The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of humic acids (HA) on intestinal viscosity, leaky gut and ammonia excretion in a 24 hr feed restriction (FR) model to induce intestinal permeability in chickens. One-day-old male Cobb-Vantress broilers were randomly allocated to one of two groups (n = 25 chickens), with or without 0.2% of isolated HA from worm-compost, and placed in brooder batteries. Chicks had ad libitum access to water and feed for 14 days. Intestinal permeability was induced by 24 hr FR starting at 14 days. At 15 days of age, chickens in both groups were given an appropriate dose of fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) by oral gavage. Intestine and liver samples were also collected to evaluate viscosity and bacterial translocation (BT), respectively. An increase (p < .05) in intestinal viscosity was observed in the experimental group consuming 0.2% of HA and was confirmed in a published in vitro digestion model that simulates the chemical and physical conditions of the crop, proventriculus and intestine of chickens. Furthermore, the treated group also showed a significant reduction in FITC-d, liver BT and ammonia in the manure. These results suggest that HA have a positive impact in intestinal integrity in chickens.

Enteritidis, were carried out. In experiment 2, one-day old male broiler chickens were randomly allocate to one of two groups (n=25) with or without 0.2% of isolated HA from worm-composte, and challenged with 10 6 CFU of S. Enteritidis per chicken at 10-d old. All chicks were euthanized 24-h hours post challenge, and were for serum fluorescein isothiocyanate dextran (FITC-d) determination. A section of ileum was removed to obtain total concentration of IgA.Ceca-cecal tonsils were removed to evaluate Salmonella recovery, total lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and total Gram negative bacteria. In experiment 1, neither concentration of commercial or natural HA were able to reduce the recovery of S. Enteritidis in any of the simulated compartments (P>0.05). Only the crop compartment showed significant differences in pH in both trials between control and treated groups. In experiment 2, no significant differences were

The effects of supplementing a blend of organic acids (OA) and a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) based-probiotic on egg to chick weight loss (%) and Salmonella spp. recovery counts in the litter of commercial broiler breeders were examined in three independent trials during the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. In each trial, ten thousand birds were divided into two groups of 5000 birds (4500 females and 500 males in each group): Control non-treated group, receiving regular water or treated group, receiving OA and probiotic in the drinking water from 25 to 35 weeks of age. During the ten weeks of evaluation, one thousand fertile eggs or hatched chickens in each trial respectively, were evaluated to obtained, hatching set weight, transferred egg weight, and hatching chick weight, to estimate the difference between egg to chick weight loss (%). Besides, in trial 2 (2014) and trial 3 (2015), litter samples were collected to evaluate Salmonella spp. counts. The supplementation of OA and probiotic during ten consecutive weeks significantly decreased the egg to chick weight loss (%) when compared with the control non-treated groups in all three trials evaluated. Interestingly, at the end of the trials 2 and 3, no counts of Salmonella spp. in the litter were detected. In contrast, control-non treated groups resulted in 4.30 and 4.24 Log 10 of Salmonella spp. in trials two and three respectively. The results of the present study suggest that supplementation of OA and a LAB-probiotic for ten consecutive weeks decrease the egg to chick weight loss (%) and reduce Salmonella spp.

Rye is high in nonstarch polysaccharides ( NSP ), a complex carbohydrate which cannot be digested by poultry as they lack the endogenous enzymes to do so. Exogenous carbohydrases must therefore be supplemented to avoid the antinutritional effects associated with a high NSP diet. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of a rye-based diet with and without supplementation of a Bacillus direct-fed microbial ( DFM ) on body weight, bone mineralization, and leaky gut, as well as its role on influencing serum concentrations of peptide YY ( PPY ) and the ammonia concentration in turkey manure. Two independent trials were conducted. In each experiment, day-of-hatch female turkey poults were neck tagged and randomly assigned to either a control rye-based diet or a rye-based diet supplemented with the DFM ( n = 25 birds/group). At 10 days-of-age, poults in both groups were administered with an appropriate dose of fluorescein isothiocyanate-dextran ( FITC-d ) by oral gavage. One hour later, all poults were euthanized. Blood was collected to evaluate serum FITC-d and PPY concentrations. Furthermore, in Trial 2 only, both tibias were removed for assessment of bone parameters, and turkey manure was collected to evaluate physicochemical analysis. In both trials, poults treated with the DFM showed a significant increase ( P < 0.05) in body weight and body weight gain as compared with control nontreated poults. Poults that received the DFM also had a significant reduction in serum levels of PPY and FITC-d when compared with control nontreated poults. In Trial 2, turkeys treated with the DFM had a substantial increase in tibia strength, tibia diameter, total ash, calcium, and phosphorus when compared with control nontreated turkeys. Their manure was also shown to have a significant reduction in the concentration of ammonia. This is the first report of a commercial DFM reducing the concentration of this compound in turkey manure. In summary, the results of the present study confirm that turkeys fed with a rye-based diet have a significant increase in gut permeability, a reduced body weight, and decreased bone mineralization when compared with turkeys fed with the DFM. Turkeys that received the rye-based diet supplemented with the Bacillus- DFM also had a significant reduction in the serum concentration of PPY when compared with control turkeys. This finding suggests a possible prebiotic effect of rye, warranting future studies to test this effect. Further studies to evaluate the microbiota diversity, as well as the concentration of ceca short-chain fatty acids, are also necessary to confirm the reliability of PPY as a potential metabolomic biomarker in poultry.

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