A study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary fiber (DF), xylanase (XYL), xylooligosaccharides (XOS), and a combination of XYL and xylooligosaccharides (STBIO) on chicken growth performance, N-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn), and nutrient availability, characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), and cecal content of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). A 35-day experiment was performed on 1,920 as hatched Ross 308 broiler chicks, reared in 96 pens and fed ad libitum. Experimental diets were split into 2 phases: starter (0-21 d) and finisher (22-35 d). There were 2 basal diets, first contained 54% maize and in the second, 5% of the maize was replaced by wheat bran as DF. The diets were split into 4 batches: one of them was used as a control, and each of the others were supplemented either with XYL or XOS or with the STBIO. Each diet was fed to 12 pens following randomization. The data were analyzed in GenStat (20th edition) by ANOVA using a 2 × 4 factorial design. The addition of STBIO improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) and increased weight gain (WG) from 21 to 35 d and from 0 to 35 d (P < 0.05). The inclusion of DF had a negative effect on N and fat retention coefficients at 35 d as well as AMEn and dry matter retention at 21 and 35 d. At 21 d, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) retention was increased when xylanase and STBIO were added to the diet (P < 0.001) and at d 35 the highest retention was noted when the diet was supplemented with DF and XYL or STBIO (P = 0.001). There was no dietary effect on jejunum histomorphometry (P > 0.05). The addition of DF increased the concentration of cecal SCFA in particular valeric and propionic acid at 35-day-old birds (P < 0.05). It can be concluded that addition of STBIO in diet could provide benefits in terms of fiber degradation, WG, and feed efficiency.

Aquafarms should reduce the use of fishmeal and fish oil in nutritional feed. One such accessible and relatively inexpensive food component that could successfully meet the challenge posed by aquaculture is algae. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the algae meal inclusion of Chlorella and Spirulina sp. in a diet for rainbow trout, evaluating its effects on fish growth, histological parameters and fillet quality. Experiments were carried out to replace 50% and 100% of fishmeal with Spirulina sp. and Chlorella vulgaris in feed for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss W.) cultured in a recirculation system. At the end of the experimental period, the highest mean live weight was measured in rainbow trout fed a feed containing 50% algal meal in the feed. The absorptive vacuolization of cells was increased the most and lamina propria was average thickened when fed 50% algae diets. Fat droplets in the hepatocytes were larger in the 50% algae meal fed group, and their nuclei were replaced in the peripheral zone of the cells. Substitution of fishmeal with 50% algal meal in fish feed resulted in a 36.44% reduction in the lipid content of rainbow trout fillets compared to control fish.

1. This study assessed the impact of feeding a high nutrient specification (HS) diet, recommended for fast growing broilers and a low nutrient specification (LS) diet, recommended for slow growing broilers, on growth performance variables, including feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) and production characteristics of fast growing Ross 308 broilers and slow growing Redbro broilers.2. As hatched, Ross 308 (n = 210) and Redbro broilers (n = 210) were randomly allocated to 28 floor pens, 14 pens for each genotype and fed experimental diets from 0 to 42 d of age over four feeding phases. Each diet was fed to seven pens of each genotype, following a randomised, blocked, factorial design.3. Growth performance variables were determined for each feeding phase. Excreta were collected during the last 4 d of the study to determine dietary N-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEn) and nutrient retention coefficients. At 42 d of age, one bird per pen was humanely killed and samples were obtained for determination of meat quality variables, jejunal histomorphology and liver triglycerides.4. Feeding the HS diet increased FI (p < 0.05), WG (p < 0.001) and reduced FCR (p < 0.001) in both genotypes from 0 to 42 d compared to feeding the LS diet. Feeding the HS diet increased AMEn intake (p < 0.001). Diet did not affect breast meat quality, except for increasing drip loss in Ross 308 broilers (p < 0.05), nor did it affect breast myopathies, jejunal morphology, or liver function. Therefore, feeding the HS diet, which was formulated to meet the nutrient recommendations for Ross 308, can be a practical strategy to improve the feed efficiency of Redbro broilers.

The anatomical features of the rabbit adrenal glands have been investigated in some aspects, either via classic anatomical methods and routine histology, either using imaging modalities in our previous experiments. The present study is focused for obtaining data, concerning the objective values of three macrometric indices – lateromedial, craniocaudal and dorsoventral diameters. We used the cadavers of thirty-four 8-month old (sexually mature) healthy white New Zealand rabbits weighing 2.8-3.2 kg. We reached the abdominal cavity after median incision. The both kidneys were kept in abdominal cavity with a view to find more easily the location of the right and left adrenal glands. The material was documented using a digital camera. The craniocaudal, dorsoventral and lateromedial diameters have been measured using a digital caliper, as the obtained values were accurate to the second sign. Descriptive analysis of the results using Statistica 8 - StatSoft DELL was performed. The lateromedial diameter of the right adrernal gland was 5.1 mm ± 1.0, craniocaudal diameter was 9.3 mm ± 1.2 and the dorsoventral diameter - 5.0 mm ± 0.8. For the left adrenal gland were measured the following values - the lateromedial diameter was 6.5 mm ± 1.2, the craniocaudal diameter was 10. 2 mm ± 1.4 and the dorsoventral diameter was 6.3 mm ± 0.9. Our results showed that the studied parameters of the left gland were with higher values compared to the right gland. The results from the conducted anatomical study deepens the knowledge for the macroscopic features of the rabbit adrenal glands.

Thirty clinically healthy Stara Zagora white turkeys (15 females and 15 males) were used for the study. Eighteen tissue samples (six from the middle of each segment of the small intestine) of the appropriate age group were used to prepare permanent histological specimens. The histological sections were stained by Masson - Goldner method. The small intestine of the Stara Zagora white turkey was composed of four tissue layers: tunica mucosa, tunica submucosa, tunica muscularis and tunica serosa. Tunica mucosa had lamina epithelialis, lamina propria and lamina muscularis mucosae. The layers of the mucosa formed well-defined intestinal villi - villi intestinales. Lamina epithelialis was composed of highly differentiated simple columnar epithelium. Tunica mucosa in the three segments of the small intestine had clearly distinct tubular glands - gll. Intestinales. The histometric results showed that the growth of the mucosal structures and the mucosa was more intense in the first twenty-eight days, compared to the growth of the other layers of the intestinal wall. The most intense was the increase in the height and area of the intestinal villi. The height of the intestinal villi varied most markedly during the first twenty-eight days of the duodenal examination, while the area of the villi increased most in the jejunum, followed by the ileum and duodenum. The height of the intestinal epithelium increased most intensively 2.3 times in the jejunum mucosa. The thickness of the jejunal mucosa increased the most during this period, compared to the mucosa of the duodenum ileum.

The focus of the investigation was to study the large intestine (both ceca and rectum) of the bronze turkey using Hematoxylin/Eosin staining. Fifty-four clinically healthy Bronze Turkeys from state forestry Mazalat were separated into 27 female and 27 male birds. We used 9 age groups (one-day, 7-day, 14-day, 28-day, 35-day, 49-day, 56-day, 90-day, and 120-day). There were six turkeys in every group. The intestinal segments in all of the studied groups were composed of tunica mucosa, tela submucosa, tunica muscularis and tunica serosa. Tunica mucosa is comprised of lamina epithelialis mucosae covering a fine layer of loose connective tissue (lamina propria mucosae). Both tissue layers formed well expressed mucosal folds. The surface covering epithelium was presented by columnar cells and goblet cells. Tunica submucosa was less developed compared to the other layers of the wall. It was vascularized. Tunica muscularis had two sublayers – the inner was circular and the outer was longitudinal. Tunica serosa was the outermost layer supported by dense connective tissue. Villi intetsinales were well developed in both ceca and rectum.