Effects of Mannan Oligosaccharides and/or <i>Bifidobacterium</i> on Growth and Immunity in Domestic Pigeon (<i>Columba livia domestica</i>)

Abstract

The goal of this study was to evaluate the influences of mannan oligosaccharides (MOSs) and/or Bifidobacterium on the growth and immunity of pigeons over a 56-day period. One hundred paired adult pigeons were randomly divided into four groups of five paired pigeons. Paired pigeons with two young squabs were housed in a man-made aviary. Parent pigeons in the control group received a basal diet (C), while the other three groups were fed with the basal diet supplemented with 20 g of MOSs/kg of feed (M), 10 g Bifidobacterium(1 × 10 10 CFU/g)/kg of feed (B), or a combination of M and B (MB).We found higher body weights (BW) in pigeons of the B group than in the C, M, and MB groups. None of the treatments exerted significant effects involving spleen and thymus indices, whereas M birds tended to improve the bursa of Fabricius index. Pigeons fed with the M-supplemented diet exhibited improved serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) concentrations compared with those fed with C and the Band MB-supplemented diets. In addition, M treatment increased immunoglobulin A (IgA) levels compared with MB treatment. MB treatment improved serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations compared to that by the C treatment. The concentration of secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) was significantly reduced in the duodenum and increased in the ileum in pigeons fed with the MB-supplemented diet. This study indicated that dietary supplementation with Bifidobacterium increased the growth performance. Dietary supplementation with MOSs or in combination with Bifidobacterium was able to improve immune function in pigeons but exerted no apparent effect on weight gain. Accordingly, in terms of economic benefits, the findings suggested that supplementation with Bifidobacterium alone may improve production performance, and that supplementation with MOSs s alone may improve immune function in pigeons.

Effect of Dietary Puerarin Supplementation on Growth Performance, Immune Response, Antioxidant Capacity, and Intestinal Morphology in Domestic Pigeons (<i>Columba livia</i>)

“…IgM is the earliest antibody generated in the initial immune response. IgG serves as the principal antibody in serum against bacteria, viruses, and antitoxins[ 34 ]. In the present study, the puerarin supplementation could increase serum IgM levels in pigeons at 15 days and both serum IgA and IgM levels at 30 days.…”

Gut microbiota derived from fecal microbiota transplantation enhances body weight of Mimas squabs

“…Moreover, these collaborative analyses revealed favorable correlations among Lactobacillus , Megasphaera and Muribaculaceae and the weight of the squab, indicating the potential for further research on this probiotic for use in squabs. However, a limited number of investigations on probiotics for domestic pigeons have tended to emphasize the influence of probiotics on pigeon immune performance and disease resistance [ 15 , 16 ], with minimal contributions to enhancing meat production performance in meat pigeons.…”

“…However, a limited number of investigations on probiotics for domestic pigeons have tended to emphasize the influence of probiotics on pigeon immune performance and disease resistance [15,16], with minimal contributions to the investigation of enhancing meat production performance in meat pigeons.…”

“…The administration of Bifidobacterium to domestic pigeons has been determined to have a significant effect on weight gain. Moreover, it has been shown to augment the bursa of Fabricius index and elevate the levels of serum immunoglobulin M [ 16 ]. However, reports on the enhancement of pigeon production performance by the gut microbiota are rare.…”