The growing chicken industry in Viet Nam has an increasingly important contribution to the country's food security, but its development requires careful planning to prevent disease risks. This study characterizes the chicken production and distribution networks in Vietnam and identifies potential factors that could promote disease emergence and transmission. Qualitative data were collected from interviews with 29 key informants from five stakeholder groups representing the main nodes from chicken production and distribution networks (PDN). Three main networks were identified based on production type: a colored broiler and spent hen network, a white (or exotic) broiler network, and an egg network. Colored chickens and spent hens are the most preferred commodity by vietnamese consumers and their PDN is composed of production units differing in their scale and management and with long distribution chains involving numerous small-scale independent stakeholders. Live bird markets plays a central role in this network, which is driven by consumers' preference for live chickens. The white chicken network presents an important duality, as it is composed of both a large number of independent household farms and traders operating independently with little chain coordination, and of large farms contracted by vertically-integrated companies. The egg PDN was the most organized network, being mostly controlled by large vertically-integrated companies. High level specialization and diversification of stakeholders is found in all three networks. Stakeholders' perceptions of the main factors promoting disease risk along the PDN were the low biosecurity in household farms and live bird markets, mobile traders, the informal slaughter of birds and the management of sick birds. Findings from this study can be used to plan future studies to support food system planners in the development of safer poultry production and distribution in Vietnam.

The objective of this work was the evaluation of the meat production and laying performances, and the meat and egg quality of two breeds of Vietnamese broiler chickens, Ho and Dong Tao, fed on a commercial diet. In a survey, we continuously recorded for 28 weeks, the data on the production performance and meat quality of 250 chicks from each breed. We investigated egg laying and egg quality using 36 Ho and 32 Dong Tao hens during 52 weeks of laying. The growth patterns were similar for the two breeds. Feed conversion ratios were also similar, and demonstrated the low efficiency of these two breeds when compared to commercial broilers. Slaughter age proved to affect several carcass yield characteristics, showing that slaughtering between 16 and 20 weeks might be better than at the usual age of 28 weeks. Yield, carcass composition and meat quality differed between the two studied breeds. The eggs production and number of embryonated eggs were low for the two breeds when compared to other breeds, with a lower hatching performance in Ho than in Dong Tao. In summary, the production performances of Ho and Dong Tao chickens were low, even when birds were fed a commercial diet. The study demonstrates the need to find ways to improve the production and reproduction performances of these animals, in order to contribute to the program of conservation and exploitation of these two breeds.

Herbal plants are increasingly used in animal production as natural alternatives to enhance digestive health, improve animal performance and product quality, and reduce reliance on antibiotics. The present study aimed to assess the effects of a specific herbal mixture powder (HMP), composed of Bidens pilosa (80%), cinnamon (15%), and anise (5%), at different inclusion levels and to directly compare its impact with that of cinnamon powder (CP) on laying hen performance, egg quality, and egg nutritional content. This comparative study randomly assigned 360 laying hens to five dietary treatments with three replicates of 24 hens per group, and fed the experimental diets for 35 weeks. The treatment groups included the control group, which received the basal diet without supplementation (CG), basal diets supplemented with HMP at 1.0% (TG1), basal diets supplemented with HMP at 1.5% (TG2), basal diets supplemented with HMP at 2.0% (TG3), and a basal diet supplemented with 0.5% of CP (TG4). The present results demonstrated that dietary supplementation with 1.5% or 2.0% of HMP significantly improved laying rate and egg productivity, as indicated by reduced feed consumption per 10 eggs, without significantly affecting egg weight, yolk weight, yolk percentage, albumen weight, or albumen percentage compared to the control group. Additionally, HMP inclusion enhanced yolk pigmentation, eggshell weight and percentage, shell thickness, and Haugh units, although egg yolk crude protein content remained unchanged across treatment groups. The TG4 indicated improvements in certain egg quality traits, including higher haugh units and lower yolk fat and cholesterol levels than the control group. Supplementing with 1.5% and 2% of HMP notably decreased egg yolk cholesterol and fat levels compared to the control group, suggesting potential health benefits for consumers seeking lower-cholesterol eggs. The present study demonstrated that dietary supplementation with a multi-herbal powder mixture, particularly at 1.5 and 2.0%, significantly enhanced laying rate, egg production, and feed efficiency in laying hens. Additionally, it improved egg quality, including yolk color, eggshell thickness, and haugh units, and reduced egg yolk fat and cholesterol, providing a natural strategy for producing healthier eggs while potentially reducing reliance on synthetic additives.