Marcato Francesca, Schokker Dirkjan, Kar Soumya Kanti, Bossers Alex, Harders Frank, Rebel Johanna M J, Jansen Christine A, van der Valk Elianne, Kruijt Leo, Te Beest Dennis Elbert, de Jong Ingrid C
Wageningen Livestock Research, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, Netherlands.
Wageningen Bioveterinary Research, Wageningen University & Research, Lelystad, Netherlands.
Front Vet Sci. 2024 Dec 2;11:1492274. doi: 10.3389/fvets.2024.1492274. eCollection 2024.
Recently, the Netherlands has shifted toward more welfare-friendly broiler production systems using slower-growing broiler breeds. Early post-hatch feeding (EF) is a dietary strategy that is currently used in commercial broiler production to modulate the gut microbiota and improve performance and welfare. However, there is a knowledge gap in how both breed and EF and their interplay affect gut microbiota composition and diversity, inflammatory status, and broiler behavior. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of breed (fast vs. slower-growing), EF, and their interaction on jejunum microbiota, inflammation, and behavior of broiler chickens. The study included a total of 416 Ross 308 and 416 Hubbard JA757 day-old male broiler chickens, observed until they were 37 days and 51 days old, respectively. Within each breed, one-half of the chickens received EF and the other half did not. A total of two chickens per pen were euthanized at two time points, that is, target body weight (BW) of 200 g and 2.5 kg, and jejunum samples were collected. The jejunum content samples ( = 96) were analyzed for their microbiota, whereas the jejunum tissue ( = 96) was used for the detection of mRNA levels of cytokines (IL-17, IL-22, and IFNγ). Two behavioral tests were performed to assess fear responses: (1) a novel environment test at a target BW of 200 g and (2) a tonic immobility test at a target BW of 2.5 kg. Breed affected the microbiota at a target BW of 2.5 kg ( = 0.04). A breed × EF interaction ( = 0.02) was present for IFNγ at a target BW of 200 g. During the novel environment test, Ross 308 chickens exhibited a shorter latency to vocalize and a higher number of vocalizations compared to Hubbard JA757 chickens ( < 0.05). Early-fed broiler chickens vocalized less compared to not early-fed chickens (Δ = -27.8 on average; < 0.01). During the tonic immobility test, Hubbard JA757 chickens exhibited a shorter latency to stand compared to Ross 308 chickens. In conclusion, using a slower-growing breed has beneficial effects on gut microbiota and fear responses of broilers, especially at slaughter age, whereas EF seems to have an impact only at an early stage of the life of broilers.
最近，荷兰已转向采用生长较慢的肉鸡品种的更有利于福利的肉鸡生产系统。孵化后早期饲喂（EF）是一种目前在商业肉鸡生产中用于调节肠道微生物群并改善生产性能和福利的饮食策略。然而，关于品种和EF及其相互作用如何影响肠道微生物群组成和多样性、炎症状态以及肉鸡行为方面存在知识空白。因此，本研究的目的是调查品种（快速生长与生长较慢）、EF及其相互作用对肉鸡空肠微生物群、炎症和行为的影响。该研究共纳入416只罗斯308和416只哈伯德JA757一日龄雄性肉鸡，分别观察至37日龄和51日龄。在每个品种内，一半的鸡接受EF，另一半不接受。在两个时间点，即目标体重（BW）为200克和2.5千克时，每栏共宰杀两只鸡，并采集空肠样本。对空肠内容物样本（n = 96）进行微生物群分析，而空肠组织（n = 96）用于检测细胞因子（IL-17、IL-22和IFNγ）的mRNA水平。进行了两项行为测试以评估恐惧反应：（1）在目标体重为200克时进行新环境测试，（2）在目标体重为2.5千克时进行强直性静止测试。品种对目标体重为2.5千克时的微生物群有影响（P = 0.04）。在目标体重为200克时，IFNγ存在品种×EF相互作用（P = 0.02）。在新环境测试期间，与哈伯德JA757鸡相比，罗斯308鸡发出叫声的潜伏期更短，叫声数量更多（P < 0.05）。与未早期饲喂的鸡相比，早期饲喂的肉鸡叫声更少（平均差异 = -27.8；P < 0.01）。在强直性静止测试期间，与罗斯308鸡相比，哈伯德JA757鸡站立的潜伏期更短。总之，使用生长较慢的品种对肉鸡的肠道微生物群和恐惧反应有有益影响，尤其是在屠宰年龄，而EF似乎仅在肉鸡生命的早期阶段有影响。
