Body weight, organ development and jejunal histomorphology in broiler breeder pullets fed n-3 fatty acids enriched diets from hatch through to 22 weeks of age

Abstract

Dietary long chain polyunsaturated n-3 fatty acids ( n-3 FA ) may be beneficial to broiler breeder ( BB ) development. Therefore, the effects of feeding sources of docosahexaenoic acid ( DHA ) and α-linolenic acid ( ALA ) from hatch through to 22 weeks of age ( woa ) on growth, organ weight, and jejunal histomorphology were investigated. A total of 588-day-old Ross × Ross 708 BB were reared on one of 3 diets: 1) control, corn-soybean meal diet, 2) Control + 1% microalgae ( DMA , Aurantichytrium limacinum ), as a source of DHA and 3) Control + 2.50% co-extruded full fat flaxseed and pulse mixture ( FFF , 1:1 wt/wt), as a source of ALA. Diets DMA and FFF had similar total n-3 and n-6: n-3 ratio. Diets were allocated to floor pens (28 birds/pen) to give 9 or 6 replicates per diet for control or DMA and FFF, respectively and fed according to breeder curve in 3 phases: starter (0–4 woa), grower (5–19 woa), and pre-breeder (20–22 woa). Individual body weight ( BW ) was taken weekly and 6 birds/pen necropsied at 5 and 12 woa for gastrointestinal, spleen, bursa, and liver weight and samples for jejunal histomorphology. There was no ( P > 0.05) diet effect on growth by 20 woa. With exception of 5 woa, pullets fed DMA showed ( P < 0.001) lower BW coefficient of variation ( C.V .) than pullets fed control between 2 and 7 woa. However, pullets fed DMA had higher BW CV at 20 woa than birds fed either control or FFF. At 5 woa, birds fed DMA had taller ( P ≤ 0.01) villi and deeper crypt than birds fed either control or FFF but VH or CD were similar ( P > 0.05) between CON and FFF pullets. At 12 woa, birds fed FFF had taller VH than birds fed control diet but similar ( P > 0.05) to that of birds fed DMA. Therefore, different responses to sources of omega-3 FA may implicate other components, however, the BW uniformity and intestinal histomorphology responses suggested benefits of feeding omega-3 FA during rearing.

Chicken jejunal microbiota improves growth performance by mitigating intestinal inflammation

“…Due to the jejunum's unique features, i.e., efficient nutrients absorption via the largest surface area [23], and efficient nutrient translocation via active vascular system of villi [24], nutrient absorption/ intake mainly occurs in the jejunum. The jejunal histomorphology is a good indicator for digestive/absorptive ability [25]. It has also been reported that jejunal microbiota considerably contributes to the nutrient uptake and utilization in broilers [26].…”

Growth and response to Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide challenge in Lohmann LSL-Lite pullets when fed a source of omega-3 fatty acids and yeast bioactives from hatch through to 16 wk of age

“…Some effects of FFF or YB were noted on growth performance in some phases in the present study but no effects in the overall (0–16 woa). We previously reported that feeding 2.3% FFF did not have effects on BW in egg type ( Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki et al, 2020 ) or broiler breeder ( Thanabalan and Kiarie, 2021 ) pullets. Another study observed no effect of feeding 5% to 10% flaxseed on pullet growth ( Arshami et al, 2010 ).…”

“…A flock with higher uniformity at point of lay attains peak egg production earlier and produces more and heavier eggs in lifetime and will peak higher than a nonuniform flock due to varying degrees of maturity ( Hudson et al, 2001 ; Leeson and Summers, 2005 ). While there are little scientific data available, pullet flock with ≤10% BW CV at sexual maturity is considered uniform ( Arrazola et al, 2019 ; Thanabalan and Kiarie 2021 ). The observed BW CV in the present study was well below 10%.…”

“…The YB are yeast cell walls originated from Saccharomyces cerevisiae processed with β-1,3-glucan hydrolase ( Patterson et al, 2023 ). The doses of FFF and YB were based on our previous studies in broilers and pullet breeders ( Lu et al, 2019 ; Akbari Moghaddam Kakhki et al, 2020 ; Thanabalan and Kiarie, 2021 ). All diets were formulated to meet or exceed the breeder specifications ( Lohmann, 2016 ): starter, d 0 to 3 woa ( Table 1 ); grower, 4 to 8 woa ( Table 2 ), and developer, 9 to 16 woa ( Table 3 ).…”

Comparative efficacy of hydroxychloride and organic sources of zinc, copper, and manganese on egg production and concentration of trace minerals in eggs, plasma, and excreta in female broiler breeders from 42 to 63 weeks of age

“…As expected, BW increased as the hens aged, regardless of TM source, and was similar to the target BW ( Aviagen, 2021b ). Achieving the desired BB target BW for age is a primary benchmark for evaluating the quality of pullets ( Thanabalan and Kiarie, 2021 ; Maina et al, 2024 ). Producers aim to ensure that 80% of the pullets fall within the designated weight ranges.…”