ABSTRACT The study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of an additive based on plant and spice extracts in broiler chicken diets on the productive performance, carcass yield, and meat quality. 704 male broiler chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 4 treatment, 4 replicates of 44 broiler chickens each. The experimental diets consisted of Diet 1: Control diet; Diet 2: Control diet + antibiotic growth promoters (AGP); Diet 3: Control diet + vegetable extracts (100 g/ton) and Diet 4: Control diet + vegetable extracts (150 g/ton). The vegetable extracts used were carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol extracted from oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. The supplementation of vegetal extracts did not affect (p>0.05) broiler chickens’ productive performance or carcass yield. The lipid peroxidation (MDA nmol/mg protein) in the meat in natura was decreased (p<0.05) for broilers supplemented with vegetable extracts. The supplementation of 100 or 150 g/ton of vegetal extracts based on carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol did not affect broiler chickens’ productive performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality, and inhibited MDA production in broilers’ in natura meat.

ABSTRACT Fragments with vibrant colors and attractive textures in poultry house litter may be consumed considering that the confinement environment does not offer many opportunities for the development of the birds’s natural behavior. Control and quality programs aiming to reduce and to eliminate the consumption of materials from the construction of sheds have been implanted. However, it is necessary to develop studies for a better understanding of the bird’s ingestive behavior and the consequences for their health, welfare and productivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. A total of 360 birds were distributed in a completely randomized design over a 2x3 factorial scheme (2 fragment sizes: 2 to 7 mm and 5 to 8 mm and 3 concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 1%), totaling 6 treatments and 5 replicates. The fragments used were glass, wood, metal and plastic, in respective concentrations and sizes, distributed in the poultry house litter. The supply of fragments or the accidental occurrence of similar fragments to which were analyzed in this study concerning the poultry house litter, with different sizes, colors and textures does not compromise the integrity of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and the welfare of the birds.

ABSTRACT The effects of either functional oil or antibiotic growth promoter supplementation on broiler breeders and their offspring were assessed in 2 experiments. In Experiment I, 16,400 broiler breeders (22 weeks old) were distributed into 2 experimental groups, one supplemented with 1,500 ppm of a commercial blend of functional oils (active ingredients: cashew nutshell liquid and castor oil) and the other with 500 ppm of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD). Laying rates, fertility, embryonic mortality, and egg characteristics were measured from weeks 25 to 46. In Experiment II, 720 one day old male chicks, born from 42 week old breeders, from each one of the two treatments in Experiment I, were supplemented with either 10 ppm of enramycin or 1,500 ppm of the same functional oils as in Experiment I to study whether there were any maternal diet carry-over effects. Functional oils decreased embryonic mortality from 11.01% to 9.64% (P < 0.03) when compared to BMD. However, a functional oil link increase in egg weight did not result in either heavier chicks or statistically significant better offspring performance. Nonetheless, a possible benefit of the functional oil supplementation on the offspring weight at 42 d cannot be excluded. The type of additive supplemented during Experiment II did not affect any performance parameters. In conclusion, functional oils could successfully replace antibiotic growth promoters in broiler breeders as embryonic mortality decreased. Finally, when functional oils were supplemented to the offspring, the performance was similar to that of a commonly used antibiotic growth promoter.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this trial was to supplement commercial broiler diets with optimum vitamin programs and higher availability of mineral sources, and to evaluate the effect on performance, yield and meat quality of broilers. The study used 1800 male broiler chicks randomly distributed in a 2 x 2 factorial design (vitamin programs - optimum and commercial vs. mineral sources - inorganic (sulfates) and carbo-amino-phospho-chelate (CAPC)). Supplementation associating optimum vitamin levels and mineral source CAPC resulted in better feed conversion and higher carcass weight at 42 days of age (p<0.05). Supplementation of diets with optimum vitamin levels resulted in higher absolute and relative breast weight, lower abdominal fat deposition, and reduction (p<0.05) of broiler breast water loss by dripping. Supplementation with CAPC minerals resulted in higher breast weight, lower abdominal fat deposition, less elastic muscle tissue, that is, a higher level of tenderness resulting in less resistance of muscle fibers and skin with higher tear strength than the skin of birds fed inorganic sources. Associating optimum vitamin programs and CAPC mineral source resulted in lower (p<0.05) lipid peroxidation levels in thighs and drumsticks after 10 and 40 days freezing. No difference (p>0.05) was found in the association of vitamin programs and mineral sources on the occurrence of white striping and dorsal myopathy. Supplementing the diets with optimized vitamin programs associated with a more bioavailable mineral source resulted in a positive contribution to the meat quality of broilers.

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate the performance, intestinal morphology and carcass yield of broilers fed corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet or corn-SBM-soybean hull (SH) with or without b-mannanase supplementation. Thousand four hundred and forty Cobb Slow-male- chicks were housed design following a factorial scheme 2 x 2 (corn-SBM diet and corn-SBM-SH diet vs with and without b-mannanase), composing 4 treatments and 9 replicates each treatment, with 40 birds each replicate. At 21 days, corn-SBM diet supplemented with b-mannanase resulted in better (p<0.05) feed conversion. At 42 days, the weight gain (p<0.05) and feed intake (p<0.05) of the birds fed diets containing SH was 2.6% and 2.9% higher than that of birds fed corn-SBM diets, respectively, independent of b-mannanase supplementation. Birds supplemented with b-mannanase had a lower length of villi (p<0.05) and absorption area (p<0.05) of jejunum mucosa, and higher (p<0.05) relative liver weight. Diets with SH and without addition of b-mannanase resulted in higher relative liver weight (p<0.05) and lower percentage of fat in the carcass. It was not found statistical differences (p>0.05) in the quality of the poultry litter with the inclusion of the enzyme in the diet. The use of b-mannanase in diets with higher concentration of fiber improves the feed conversion of broilers from 1 to 21 days and can be an important nutritional and economic strategy in situations of unavailability of raw material of better quality. Corn-SBM-SH diet resulted in greater weight gain at 42 days than corn-SBM diet.

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the supplementation of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) and L-arginine (L-Arg) as creatine precursors to vegetable diets on the carcass yield and meat quality of broilers subjected to two days of heat stress before slaughter. A total of 1260 broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized design into four treatments with nine replicates of 35 birds each. The treatments consisted of: T1 - vegetable diet based on corn and soybean meal (control diet); T2 - control diet with the inclusion of meat meal (3%); T3 - control diet supplemented with GAA (0.08%); and T4 - control diet supplemented with L-Arg (0.8%). The birds were submitted to heat stress for two days before slaughter (from 42 to 44 days of age). The birds fed the diets supplemented with GAA or L-Arg presented heavier carcasses (p<0.0035), higher breast yield (p=0.0685), and lower of abdominal fat deposition (p=0.0508) than those fed the control diet and the control diet with meat meal. The cooking loss of the breast fillets of broilers fed the control diet supplemented with meat meal, GAA or L-Arg was lower (p<0.0068) compared with those fed the control diet. Thawing and pressure-driven breast fillet weight losses, and pH, luminosity, redness (a*value), and yellowness (b* value) values were not influenced by the treatments. When GAA is less expensive than commercially-available Arg, the dietary supplementation of GAA is more advantageous, based on the meat yield improvements observed in the present study.

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of in-ovo vaccination on different incubation days of broiler embryos derived from young and old breeders on incubation indexes, vaccine response, and broiler performance. A number of 20,160 fertile eggs was distributed according to a completely randomized design in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement (in-ovo vaccination on 16, 17, 18, or 19 days of incubation, and breeders of 31 or 52 weeks of age), totaling eight treatments with 15 replicates of 168 eggs each. Vaccination procedures and vaccines (strains and doses) were those routinely applied in commercial hatcheries. After hatch, 960 male chicks were housed and distributed according to the same experimental design previously applied in the hatchery. There were hatching losses (p<0.05) when eggs were vaccinated before 18 days of incubation. Greater Marek's disease antibody titers were obtained when the in-ovo vaccination was performed on day 19 of incubation, regardless breeder age. Embryonic age at vaccination did not compromise broiler performance in the field, and the flexibility of embryonic age for in-ovo vaccination can reduces incubation costs.

ABSTRACT Salmonellosis is a globally important zoonosis, and Salmonella Heidelberg is one of the most prevalent serovars in poultry production worldwide, as well as in food poisoning cases. Antimicrobial drugs were previously widely used to face health challenges in animal production; however, since their ban as performance enhancers, many alternative strategies have been proposed. One of these strategies is the use of plant extracts, such as those containing the alkaloids benzophenanthridine and protopine. These compounds have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and nutritional effects. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the supply of a product containing benzophenanthridine and protopine (Sangrovit(r)WS 100 g/1000 L of drinking water) to broilers during different rearing periods 1-21, 1-6 and 6-21 days of age challenged or not with Salmonella Heidelberg at six days of age. There was no effect of the product on the performance, jejunal morphometry, cecal goblet cell counts, or control of Salmonella spp. in broilers challenged or not with Salmonella Heidelberg. However, the group receiving the alkaloids from 1 to 21 days of age, compared with the control group, presented a numerical difference of 28 points in productive efficiency index, which directly impacts live production cost of live broiler, representing savings of R$ 0.11/kg of meat produced.

ABSTRACT Adverse environmental conditions during rearing may negatively affect productivity and meat quality of the modern fast-growing broiler strains. Temperature manipulation during sensitive embryonic development periods may affect broilers' physiological responses to environmental conditions during rearing on commercial farms. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of temperature manipulation during incubation and breeder age on the meat quality of male and female broilers submitted to heat stress during the pre-slaughter period. In this experiment, 1280 broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 2x2x2 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of two breeder ages (30 and 60 weeks), two temperature programs applied in the last four days of incubation (standard or high temperature), and sex (male and female). Birds were submitted to 32 °C for 48 hours before slaughter, on day 46.Meat quality parameters (pH, temperature, color, and weight loss) were evaluated. There was significant effect (p<0.05) of sex on meat redness (a*) and fat percentage, with females presenting higher values than males in both measurements. Males incubated at the higher temperature presented higher (p<0.05) meat weight loss by pressure than females. The thermal manipulation applied during the final stage of incubation did not affect the meat yield or meat quality of broilers submitted to heat stress.

Incubation represents around 1/3 of the life cycle of broilers of modern strains; therefore, the appropriate management of this period is crucial to ensure the quality of the neonate. An experiment evaluated the effect of carbon dioxide concentrations during incubation on the live performance, heart morphology, and differential leukocyte count in the blood of broilers submitted to fluctuating temperatures between 35 and 42 days of age. In total, 2,520 fertile eggs were distributed according to a completely randomized design with four CO2 concentrations (4,000; 6,000; 8,000 and 10,000 ppm) during the first ten days of incubation, after which all eggs were incubated at the same CO2 level (4,000 ppm). After hatching, male chicks were placed in the experimental broiler houses, and at 35 days of age, 25 birds from each level of CO2 were separated and placed in cages to study the effect of cyclic temperature variations up to 42 days of age on their live performance, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, and heart morphology. At 42 days of age, blood was collected for hematology and two birds per replicate were sacrificed and evaluated for ascites score and heart and liver relative weights. Heart morphology was assessed by analyzing digital images. In this experiment, hypercapnia during incubation and fluctuating temperatures during the growout did not affect mortality, ascites score, heart and liver relative weights, or heart characteristics (p>0.05). However, heterophill:lymphocyte ratio increased (p<0.05) with increasing carbon dioxide concentrations during incubation. It was concluded that high CO2 levels during incubation did not influence the resistance of broilers to fluctuating temperatures during the last week of age.

The influence of supplementing the diet of broiler breeder hens with arginine (Arg) on their offspring's humoral and cell-mediated immune response was evaluated in two experiments. In experiments I and II, breeder hens were fed diets containing graded levels of Arg (0.943, 1.093, 1.243, 1.393 and 1.543% digestible Arg). In experiment I, the offspring was randomly grouped according to the treatment received by the breeder hens, with five levels of Arg in the maternal diet and six replicates, giving a total 30 experimental units. In experiment II, the offspring were grouped in accordance with the treatment received by the breeder hens; however, Arg was added to the starter diet (1.300, 1.450, 1.600, 1.750 and 1.900% digestible Arg) and also the growing diet (1.150, 1.300, 1.450, 1.600 and 1.750% digestible Arg). Supplementation of the broiler breeder hen diet did not influence (p > 0.05) the development of the lymphoid organs (cloacal bursa, thymus and spleen) of the offspring, whether their diet were supplemented or not. Nevertheless, greater weight and dimensions cloacal bursa were found in the supplemented offspring in comparison with the nonsupplemented offspring. Macrophage phagocytic activity was found to be unaffected (p > 0.05), independently of the Arg supplementation. The offspring fed with supplemented diets showed a linear reduction in the antibody titer against Newcastle Disease (p < 0.05) at seven days of age, and a quadratic response (p < 0.05) at 28 days of age. The antibody titer in the non-supplemented offspring was not influenced (p > 0.05) by the breeder hen diet. This study concluded that supplementing the breeder hen diet with arginine is insufficient to improve the humoral and cellular immune response, requiring supplementation of the offspring diet.

Vitamin K is involved in blood clotting process and plays an important role in bone formation. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the supplementation of different levels of vitamin K3 on growth performance and bone parameters of broiler chickens. For this purpose, 1,500 broiler chickens were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design. The treatments consisted of a control diet containing 1.6 mg of vitamin K3/kg of diet and 5 levels of vitamin K3 (11.6 mg/kg; 21.6 mg/kg; 41.6 mg/kg, 61.6 mg/kg and 81.6 mg/kg), with 5 replicates and 50 chickens per experimental unit. At 7, 21, and 40 days of age, growth performance (body weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed:gain ratio) and bone parameters (bone length and diameter, Seedor index and bone strength) were evaluated. The increase in vitamin K3 levels improved the feed intake, body weight and body weight gain in the pre-initial phase. At 40 days old, all performance parameters were similar among the different levels of vitamin K3. At 21 and 40 days of age, bone parameters were impaired as dietary levels of vitamin K3 increased. The results suggest that the recommended level of vitamin K3 in broiler chicken diets is 1.6 mg/kg of diet.

La vitamina K participa en los procesos de coagulación sanguínea y también tiene un importante papel en la formación de los huesos. Así, el objetivo de este estudio fue evaluar la suplementación de diferentes niveles de vitamina K3 sobre el comportamiento productivo y indicadores óseos de pollos de engorde. Se utilizaron 1.500 pollos de engorde, distribuidos en un diseño experimental completamente al azar. Los tratamientos consistieron en una dieta control conteniendo 1,6 mg de vitamina K3/kg de dieta y de 5 niveles de vitamina K3 (11,6 mg/kg; 21,6 mg/kg; 41,6 mg/kg, 61,6 mg/kg y 81,6 mg/kg), con 5 repeticiones de 50 aves/unidad experimental. A los 7, 21 y 40 días de edad, los indicadores de comportamiento productivo (peso promedio, ganancia de peso, consumo de dieta y conversión alimentaria) y los indicadores óseos (longitud y diámetro de los huesos, índice de Seedor y resistencia ósea) fueron evaluados. El aumento en los niveles de vitamina K3 mejoró el consumo de dieta, peso promedio y la ganancia de peso en la fase pre-inicial. A los 40 días de edad, todos los indicadores de comportamiento productivo fueron similares entre los diferentes niveles de vitamina K3. Los indicadores óseos empeoraron a los 21 y 40 días de edad con el aumento en los niveles de vitamina K3. Estos resultados sugieren que el nivel indicado de vitamina K3 en las dietas de pollos de engorde es de 1,6 mg/kg de dieta.

The present study aimed at evaluating the effect of adding a commercial multi-enzyme complex to conventional and alternative broiler diets on the immune response and occurrence of lesions in the intestinal mucosa. In total, 900 male broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized design, with six treatments of six replicates each. Two control diets were formulated: one with conventional feedstuffs (T1), based on corn and soybean meal, and one with alternative feedstuffs (T4), containing corn, millet, and soybean, canola and sunflower meals. Based on these diets, other four were prepared with reduced metabolizable energy, digestible amino acids, calcium and available phosphorus levels and the addition (T3 and T6) or not (T2 and T5) of a multi-enzyme complex. Broilers fed diets based on conventional feedstuffs had higher levels of defense cells compared with those fed diets that included millet with canola and sunflower meals. On the other hand, the use of enzymes in conventional or alternative diets decreased the number of these cells in the ileal mucosa.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of methionine sources (DL-methionine 99% powder (DLM) or methionine hydroxy analog liquid 88% (HMTBA)), arginine:lysine (Arg:Lys) ratio and sodium chloride (NaCl) content in the diet of broilers on their performance, carcass yield, serum biochemistry, duodenal mucosal morphology, and immune response. Birds were kept under high temperature conditions during the grower phase and were inoculated or not with an antigen. The use of HMTBA promoted better live performance and carcass yield than the use of DLM. Diets with 1.05 Arg:Lys ratio resulted in better live performance, higher carcass and breast meat yields, longer villi, shallower crypts, and stronger immune response when broilers were challenged than the 1.40 ratio. The dietary supplementation of 6.0 g NaCl/kg promoted better growth performance and carcass weight than 2.0 g NaCl/kg. There was no influence of the different methionine sources or NaCl concentrations on any evaluated intestinal morphology parameter or immune response, nor of any interactions between these sources of variation.

This study investigated the effects of arginine (Arg) supplementation on broiler breeder egg production and egg quality. Male (30) and female (360) Ross® breeders, totaling 390 birds, were studied. A completely randomized design with five Arg levels (0.943%, 1.093%, 1.243%, 1.393%, 1.543% digestible Arg) and six replicates of 12 females and one male per experimental unit was applied. The following performance and egg quality were evaluated: lay percentage, albumen and yolk contents, average egg weight, egg specific gravity, and eggshell percentage and thickness. Hatchability and and embryo mortality were also determined. The applied dietary digestible Arg levels quadratically influenced egg production (p<0.05), with the highest production obtained when 1.262% digestible Arg was supplemented. Egg weight linearly increased (p<0.05) with digestible Arg dietary level; however, egg specific gravity linearly decreased (p<0.05). Hatchability was not affected (p<0.05) by digestible Arg level. The supplementation of broiler breeder diets with Arg improved egg production and egg weight without any effect on hatchability. Further research is needed to determine the effect of dietary Arg supplementation on the performance of the progeny.