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The study aimed to evaluate the effect of supplementation of an additive based on plant and spice extracts in broiler chicken diets on the productive performance, carcass yield, and meat quality. 704 male broiler chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with 4 treatment, 4 replicates of 44 broiler chickens each. The experimental diets consisted of Diet 1: Control diet; Diet 2: Control diet + antibiotic growth promoters (AGP); Diet 3: Control diet + vegetable extracts (100 g/ton) and Diet 4: Control diet + vegetable extracts (150 g/ton). The vegetable extracts used were carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, and eugenol extracted from oregano, cinnamon, and cloves. The supplementation of vegetal extracts did not affect (p>0.05) broiler chickens’ productive performance or carcass yield. The lipid peroxidation (MDA nmol/mg protein) in the meat in natura was decreased (p

Fragments with vibrant colors and attractive textures in poultry house litter may be consumed considering that the confinement environment does not offer many opportunities for the development of the birds’s natural behavior. Control and quality programs aiming to reduce and to eliminate the consumption of materials from the construction of sheds have been implanted. However, it is necessary to develop studies for a better understanding of the bird’s ingestive behavior and the consequences for their health, welfare and productivity. The goal of this study was to evaluate the ingestive behavior of broilers exposed to metal, wood, glass and plastic fragments at different concentrations and sizes added to the poultry house litter and the integrity of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. A total of 360 birds were distributed in a completely randomized design over a 2x3 factorial scheme (2 fragment sizes: 2 to 7 mm and 5 to 8 mm and 3 concentrations: 0.1, 0.5 and 1%), totaling 6 treatments and 5 replicates. The fragments used were glass, wood, metal and plastic, in respective concentrations and sizes, distributed in the poultry house litter. The supply of fragments or the accidental occurrence of similar fragments to which were analyzed in this study concerning the poultry house litter, with different sizes, colors and textures does not compromise the integrity of the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract and the welfare of the birds.

The purpose of this trial was to supplement commercial broiler diets with optimum vitamin programs and higher availability of mineral sources, and to evaluate the effect on performance, yield and meat quality of broilers. The study used 1800 male broiler chicks randomly distributed in a 2 x 2 factorial design (vitamin programs - optimum and commercial vs. mineral sources - inorganic (sulfates) and carbo-amino-phospho-chelate (CAPC)). Supplementation associating optimum vitamin levels and mineral source CAPC resulted in better feed conversion and higher carcass weight at 42 days of age (p0.05) was found in the association of vitamin programs and mineral sources on the occurrence of white striping and dorsal myopathy. Supplementing the diets with optimized vitamin programs associated with a more bioavailable mineral source resulted in a positive contribution to the meat quality of broilers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of in-ovo vaccination on different incubation days of broiler embryos derived from young and old breeders on incubation indexes, vaccine response, and broiler performance. A number of 20,160 fertile eggs was distributed according to a completely randomized design in a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement (in-ovo vaccination on 16, 17, 18, or 19 days of incubation, and breeders of 31 or 52 weeks of age), totaling eight treatments with 15 replicates of 168 eggs each. Vaccination procedures and vaccines (strains and doses) were those routinely applied in commercial hatcheries. After hatch, 960 male chicks were housed and distributed according to the same experimental design previously applied in the hatchery. There were hatching losses (p

Salmonellosis is a globally important zoonosis, and Salmonella Heidelberg is one of the most prevalent serovars in poultry production worldwide, as well as in food poisoning cases. Antimicrobial drugs were previously widely used to face health challenges in animal production; however, since their ban as performance enhancers, many alternative strategies have been proposed. One of these strategies is the use of plant extracts, such as those containing the alkaloids benzophenanthridine and protopine. These compounds have antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulation, and nutritional effects. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the supply of a product containing benzophenanthridine and protopine (Sangrovit(r)WS 100 g/1000 L of drinking water) to broilers during different rearing periods 1-21, 1-6 and 6-21 days of age challenged or not with Salmonella Heidelberg at six days of age. There was no effect of the product on the performance, jejunal morphometry, cecal goblet cell counts, or control of Salmonella spp. in broilers challenged or not with Salmonella Heidelberg. However, the group receiving the alkaloids from 1 to 21 days of age, compared with the control group, presented a numerical difference of 28 points in productive efficiency index, which directly impacts live production cost of live broiler, representing savings of R$ 0.11/kg of meat produced.

Adverse environmental conditions during rearing may negatively affect productivity and meat quality of the modern fast-growing broiler strains. Temperature manipulation during sensitive embryonic development periods may affect broilers' physiological responses to environmental conditions during rearing on commercial farms. The objective of this trial was to evaluate the effect of temperature manipulation during incubation and breeder age on the meat quality of male and female broilers submitted to heat stress during the pre-slaughter period. In this experiment, 1280 broiler chicks were distributed according to a completely randomized experimental design in a 2x2x2 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of two breeder ages (30 and 60 weeks), two temperature programs applied in the last four days of incubation (standard or high temperature), and sex (male and female). Birds were submitted to 32 °C for 48 hours before slaughter, on day 46.Meat quality parameters (pH, temperature, color, and weight loss) were evaluated. There was significant effect (p

Incubation represents around 1/3 of the life cycle of broilers of modern strains; therefore, the appropriate management of this period is crucial to ensure the quality of the neonate. An experiment evaluated the effect of carbon dioxide concentrations during incubation on the live performance, heart morphology, and differential leukocyte count in the blood of broilers submitted to fluctuating temperatures between 35 and 42 days of age. In total, 2,520 fertile eggs were distributed according to a completely randomized design with four CO2 concentrations (4,000; 6,000; 8,000 and 10,000 ppm) during the first ten days of incubation, after which all eggs were incubated at the same CO2 level (4,000 ppm). After hatching, male chicks were placed in the experimental broiler houses, and at 35 days of age, 25 birds from each level of CO2 were separated and placed in cages to study the effect of cyclic temperature variations up to 42 days of age on their live performance, heterophil:lymphocyte ratio, and heart morphology. At 42 days of age, blood was collected for hematology and two birds per replicate were sacrificed and evaluated for ascites score and heart and liver relative weights. Heart morphology was assessed by analyzing digital images. In this experiment, hypercapnia during incubation and fluctuating temperatures during the growout did not affect mortality, ascites score, heart and liver relative weights, or heart characteristics (p>0.05). However, heterophill:lymphocyte ratio increased (p