• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1075-1081
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• 2014

CRBP1 (cellular retinol binding protein 1) and CRBP3 (cellular retinol binding protein 3), are important components of the retinoid signaling pathway and take part in vitamin A absorption, transport and metabolism. Based on the role of vitamin A in chicken laying performance, we investigated the polymorphism of CRBP1 and CRBP3 genes in 349 chickens using single strand conformation polymorphism and DNA sequencing methods. Only one polymorphism was identified in the third intron of CRBP1, two polymorphisms were detected in CRBP3; they were located in the second intron and the third intron respectively. The association studies between these three SNPs and laying performance traits were performed in Erlang mountainous chicken. Notably, the SNP g.14604G>T of CRBP1 was shown to be significantly associated with body weight at first egg (BWFE), age at first egg (AFE), weight at first egg (WFE) and total number of eggs with 300 age (EN). The CRBP3 polymorphism g.934C>G was associated with AFE, and the g.1324A>G was associated with AFE and BWFE, but none of these polymorphisms were associated with egg quality traits. Haplotype combinations constructed on these two SNPs of CRBP3 gene were associated with BWFE and AFE. In particular, diplotype H2H2 had positive effect on AFE, BWFE, EN, and average egg-laying interval. We herein describe for the first time basic research on the polymorphism of chicken CRBP1 and CRBP3 genes that is predictive of genetic potential for laying performance in chicken.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.549-554
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• 2016

The present study was conducted to investigate whether dietary essential oils could affect growth performance, relative organ weights, cecal microflora, immune responses and blood profiles of broiler chickens fed on diets containing different nutrient densities. A total of eight hundred-forty 1-d-old male broiler chicks were randomly allotted into twenty-eight pens (7 pens per treatment, 30 chicks per pen). There were four experimental diets containing two different nutrient densities and supplemented with or without essential oils. Experimental period lasted for 35 days. No clear interaction between nutrient density and essential oils on any of growth performance-related parameters was observed. Live body weights were affected (p<0.05) by nutrient density at 21 days and by dietary essential oils at 35 days. Essential oils significantly (p<0.05) increased daily body weight gain and feed conversion ratio during the periods of 22 to 35 and 1 to 35 days, but failed to affect feed intake during the entire experimental period. Daily weight gain at 1 to 21 days and feed intake at 1 to 21 and 1 to 35 days were significantly impaired (p<0.05) by nutrient density. There were significant treatment interactions (p<0.05) on relative weights of bursa of Fabricius and abdominal fat contents. Finally, either essential oil or nutrient density did not influence the relative percentages of breast and leg meats, the population of cecal microflora, blood parameters and antibody titers against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis in broiler chickens. It was concluded that dietary essential oils, independent to nutrient density, failed to stimulate feed intake, but increased growth performance in broiler chickens.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.879-890
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the use of Megasphaera elsdenii (M. elsdenii) as a probiotic on rumen fermentation, production performance, carcass traits and health of ruminants by integrating data from various related studies using meta-analysis. Methods: A total of 32 studies (consisted of 136 data points) were obtained and integrated into a database. The parameters integrated were fermentation products, rumen microbes, production performance, carcass quality, animal health, blood and urine metabolites. Statistical analysis of the compiled database used a mixed model methodology. Different studies were considered random effects, while M. elsdenii supplementation doses were considered fixed effects. p-values and the Akaike information criterion were employed as model statistics. The model was deemed significant at p<0.05 or had a tendency to be significant when p-value between 0.05<p<0.10. Results: Supplementation with M. elsdenii increased (p<0.05) some proportion of fermented rumen products such as propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and valerate, and significantly reduced (p<0.05) lactic acid concentration, acetate proportion, total bacterial population and methane emission. Furthermore, the probiotic supplementation enhanced (p<0.05) livestock production performance, especially in the average daily gain and body condition score. Regarding the carcass quality, hot carcass weight and carcass gain were elevated (p< 0.05) due to the M. elsdenii supplementation. Animal health also showed improvement as indicated by the lower (p<0.05) diarrhoea and bloat incidences as well as the liver abscess. However, M. elsdenii supplementation had negligible effects on blood and urine metabolites of ruminants. Conclusion: Supplementation of M. elsdenii is capable of decreasing ruminal lactic acid concentration, enhancing rumen health, elevating some favourable rumen fermentation products, and in turn, increasing production performance of ruminants.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.957-963
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• 2021

The study aimed to investigate the effects of supplemented sodium butyrate on the in vitro rumen fermentation and growth performance of Hanwoo calves. In total, four treatments were employed according to the sodium butyrate levels: no addition (control), an addition of 0.1% (treatment 1), an addition of 0.3% (treatment 2), and an addition of 0.5% (treatment 3). After 48 hours of fermentation, the ruminal pH was found to be higher in T1 than in C. Total volatile fatty acids were significantly higher in T2 and T3 than in C. The ratio of acetate and propionate was significantly lower in T1 and T3 than in C. In this study, the optimal concentration to promote rumen fermentation was found to be 0.3%, i.e., T2, and an experiment on Hanwoo calves at a farm was conducted. However, there were no significant differences between the treatment groups in terms of the daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and final body weight in the feeding experiment. Also, there were no significant differences in the body length, withers height, and height at hip cross between the control and the treatment groups. The addition of 0.3% sodium butyrate was most effective at promoting in vitro rumen fermentation, but it did not significantly affect the growth performance when fed to Hanwoo calves. This indicates that the addition of sodium butyrate improved rumen fermentation but did not have a growth-promoting effect. Future studies need to compare growth and carcass performance outcomes to confirm long-term effects.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.3
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• pp.356-364
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• 2020

The reproductive performance of lactating sows was investigated by using different feeding methods including conventional feeding (CF, 3 times/d) or free feeding (FF), and different dietary energy level including low energy (LE: 3,300) or high energy (HE: 3,400 kcal/kg) during the hot season. A total of twenty-eight crossbred (Yorkshire × Landrace) sows were distributed into four treatments as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Sows in the FF group showed lower body weight and backfat loss (p < 0.05) compared with the CF group. Backfat loss during lactation was lower (p < 0.05) in sows fed HE diet than in that fed LE diet. There were no significant differences in litter survival rate and weaning to estrus interval, but the litter weight at weaning was improved (p < 0.05) in FF and HE sows. Hence, it is concluded that using the free-feeding system or increased dietary energy density leads to improved sow performance during hot ambient temperature.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.633-641
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• 2021

Objective: The effects of adding fermented feed to a pelleted total mixed ration (PTMR) on the growth performance of lambs remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the feed efficiency and productivity of lambs that were fed PTMR containing fermented soybean meal (FSM) or wheat bran (FWB). Methods: Sixty 90-d-old hybrid lambs were randomly allocated into 12 pens (5 lambs/pen) that were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments (3 pens/treatment) with PTMR (basal diet), 2% FSM, or Lactobacillus- or yeast-FWB (L-FWB or Y-FWB) addition in the basal diet. Results: The findings showed that lambs fed 2% FSM supplemented diet had enhanced (p<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and carcass yield (p = 0.015), while they had a decreased (p = 0.006) feed conversion ratio compared to that of other three groups. Inclusion of FSM or FWB in PTMR improved (p<0.05) the nutrient digestibility, while it reduced the urea nitrogen content in serum compared to the PTMR group. Additionally, the decreased ratio of N excretion to ADG (p<0.01) was observed with FSM and L-FWB supplementation compared with the PTMR and Y-FWB groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, feeding the fermented feed-supplemented diet improved nutrient digestibility and growth performance, and 2% FSM-supplemented diet exhibited superior production-promoting efficiency to lambs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.64 no.5
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• pp.885-896
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• 2022

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of three different copper (Cu) sources (one inorganic and two organics) and levels (0, 50, and 100 mg/kg) on the growth performance, Cu digestibility, fecal mineral excretion, serum mineral concentration, jejunal morphology, and serum biochemical profile of growing pigs. A total of 42 male, growing pigs (31.08 ± 1.82 kg) were randomly assigned to seven treatments consisting of one negative control (0 mg/kg of added Cu level) and treatments with copper sulfate (CuSO4), Cu-amino acid complex (CuAA), and Cu-hydroxy-4-methylthio butanoate chelate complex (CuHMB) at 50 and 100 mg/kg each for 28 d. Pigs fed 50 or 100 mg/kg of Cu showed improved (p < 0.05) average daily gain and feed intake. Although Cu excretion decreased (p < 0.01) in pigs fed 100 mg/kg of organic Cu sources compared to those fed CuSO4, there was no difference between the Cu sources in pigs fed 50 mg/kg. However, the apparent total tract digestibility of Cu increased (p < 0.01) in pigs fed organic Cu sources compared with that in pigs fed CuSO4. The addition of CuHMB increased (p < 0.01) serum phosphorus and sulfur concentrations; however, there were no effects of source and level on jejunal morphology and serum biochemical profile. These results suggest that the inclusion (50 mg/kg) of organic Cu sources (CuAA and CuHMB) in the growing pig diet could be beneficial for growth performance and Cu availability and may reduce environmental pollution.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.331-342
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• 2008

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1600-1605
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• 2007

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of oxidative stress on growth performance, nutrient digestibilities and activities of antioxidant enzymes of weanling pigs. In the experiment, 24 male $Landrance{\times}Yorkshire $weanling pigs were allotted to three groups of 8 animals each. Pigs were fed individually. According to a single factorial arrangement, pigs received diets with 5% of either fresh (group 1 and group 3) or oxidized fish oil (peroxide value was 786.50 meq $O_2/kg$ before inclusion in the diet, group 2). At the beginning of the experiment, pigs in group 3 received an intraperitoneal injection of diquat at 12 mg/kg of body weight. The trial lasted for 26 d. A metabolism test was carried out during the last 4 days of the second week. The results showed that feeding diets containing oxidized fish oil or injection with diquat depressed the growth performance and nutrient digestibilities of weanling pigs, decreased activities of antioxidant enzymes and increased concentration of malondialdehyde in plasma and liver. Intraperitoneal injection of diquat would induce more serious oxidative stress than oral intake of oxidized fish oil in the diet. In conclusion, administration of oxidized fish oil or diquat could induce oxidative stress in weanling pigs, and oxidative stress could depress growth performance and impact anti-oxidative ability of young pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1465-1470
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• 2015

The present study was conducted to determine the effects of L-carnosine (LC) and/or alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) supplementation on growth performance, blood thyroid hormones and lipid profiles in finishing pigs. A total of 40 ($Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$) pigs with an initial body weight of $57.93{\pm}3.14kg$ were randomly allocated to 4 experimental diets using a $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangement with 2 LC supplemental levels (0 or 0.1%) and 2 ALA supplemental levels (0 or 0.03%) in basal diets. The results showed that pigs fed LC-supplemented diets increased final live weight, average daily gain, and average daily feed intake compared to those of pigs fed without LC-supplemented diets (p<0.05). Dietary supplementation with ALA did not affect the growth performance and carcass traits of pigs (p>0.05). Additionally, LC supplementation increased serum triiodothyronine, thyroxine levels, and ALA supplementation increased serum triiodothyronine levels (p<0.05). Serum total cholesterol and triglycerides levels were significantly decreased in LC and ALA supplemented groups, respectively (p<0.05). Moreover, serum low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in the ALA-supplemented groups than those of pigs fed without ALA-supplemented diets (p<0.05). However, no significant $LC{\times}ALA$ interaction effect on growth performance, blood thyroid hormones and lipid profiles was found. This study suggested that dietary supplementation of LC resulted in better growth performance compared to that of ALA supplementation. L-carnosine and/or ALA supplementation positively modified blood lipid profiles, which may have the potential to prevent cardiovascular diseases.