Growth performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits in Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens fed Lippia javanica leaf meal

Dietary incorporation of brown seaweed spent oyster mushroom substrate alters growth performance, physiological responses and meat quality parameters in Boschveld roosters

Use of brown seaweed (Ecklonia maxima) as a nutraceutical source in indigenous chicken diets is limited by high dietary fibre levels. Inoculating seaweeds with oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) spawn (OMS) could enhance the utility of the spent mushroom substrate (SMS). This study investigated the effect of feeding incremental levels of brown seaweed SMS on growth performance, physiological responses, and meat quality parameters in Boschveld roosters. A total of 324, 4-week-old Boschveld roosters were weighed and randomly allotted to 36 pens (9 birds per pen) to produce six replicates per dietary treatment. The diets were formulated as follows: a standard grower diet (CON); and CON containing 150 g/kg of brown seaweed inoculated with OMS at 0 (SMS0), 20 (SMS20), 30 (SMS30), 40 (SMS40) and 50% (SMS50). Birds fed diet CON had the least feed intake (p < 0.05) than all the other SMS treatment levels in weeks 7, 8, 12, 14 and 15. Diet SMS40 promoted higher (p < 0.05) body weight gain (BWG) than CON in weeks 6, 7, 9 and 14. Gain-to-feed ratio linearly increased in weeks 7 [R2 = 0.288; p = 0.010], 11 [R2 = 0.581, p = 0.0001] and 14 [R2 = 0.389, p = 0.004], respectively. Quadratic responses (p < 0.05) were observed for BWG in week 5, white blood cells, heterophils, platelets, lymphocytes, monocytes, and relative spleen and large intestine weights as OMS levels increased. Linear increases were recorded for slaughter [R2 = 0.197, p = 0.017] and breast weights [R2 = 0.197, p = 0.020] as OMS levels increased. Diet SMS0 promoted higher (p < 0.05) relative caeca weights than the CON and SMS treatment groups. Neither quadratic nor linear responses (p > 0.05) were observed for breast meat quality parameters. In conclusion, feeding brown seaweed SMS improved growth performance and slaughter weight, altered some blood parameters and internal organs, without affecting breast meat quality of Boschveld roosters. Based on the quadratic response for BWG, the optimum OMS level was deduced at 20% in a brown seaweed-based Boschveld rooster diet.

Verbascoside-Rich Plant Extracts in Animal Nutrition

In recent years, the search for dietary intervention with natural products able to sustain animal health and decrease environmental impact, has raised the number of studies pertaining to the use of plants' secondary metabolites. In fact, in livestock, there is a clear relationship between the animals' antioxidant status and the onset of some diseases that negatively affect animal welfare, health, and productive performance. An interesting compound that belongs to the secondary metabolites family of plants, named phenylpropanoids, is verbascoside. The genus Verbascum, which includes more than 233 plant species, is the genus in which this compound was first identified, but it has also been found in other plant extracts. Verbascoside exhibits several properties such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, chemopreventive, and neuroprotective properties, that have been evaluated mainly in in vitro studies for human health. The present work reviews the literature on the dietary integration of plant extracts containing verbascoside in livestock. The effects of dietary plant extracts containing verbascoside on the productive performance, antioxidant status, blood parameters, and meat quality in several animal species were evaluated. The present data point out that dietary plant extracts containing verbascoside appear to be a favorable dietary intervention to enhance health, antioxidant status, and product quality in livestock.

Growth performance and carcass characteristics of Koekoek chickens exposed to temperature variation with supplementary Coriander seed powder

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of ambient temperature and coriander seeds supplementation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of Koekoek chickens. In the experiment, chickens were exposed to two temperature rooms with a heated room of 32 ± 1.2 °C from 11:00 to16:00 h and a normal room temperature with an average maximum and minimum of 23.8 ± 3 °C and 16.6 ± 1.6 °C, respectively, and a relative humidity between 34.5 ± 4 and 44.8 ± 3%. The chickens were supplemented with 0, 5, and 10 g/kg of coriander seed powder. The results showed that the group of Koekoek chickens placed in a heated room had significantly lower (P < 0.05) feed intake and weight gain and significantly higher (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio than the groups placed at normal room temperature. Water intake was 1.8% higher in the groups placed in a heated room than those placed at normal room temperature. Supplementation with coriander seed powder enhanced growth performance and carcass traits. The carcass weight and breast percentage were higher (P < 0.05) in the groups that received 10 g/kg coriander seed powder. The growth performance of the Koekoek groups supplemented with 10 g/kg coriander seed powder in a heated room also improved significantly compared to groups in a heated room without supplementation. This suggests that the supplementation of coriander seed improves performance, and has a positive potential effect in alleviating the negative effects of heat stress on growth performance of chickens.

Partial replacement of soybean products with canola meal in indigenous chicken diets: size of internal organs, carcass characteristics and breast meat quality

While the use of canola meal (CM) as an alternative to soybean meal in broiler diets is well-documented, there is no information on the utility of this valuable by-product for slow-growing indigenous chickens. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the effects of partially replacing soybean products in a chicken grower diet with graded levels of CM on carcass characteristics, relative organ sizes and meat quality in Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) cockerels. A total of 175 PK cockerels (342.6 ± 15.2 g body weight, 5 wk old) were randomly allocated to 25 pens. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic grower diets containing 0, 3.75, 6.25, 8.75, and 17.5% of CM were then randomly allocated to the pens (experimental units). After 12 wk of feeding, chickens were slaughtered to measure carcass traits, size of internal organs and meat quality traits. There were no effects of graded levels of CM on carcass weights. Wing weight increased quadratically [y = 6.27(±0.23) + 0.23 (±0.063) x-0.009 (±0.0003) x2; R2 = 0.28] in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Drumstick, vertebrae, liver, and small intestine weights linearly increased (P < 0.05) in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Redness (a*), initial meat pH (pHo), and shear force linearly increased (P < 0.05) but lightness (L*) and water holding capacity decreased with an increase in CM inclusion levels. However, there were no significant linear and quadratic trends for yellowness (b*), ultimate pH (pHu), drip loss, and cooking loss in response to incremental levels of CM. There were also significant quadratic trends for mineral contents of the meat with the exception of iron (Fe). It can be concluded that inclusion of CM in place of soybean products had no negative impact on carcass traits, organ size and meat quality traits of indigenous PK chickens.

A multi-strain probiotic administered via drinking water enhances feed conversion efficiency and meat quality traits in indigenous chickens

Whereas the use of probiotics is commonplace in commercial production of improved chicken strains, little is known about the impact of these live microbial feed additives in indigenous chickens in South Africa. This study investigated the effect of a multi-strain probiotic (containing Bacillus safensis, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus megaterium and Cupriavidus metallidurans, total bacteria number was 1.4 × 10⁸ cfu/mL), administered via drinking water, on growth performance, blood parameters, and carcass and meat quality characteristics of Potchefstroom koekoek cockerels for a period of 12 weeks. A total of 140 five-week-old cockerels were randomly allocated to 4 experimental diets formulated to have similar energy and protein levels as follows: 1) negative control diet (CON; commercial chicken grower diet without both antibiotics and probiotics), 2) positive control diet (ANTIB; commercial chicken grower diet with antibiotics [0.05% Coxistac and 0.04% olaquindox] but no probiotics), 3) negative control diet plus 2.5 mL of probiotics per litre of water (PROB25) and 4) negative control with 5.0 mL of probiotics per litre of water (PROB50). There was a significant (P < 0.05) week and diet interaction effect on average weekly feed conversion efficiency. At 9 weeks of age, cockerels in PROB50 group had higher (P < 0.05) feed conversion efficiency than those in CON and ANTIB groups. However, 14-week-old cockerels in PROB50 group had lower (P < 0.05) feed conversion efficiency than those in ANTIB group. Treatments had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on overall feed intake, overall weight gain and haemato–biochemical parameters of cockerels. Gizzard and spleen weights were similar (P > 0.05) in PROB50, CON and PROB25 groups. Cockerels in PROB50 group had shorter (P < 0.05) small intestine than those in CON and PROB25 groups. Cockerels in PROB50 group had larger (P < 0.05) breast weight than those in PROB25 group. Cockerels in ANTIB and PROB50 groups had greater (P < 0.05) wing and thigh weights than those in CON and PROB25 groups. Shank weight was similar (P > 0.05) in PROB50, CON and ANTIB groups. Meat pH measured after 24 h of slaughter was the highest (P < 0.05) in CON and ANTIB groups followed by PROBO25 and PROB50 groups. Cockerels in CON group had lower (P < 0.05) cooking losses than those in ANTIB, PROB25 and PROB50 groups. It was concluded that probiotics can be used in place of prophylactic antibiotics in Potchefstroom koekoek cockerels.