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Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Poultry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2021) | Viewed by 12716

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Special Issue Editor

Dr. Ramon D. Malheiros

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Guest Editor

Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Scott Hall 134B, Raleigh, NC 27607, USA
Interests: nutritional evaluation of ingredients and additives in poultry feed; broiler breeder production and reproduction; poultry incubation and hatching; broiler and layer production efficiency; poultry embryo development; industry outreach and extension
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations lists four primary challenges for the future: 1) increased demand for poultry products; 2) threat of disease epidemics; 3) environment and climate change; and 4) competition for feed sources. It is commonly known that estimations of world population growth indicate that by the year 2050 there will be nine billion human beings on Earth. Most of this growth is forecast to take place in developing countries. These estimates impose a tremendous challenge in the current agricultural systems, as food supply will need to increase by 100% in the next 30 years (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2009). The global demand for poultry meat and eggs is expected to increase exponentially in the next several decades. Increasing global poultry production in the future would require significant improvements in genetics, nutrition, and management practices, including reproduction. Nutrition can be adjusted to increase performance in many animals, especially in poultry species, with the aim of better growth, production, and reproduction. In poultry, especially broiler breeder chickens are genetically selected for faster growth, higher feed intake, and greater muscle yield in their progeny. Just like their progeny, the parental line of broiler breeder chickens also displays hyperphagia that leads to reproductive problems. Turkeys also have some challenges in nutrition and reproduction, requiring some investigation. In some parts of the world, other species of poultry also have some difficulties associated with nutrition and reproduction to show good productivity and reproduction indices. This Special Issue aims to publish original research papers or reviews concerning nutrition and reproduction efficiency in poultry species.

Areas of interest: nutrient requirements for poultry; broiler breeders reproduction; turkey nutrition; turkey reproduction; broiler breeders nutrition; poultry endocrinology; poultry feed alternatives ingredients; poultry gut health; game birds nutrition and reproduction

We invite you to share your recent findings through this Special Issue.

Dr. Ramon D. Malheiros
Guest Editor

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Keywords

nutrient requirements for poultry
broiler breeders reproduction
turkey nutrition
turkey reproduction
broiler breeders nutrition
poultry endocrinology
poultry feed alternatives ingredients
poultry gut health
game birds nutrition and reproduction

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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14 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Bacillus subtilis PB6 and Chromium Propionate on the Performance, Egg Quality and Nutrient Metabolizability of Layer Breeders

by Otoniel Souza, Carine Adams, Beatriz Rodrigues, Alexandre Krause, Renata Bonamigo, Kelen Zavarize and Catarina Stefanello

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3084; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113084 - 28 Oct 2021

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2048

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of Bacillus subtillis PB6, chromium propionate or a combination of the two on the performance, egg and eggshell quality, nutrient metabolizability and serum biochemistry of layer breeders. White Plymouth Rock and Red Rhodes Island breeder hens at 55 weeks of age were allocated in individual cages using a completely randomized block design with 16 replicates. Hens were fed control, control + probiotic (500 g/ton of Bacillus subtilis PB6), control + CrProp (50 g/ton of chromium propionate) and control + probiotic + CrProp diets from 55 to 70 weeks of age. Productive parameters and eggshell quality as well as cortisol and blood biochemistry were grouped each 28 d as well as for the overall period. The metabolizability of nutrients and energy was determined at 70 weeks of age. In the overall period, hens fed the control + probiotic or control + probiotic + CrProp diets had significantly higher egg production, egg mass, shell percentage, thickness and shell strength. The metabolizability of dry matter, nitrogen and energy increased in hens that were fed the control + probiotic + CrProp diet. In conclusion, diets supplemented with Bacillus subtillis PB6 and chromium propionate resulted in improved productive performance, eggshell quality and nutrient metabolizability of layer breeders, without modifying serum cortisol, albumin and triglycerides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry)

9 pages, 251 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Pantothenic Acid Supplementation on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Plasma Parameters of Starter White Pekin Ducks Fed a Corn–Soybean Meal Diet

by Jing Tang, Yongbao Wu, Bo Zhang, Zhiguo Qi, Dawei Luo, Jian Hu, Wei Huang, Zhengkui Zhou, Ming Xie and Shuisheng Hou

Animals 2021, 11(10), 2872; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102872 - 30 Sep 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1614

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of different dietary pantothenic acid levels on growth performance, carcass traits, and plasma biochemical parameters of starter Pekin ducks from 1 to 21 days of age, as well as the pantothenic acid requirement of starter ducks. A total of 384 one-day-old male white Pekin ducklings were assigned randomly into 6 dietary treatments, each with 8 replicate pens of 8 ducks. Ducks were fed conventional basal corn–soybean diets containing 8.5, 10.5, 12.5, 14.5, 16.5, and 18.5 mg/kg pantothenic acid for 21 days. Growth depression, poor pantothenic acid status, fasting hypoglycemia, and elevated plasma uric acid (UA) content were observed in the ducks fed the pantothenic acid-deficient basal diet (p < 0.05), and these adverse effects were ameliorated by pantothenic acid supplementation. Among all ducks, the birds fed the basal diet with no supplementation of pantothenic acid had the lowest body weight, average daily weight gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), breast meat yield, and plasma pantothenic acid and glucose contents (p < 0.05), and the greatest plasma UA content (p < 0.05). In addition, all these parameters showed a linear or quadratic response as dietary pantothenic acid levels increased (p < 0.05). According to broken-line regression, the pantothenic acid requirements of starter male white Pekin ducks for body weight, ADG, and plasma pantothenic acid content were 13.36, 13.29, and 15.0 mg/kg, respectively. The data potentially provides theoretical support for the utilization of pantothenic acid in duck production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry)

16 pages, 2644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ad Libitum Feeding in Broiler Breeder Hens Alters the Transcriptome of Granulosa Cells of Pre-Hierarchal Follicles

by Laurie Francoeur, Claire S. Stephens and Patricia A. Johnson

Animals 2021, 11(9), 2706; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092706 - 16 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2311

Abstract

Intense selective breeding of chickens has resulted in suboptimal egg production in broiler breeder hens. This reproductive phenotype is exacerbated by ad libitum feeding, which leads to excessive and disorganized follicular growth. One strategy used to improve broiler breeder hens’ reproductive efficiency is restricted feeding. In this study, we sought to identify transcriptional changes, which translate the level of dietary intake into increased follicle selection. Broiler breeder hens (n = 16 per group) were raised according to commercial guidelines until 28 weeks of age and then randomly assigned to an ad libitum diet (FF) or continued on a restricted diet (RF) for 6 weeks. Following dietary treatment, FF hens (n = 2) with excessive follicle selection and RF hens (n = 3) with normal follicle selection were selected for RNA-sequencing. Transcriptomes of granulosa cells from 6–8-mm follicles were sequenced to identify transcriptional differences in the follicle population from which selection was made for the preovulatory stage. Differential expression analysis identified several genes known to play a role in follicle development (CYP11A1, STAR, INHA, and INHBB) that are upregulated in FF hens. These changes in gene expression suggest earlier granulosa cell differentiation and steroidogenic competency in the granulosa layer from FF hens. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry)

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27 pages, 7817 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparative Yolk Proteomic Analysis of Fertilized Low and High Cholesterol Eggs during Embryonic Development

by Haji Gul, Xingyong Chen and Zhaoyu Geng

Animals 2021, 11(3), 744; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030744 - 09 Mar 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2515

Abstract

The yolk is the principal part of the egg that contains vitamins, minerals, lipids, and proteins which are essential for embryo development and hatching. The egg yolk contains significant amounts of lipoproteins, triacylglycerides, and cholesterol, whose dynamics are indistinct during embryogenesis. The effects of cholesterol on the yolk protein abundance, intensity, and function are ill-defined during embryonic development. Using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, eggs with respective high and low cholesterol protein abundance were investigated after 0, 2, 6, and 13 days of embryogenesis and further analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight tandem mass spectrometry. The results revealed that the vitellogenin proteins are the most abundant egg yolk protein that showed proximity and a high degree of variation in isoelectric point and molecular weight. The results demonstrated increased expression of vitellogenin-1 and vitellogenin-3 at two days and vitellogenin-2 protein at 13 days of embryogenesis in both egg types. The ovoinhibitor, immunoglobulin lambda light chain precursor, Ig-gamma (clone-36 chicken), and beta-2-glycoprotein-1 precursor proteins were significantly expressed in high cholesterol eggs while haptoglobin protein PIT-54 and vitelline membrane outer layer proteins intensities were significant in low cholesterol eggs at two days of embryogenesis. The high cholesterol eggs showed a modest increase in egg weight, yolk weight, albumen height, yolk color, and egg strength relative to the low cholesterol eggs. The gene ontology enrichment analysis revealed that the differentially expressed proteins such as vitellogenin proteins were involved in lipid transport and lipid localization biological processes and showed nutrient reservoir activity function. The ovotransferrin regulated the biological processes of plasminogen activation and extracellular matrix disassembly and characterized the anchored component of the plasma membrane. The ovoinhibitor protein was involved in response to mineralocorticoid and corticosterone biological processes whereas the vitellin membrane outer layer protein constituted the extracellular exosome, extracellular organelle, and membrane-bounded vesicle cellular components. Collectively, our study revealed yolk protein abundance, molecular function, cellular components, and biological processes and concluded that yolk protein intensities were significantly altered by cholesterol concentration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry)

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Review

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13 pages, 640 KiB

Open AccessReview

Improving Gander Reproductive Efficacy in the Context of Globally Sustainable Goose Production

by Muhammad Faheem Akhtar, Muhammad Shafiq and Ilyas Ali

Animals 2022, 12(1), 44; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12010044 - 27 Dec 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3117

Abstract

The goose is a popular poultry species, and in the past two decades the goose industry has become highly profitable across the globe. Ganders low reproductive performance remains a barrier to achieving high fertility and hatchability in subsequent flocks. To address the global demand for cheaper animal protein, various methodologies for improving avian (re)production should be explored. A large amount of literature is available on reproduction traits and techniques for commercial chicken breeder flocks, while research on improved reproduction in ganders has been carried out to a lesser extent. The present review aims to provide a comprehensive literature overview focusing on recent advancements/techniques used in improving gander reproductive efficacy in the context of ensuring a globally sustainable goose industry. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Nutritional and Reproductive Efficiency in Poultry)

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