An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of a polyherbal mixture based onWithania somnifera,Ocimum tenuiflorum,Tinospora cordifoliaandEmblica officinalis, on lamb's growth and blood metabolites. Thirty-two lambs (initial body weight BW 25 +/- 4.1 kg) were randomly assigned to the treatments which consisted of the polyherbal ImmuPlus at dietary concentrations of 0, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3% of dry matter (DM) for 60 days. There was a quadratic response to polyherbal in average daily gain (p < 0.01) and feed conversion (p< 0.05). The optimal concentration estimated by regression for maximum ADG was 0.14 +/- 0.08% DM of ImmuPlus. Ruminal DM digestibility was not affected but pH was reduced linearly (p < 0.05). Ruminal N-NH3 (p< 0.01) and total VFA concentration showed a quadratic increment (p< 0.05) whereas butyrate proportion was increased linearly (p< 0.05). There was no effect in most blood metabolites related to energy metabolism, but uric acid was linearly reduced (p< 0.01) and bilirubin showed a quadratic decrement (p< 0.05). Mean corpuscular haemoglobin (p< 0.01) increased linearly (p < 0.10), lymphocytes and segmented neutrophils showed a quadratic response (p< 0.01) and platelets showed a linear reduction (linearp< 0.05). The inclusion of ImmuPlus improved the daily gain in finishing lambs and feed efficiency at 0.1% DM without altering blood chemistry and blood biometry.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary curcumin supplementation on growth performance, serum antioxidant status, intestinal morphology, and meat quality of broiler chickens. The database was constructed with 28 peer-reviewed scientific papers published between January 2013 and January 2025, identified and selected from the Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases following the PRISMA methodology. All response variables in the database were analyzed with random effects models using the R statistical software, and the results were reported as weighted mean differences (WMD). Dietary curcumin supplementation did not affect (p > 0.05) average daily feed intake. However, dietary curcumin supplementation increased (p < 0.001) daily weight gain and decreased (p < 0.001) feed conversion ratio. Dietary curcumin supplementation increased (p < 0.01) serum superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity but decreased (p < 0.001) serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration. Dietary curcumin supplementation decreased (p < 0.001) crypt depth (CD) and increased (p < 0.001) villus height (VH) and VH/CD ratio in the duodenum. Dietary curcumin supplementation increased (p < 0.05) carcass yield and color (L*, a*, and b*) in meat and, at the same time, decreased (p < 0.01) cooking loss and fat and MDA content in meat. Curcumin can be used as a dietary additive to improve productive performance, antioxidant status in blood serum, intestinal morphology, and meat quality in broiler chickens.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with calcium propionate (CaPr) or sodium propionate (NaPr) on growth performance, ruminal fermentation, and meat quality of finishing lambs. Twenty-seven non-castrated Creole male lambs (24.95 ± 2.15 kg body weight (BW); 4.5 ± 0.5 months old) were randomly assigned to three treatments: (a) CON: basal diet without the addition of CaPr or Na Pr; (b) basal diet + CaPr (10 g/kg DM); and (c) basal diet + NaPr (10 g/kg DM). The data were analyzed using a completely randomized experimental design, with each lamb considered an experimental unit (nine replicates/treatment). Dietary supplementation with CaPr or NaPr did not affect (p > 0.05) growth performance or dietary energetics. However, greater (p = 0.05) apparent dry matter digestibility was observed in the lambs that consumed the diet with NaPr10. Dietary supplementation with CaPr or NaPr did not affect (p > 0.05) ruminal pH or ruminal concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, acetate, propionate, butyrate, and total volatile fatty acids. However, ruminal lactate concentration increased (p = 0.01) in lambs consuming the NaPr diet. Hot carcass weight and yield, backfat thickness, meat pH, meat color (L*, a*, and b*), cooking loss, and water holding capacity were not affected by dietary supplementation with CaPr or NaPr. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 10 g/kg DM of calcium propionate or sodium propionate does not affect growth performance, dietary energetics, ruminal fermentation, and the meat quality of finishing lambs.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of the M-E complex (xylanase, glucanase, cellulase, and invertase) Optimax E^® on the performance of growing lambs, their digestibility, and their rumen microbiota, and to estimate NEm, NEg, and ruminal methane levels. Forty lambs (Katahdin x Dorset; 22.91 ± 4.16 kg) were randomly assigned to dietary concentrations of ME (0, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8% DM) and fed individually for 77 days. Increasing M-E improved feed conversion (p < 0.05) as well as NEm and NEg (p < 0.05), which were associated with increased in vivo DM and NDF digestion (linear and quadratic p < 0.01). Few microbial families showed abundancy changes (Erysipelotrichaceae, Christensenellaceae, Lentisphaerae, and Clostridial Family XIII); however, the dominant phylum Bacteroidetes was linearly reduced, while Firmicutes increased (p < 0.01), resulting in a greater Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio. Total Entodinium showed a quadratic response (p < 0.10), increasing its abundancy as the enzyme dose was augmented. The daily emission intensity of methane (per kg of DMI or AGD) was reduced linearly (p < 0.01). In conclusion, adding the M-E complex Optimax E^® to growing lambs’ diets improves their productive performance by acting synergistically with the rumen microbiota, modifying the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio toward more efficient fermentation, and shows the potential to reduce the intensity of greenhouse gas emissions from lambs.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with increasing levels of a polyherbal phytogenic additive (PPA) on growth performance, health parameters, and blood metabolites of dairy calves. Forty female Holstein calves (43.35 ± 2.41 kg body weight and 25.1 ± 2.2 d of age) were housed in individual pens and randomly assigned to four treatments (n = 10) with increasing levels of PPA: 0 (CON), 2 (PPA2), 3 (PPA3), and 4 (PPA4) g PPA/d for 67 d. Compared to the CON treatment, supplementation with the PPA2 treatment increased (quadratic effect p = 0.02) the average daily gain and final body weight of the dairy calves. Also, a higher starter intake (SI), and intake of milk + milk replacer was observed (linear and quadratic effect p = 0.0001) in response to supplementation with the PPA2, PPA3, and PPA4 treatments. The evaluated treatments did not affect (p > 0.05) the feed conversion ratio, or the number of cases of diarrhea, pneumonia, and otitis. The evaluated treatments did not affect (p > 0.05) most of the hematological and biochemical blood parameters. However, compared to the CON treatment, supplementation with the PPA2 treatment increased (quadratic effect p < 0.05) the blood concentration of the segmented neutrophils and plasma protein. Likewise, the serum glucose concentration decreased (linear effect p < 0.05) with supplementation of the PPA2, PPA3, and PPA4 treatments. Compared with the CON treatment, the PPA4 supplementation decreased the serum urea concentration (linear effect p = 0.04). In conclusion, supplementation with 2 g/d of PPA can be used as a natural alternative to improve the growth rate and stimulate starter and milk + milk replacer intake in dairy calves without adverse effects on health parameters or blood metabolites.

Background: The prohibition of the use of antibiotics in lamb feeding requires the search for natural alternatives that can improve productive performance and ruminal fermentation parameters. Herbal mixtures can function as cost-effective substitutes for growth promoters since an extraction or purification process is not required. Methods: An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of Chebulic myrobalan, Terminalia bellirica and Azadirachta indica on the productive performance of finishing lambs. Thirty-six Hampshire x Suffolk male lambs (initial body weight (BW) 23.52±3.67 kg), in individual crates, were used for 45 days of evaluation after 15 days adaptation and were randomly assigned to treatments which consisted of dietary inclusion of the feed plant additive at 0.000, 0.250, 0.375 and 0.500% of dry matter (DM). Rations were sampled for DM, ash and crude protein (AOAC, 2005), neutral and acid detergent fibre (according to van Soest, 1991) analysis and metabolizable energy was estimated. The animals were weighed on days 1, 15 and 45 before feeding and the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion rate were calculated by daily recording of the dry matter intake. Contrasts no orthogonal were used to test linear or quadratic effects of the herbal mixture with initial body weight (BW) as a covariate for ADG and final BW. Result: There was no effect (P greater than 0.05) of herbal mixtures on ADG, final BW, feed efficiency, DM intake and feed conversion by phytobiotic dietary inclusion. Ruminal pH (P=0.07) increased quadratically in response to the herbal mixture dietary concentration. The acetate increased and propionate reduced, both quadratically (P less than 0.05). The evaluated doses of the polyherbal additive did not influence growth and feed efficiency of lambs.