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Poultry, Volume 4, Issue 2 (June 2025) – 5 articles

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13 pages, 2184 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Anaerobic Digestion of Broiler Litter from Different Commercial Farm Flocks

by Ana Carolina Amorim Orrico, Brenda Kelly Viana Leite, Juliana Dias de Oliveira, Karina Fidelis Blans, Isabella da Silva Menezes, Vanessa Souza, Régio Marcio Toesca Gimenes, Rusbel Raul Aspilcueta Borquis and Marco Antônio Previdelli Orrico Junior

Poultry 2025, 4(2), 19; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4020019 - 10 Apr 2025

Viewed by 158

Abstract

Rearing broiler chickens generates large quantities of waste material in the form of bedding. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a technology that can be applied to this waste. This study aimed to evaluate the AD of broiler litter, either screened (S) or unscreened (US), from different flocks, collected from each production batch, totaling nine, from a commercial farm. Anaerobic digestion was conducted in batch biodigesters, and fraction separation was performed through screening prior to loading. The S substrate from the second and fifth flocks did not produce biogas. Reductions in total (TS) and volatile solids were highest for S substrates from the third flock (50.5% and 58.3%, respectively). Only the third flock’s S substrates showed greater reductions in solids than the US substrates. Potential biogas and methane production were also highest in the third flock’s bedding for both the S substrate (336.8 and 218.2 L/kg of TS, respectively) and the US substrate (296.8 and 213.4 L/kg of TS, respectively). The methane concentration in the S substrate was highest in the third flock (64.8%), while in the US substrate, it was highest in the third and fourth flocks (70.3%). Screening the litter reduced the process efficiency. We conclude that fraction separation is inadvisable for broiler litter. Full article

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11 pages, 218 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broiler Breeders Fed Diets Supplemented with Conventional or Lipid Matrix Microencapsulated Trace Minerals at Standard or High Levels: Part II—Influence on Hatching Egg Quality

by Dimitri M. Malheiros, Ramon D. Malheiros, Kenneth E. Anderson and Peter R. Ferket

Poultry 2025, 4(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4020018 - 6 Apr 2025

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of free or microencapsulated trace mineral (TM) premixes at normal and high dietary inclusion levels on the internal and external quality and mineral composition of broiler breeder eggs. Twelve breeder pens were randomly assigned to one of four treatments consisting of a factorial arrangement of two TM premix forms (free and microencapsulated) and two dietary inclusion levels of TM premix (100% and 300% of Aviagen recommendations). Hens fed the microencapsulated TM had significantly greater vitelline membrane strength than those fed the free TM (1.92 g vs. 1.81 g, respectively (p < 0.05)). Hens fed high dietary TM levels produced eggs with significantly greater shell elasticity and yolk color than hens fed the lower TM inclusion level (0.224 mm vs. 0.247 mm, and 8.89 vs. 8.62, respectively (p < 0.05)). Only the whole-egg Mn concentration was observed to be significantly (p < 0.01) increased by the higher dietary inclusion level of TM compared to lower (0.0301 mg/g vs. 0.0248 mg/g, respectively (p < 0.01)). There were no treatment effects on eggshell mineral composition. Regardless of the dietary inclusion level, feeding broiler breeders microencapsulated TM does have some beneficial effects on the internal egg quality properties, whereas increased dietary TM supplementation levels improve the shell quality, yolk color index, and whole-egg Mn concentration. There were no significant premix form X TM premix dose effects observed. Full article

13 pages, 237 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Broiler Breeders Fed Diets Supplemented with Conventional or Lipid Matrix Microencapsulated Trace Minerals at Standard or High Levels: Part I. Influence on Production, Skeletal Integrity, and Intestinal Histomorphology of Broiler Breeders

by Dimitri M. Malheiros, Ramon D. Malheiros, Kenneth E. Anderson and Peter R. Ferket

Poultry 2025, 4(2), 17; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4020017 - 6 Apr 2025

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Abstract

Lipid matrix microencapsulation is hypothesized to improve bioavailability for broiler breeders supplemented with normal and protect against excessive levels of inorganic trace minerals. At 27 weeks (wk), nine females and two males were assigned to each of the 12 floor pens. Each pen was randomly assigned to dietary treatments (trt) in a factorial arrangement of two mineral premix forms, free (FRTM) and microencapsulated (MITM), and two mineral premix supplement dosages (100% and 300% of Aviagen recommendations). At 55 wk termination, 15 hens/trt were randomly selected to assess tibia and jejunum morphology. Breeders receiving MITM improved hen day % (HD %), hen housed (HH%), and FCR but produced the lightest chicks at hatch. The TM form had no significant effect on histology, but TM 100% had greater villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), and villi area than TM 300% (p < 0.5). No significant treatment effects on bone weight, length, and bone mass density were observed. However, MITM treatments increased tibia thickness, and FRTM supplementation increased ash% and Cu content. Hens fed 300% TM had higher bone Mn content than 100% TM, whereas hens fed MI100 had the highest Fe content. Feeding lipid matrix microencapsulated trace minerals to broiler breeders does have positive impacts on the production of eggs, but no effects were observed in the histomorphology of the jejunum or tibia bone parameters. Full article

10 pages, 22717 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of the Recently Described Avian Hepatitis E Genotype 7 in an Outbreak of Hepatitis-Splenomegaly Syndrome (HSS) with High Mortality and Severe Drop in Egg Production in a Parent Stock Flock in Bangladesh

by Miguel Matos, Ivana Bilic, László Kőrösi, Rakibul Hasan, Dieter Liebhart, Nicola Palmieri and Michael Hess

Poultry 2025, 4(2), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4020016 - 3 Apr 2025

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Abstract

This study reports an outbreak of hepatitis-splenomegaly syndrome (HSS) in a color broiler parent stock flock in Bangladesh, marking the first known instance of HSS associated with avian hepatitis E virus (aHEV) genotype 7 outside Europe and only the second report of HSS in South Asia. The affected flock exhibited severe clinical signs, including a high cumulative mortality, reaching 31.6% in hens, and an abrupt decrease in egg production, dropping by over 20 percent. Histopathological analysis of liver and spleen samples revealed multifocal areas of necrosis, hemorrhages, and bacterial colonies. RT-PCR confirmed the presence of aHEV and immunohistochemistry showed signals within hepatic sinusoids and peri-ellipsoidal zones in the spleen. Complete genome sequencing of RNA from liver and bile samples on the Illumina platform established a pathogenic link to aHEV genotype 7. Despite aHEV’s known association with HSS, inconsistencies in disease manifestation suggest additional cofactors influencing pathogenesis, with secondary bacterial infections potentially contributing to clinical severity in this outbreak. Overall, this case expands the geographic distribution of aHEV genotype 7 and highlights the need for further epidemiological studies to investigate genotype–pathogenicity associations, especially in regions with limited prior data on HSS. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Advances in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases of Animals)

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12 pages, 571 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Effect of In Ovo Applied Bifidobacteria and Lactic Acid Bacteria on Enteric Colonization by Hatchery-Associated Opportunistic Pathogens and Early Performance in Broiler Chickens

by Mitchell C. Rowland, Kyle D. Teague, Aaron J. Forga, James Higuita, Makenly E. Coles, Billy M. Hargis, Christine N. Vuong and Danielle Graham

Poultry 2025, 4(2), 15; https://doi.org/10.3390/poultry4020015 - 31 Mar 2025

Viewed by 234

Abstract

Probiotics have been used to promote pioneer colonization by beneficial bacteria in poultry. The purpose of the present study (four trials) was to determine if an in ovo injection with Bifidobacterium saeculare (B2-2, B3-4) and/or lactic acid bacteria (LAB18, LAB46) at d18 of embryogenesis reduced Enterococcus and Gram-negative bacterial colonization in the gut at hatch. An environmental challenge model was used to simulate microbial contamination in large-scale hatch cabinets in a laboratory setting. In all trials, gut homogenates obtained from chicks at hatch were plated to enumerate relevant bacterial populations. Performance was evaluated in trials two and four. The top treatments in trial one were selected for further testing in trials 2–4. The significance level for all analyses was set at p < 0.05. A meta-analysis of gut bacterial recovery for trials 2–4 revealed that the administration of probiotic treatments increased LAB and/or bifidobacteria at hatch compared to non-treated groups. LAB46 + B2-2 was more effective at reducing Gram-negative bacteria and Enterococcus in the gut compared to other probiotic treatments. All treatments improved d14 BW and d0–14 BWG compared to non-treated groups. These results indicate that exposure to beneficial bacteria during late embryogenesis can prevent colonization by opportunistic pathogens associated with contamination in commercial hatch cabinets and may also improve early performance in broiler chickens. Full article

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