Abstract. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary enzyme and fermentation supplementation on the growth performance, carcass traits, nutrient digestibility, and bone and blood characteristics of broiler chickens. A total of 900 male Hubbard broilers were assigned to three treatment groups: a control diet, fermented canola meal (6 %, 12 %, and 18 %), and enzyme-treated canola meal (6 %, 12 %, and 18 %). The results showed that both enzyme treatments resulted in superior weight gain, while 18 % fermentation supplementation had negative effects on weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Carcass traits, including dressing percentage and eviscerated weight, were significantly higher in enzyme-treated and fermented groups. Nutrient digestibility, particularly of crude protein and crude fiber, was improved with fermentation supplementation, with the best results being observed at 6 % and 12 % levels. Bone characteristics such as bone weight enhancement, robusticity index, and tibio-tarsal index were decreased (P<0.01) in fermented-diet-fed birds. Blood biochemical analysis revealed reduced triglyceride levels in broilers fed with a fermented diet, while other parameters, including cholesterol and glucose, remained unaffected. These findings suggest that optimal levels of fermentation and enzyme supplementation can enhance broiler productivity and health.

Abstract. This study investigates the potential of Thymus vulgaris as feed additive in broiler chicken. A total of 200 Vencobb male broiler chicks 1 week of age were randomly distributed into 4 dietary treatments: T1 (control) fed basal diet only, T2 (basal diet +1 % thyme powder), T3 (basal diet +1.5 % thyme powder), and T4 (basal diet +2 % thyme powder). Each group contained 5 replicates, and each replicate had 10 birds fed with a maize–soybean-based diet for 42 d. Our results show that during the overall period (7–42 d), the T4 group exhibited significantly (p<0.05) higher body weight gain (BWG) and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR). Supplementing thyme powder significantly (p<0.05) decreased the levels of blood cholesterol and triglycerides (LDL) compared to the control group. Birds receiving dietary thyme powder at a 2 % dose (T4) had significantly (p<0.05) raised serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) and better anti-SRBC (sheep red blood cell) titre and cell-mediated immunity. Supplementation of thyme powder resulted in significantly (p<0.05) better antioxidant status in birds. Regarding the cecal microbiology, coliforms decreased (p<0.05) and lactobacilli increased (p<0.05) notably in thyme groups with high significance in the T4 group. Jejunal villus height increased significantly (p<0.05) in the T4 group compared to the control. In conclusion, supplementation of thyme powder at 2 % could serve as promising feed additive for improving the production performance and gut health of broiler chicken.

Abstract. The research objective of this study was to determine the blood mineral profile of French Alpine goats during the first third of the lactation period. The blood mineral profile refers to concentrations of macro-elements and micro-elements. The research was carried out on 20 5-year-old goats in their fourth lactation. Goats were fed forage feed (1.5 kg d−1). Alfalfa hay and water were available ad libitum during the experimental period. Concentrations of micro-elements in the blood and feed of French Alpine goats were determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). A comparison of measured average concentrations of macro-elements with the reference range for goats confirmed lower concentrations of K and Zn and higher concentrations of P, while concentrations of Na, Mn, and Se in this research were at the upper limit of the reference range. Such results can be explained by both the availability of the respective minerals in the goats' feed and the various reference ranges applied in the determination of the mineral profile of goats' blood, along with different laboratory methods used for blood mineral profiling. When analysing the time of sampling, the first third of the lactation period exhibited significantly lower concentrations of P, Mg, K, Fe, Zn, Mo, and Co in the goats' blood sampled in the period from the 30th day to the 90th day of lactation. Concentrations of Ca, Na, Cu, Mn, and Se in the goats' blood did not depend significantly on the time of sampling, although these were lower on the 90th day than on the 30th day of sampling. Significantly positive correlations were determined between the following mineral concentrations: Ca:Mg, Ca:K, Ca:Na, Ca:P, Ca:Zn, Ca:Se, Mg:K, Mg:Na, Mg:Cu, Mg:Fe, Mg:Zn, Mg:P, Mg:Mo, K:Na, K:Cu, K:Zn, K:P, K:Se, Na:Cu, Na:Zn, Na:P, Na:Se, Cu:P, Fe:Zn, Fe:Mn, Zn:P, and P:Se. The analysis of the measured concentrations of blood minerals and of correlations between them can be useful in the determination of the animals' health statuses during the first third of the lactation period; as such, this information indicates the need for feed supplementation or for the revision of the blood test reference range for specific goat breeds.

Abstract. An efficient promoter with specific transcriptional activity plays significant roles in the regulation of expression of exogenous genes. The efficient promoter specific to skeletal muscles can achieve high expression of exogenous genes in skeletal muscles. This is of great significance for the targeted improvement of livestock meat quality by combining gene editing and traditional breeding techniques. To identify efficient promoters specific to the skeletal muscles of buffalo, in the present study, a total of 14 genes, CACNG1, LRRC30, CACNG6, MYOG, VGLL2, MYOD1, KCNA7, DUPD1, PRR32, LBX1, IGFN1, ACTN3, PITX3, and MURC, were firstly screened as skeletal-muscle-specific expressed genes based on high-throughput sequencing data. Among them, only two genes – namely, VGLL2 and CACNG1 – were identified to be specifically and efficiently expressed in the skeletal muscles of buffalo by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Then, the transcriptional activity of different truncated fragments of the upstream putative promoter region of VGLL2 and CACNG1 were evaluated by the dual luciferase reporter gene detection system in mouse C2C12 cells and buffalo skeletal muscle cells. As a result, both core promoters of VGLL2 and CACNG1 were identified to have specifically and efficiently transcriptional activity in skeletal muscle tissue while the transcriptional activity of the core promoters of VGLL2 was more efficient. These results provide significant information for the targeted improvement of meat quality in buffaloes and other livestock animals.

Abstract. Changes in genetic variation in body measurements are a subject of interest. This study aimed to understand the changes in the genetic effects of body measurement at birth in Turkish Arabian foals over the years. Furthermore, estimating the sources of variation in body measurements at birth in Turkish Arabian foals, considering additive genetic, maternal genetic, and maternal permanent effects and the covariance between offspring and dams in animal models, was the objective of this study. The records for birth weight (BW), wither height (WH), chest circumference (CC), and cannon-bone circumference (CBC) of 2624 Arabian foals born between 1987 and 2007 in the Anadolu, Karacabey, and Sultansuyu agricultural enterprises were used in the analyses. Variance analysis for non-genetic effects showed that the effects of the farm, year of birth, sex, and dam age were significant (P<0.001) for all traits. Estimation of variance components and genetic parameters for body measurements was performed with the average information restricted maximum likelihood algorithm using six univariate animal models in the WOMBAT software. The best-fit model for each trait was identified based on Akaike's information criterion (AIC). Genetic trends were determined by performing linear regression analysis on the estimated breeding value (EBV) of the animals based on their year of birth. Additive direct heritabilities for BW, WH, CC, and CBC were 0.10 ± 0.04, 0.41 ± 0.07, 0.06 ± 0.03, and 0.30 ± 0.07, respectively. The estimates of maternal heritability for the corresponding traits were 0.24 ± 0.03, 0.05 ± 0.03, 0.09 ± 0.03, and 0.13 ± 0.03, respectively. Additive–maternal genetic correlations for BW, WH, CC, and CBC were 0.33, −0.13, −0.19, and −0.22, respectively. Genetic and phenotypic correlations were analyzed with multivariate animal models considering additive genetic, maternal genetic, and maternal permanent effects and ranged from 0.340 to 0.924. The low to moderate direct and maternal heritabilities with additive–maternal genetic correlations showed that the variation in morphometric traits in foals could be affected by these factors and needs to be considered. Genetic trends showed increased weight and chest circumference in foals at birth. Based on these findings, breeders may consider these traits when selecting horses in future breeding programs.

Abstract. Our study sought to investigate the impact of incorporating guava agroindustrial waste (GAW) at varying concentrations on nutrient utilization, lamb performance and economic viability. Forty non-castrated, 4-month-old Santa Inês lambs with an initial mean weight of 21.3 ± 2.18 kg were utilized in a confined setting. These lambs were allocated randomly to five treatment groups, each consisting of eight replicates, and were subjected to diets containing increasing levels of GAW (0 %, 7.5 %, 15 %, 22.5 % and 30 % based on dry matter). The feed formulation also included Tifton hay, corn, soybean and mineral salt. Throughout the trial period, parameters such as dry matter intake (DMI), nutrient digestibility and economic metrics were meticulously evaluated. Notably, the performance metrics among the different GAW treatments did not exhibit statistically significant differences (p > 0.05), with an average daily gain of 328 g d−1 observed across all the groups. However, there was a discernible positive effect on the intake of ether extract (p > 0.05). Regarding nutrient digestibility, only the crude protein digestibility demonstrated no significant variance (p > 0.001) among the treatments. Consequently, our findings suggest that GAW can be effectively integrated into sheep diets at levels of up to 30 % without compromising lamb performance. Moreover, from an economic standpoint, this incorporation proves to be the most financially viable and cost-effective option among the evaluated treatments.

Abstract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different doses of estradiol benzoate (EB) on inhibiting the development of non-dominant follicles and inducing twin calves in beef heifers. Beef heifers were synchronized using estradiol plus progesterone (P4), and superovulation was induced using a small-dose follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) protocol. From day 6.5 to day 7.5, every heifer was treated with 0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5 mg EB three times at 12 h intervals to eliminate excess dominant follicles. The diameters of the two largest follicles (F1 and F2) continually increased from day 3.5 to day 10. However, the growth rate was constrained by exogenous EB, and the degree of suppression was greatest in the 0.5 mg EB treatment compared with other treatments. As a result, the number of large follicles (≥10 mm) decreased as the EB dose increased. Compared with the control treatment, the incidence of animals experiencing triple ovulation was significantly lower in the 0.5 mg EB treatment; however, the single-ovulation rate showed the inverse. This study demonstrated that 0.2 mg EB could modulate the development of two to three co-dominant follicles after a small-dose FSH treatment. The number of twin births was higher in the 0.2 mg EB treatment.

Abstract. Supplements derived from plants are utilized to maintain and promote the growth efficiency of animals. The use of black pepper oil (BPO) has recently generated significant scientific interest, primarily because of its potential beneficial effects on both humans and animals. The goal of the current study was to determine how dietary BPO supplementation affected growth performance, characteristics of growing quails' immunity, antioxidant status, and carcass yield. A total of 240 growing quails (1 week old) were divided into five equal groups, each with 36 birds (four replicates of 12 each). A basal diet containing no BPO (0 g kg−1) was given to the first group, and the second, third, and fourth groups were given a diet that was supplemented with BPO (0.4, 0.8, 1.2, and 1.6 g kg−1, respectively). In comparison to a control group, quails' diets that were supplemented with 0.8 g BPO kg−1 showed improvements in final live body weight, body weight gain, and feed conversion ratio of 10.68 %, 12.6 %, and 18.2 %, respectively. During the whole study period (1 to 5 weeks), quails fed diets with 0.8 g BPO consumed less feed than the other groups and control. Due to BPO treatment, there were no statistically significant changes in any of the carcass parameters. BPO-supplemented groups had significantly elevated plasma levels of albumin and globulin than control groups (P < 0.05), but the albumin/globulin ratio was reported to be significantly decreased (P < 0.05) in birds supplemented with diets containing BPO compared to the control group. When compared to the control, the liver enzyme activity (aspartate transaminase (AST) and alanine transaminase (ALT)) in blood plasma was reported to be significantly increased in the quails given 0.4 and 0.8 g BPO kg−1. Glutathione and catalase activities were significantly higher in the group given diets supplemented with BPO (1.2 g kg−1) than they were in the control group. In comparison to the control, the supplementation of BPO in the diets of quail significantly enhanced (P < 0.05) the lipid profile in the plasma, moreover decreasing the caecal content pH (P < 0.05). In comparison to the control, the populations of lactobacilli, coliform, Salmonella spp., and Escherichia coli in the caecum significantly decreased in the BPO-supplemented groups (P < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary BPO supplementation in Japanese quails' diet can boost growth performance and antioxidant indices, enhance lipid profile and carcass traits, and reduce intestinal infections.

Abstract. Numerous studies on prolific sheep breeds have shown that the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily members, including bone morphogenetic protein receptor type 1B (BMPR1B), bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP15) and growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), are the essential regulators of ovulation rate and litter size. In total, 11 known mutations (1 in BMPR1B, 6 in BMP15 and 4 in GDF9) are able to increase the ovulation rate and litter size, respectively. In this study, the genomic DNA was isolated from 512 high-prolificacy sheep (including the Small-tailed Han, Hu and Wadi sheep breeds) and 164 low-prolificacy sheep (Tan sheep), and genotyping of the specific mutations of the three fecundity-related genes was carried out by sequencing. The results showed that the FecB mutation in BMPR1B was detected in all four sheep breeds, and the frequency of B allele was significantly higher in the high-prolificacy breeds than that in the low-prolificacy breed (P<0.001). A novel mutation, c.T755C (named S1), was found in BMP15 from the four sheep breeds. However, known mutations such as FecXI, FecXH, FecXB, FecXG, FecXL and FecXR were not detected in these breeds. Three known loci (G1, G3 and G4) and a new mutation, c.A1515G (named S2), were found in GDF9, and the other three known mutations (FecGH (G8), FecGE and FecTT) were not detected in all four sheep breeds. The genotype distribution at the G1 and G4 loci had significant differences between the low-prolificacy sheep breed and the other three high-prolificacy sheep breeds. There was no difference in the genotype distribution at the G1 and G4 loci between the three high-prolificacy sheep breeds. Haplotype analysis of the four polymorphic loci in GDF9 suggested that H4 (GGAA) was the preponderant haplotype in the three high-prolificacy sheep breeds, but H1 (GGGG) was in the low-prolificacy sheep breed. These results preliminarily showed that the BMPR1B and GDF9 might be major genes influencing the prolificacy of Chinese sheep breeds.

This study aimed to show the effect of bile acid (BA) and xylanase (Xyl) supplementation on the growth, fat digestibility, serum lipid metabolites, and ileal digesta viscosity of broilers. A total of 720 1 d old male broilers were allocated to one of nine treatments with four replicates in each under a factorial design arrangement of three levels of BA (0 %, 0.25 %, and 0.50 %) and three levels of Xyl (0 %, 0.05 %, and 0.10 %) supplementation. The duration of the experiment was 35 d (7–42 d). Growth performance, blood lipids, fat digestibility, and ileal digesta viscosity were determined. The experimental treatments did not affect feed intake (FI) and weight gain (WG). Supplementation of BA or Xyl did not significantly ameliorate the feed conversion rate (FCR) (). The addition of BA linearly increased fat digestibility. At 7–21 d of age, the addition of BA or Xyl had a significant () increase in serum cholesterol (Chol) but no significant difference for other serum lipid parameters in broiler chickens fed with Xyl in the starter and grower periods. However, the supplementation of 0.5 % BA at 7–21 d of age significantly increased the Chol and low-density-lipoprotein (LDL) levels. The results of this trial revealed that the supplementation of xylanases had a great effect on the degradation of arabinoxylan from wheat, which led to a relatively greater reduction in ileal digesta viscosity; it was also found that supplementation of BA significantly increased the concentration of serum lipid metabolites, whereas BA and Xyl supplementation linearly increased the fat digestibility of the birds fed wheat and tallow diets.