Effect of dietary probiotics supplementation on intake and production performance of ewes fed Atriplex hay-based diet

Growth performance, nutrient utilization, rumen fermentation, blood biochemistry, and carcass traits of lambs fed Atriplex nummularia L. hay-based diet supplemented with yeast or bacterial direct- fed microbial

Direct fed microbial may enhance the utilization of halophyte forages leading to improved animal growth and productivity. This study was conducted to evaluate Atriplex hay-based diet supplemented with yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae; SC) or bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Lactobacillus casei; BAC) on lamb growth performance, digestibility, rumen fermentation, and carcass characteristics. Fifteen Barki lambs (90 ± 7 days of age and 18.6 ± 0.41 kg SE body weight; BW) were randomly assigned to three treatments for 120 days as follows: Control (basal diet without supplementation), SC and BAC diets, the basal diet supplemented with SC or BAC at 2 g/head/day, respectively. All lambs had similar dry matter (DM) intake, while lambs fed SC or BAC dies had higher (P < 0.05) total gain and average daily gain than those fed the control diet. Supplementation of SC or BC increased (P < 0.05) the digestibility of DM, organic matter, and acid detergent fiber, tended to decrease (P < 0.05) the urine N excretion and enhanced the N balance compared to the control. Ruminal pH, acetate, total volatile fatty acids concentrations, and bacterial protein were increased (P < 0.05), while creatinine and urea concentrations were decreased (P < 0.05) by both additives. Compared to other diets, the BAC diet reduced (P < 0.05) triglycerides, total lipids, kidney fat, and eye muscle fat. In conclusion, both additives resulted in similar positive growth performance and feed utilization, while only the BAC additive had a beneficial advantage in reducing the fat content of the carcass.

Emerging trends and applications in health-boosting microorganisms-specific strains for enhancing animal health

Recent advancements in specific strain of probiotics have shown promising trends and applications in both ruminant and non-ruminant animal health. This study emphasizes the importance of tailored probiotics for these animal categories, discussing their potential benefits in improving nutrient utilization, growth performance, and disease management. The study also explores the different routes of probiotics administration, highlighting the various methods of delivery. Specifically, it highlights the benefits of probiotics in ruminant production performance, including enhanced rumen health, growth rates, milk production, and reduced digestive disorders. Additionally, it discusses the advantages of probiotics in non-ruminant farming, such as improved feed conversion efficiency, nutrient absorption, growth rates, immune responses, and reduced gastrointestinal issues, leading to increased productivity and profitability. In conclusion, recent advancements in specific strain of probiotics offer promising prospects for improving animal health. Tailored probiotics have shown potential in enhancing growth, nutrient utilization, and disease prevention, contributing to sustainable and effective animal husbandry practices.

Influence of probiotic supplementation on the growth performance, plasma variables, and ruminal bacterial community of growth-retarded lamb

Introduction

Growth-retarded lambs would reduce the economic incomes of sheep farming. Nutritional interventions are supposed to promote gastrointestinal health and the compensatory growth of growth-retarded lambs. This study evaluated the effects of probiotic supplementation on the growth performance, plasma characteristics and ruminal bacterial community of growth-retarded lambs.

Methods

Twenty-four 50-days old male Hu lambs, including 8 healthy lambs (13.2 ± 1.17 kg) and 16 growth-retarded lambs (9.46 ± 0.81 kg), were used in this study. The 8 healthy lambs were fed the basal diet and considered the positive control (GN), and the other 16 growth-retarded lambs were randomly assigned into 2 groups (basal diet without probiotic [negative control, GR] and basal diet supplementation with 1 g/kg concentrate feed probiotic [GRP]), with each group having 4 replicate pens. The feeding trial lasted for 60 days with 7 days for adaptation.

Results

The results showed that dietary supplementation with probiotic increased (p < 0.05) the average daily gain and dry matter intake of growth-retarded lambs. For growth-retarded lambs, supplementation with probiotic increased (p < 0.05) the activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase, as well as the concentrations of growth hormone and immunoglobulin G. Furthermore, the highest (p < 0.05) concentrations of interleukin-6, interferon-gamma and tumor necrosis factor alpha were observed in the GR group. The concentrations of total volatile fatty acids and acetate in growth-retarded lambs were increased by probiotic supplementation (p < 0.05). The relative abundances of Ruminococcus, Succiniclasticum and Acidaminococcus were lower (p < 0.05) in growth-retarded lambs. However, probiotic supplementation increased (p < 0.05) the relative abundances of these three genera.

Discussion

These results indicate that dietary supplementation with probiotic are promising strategies for improving the growth performance of growth-retarded lambs by enhancing immunity and altering the ruminal microbiota.

Comparative digestibility and rumen fermentation of camels and sheep fed different forage sources

The present study evaluated the effects of forage sources on dry matter (DM) intake, digestibility, and fermentation parameters in camels vs. sheep. The study was arranged as a 2 × 3 factorial experiment in a completely randomized design by using two animal species (three ruminally cannulated female camels and three male sheep) and three forage sources. The forages were (1) alfalfa hay; 164 and 479 g/kg DM for crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF), respectively, (2) berseem hay; 121 and 513 g/kg DM for CP and NDF, respectively, and (3) wheat straw (27.5 and 723 g/kg DM for CP and NDF, respectively). Higher DM intake [g/kg body weight (BW)] was noted in sheep compared to camel when alfalfa hay (p < 0.05) and berseem hay (p < 0.05) were fed but was similar between both species when they were fed wheat straw. Forage type rather than animal species had more effect on metabolic intake. Lower digestibility was noted in sheep with wheat straw (p < 0.05). Similar in situ degradability values for crude protein and DM were noted between camels and sheep. In situ degradability of NDF was higher (p < 0.05) in camel than sheep. Greater ruminal pH (p < 0.05) was noted in sheep vs. camels when berseem hay and wheat straw were fed. Lower ruminal passage rate (p < 0.05) was noted in camels and higher total mean retention time. It was concluded that sheep and camels had similar digestion capacities when fed berseem hay and alfalfa hay, however, camels are more efficient than sheep when fed wheat straw.

Response of Growth Performance, Blood Biochemistry Indices, and Rumen Bacterial Diversity in Lambs to Diets Containing Supplemental Probiotics and Chinese Medicine Polysaccharides

This study aims to investigate the effects of probiotics and Chinese medicine polysaccharides (CMPs) on growth performance, blood indices, rumen fermentation, and bacteria composition in lambs. Forty female lambs were randomly divided into four groups as follows: control, probiotics, CMP, and compound (probiotics + CMP) groups. The results showed that probiotics treatment increased the concentrations of blood glucose (GLU) and immunoglobulin G (IgG) and enhanced rumen microbial protein contents but declined the value of pH in rumen fluid compared with the control (P < 0.05). Furthermore, supplementation with CMP enhanced the average daily gain (ADG) and the contents of IgA, IgG, and IgM in the serum but decreased the F:G ratio compared with the control (P < 0.05). Besides, both CMP and compound (probiotics + CMP) treatments decreased the ratio of acetic acid and propionic acid compared with the control (P < 0.05). High-throughput sequencing data showed that at the genus level, the relative abundance of Veillonellaceae_UCG-001 in the probiotics group was increased, the relative abundance of Succiniclasticum and norank_f__Muribaculaceae in the CMP group were enhanced, and the relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae_UCG-002 in the compound group was raised compared with the control (P < 0.05). In summary, supplementation with probiotics can promote rumen protein fermentation but decrease the diversity of bacteria in rumen fluid; however, CMP treatment increased the relative abundance of Fibrobacteria, changed rumen microbial fermentation mode, increased the immune function, and ultimately improved the growth performance.

Dry matter intake, digestibility, nitrogen utilization and fermentation characteristics of sheep fed Atriplex hay-based diet supplemented with discarded dates as a replacement for barley grain

This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of substituting barley grain with discarded dates on intake and digestibility, nitrogen (N) utilization and fermentation characteristics of sheep fed Atriplex hay-based diets. Four Barki sheep (50.9 ± 2.93 kg of body weight (BW)) fitted with rumen cannula were used in a 4 × 4 Latin Square design with 23-day periods. Four isonitrogenous (~140 g crude protein (CP)/kg of dry matter (DM)) experimental diets were formulated with Atriplex hay, and dietary sugar content was increased by replacing barley grain with discarded dates (the proportions of discarded dates in the diet were 0, 93, 187 and 280 g/kg DM). Nutrient intakes were not influenced by diet. Organic matter, CP and neutral detergent fibre digestibility increased (p < 0.05) linearly and DM digestibility tended to increase with increased dates inclusion. Ruminal pH and molar proportion of butyrate increased (p < 0.05) linearly with increasing levels of dates inclusion, whereas ruminal ammonia-N decreased (p < 0.05) linearly. Total volatile fatty acid concentration was unaffected. Microbial protein synthesis (MCP) increased linearly and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis tended to increase as discarded dates increased. Total N intake was not affected by diets whereas, urinary N, urea-N and total N execrations linearly decreased (p < 0.05) with higher amounts of dates in the diets. Blood urea-N tended to decrease with increasing levels of dates. It could be concluded that replacing 100% barley grain with discarded dates as a source of soluble carbohydrates can enhance the utilization of N in Atriplex hay-based diet and consequently improve digestibility and MCP.