ABSTRACT: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotics on performance, intestinal morphology and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens housed on lower or higher environmental challenge. Three hundred male Cobb chicks were distributed into four groups in completely randomised design with treatments arranged in a 2 x 2 factorial scheme to evaluate effects of two diets (with or without probiotics) and two environmental conditions (lower or higher challenge), totaling four treatments with five replications with 15 birds per box. Probiotics were added on diets and were composed of Lactobacillus acidophilus, Bacillus subtilis, Bifidobacterium bifidum and Enterococcus faecium. The environment with lower challenge was made up of new wood shavings used as litter, low bird density (8 birds/m2) and daily-cleaned bell drinkers. The environment with higher challenge was made up of re-used wood shavings used as litter (after three broods of broilers), bird density of 16 birds/m2 with bell drinkers cleaned every two days. No significant interaction between diet and environmental challenge was found for any of the variables evaluated. Performance, slaughterhouse variables and chemical carcass composition were not affected by the use of probiotics. Chicks receiving diets without probiotics had lower intestinal crypt depth (267.1 vs. 316.6 pm, P=0.0068). Birds raised in the environment with higher challenge decreased feed intake (4,660 vs 5,020 g, P=0.0422), weight gain (2,610 vs 2,810 g, P= 0.0054), drumstick and thigh yield (21.98 vs 24.14 %, P=0.0354), and increased crypt depth (325.2 vs 258.5 pm P=0.0009). In conclusion, the probiotic does not promote satisfactory improvements, regardless of the environmental challenge.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to determine the histological features of the endometrium of bitches, as well as the cell proliferation at specific moments of diestrus, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days post ovulation, correlating the endometrial thickness with the uterine cell proliferation and the metabolic state (weight, blood glucose and plasma cholesterol) of the animals. Therefore, the right and left uterine horns of 26 clinically healthy bitches submitted to ovariohysterectomy were histologically analyzed 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 days post ovulation. The hematoxylin-eosin and AgNOR staining techniques were performed. All parameters were evaluated by ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test (p<0.05). The correlation between endometrial thickness and uterine cell proliferation, weight, blood glucose and plasma cholesterol of animals was observed using the Pearson method (p<0.05). In the present study, it is concluded that endometrial thickness does not differ at any of the moments analyzed in diestrus. The endometrial thickness is not influenced by hormones, weight, blood glucose or serum cholesterol of bitches in this phase of the estrous cycle. However, there is greater cell proliferation in the endometrium at day 40 compared to day 60 post ovulation under the influence of the endocrine profile.