Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens

Background and Aim: Poultry production is the fastest growing livestock industry in the world, as the rapid growth of and efficient absorption of feed by poultry ensure the production of poultry meat with a relatively low carbon footprint. Seeking new ways to increase livestock productivity as well...

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Main Authors: Liga Proskina, Dace Barzdina, Anda Valdovska, Irina Pilvere, Ilze Vircava, Sallija Cerina, Sandijs Meskis
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Veterinary World 2023-10-01
Series:Veterinary World
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.16/October-2023/3.pdf
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author Liga Proskina
Dace Barzdina
Anda Valdovska
Irina Pilvere
Ilze Vircava
Sallija Cerina
Sandijs Meskis
author_facet Liga Proskina
Dace Barzdina
Anda Valdovska
Irina Pilvere
Ilze Vircava
Sallija Cerina
Sandijs Meskis
author_sort Liga Proskina
collection DOAJ
description Background and Aim: Poultry production is the fastest growing livestock industry in the world, as the rapid growth of and efficient absorption of feed by poultry ensure the production of poultry meat with a relatively low carbon footprint. Seeking new ways to increase livestock productivity as well as poultry product quality, the number of research studies on the use of humic substances of various origins in livestock farming has increased significantly, emphasizing the role of feed additives derived from local resources. The unique capability of humic substances to improve metabolic processes allows the immune protection of the bird body to be strengthened and production efficiency to be increased. This study aimed to identify the effects of sodium humate (NaHum) on the growth performance of broiler chickens and selected blood and ileum microbiota parameters. Materials and Methods: Dietary research was conducted 2 times under production conditions in a poultry facility of a commercial company, with 210 1-day-old, unsorted broiler chickens of both sexes (Ross 308). The broiler chickens were fed with standard commercial feed, the rearing period of 35 days, and slaughtered on day 36. Sodium humate additive was added to drinking water for the research groups of broilers in period from 8th to 35th day of life, 25 mL (Group 1, n = 2 × 35) and 50 mL (Group 2, n = 2 × 35) per liter of drinking water. Sodium humate contained an average of 4.48% dry matter, a kilogram of dry matter containing 104.3 g of crude protein, 3.6 g of crude fiber and 0.9 g of crude fat, 14.3 MJ of metabolic energy, and 5.8 MJ of energy for live weight gain, as well as a very high content of crude ash −759.8 g, including 4.2 g Ca, 4.2 g Na, and 4.81 g Fe, the dry matter digestibility of NaHum was 87.0%, and the absorption capacity of dry matter was 113.2%., the pH level was 13.0, i.e., alkaline. At the end of the dietary research, the productivity and economic efficiency of the research groups of broilers were calculated by live weight gain, carcass weight, feed conversation ratio, and blood and intestinal samples of broilers were analyzed to identify the effects of NaHum on the growth performance and health status of broilers. Results: Dietary research found that adding 25 mL/L and 50 mL/L of NaHum to drinking water for the broiler chickens increased their live weights at the selling age, average live weight gains by 3.06–3.93%, and carcass weights by 5.07–6.06%, while feed conversion increased in terms of both live weight (1.5 and 1.51) and carcass weight (1.84 and 1.86) compared with the control group. The best economic performance in terms of the economic efficiency index and the cost index (CI) was found in Group 1, which was fed with the NaHum additive at an intake rate of 25 mL/L. The NaHum additive modulated the ileal microbiota and metabolic processes in the broiler body. At the same time, a significant decrease in the levels of total protein, alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus (P) in blood was found in the research groups. Conclusion: Considering the positive effects of NaHum derived from freshwater sapropel on the productivity and economic efficiency of broiler chickens, the NaHum feed additive should be further investigated on a larger scale to obtain results that could reasonably be used in practice. This study concluded that a decrease in P levels in the blood was observed when NaHum was added to the drinking water; therefore, it is important to continue the research to draw reasonable conclusions on the effects of NaHum in liquid form on the health performance of farm animals.
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spelling doaj.art-3657547183474238b372ca740e55bfde2023-10-10T03:55:46ZengVeterinary WorldVeterinary World0972-89882231-09162023-10-0116102029204110.14202/vetworld.2023.2029-2041Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickensLiga Proskina0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3337-7838Dace Barzdina1https://orcid.org/0009-0007-7598-5624Anda Valdovska2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2044-5042Irina Pilvere3https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8467-1949Ilze Vircava4https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1652-0871Sallija Cerina5https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4029-4555Sandijs Meskis6https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2980-7093Institute of Economics and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Social Development, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Institute of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Institute of Food and Environmental Hygiene, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia; Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Institute of Economics and Finance, Faculty of Economics and Social Development, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Institute of Soil and Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Department of Plant Breeding and Agroecology, Institute of Agricultural Resources and Economics, Latvia.Institute of Soil and Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture and Food Technology, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, Jelgava, Latvia.Background and Aim: Poultry production is the fastest growing livestock industry in the world, as the rapid growth of and efficient absorption of feed by poultry ensure the production of poultry meat with a relatively low carbon footprint. Seeking new ways to increase livestock productivity as well as poultry product quality, the number of research studies on the use of humic substances of various origins in livestock farming has increased significantly, emphasizing the role of feed additives derived from local resources. The unique capability of humic substances to improve metabolic processes allows the immune protection of the bird body to be strengthened and production efficiency to be increased. This study aimed to identify the effects of sodium humate (NaHum) on the growth performance of broiler chickens and selected blood and ileum microbiota parameters. Materials and Methods: Dietary research was conducted 2 times under production conditions in a poultry facility of a commercial company, with 210 1-day-old, unsorted broiler chickens of both sexes (Ross 308). The broiler chickens were fed with standard commercial feed, the rearing period of 35 days, and slaughtered on day 36. Sodium humate additive was added to drinking water for the research groups of broilers in period from 8th to 35th day of life, 25 mL (Group 1, n = 2 × 35) and 50 mL (Group 2, n = 2 × 35) per liter of drinking water. Sodium humate contained an average of 4.48% dry matter, a kilogram of dry matter containing 104.3 g of crude protein, 3.6 g of crude fiber and 0.9 g of crude fat, 14.3 MJ of metabolic energy, and 5.8 MJ of energy for live weight gain, as well as a very high content of crude ash −759.8 g, including 4.2 g Ca, 4.2 g Na, and 4.81 g Fe, the dry matter digestibility of NaHum was 87.0%, and the absorption capacity of dry matter was 113.2%., the pH level was 13.0, i.e., alkaline. At the end of the dietary research, the productivity and economic efficiency of the research groups of broilers were calculated by live weight gain, carcass weight, feed conversation ratio, and blood and intestinal samples of broilers were analyzed to identify the effects of NaHum on the growth performance and health status of broilers. Results: Dietary research found that adding 25 mL/L and 50 mL/L of NaHum to drinking water for the broiler chickens increased their live weights at the selling age, average live weight gains by 3.06–3.93%, and carcass weights by 5.07–6.06%, while feed conversion increased in terms of both live weight (1.5 and 1.51) and carcass weight (1.84 and 1.86) compared with the control group. The best economic performance in terms of the economic efficiency index and the cost index (CI) was found in Group 1, which was fed with the NaHum additive at an intake rate of 25 mL/L. The NaHum additive modulated the ileal microbiota and metabolic processes in the broiler body. At the same time, a significant decrease in the levels of total protein, alkaline phosphatase and phosphorus (P) in blood was found in the research groups. Conclusion: Considering the positive effects of NaHum derived from freshwater sapropel on the productivity and economic efficiency of broiler chickens, the NaHum feed additive should be further investigated on a larger scale to obtain results that could reasonably be used in practice. This study concluded that a decrease in P levels in the blood was observed when NaHum was added to the drinking water; therefore, it is important to continue the research to draw reasonable conclusions on the effects of NaHum in liquid form on the health performance of farm animals.https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.16/October-2023/3.pdfbroilerscarcas yieldgrowth performanceileum microbiotasapropelsodium humate
spellingShingle Liga Proskina
Dace Barzdina
Anda Valdovska
Irina Pilvere
Ilze Vircava
Sallija Cerina
Sandijs Meskis
Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
Veterinary World
broilers
carcas yield
growth performance
ileum microbiota
sapropel
sodium humate
title Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
title_full Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
title_fullStr Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
title_full_unstemmed Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
title_short Assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
title_sort assessment of the inclusion of a feed additive of sodium humate derived from freshwater sapropel in diets for broiler chickens
topic broilers
carcas yield
growth performance
ileum microbiota
sapropel
sodium humate
url https://www.veterinaryworld.org/Vol.16/October-2023/3.pdf
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