The effects of the dietary inclusion of olive pulp (OP) and supplementation birds with a commercial enzyme blend (ENZ) on the performance of broilers were evaluated. Six hundred one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were divided according to a completely randomized design into 10 treatments in a 2×2×2+2 factorial arrangement, consisting of two olive pulp levels (50 and 100 g/kg diet), two pulp categories (processed and non-processed), the inclusion or not of an enzyme blend supplement, and two control treatments without OP and the inclusion or not of the enzyme blend in the diet. Feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), feed efficiency (FE), energy intake (EI), energy efficiency (EE), protein intake (PI), protein efficiency (PE), feed cost per kg live weight (FC/kg), and production index (IP) were determined. There was no significant difference (p> 0.05) between broilers fed the OP diets and the control diets for all parameters. Processed OP improved FE (p≤ 0.019 from 1-21 days; p≤ 0.005 from 22-42 days; and p≤ 0.008 from 1-42 days of age) and EE (p≤ 0.012 from 1-21 days; p≤ 0.012 from 22-42 days; and p≤ 0.002 from 1-42 days of age). The enzyme blend supplementation did not influence (p> 0.05) any of the studied variables. The inclusion of OP in the diets at levels up to 100g/kg would does not have deleterious effects on broiler production performance.

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the exploitation and valorization of agricultural food waste and by-products. At the same time, the growing demand by markets worldwide, especially in Africa and Southeast Asia, can justify the growing interest in the use of by-products for the poultry industry. Olive pulp is one of the most interesting by-products of olive tree farming (typical of the Mediterranean area), being a good source of many biologically active compounds with antioxidant, antifungal, and antibacterial properties. The presence of processed olive pulp in the diet showed to be effective in increasing the weight of specific carcass and offal traits. This work aims at studying olive pulp as a feed supplement in poultry nutrition, by focusing on the effects on broiler carcass and offal. Olive pulp (OP) is one of the by-products of olive tree farming, being the residue of olive cake after it is dried. To evaluate the effects of OP in a diet supplemented with different levels of a commercial enzyme (ENZ) blend on broiler carcass and offal traits, three hundred male broiler chicks (Ross 308 lineage; one-day-old) were divided into ten treatment groups according to a completely randomized design. The treatments diets contained: unprocessed OP (50 g/kg, 100 g/kg, 50 g/kg with ENZ, 100 g/kg with ENZ), processed OP (50 g/kg, 100 g/kg, 50 g/kg with ENZ, 100 g/kg with ENZ), and control groups (without OP, and without OP with ENZ). The OP processing increased breast percentages in broilers. Supplementation with ENZ did not change any of the studied carcass or offal trait values. The presence of OP (50 g/kg) in broiler diets increased the eviscerated carcass, leg, and neck percentage values. The presence of processed OP (50 g/kg) in the diet showed to be effective in increasing the weight of specific carcass and offal traits.

The effects of the dietary inclusion of olive pulp (OP) and the supplementation of a commercial enzyme blend (ENZ) on the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) size, and immune and hematological parameters were evaluated. In total, 600 one-day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were divided into 6 treatments according to a completely randomized design, in a 2×2×2 factorial scheme, consisting of the dietary inclusion of two olive pulp levels (50 and 100 g/kg in diet), two pulp categories (processed and unprocessed), and the inclusion or not of an enzyme blend. On d 42, birds were euthanized and blood samples were collected, and lymphoid, hematologic, and GIT organs were measured. The inclusion of 100g/kg OP in the diets increased jejunum relative weight (J%) and jejunum length (p ≤ 0.05). Processed OP reduced jejunum weight and length, J%, and left cecum length, serum triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol levels (p ≤ 0.05). Enzyme supplementation did affect any of the studied parameters (p>0.05). The OP inclusion improved the GIT size, while processed OP reduced GIT measurements and serum lipid levels

Genetic variability was studied on five Iranian native chicken populations using Random Amplified Polymorphism DNA (RAPD) markers. The purpose of this study was for the analysis of variation within and between Iranian native chicken populations and for the reconstruction of a phylogenetic tree for these populations using the RAPD marker assay. The populations surveyed were from five provinces including Mazandaran (MZD), Isfahan (ISF), Yazd (YZD), Fars (FRS) and West Azerbaijan (WAZ). On the base of results of this study, the FRS and MZD populations had the highest genetic distance (0.182) and the FRS and ISF populations the lowest one (0.066). The YZD and MZD populations had the highest (0.208) and lowest (0.156) within-population genetic diversity. The phylogenetic tree was reconstructed on UPGMA method and showed two main separated groups. The ISF and FRS populations were first clustered into one group and, then, were clustered into a larger group with YZD and WAZ. Another consists MZD population was clustered separately from this group. This study showed that RAPD technique is an useful tool for evaluation of genetic variation among domesticated animals.