Little information is available in the literature on the use of cactus pear meal (CPM) in poultry diets; therefore, it is important to evaluate diets that provide excellent performance and lower production costs. Our objective was to study the use of Miúda CPM in the diets of laying hens. In the first study, two diets for male and female chicks were used—1: 80% reference diet + 20% Miúda cactus pear meal (CPM) and 2: 80% reference diet + 20% Gigante cactus pear meal (CPM). The variety Miúda provided a better use of metabolizable energy, as well as a greater digestibility coefficient of dry matter, protein, and mineral matter. In the second study, a control diet was compared to three diets with different levels of Miúda CPM for laying hens in the proportions of 3%, 6%, and 9%. No significant differences were found in productive performance. However, there were significant differences in the some parameters egg quality, texture and color profile of the cooked yolk, egg composition, fatty acids and cholesterol in the yolk. It is possible to use 9% Miúda CPM in the diet of laying hens in a semi-intensive system that does not compromise performance and egg quality, and using 3% Miúda CPM provides a higher economic return.

This experiment evaluated the effects of including buriti oil (BO) in the diet of broilers on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, carcass yield, meat quality, blood parameters, intestinal morphometry, the proliferation of collagen fibers in the skin and collagen concentration in the breast muscle. A total of 180 one-day-old Ross male chicks were distributed in a completely randomized experimental design with three treatments (0%, 1% and 2% BO) and six replications of 10 birds each. Nutrient digestibility was evaluated from 8 to 21 days, while the performance, carcass yield, meat cut yields, abdominal fat, meat quality, blood parameters, intestinal morphometry and skin histology of the birds were evaluated after 21 days. The inclusion of BO significantly affected (p ≤ 0.05) performance, digestibility, meat color, lymphocyte count, duodenal morphometry and collagen concentration. In addition, it increased the metabolizable energy of the diet and reduced the birds’ performance, indicating that the nutraceutical effect of BO improved nutrient use. However, it caused an excess of energy that had to be metabolized by the birds, consequently affecting their performance. BO increased the pigmentation of the breast meat and reduced the lymphocyte count, probably due to its antimicrobial action, consequently decreasing the recruitment of defense cells. An increase in the height of the crypt of the duodenum was observed as the inclusion of BO increased, with the opposite being observed in the jejunum. The inclusion of BO increased the histological proliferation of collagen from minimal (0%) to medium (1%) and moderate (2%), as well as the collagen concentration (CC = 35.933 + 4.677BO; R² = 0.80). Thus, due to functional/nutraceutical effects, adding BO in the diet of broilers can be a promising alternative to antibiotic growth promoters to improve poultry production.

Little information is available in the literature on the use of cactus pear meal in poultry diets being important to evaluate diets that provide excellent performance and lower production costs. Our objective was to study the use of cactus pear meal in diets of laying hens. In the first study, two diets for male and female chicks were used - 1: 80% reference diet + 20% Miúda cactus pear meal (CPM) and 2: 80% reference diet + 20% Gigante cactus pear meal. The variety Miúda provid-ed better use of metabolizable energy, digestibility coefficient of dry matter, protein, and min-eral matter. In the second study, a control diet was compared to three diets with different levels of CPM for laying hens, in the proportions of 3%, 6% and 9%. No significant differences were found in productive performance. However, there were significant differences in egg quality, texture and color profile of the cooked yolk, egg composition, fatty acids and cholesterol in the yolk. It is possible to use 9% of CPM in the diet of laying hens in semi-intensive system not compromising performance and egg quality, and using 3% of CPM provides higher economic return.

Broiler production efficiency depends on the capacity of different strains to utilize nutrients and minimize environmental losses. This study aimed to quantify the excretion and digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus in Cobb 500, Ross 308, and Hubbard Flex strains at different ages under Southwest Piauí conditions. A total of 300 broilers of both sexes were distributed in a 3 × 2 factorial design (3 strains × 2 sexes) with five replicates, totaling 30 experimental units. The six-week trial included adaptation periods, excreta collection, and feed intake control each week. Dry matter, nitrogen, and phosphorus were analyzed in diets and excreta to calculate intake, excretion, and retention coefficients (DMR, NR, PR). Interactions between sex and strain were observed after 25 days for some variables. Males excreted 10.21% more phosphorus than females, and strain effects were mainly observed for phosphorus excretion, with Hubbard exhibiting lower excretion in the 32–35-day phase, Cobb presenting the highest, and Ross demonstrating intermediate excretion. Variations between sexes were observed within strains across ages. These results demonstrate that nutrient utilization is influenced by both strain and sex, highlighting the need for tailored nutritional strategies to improve feed efficiency and reduce environmental impact in broiler production.