Palatability of tannin-rich sericea lespedeza fed to broilers

Abstract

As parasites become resistant to available anthelmintics, new methods of control are needed. New drugs take a long time to develop in addition to being expensive; therefore, there is increasing interest in finding and using natural alternatives. Additionally, natural remedies are needed for the organic sector because synthetic drugs are not allowed and birds with outdoor access are likely to encounter parasites. Sericea lespedeza [SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G.Don.] is a common perennial legume found in pastures across the southern United States that has been shown to be effective at controlling parasitic nematodes in small ruminants because of its condensed tannin content. Diets high in condensed tannins are often unpalatable to poultry; however, growers report that chickens maintained on pastures will consume SL. These reports and the level of consumption have not been verified. Therefore, before determining its potential in controlling parasites in poultry, we confirmed in a preliminary study that birds on pasture consumed SL (92% of birds examined had SL in crops), and in a subsequent study, dried SL leaves were added to a commercial broiler feed to determine the palatability of SL at various concentrations. Diets included 0 (control), 5, 10, or 20% SL (DM weight) and were fed from hatch until slaughter at 6 wk of age. Male broilers (n = 80) were randomly divided into 8 groups and fed 1 of the 4 diets in replicate. Body weight gains were similar between the control and SL at 5%. Including more than 5% SL in the diet reduced individual BW (P < 0.05). At the end of the feeding period, the digestive organs as a percentage of body weight of birds fed 20% SL were larger than those of control birds. Feed conversion was higher in the 20% SL treatment (2.31) than in the control treatment (1.63; P < 0.05). Palatability of SL did not appear to be a problem because all treatment groups consumed a similar amount of feed. Therefore, the effects of SL on parasite control will be evaluated in subsequent studies.

Use of golden mussel and wattle tannin in the supply of cut chickens

“…The decrease in bird performance corroborates the results reported by Moyle et al (2012) who used diets containing tannin from the lespedeza plant and observed a decrease in bird weight and an increase in FI with worsening FCR.…”

“…The use of acacia tannin provided a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on the relative weight of the liver at 42 days of age, with the highest weight of this organ observed with the inclusion of 896.75 g ton -1 of tannin. Moyle et al (2012) observed that when using 20 % sericea lespedeza, a tannin rich grass, the relative liver weight increased compared to the control diet. The liver can be affected by the toxic effect of tannin, since it is responsible for coagulation factors, and also since it is the primary source of several serological metabolites including urea, albumin, and glucose (SILVA et al, 2011).…”

Golden mussel (Limnoperna fortunei) in feed for broiler chicks using tannin as a sequestrant of toxic metals

“…They also reported that a concentration of up to 2.6 g kg -1 of tannins in the diet did not significantly affect the performance of broiler chickens, but in this experiment, it was possible to note a reduction in broiler performance with the maximum tannin concentration of 0.9 g kg -1 . Moyle et al (2012) observed that when fed on increasing levels of Sericea lespedeza, a grass rich in tannin, poultry decreased in weight in the second and third week of life, and showed an increase in FI and consequently worsening FCR. This decline in performance is related to ingredients with low nutrient levels in the diet, such as tannins.…”

“…Calcium homeostasis is influenced by the production of parathormone, calcitonin and renal hydrolase for the activation of cholecalciferol, which acts on intestinal absorption and metabolic utilization (NELSON;COX, 2008). According to Macari et al (2002), this homeostatic mechanism has an important function in preventing excessive absorption or toxicity of Ca in birds.…”

Antimicrobial activity of novel mouthrinses against planktonic cells and biofilms of pathogenic microorganisms

“…Of further concern is that it is expected that the incidence of dental caries and periodontal disease will continue to increase as a result of the growing intake of sugars in the diet, tobacco use, and inadequate exposure to fluorides, and lack of access to dental care [22]. Increasing antibiotic resistance has promoted interest in the therapeutic use of non-conventional or alternative medicines and plant extracts [13,[23][24][25][26]. It has been shown that naturally occurring biocides are effective in inactivating a variety of microorganisms by affecting multiple target sites and are therefore less prone to development of resistance compared to conventional antibiotics targeting specific bacterial sites [27,28].…”