Effects of dicopper oxide and copper sulfate on growth performance and gut microbiota in broilers

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of two sources of copper (Cu) from copper sulfate (CuSO4) and dicopper oxide (Cu2O, CoRouge) at three levels of inclusion (15, 75, and 150 mg/kg) on growth performance and gut microbiota of broilers. A total of 840 one-d-old male chickens (Ross 308) were weighed and randomly allocated to seven dietary treatments: negative control (NC, a basal diet without Cu addition), and the NC supplemented with 15, 75, or 150 mg Cu/kg from CuSO4 or Cu2O (12 replicate pens/treatment, 10 chicks per pen). Broilers were challenged by reusing an old litter with high concentrations in Clostridium perfringens to promote necrotic enteritis. Broiler performance was registered at d 21, 35, and 42. Excreta samples were collected at d 14, 28, and 42 for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) analyses. At d 43, one broiler per pen was euthanized to obtain ileal content for microbial characterization. Body weight d 35 and daily gain d 42 improved (P < 0.05) in Cu2O as Cu dose inclusion increased from 15 mg/kg to 150 mg/kg. Supplementation of 150 mg/kg of Cu from Cu2O decreased the abundance (P < 0.01) of some families such as Streptococcaceae and Corynebacteriaceae and increased the abundance (P < 0.05) of some commensal bacteria like Clostridiaceae and Peptostreptococcaceae. Phenotypic AMR was not different among treatments on d 14 and 28. Isolated Enterococcus spp. from broilers fed the NC diet on d 42 showed higher (P < 0.05) resistance to enrofloxacin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol compared with Cu treatments. By contrast, the isolated Escherichia coli from broilers fed 150 mg/kg of Cu, either from CuSO4 or Cu2O, showed higher (P < 0.05) resistance to streptomycin and chloramphenicol compared to the NC. This study suggests that supplementing 150 mg/kg of Cu from Cu2O establishes changes in the gut microbiota by regulating the bacterial population in the ileum, which may explain the positive impact on broilers' growth performance.

Effect of feeding strategy on environmental impacts of pig fattening in different contexts of production: evaluation through life cycle assessment

Life cycle assessment (LCA) has been used in many studies to evaluate the effect of feeding strategy on the environmental impact of pig production. However, because most studies have been conducted in European conditions, the question of possible interactions with the context of production is still under debate. The objective of this study was to evaluate these effects in 2 contrasted geographic contexts of production, South America (Brazil) and Europe (France). The LCA considered the process of pig fattening, including production and transport of feed ingredients and feed, raising of fattening pigs, and manure storage, transport, and spreading. Impacts were calculated at the farm gate, and the functional unit considered was 1 kg of BW gain over the fattening period. The performances of pigs were simulated for each scenario using the InraPorc population model (2,000 pigs per scenario considering between-animal variability). The LCA calculations were performed for each pig according to its own performance and excretion, and the results were subjected to variance analysis. The results indicate that for some impacts there are clear interactions between the effects of the feeding program, the origin of soybean, and the location of production. For climate change, interest in phase feeding and incorporation of crystalline AA (CAA) is limited and even counterproductive in Brazil with soybeans from the South (without deforestation), whereas they appear to be efficient strategies with soybeans from the Center West (with deforestation), especially in France. Rather similar effects, as those for climate change, were observed for cumulative energy demand. Conversely, potential eutrophication and acidification impacts were reduced by phase feeding and CAA addition in a rather similar way in all situations. Individual daily feeding, the only strategy that took into account between-animal variability, was the most effective approach for reducing the life cycle impact of pig fattening in all situations, whereas the potential of phase feeding programs and CAA was dependent on soybean origin and the geographical context of pig production, in contrast with previous results.