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This research was carried out to determine the effect of Jerusalem artichoke (JA) with or without 5, 10% vetch (V) supplementation on performance, egg quality characteristics and egg cholesterol content. In the study, seventy-five 25 weeks-old commercial white laying hens were randomly divided into one control and 4 treatment groups each containing 15 hens. Control group was fed basal diet without JA or V. Treatment group 1, 2, 3 and 4 were fed diets containing 5% V, 5% JA, 5% JA + 5% V and 10% JA + 10% V, respectively. The feeding period lasted 16 weeks. In the study, it was determined that dried-ground JA contained dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, crude fibre, crude ash, inulin and metabolizable energy (ME) at the level of 93.30, 10.02, 0.36, 5.64, 9.05, 15.80% and 3 060 kcal/kg, respectively. At the end of the study, live weight was lower by 4.36-10.09% in the treatment group 10% JA + 10% V compared with the other groups, but feed efficiency was improved in this group. There were statistically significant differences between the groups in egg quality characteristics (P < 0.05, P < 0.001). Egg production was not affected by supplementation of 5, 10% JA with or without 5, 10% V supplementation. Egg yolk cholesterol and total cholesterol content were not different in the groups (P > 0.05). As a result, the addition of JA with or without V has no adverse effect on performance and egg quality in hens.

This study evaluated the effect of intra-amniotic synbiotic inclusion and continued synbiotic supplementation in the diet on the performance, intestinal epithelium integrity, and cecal microflora of broiler chickens. In Experiment 1, 510 eggs containing viable embryos were divided into 3 groups of 170 eggs each. The first group was not injected and served as a negative control ( NC: ). The next group was injected with 0.9% NaCl and was the positive control ( PC: ). The synbiotic-injected group ( S: ) was injected with a 0.5% inulin and 1 × 10 Enterococcus faecium solution. The non-injected and synbiotic injected groups were further divided into 2 sets for Experiment 2 and the birds were offered either a basal or synbiotic supplemented diet (1% inulin and 2 × 10 E. faecium cfu/kg feed). One hundred ninety-six broiler hatchlings were randomly allocated in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement that included an intra-amniotic treatment (non-injected or synbiotic injected) and a dietary treatment (basal or synbiotic supplemented diet). The results showed that the administration of an intra-amniotic synbiotic to embryonated eggs on d 17 of incubation did not affect the hatchability or hatching weight of the birds. However, intra-amniotic synbiotic inclusion had a positive effect on FCR at d 0 to 42 (P = 0.041) and d 22 to 42 (P = 0.036). There was no significant interaction effect on the growth performance of the birds between the intra-amniotic and dietary synbiotic treatment during different or entire experimental periods. Villus height and goblet and proliferating cell nuclear antigen ( PCNA: ) positive cell counts were positively influenced by intra-amniotic and dietary synbiotic treatments. Our results also indicated that intra-amniotic synbiotic injection followed by dietary supplementation with a synbiotic significantly increased Lactobacillus colonization and decreased coliform population in the broiler cecum. Cecal butyric acid concentration increased proportionally to the cecal Lactobacillus count with dietary synbiotic supplementation on d 42. In summary, combined intra-amniotic and dietary synbiotic treatments improved broiler intestinal integrity and increased cecal beneficial bacteria populations.

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This study investigated the effects of dietary Paenibacillus xylanexedens ysm1 supplementation on growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune response, and cecal microbiota of broiler chickens challenged with Escherichia coli K88. A total of 320 one-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 4 treatments (8 floor pens, 10 birds/pen) including 1) negative control ( NC ) birds fed a basal diet and not challenged with E. coli K88; 2) positive control ( PC ) birds fed a basal diet and challenged with of E . coli K88; 3) P . xylanexedens ysm1 treatment ( PRO ) birds fed a basal diet supplemented with 1 × 10 9 P . xylanexedens ysm1 cfu/kg feed and challenged with E . coli K88; and 4) antibiotic treatment ( ANT ) birds fed a basal diet supplemented with 20 mg of colistin sulphate/kg of feed and challenged with E . coli K88. The E. coli challenge decreased ( P < 0.05) BWG in PC birds compared with the ANT birds on days 21 and 28. The FCR was higher ( P < 0.01) in PC birds compared with the NC, PRO, and ANT birds on days 14, 21, and 28. Compared with the NC, PRO, and ANT birds on day 28, PC birds had shorter villi and higher number of goblet cells in both jejunum and ileum ( P < 0.001). Irrespective of the dietary treatments, the E . coli challenge reduced the number of PCNA-positive cells in both the jejunum and ileum on day 28. Paenibacillus xylanexedens ysm1 treatment resulted in higher concentration of mucosal sIgA in the jejunum as compared to the other treatment groups on days 14 and 28. The numbers of cecal E . coli were reduced ( P = 0.017) in broilers treated with P . xylanexedens ysm1 or antibiotic in comparison with the PC group on day 28. In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that dietary supplementation of this new probiotic bacteria P . xylanexedens ysm1 improved broiler performance by modulating intestinal morphology, enhancing immune response, and reducing the number of E . coli in the cecum.