4 to 6. At wk 4 and 5, birds in T2 group had higher (p<0.05) HU than those in CON. In addition, at wk 5 and 6, HU in birds fed T1 and T3 diets was greater (p<0.05) than those fed CON diet. E. coli and Salmonella spp. concentrations in excreta were decreased (p<0.05) by T1, T2, and T3 treatments. However, egg weight, egg shell color, yolk height, yolk color unit, egg shell strength, egg shell thickness, egg gravity, and excreta moisture content were not influenced by dietary treatments during the entire experimental period. In conclusion, bacteriophage supplementation has beneficial effects on egg production, egg albumen, and excreta microflora concentration in laying hens.

Alternatives to antibiotics for maximizing growth performance and feed efficiency in poultry: a review

“…Very few studies demonstrated the effects of supplementing diets with bacteriophages on growth performance. Zhao et al (2012) evaluated the effects in laying hens and reported that incorporating 0.035 or 0.05% of bacteriophages in their diet significantly improved egg production. Increased body weight gain and reduced FCR were reported in broilers given diets supplemented with 0.10 and 0.15% (Kim et al, 2013c) or 0.5 g kg −1 of bacteriophages, respectively (Wang et al, 2013b).…”

Global Restriction of Using Antibiotic Growth Promoters and Alternative Strategies in Poultry Production

“…Refs [99][100][101][102] Antimicrobial peptides and fermented protein Improves live performance and gut health; decreases bacterial count in the intestine; enhances immunity and nutrient utilisation.…”

“…Several studies have demonstrated the effects of supplemental diets with bacteriophages on production and growth performance of animals. Zhao et al 100 reported that dietary supplementation of bacteriophages significantly improved egg production of laying hens. In addition, improved body weight and feed efficiency were reported in broilers fed diets supplemented with various levels of bacteriophages 101,102 .…”

Effects of phages on the gut microbiota and their impact on probiotic efficacy in broiler chickens

“…This showed that the use of 0.1% phage cocktail with a combination of probiotic (1 P) has the potential to improve the growth performance of broiler chickens. Although supplementation of phage cocktail alone did not signi cantly improve growth performance in broiler chickens, studies on laying hens reported that supplementation of phage cocktail signi cantly increased their growth performance and egg production [70]. Studies in pigs had also shown that supplementation of phage cocktail singly or in combinations with probiotic signi cantly improved the growth performance [14,15].…”