Poultry Science最新文献

{"title":"Multi-omics analyses reveal differences in intestinal flora composition and serum metabolites in Cherry Valley broiler ducks of different body weights","authors":"Hongjiao Wang ,&nbsp;Long Li ,&nbsp;Jinhai Wu ,&nbsp;Xuefeng Yuan ,&nbsp;Liang Hong ,&nbsp;Lei Pu ,&nbsp;Shunyi Qin ,&nbsp;Liuan Li ,&nbsp;Hua Yang ,&nbsp;Jianbin Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105275","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105275","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fledgling broiler ducks vary in body weight and growth rate. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between serum metabolites and the intestinal microbiota in Cherry Valley broiler ducks with different finishing weights and to reveal differences in their metabolic regulation and microbial composition. Serum and cecum content samples were collected from Cherry Valley broiler ducks of different finishing weights. Metabolites were identified and compared using untargeted metabolomics, 16S rRNA gene sequencing, multivariate statistics and bioinformatics. Six key findings emerged. First, serum biochemical parameters showed that AST and ALT levels were significantly lower in the high weight group (Group H) than in the low weight group (Group L), and serum immunoglobulin IgG levels were significantly higher in group H. Second, the chorionic height to crypt depth ratio of the duodenum was significantly higher in group H than in group L. Third, the gut microbial community diversity or abundance was lower in broiler ducks in group L. Fourth, LEfSe analysis showed that the biomarker for group L was <em>Streptococcus</em>, whereas for group H it was <em>Faecalibacterium</em>. Fifth, a total of 127 differential metabolites were identified (49 up-regulated and 78 down-regulated). Finally, Spearman's correlation analysis showed that Spearman's correlation analyses showed that the Lipid-related serum metabolites were higher in low-body recombinant broiler ducks, mainly Lathosterol, Cholesterol, Cynaratriol and Leukotriene B4. In addition to lipid-associated serum metabolites in high-body recombination, The water-soluble vitamin-like metabolite Pantothenate and the antibiotic-like metabolite Tylosin were high. The cecum microbiota is strongly associated with metabolites, especially <em>Faecalibacterium, unclassified Tannerellaceae, Subdoligranulum, Alistipes</em>, and <em>[Ruminococcus] torques_group</em>, with which it exhibits strong Correlation. Broiler ducks with higher body weights have a better intestinal villous structure, enhanced digestion and absorption, higher levels of immunoglobulin secretion and superior growth performance. Broiler ducks with different body weights differed in plasma metabolites and cecum flora. Spearman's correlation analyses showed that the Correlation between differential metabolites and differential gut microbial genera.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105275"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143943202","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Detecting wing fractures in chickens using deep learning, photographs and computed tomography scanning","authors":"Kacper Libera ,&nbsp;Dirk Schut ,&nbsp;Effrosyni Kritsi ,&nbsp;Louis van Steijn ,&nbsp;Timothy Dallman ,&nbsp;Len Lipman","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105264","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105264","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Animal welfare monitoring is a key part of veterinary surveillance in every poultry slaughterhouse. Among the animal welfare indicators routinely inspected, the prevalence of wing fractures and soft tissues injuries (e.g. bruises) is particularly relevant, because it is related to acute pain and suffering in injured birds. According to current practice, assessment corresponds to visual examination by animal welfare officers. However, taking into consideration the speed of the production line and limitations associated with human inspection (e.g. different visual perception, subjectivism and fatigue), new more objective and automated techniques are desirable. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the applicability of three deep learning classification models to detect fractures and/or bruises based on computed tomography (CT) scans and photographs of the wings. Namely, 1. Model_CT (two categories: 1.BROKEN and 2.NON_BROKEN) detecting fractures based on CT scans, 2.Model_Photo_Fractures (1.FRACTURES and 2.NO_FRACTURES) detecting fractures based on photographs and 3.Model_Photo_Bruises (1.BRUISES and 2.NO_BRUISES) detecting bruises based on photographs. To train, validate and test these models 306 CT scans and 285 photographs were collected. The 3D ResNet34 and 2D EfficientNetV2_s architectures were used for the CT and Photo_Models, respectively. The models reached an accuracy of 98 % (Model_CT), 96 % (Model_Photo_Fractures) and 82 % (Model_Photo_Bruises). All in all, applying deep learning to the combination of CT scanning and photography can help to objectively recognize wing fractures and bruises. Consequently, it might lead to more accurate and objective animal welfare monitoring and ultimately to raised animal welfare standards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105264"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Selenoprotein S ablation-mediated pyroptosis contributes to liver damage resulting from selenium deficiency in chickens","authors":"Huanqi Zhang,&nbsp;Xiaozhe Chen,&nbsp;Tingjin Lu,&nbsp;Qiyuan Cao,&nbsp;Xiaojing Li","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105269","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105269","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Selenium is an essential trace element for the synthesis of selenocysteine. Selenoprotein S (SELS) acts as a carrier protein for selenium and exhibits anti-inflammatory properties. However, the role of the SELS in selenium deficiency remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the role of SELS in selenium deficiency-mediated pyroptosis. A selenium-deficient chicken model was established using a low-selenium diet, allowing for analysis of the pyroptosis markers GSDMD and NLRP3 by immunohistochemistry and the expression levels of 25 selenoproteins in the liver. The results show that the selenium-deficient diet increased the levels of NLRP3 and GSDMD while reducing the expression of nine selenoproteins (DIO1, GPX1, GPX6, TXRD2, SELF, SELN, SELO, SELS, and SELT). SELS ablation abolished the activities of antioxidant enzymes, leading to excessive production of ROS and MDA. In addition, SELS knockdown activated the NF-κB pathway and induced pyroptosis. Following transfection, the introduction of N-acetylcysteine, BAY11-7082, or MCC950 alleviated the pyroptosis induced by SELS knockdown. However, MCC950 did not affect the NF-κB pathway, and both BAY 11-7082 and MCC950 were ineffective in reducing ROS accumulation. In conclusion, SELS deficiency leads to ROS generation and activation of the NF-κB pathway activation, ultimately inducing pyroptosis and the release of inflammatory factors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105269"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936313","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Growth curve fitting and analysis of intestinal flora changes of the Magang Goose (Anser domesticus) during 1 to 70 days post hatch","authors":"Xue Li ,&nbsp;Guorong Song ,&nbsp;Qingyun Cao ,&nbsp;Qianyuan Mo ,&nbsp;Yang Fu ,&nbsp;Jianying Chen ,&nbsp;Ben Lukuyu ,&nbsp;Shunxiang Wang ,&nbsp;Hui Ye ,&nbsp;Yongwen Zhu ,&nbsp;Kashif Saleemi Muhammad ,&nbsp;Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Jie Pan ,&nbsp;Wence Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105267","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105267","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nonlinear models are frequently utilized to study the growth and development of livestock and poultry, and to investigate the dynamic relationship with the intestinal microbiota changes. In this study, a total of 180 Magang geese (1-day-old) were selected and randomly divided into 6 replicates with 30 geese in each replicate. The growth performance, organ development, and intestinal flora composition of geese aged 7, 14, 21, 28, 42, 50, 60, and 70 d were observed. A total of 3 nonlinear growth models were applied to fit the development curves, aiming to explore the ontogenic development of Magang geese and the dynamic changes in the intestinal flora. Our results demonstrated that the Gompertz model serves as the most suitable model for simulating the growth pattern of Magang geese (R²=0.996). Using this model, the weight of the inflection point in Magang geese was 3.470 kg, the age of the inflection point was 25.460 d, and the maximum daily gain was 0.061 kg. The development curves of the liver, kidney, and pancreas conform to the Logistic model (R²=0.901, 0.978, 0.971), while the intestinal development also followed this model. The bacteria involved in energy metabolism (<em>Subdoligranulum, Bacteroides, Romboutsia</em>) and the bacteria inhibiting the colonization of harmful bacteria (<em>Blautia</em>) in cecum changed rapidly from 7 to 14 d, and microbial community composition stabilized after 21 d. In conclusion, our findings indicated that the ontogenic pattern of the Magang goose conformed to the Gompertz growth curve. The period from 7 to 42 d represents the rapid growth phase for Magang geese, during which organ development occurs, and cecal microbiota composition becomes increasingly stable.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105267"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of dietary Leucine supplementation on intestinal development and gene expression of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in broilers","authors":"Xue Pan ,&nbsp;Jie He ,&nbsp;Okasha Hamada ,&nbsp;Johan Buyse ,&nbsp;Zhigang Song ,&nbsp;Lixian Zhu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105266","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105266","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigated the effects of 0.4 % Leucine (<strong>Leu</strong>) addition on growth performance, intestinal growth, carcass characteristics, and pattern recognition receptors (<strong>PRR</strong>) gene expression in broilers. A Total of 144 one-day-old Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into two treatment groups: the basal diet (CON) and the basal diet added with 0.4 % crystalline Leu. Growth performance, visceral organ indices, carcass traits, intestinal growth, and mRNA levels of <em>TLR2, TLR4, NOD1, NOD5</em>, and <em>IL-4</em> were analyzed at 20 and 40 d. Results indicated that Leu reduced the FCR during 1-20 d (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and increased ADG during 21-40 d (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Leu increased <em>IL-4</em> expression in the duodenum and jejunum and enhanced relative intestinal weight and length during the starting phase (20 d) (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Leu downregulated the gene expression of <em>NOD1, NOD5</em>, and <em>TLR4</em> in the duodenum (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and reduced the jejunal mRNA levels of <em>NOD1</em> (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). At 40 d, Leu increased pectoral muscle yield and downregulated <em>TLR4</em> in pectoral muscle (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). These findings suggest that dietary Leu supplementation improves intestinal development and modulates PRR-related immune responses in a tissue-specific manner, highlighting its potential as an immunomodulatory feed additive.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105266"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143941896","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic relationship of a novel pleuromutilin derivative p-furoylamphenmulin against Mycoplasma gallisepticum in vivo in chickens","authors":"Xirui Xia,&nbsp;Huifang Zhao,&nbsp;Yaxi Li,&nbsp;Xiangyang Long,&nbsp;Xuezhen Liu,&nbsp;Mingyang Bai,&nbsp;Youzhi Tang,&nbsp;Xiangguang Shen,&nbsp;Huanzhong Ding","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105249","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105249","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div><em>Mycoplasma gallisepticum</em> (<strong><em>M. gallisepticum</em>, MG</strong>) is the primary pathogen of chronic respiratory disease (<strong>CRD</strong>) in chickens and leads to pneumonia and air sacculitis in infected chickens and a corresponding economic loss for the poultry industry. The pleuromutilins have excellent anti-mycoplasmal activity and we evaluated the <em>in vivo</em> activity of a new derivative 22-((4-((2-furan-1-yl)acetamido)phenyl)thio) deoxypleuromutilin (<strong><em>p-</em>furoylamphenmulin</strong>) against <em>M. gallisepticum</em>. A plasma pharmacokinetic (<strong>PK</strong>) study and an <em>in vivo</em> pharmacodynamic (<strong>PD</strong>) study of <em>p</em>-furoylamphenmulin were performed using an <em>M. gallisepticum</em>-infected chicken model. Based on the PK/PD results, a preliminary recommended dose was calculated. The minimum inhibitory concentration (<strong>MIC</strong>) of <em>p</em>-furoylamphenmulin against <em>M. gallisepticum</em> was 0.001953125 μg/mL. PK results indicated that the absorption half-life (<strong>T_1/2ka</strong>) in infected chicks was 0.10 h, elimination half-life (<strong>T_1/2kel</strong>) was 4.23 h. The areas under the concentration-time curve at 24 h (<strong>AUC_24h</strong>) for 5, 40, and 80 mg/kg single-dose injections were 1.49, 10.15, and 18.56 μg·h/mL, respectively. The peak concentrations (<strong>C_max</strong>) of 5, 40, and 80 mg/kg were 0.56, 5.79, and 9.53 μg/mL, respectively. The PD results indicated that at doses of 70 and 80 mg/kg, the mycoplasmal counts in lungs decreased by 3.39 and 3.28 Log₁₀CFU/mL, respectively, achieving a bactericidal effect. Through PK/PD fitting, the target values corresponding to reducing the lung mycoplasma load by 3 Log₁₀ CFU/mL of AUC_24h/MIC and C_max/MIC were 8288.29 h and 4299.30, respectively, and the calculated dosage using formula (2) was 62.64 mg/kg, under the regimen of intramuscular injection once every 24 h for 3 consecutive days. In addition, the effect of high-dose <em>p</em>-furoylamphenmulin on the relief of air sac lesions was significant. These results provide a basis for developing and applying <em>p</em>-furoylamphenmulin and provide a preliminary medication regimen.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105249"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143936314","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research note: Unveiling the impact of ovotransferrin on chicken primordial germ cells biological processes","authors":"Xin Liu ,&nbsp;Yixiu Peng ,&nbsp;Jun Wu ,&nbsp;Hongwu Qian ,&nbsp;Xiaoqian Lv ,&nbsp;Fan Li ,&nbsp;Kai Jin ,&nbsp;Yingjie Niu ,&nbsp;Jiuzhou Song ,&nbsp;Wei Han ,&nbsp;Guohong Chen ,&nbsp;Bichun Li ,&nbsp;Qisheng Zuo","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105259","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105259","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the field of genetic breeding, primordial germ cells (<strong>PGCs</strong>) have become essential cells for gene editing and genetic improvement due to their unique developmental potential and genetic characteristics. However, the low proliferation efficiency and instability of culture systems pose significant challenges, severely limiting the application of PGCs in genetic breeding. In this study, the biological effects of ovotransferrin on chicken PGCs, focusing on its role in regulating key cellular processes. Treatment with 0.5 mg/ml ovotransferrin significantly promoted cell proliferation, enhanced cell adhesion, reduced oxidative stress, and suppressed apoptosis in cultured PGCs. These findings reveal a regulatory role of ovotransferrin in maintaining PGCs survival and function, providing new insights into optimizing PGC culture systems through targeted modulation of cell fate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105259"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143935117","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genome-wide association study revealed candidate genes associated with egg-laying time traits in layer chicken","authors":"Yifan Guo ,&nbsp;Yuqi Chen ,&nbsp;Huanjie Guo ,&nbsp;Binghui Wang ,&nbsp;Yiwei Xiong ,&nbsp;Jun Ding ,&nbsp;Jingyi Li","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105255","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105255","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In modern intensive caged laying hen production, variations in egg-laying time (<strong>ELT</strong>) among layers often increase the workload for egg collection, thereby raising the costs of labor or power and reducing overall efficiency. For management purpose, early and synchronized ELT is also advantageous, particularly to large-scale layer farm. However, the underlying genetic mechanisms of ELT remain unclear. In this study, through the development of video and artificial intelligence-based software, ELT records during the peak laying period (27-32 weeks) from 507 layers, and their earlier laying performance (21-32 weeks) were collected. Via whole genome sequencing data of all the individuals, the estimated heritabilities of traditional egg production traits ranged from 0.23 to 0.36, consistent with previous reports. The heritability of average egg-laying time (<strong>AELT</strong>) was estimated as 0.46. Furthermore, individuals with earlier AELT tended to exhibit superior egg production performance. Genome-wide association study revealed three SNPs associated with AELT traits, located at 170,867,650 bp on chromosome 1, at 5,548,087 and 5,817,488 bp on chromosome 9. Across the region of 5.4 to 7.0 Mb on chromosome 9, mutations were also identified to be strongly linked with the two AELT-associated SNPs. Genes located in this region may be responsible for the differences in AELT among hens. These results indicate that ELT has the potential to be integrated into the production system of caged layers. If ELT is to be included as a breeding objective in the future, its reliability needs to be validated in larger populations and over longer periods.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 7","pages":"Article 105255"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of laying performance and egg quality between peak and late laying phases in Korean quail","authors":"Yanfen Ma ,&nbsp;Lizhi Lu ,&nbsp;Qi Chen ,&nbsp;Xuanke Hua ,&nbsp;Xinyun Zhang ,&nbsp;Xinyu Zhao ,&nbsp;Xin Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105262","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105262","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The decline in laying performance during the late laying period of poultry causes significant economic losses. This study aimed to investigate the differences in production performance-related parameters between peak (D120) and late (D330) laying phases in Korean quail (<em>Coturnix japonica</em>). A total of 200 D120 quails and 200 D330 quails were randomly divided into 8 groups, with 50 quails per group. The laying rate and egg weight in each group were recorded daily for 8 weeks. At the 8th week, egg quality traits, serum biochemical indices, and the morphology of both ovarian tissue and eggshell gland were evaluated. Compared with D120 quails, the D330 quails exhibited the following changes: (i) Ovarian development deteriorated, with fewer follicles, leading to a reduction in laying rate. (ii) Albumen height, Haugh unit (HU), and eggshell thickness were significantly decreased. Eggshell strength was reduced by 10.05 %, and eggs became more elongated. However, there was no significant differences in egg weight, yolk weight, or yolk color. (iii) The length and density of eggshell gland villi decreased significantly, accompanied by increased lesions, resulting in functional impairment of the eggshell gland. (iv) Serum hormone levels changed significantly: 17β-estradiol (E₂), progesterone (P₄), and calcitonin (CT) levels decreased, whereas follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), and parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels increased. (v) Total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and the activities of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) decreased significantly in serum, whereas malondialdehyde (MDA) levels increased significantly. (vi) Serum calcium (Ca) levels showed a nonsignificant decreased trend (<em>P</em> = 0.35), whereas serum phosphorus (P) levels increased significantly (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, decreased serum E₂ and P₄ levels, along with reduced antioxidant capacity, contributed to ovarian and eggshell gland deterioration, ultimately impairing laying performance and egg quality in late laying quails.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105262"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143922388","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Could tannins be the right dietary alternative for replacing antibiotics as growth promoters in broiler chicken production? A comprehensive microbiota shift assessment in a commercial farm","authors":"Natalia Pin Viso ,&nbsp;Enzo Redondo ,&nbsp;Leandro Redondo ,&nbsp;Juan Díaz Carrasco ,&nbsp;Marisa Farber ,&nbsp;Mariano Fernández Miyakawa","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105260","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2025.105260","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>One of the main global issues in animal production is the antimicrobial use (<strong>AMU</strong>) as prophylactic additives in diet. Despite the availability of a variety of antibiotic alternative additives, their use is not widespread. In this study, we analyzed samples from a trial conducted on a commercial farm, evaluating cecal and litter microbiota with the inclusion of antibiotics or tannins (as AMU-free alternative) in the diet. We observed differential modulation depending on the additive used. Specifically, tannins treatment led to an increased Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio, due to a rise in Clostridiales order, which is associated with improved gut health and better energy efficiency in birds. Poultry litter microbiota contained typical gastrointestinal tract bacteria, along with pathogenic and environmental species. This information becomes relevant for litter reuse in poultry sheds, acting as an inoculum for new birds in the next cycle, determining their microbiota; or when litter is used as organic fertilizer, and these bacteria potentially spread to the environment. This study highlights the potential of tannins as a promising AMU-free alternative in food-producing animals, contributing to new productive paradigms that consider human health, animal welfare, environmental impact, and production efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"104 8","pages":"Article 105260"},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2025-05-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144098600","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}