Resumo em Inglês:

Over the past 50 years, there has been increasing amounts of antibiotics used prophylactically and as growth promoters. Today, there is a consumer and governmental outcry to eliminate that practice from poultry and livestock production. Evidence has been accumulated to show that there is a link between risk of zoonotic disease and growth promoting antibiotic usage in livestock and poultry. Therefore, alternatives to the use of growth promoting antibiotics must be found to promote growth or production at or near the genetic potential of the modern day broiler, turkey, and egg producer. The use of probiotics has many potential benefits and include modified host metabolism, immuno-stimulation, anti-inflammatory reactions, exclusion and killing of pathogens in the intestinal tract, reduced bacterial contamination on processed broiler carcasses, enhanced nutrient absorption and performance, and ultimately decreased human health risk. The development of these factors generally can be ascribed to the ability of most probiotic products to balance and maintain the intestinal microflora in poultry species.

Resumo em Inglês:

Male broilers were used to evaluate the effects of different energy levels in finisher diets and age of slaughter on performance, production pattern and carcass yield. Experimental design was a 2x3 factorial arrangement: energy level (ME) in the finisher diet (3,200 and 3,600 kcal ME/kg) and age of slaughter (42, 49 and 56 days), resulting in six treatments with four replicates. The finisher diet was fed only in the last week of the growing period. Characteristics evaluated were feed consumption (FC), body weight gain (WG), feed conversion (FC), energy intake (EI), caloric conversion (CC), efficiency production index, production pattern, and carcass yield. The results showed better WG and CC for broilers fed 3,200 kcal ME/kg finisher diet. Broilers slaughtered at 42 and 49 days of age had better performance and higher annual production than broilers slaughtered at 56 days of age. Carcass yield was influenced by slaughter age and better breast yield was seen at 49 and 56 days than at 42 days of age. It was concluded that 3,200 kcal ME/kg induced the best overall performance. Poultry houses were efficiently used when broilers were slaughtered at 42 days of age. Meat:bone ratio was improved for broilers slaughtered at 49 and 56 days of age.

Resumo em Inglês:

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of feed restriction and different sodium levels in the diet on the performance and hematological values (erythrocyte, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume, mean cell hemoglobin, mean cell hemoglobin concentration and white blood cell) of broilers from 22 to 42 days of age. A completely randomized design was used in a 4 x 2 x 2 factorial (levels of sodium: 0.16%, 0.19%, 0.22% and 0.25%; with or without feed restriction; male and female), and two replicates of thirty broilers each. Sodium levels did not affect performance (p>0.05). Feed restriction resulted in increased feed intake and affected weight gain and feed conversion negatively (p<0.05). Better weight gain and feed conversion (p<0.05) were seen in male broilers. Hematological values were not affected by sodium levels, feed restriction or sex (p>0.05).

Resumo em Inglês:

This study was conducted to determine the effect of microbial or antimicrobial additives on the performance and organ morphology of broilers raised in batteries or in floor pens. The effect of microbial additives on the presence of oocysts in the litter was also studied. Experiments 1 and 2 consisted of four treatments (non-supplemented control diet or diet supplemented with avilamycin, bacitracin methylene disalicylate or enramycin) and six repetitions in a randomized block design. In Experiment 1, 288 day-old chicks were housed in heated batteries in a environmentally controlled room, 12 chicks per cage; in Experiment 2, 1,200 day-old chicks were housed in a curtain-sided experimental house, with concrete floor and rice hulls as litter material, 50 chicks per pen. Experiments 3 and 4 were carried out similarly to Experiments 1 and 2, respectively, but the treatments consisted of microbial additives (non-supplemented control diet or Bacillus subtilis added to the feed plus Lactobacillus reuteri and Lactobacillus johnsonii added to the water, undefined microflora added to the water or live yeast added to the feed). The antibiotics did not affect the performance of birds raised in batteries, but improved feed conversion, weight gain and live weight when chickens were kept on the floor pens. Microbial additives did not affect bird performance in any environment; however, treatments affected liver weight. Microbial agents increased intestinal weight in floor-raised broilers. No relationship was seen between the use of microbial additives and the presence of oocysts in the litter.

Resumo em Inglês:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of selection for body weight on the genetic variability and diversity in broiler lines. Two paternal broiler lines (LL and LLc) were used. LL line was selected for 12 generations for growth and carcass and reproduction characteristics. The LLc line was established from LL line in 1985 and mated at random. Blood samples from six chickens per line were collected and used for molecular analysis. Also, a DNA pool was made for each line to compare effects between lines. Data were analyzed considering the collected information on the presence or absence of DNA bands. Band sharing scores were calculated using the DICE coefficient. The pattern of the 21 most representative bands was used. DNA fingerprinting (DFP) showed 90.48 % of polymorphism bands for both lines. Difference between lines was not due to the presence or absence of bands, but to the frequency of such bands in each genotype. Considering that both lines had the same genetic background, changes on band frequency were probably due to selection. Selection for body weight had an effect on the band frequency as evaluated by DFP, and for this reason this technique could be used as a tool in the selection process. Results also suggest that bands 4, 5 and 19 were linked to body weight traits, and bands 9, 10, 12, 13 and 21 were linked to reproductive traits such as egg production.

Resumo em Inglês:

This study used 300 females and 30 males with 36 weeks of age from the selected PP and control PPc maternal broiler lines. PP has been selected for heavy body weight (PC) and high egg production for eight generations. Fertile eggs were collected and weighed individually for 4 periods of 5 consecutive days at two-week intervals. In each period, a total of 960 eggs/line were identified and separated in groups of 240 eggs, and stored for later incubation. Embryo weight (PE) was evaluated at 9 (P9), 11 (P11), 13 (P13), 15 (P15), 17 (P17) and 21 (P21) days of incubation. The objective was to estimate the effect of selection on embryo development. Egg weight (PO) was similar between the two lines. The differences in PE were significant from P15 on, resulting in 1.9g of difference in the chick weight, indicating correlated genetic changes in the embryo development, which can be credited to the selection for PC. Changes in PE while PO was kept unaltered modified the correlations between these two traits. Differences were significant from P13 on and estimated correlations for P21 were 0.72 and 0.70 for PP and PPc, respectively. Chick weight corresponded to 70.91% (PP) and 68.48% (PPc) of egg weight. The estimated increase in P21 that resulted from the increase of 1.0g in PO was 0.71 in PP and 0.68g in PPc.

Resumo em Inglês:

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of incubation temperature (34.5; 35.5; 36.5; 37.5 and 38.5ºC), on incubation period, embryonic mortality, hatching rate, water loss and chick weight at hatch, using daily incubation of partridge (Rhynchotus rufescens) eggs. The highest hatching percentage was obtained between 35.5 and 36.5ºC. Incubation length and temperature were inversely proportional. Water loss was lower in eggs incubated at low temperatures as compared to high temperatures. There was no difference among incubation temperatures in absolute and relative hatchling weights. Early embryonic mortality increased at low temperatures (<35.5ºC), whereas intermediate and late embryonic mortality increased at high temperatures (>36.5ºC). Our results show that, under conditions of daily incubation of eggs in the same incubator, higher hatching rate can be obtained using temperatures between 35.5ºC and 36.5ºC; incubation temperature is inversely proportional to incubation length, and absolute and relative weights of partridge chicks are not affected by incubation temperature.

Resumo em Inglês:

This paper describes the effects of a strong type of vaccine - Moulthrop G603 º and an intermediate-plus type of vaccine - 228E º in meat-type chickens challenged with a very virulent strain of infectious bursal disease virus (vvIBDV). Blood samples and bursa of Fabricius were taken weekly up to 42 days of age. It was concluded that bursa of Fabricius weight, bursa weight:body weight ratio, body weight and antibody titer evaluated before and after challenge with vvIBDV were not enough to consistently and conclusively differentiate or estimate the protection given by vaccination. Quantitative evaluation of injury intensity and the number of altered lymphoid follicles revealed that Moulthrop G603 caused moderate microscopic lesions in one out of seven birds vaccinated at 14 days of age, while 228E vaccine did not induce IBD-typical microscopic lesions in the bursa of Fabricius. Good protection against bursal microscopic lesions was obtained when a strong type of vaccine was used before challenging with vvIBDV. It was concluded that quantitative evaluation of microscopic lesions might be useful to measure the injury induced by vaccinal IBDV, as well as the level of protection and/or immunosuppression induced by IBDV challenge in vaccinated and non-vaccinated chickens.

Resumo em Inglês:

The influence of alternative treatments using fluidextracts of Alternanthera brasiliana, propolis resin and linseed oil on the performance and blood biochemistry of broilers was evaluated. The study was done with five treatments: basal diet (negative control); basal diet + 40 ppm avylamicin and 120 ppm monensin (positive control); basal diet + A. brasiliana extract (180 mL/200 kg of feed); basal diet + propolis extract (200 mL/200 kg of feed) and basal diet + linseed oil (2.5% replacing soybean oil). Propolis and A. brasiliana extracts improved broiler performance from 14 to 21 days, whereas linseed oil had no effect. The findings of this experiment revealed that A. brasiliana and propolis extracts can be used as antimicrobials, but further studies are necessary to find the best concentration in broiler diets.

Resumo em Inglês:

Two completely randomized trials were conducted to estimate protein requirements of Japanese quails during the rearing and laying periods. In each trial, 150 quails were distributed in five treatments with five repetitions. Crude protein levels in the rearing period were 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26% (Trial 1) and during the laying period were 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24% (Trial 2). A quadratic effect of protein level was observed on weight gain from seven to 35 days (Trial 1). There were no effects of protein levels on feed intake and feed conversion. Protein levels in experimental diets during rearing had no effect on egg production up to 63 days. However, laying was delayed and variation in body weight was greater in quails fed lower protein levels. In Trial 2, a quadratic effect of protein levels was seen on egg production and feed conversion; and a linear effect was seen on mean egg weight and feed intake. Crude protein levels of 23.08% and 21.95% were estimated by regression equations for rearing and laying, respectively.