title: Influence of dietary inclusion of Bacillus licheniformis on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant enzyme activities, and intestinal barrier function of laying hens.
abstract: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of Bacillus licheniformis on laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant enzyme activities, and intestinal barrier function of laying hens. Hy-Line Variety W-36 hens (n = 540; 28 wk of age) were randomized into 6 groups, each group with 6 replications (n = 15). The control group received the basal diet formulated with maize and soybean meal. The treatment groups received the same basal diets supplemented with 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.06, and 0.09% Bacillus licheniformis powder (2 × 10(10) cfu/g) for an 8-wk trial. The results showed that dietary supplementation with 0.01 and 0.03% B. licheniformis significantly increased egg production and egg mass. However, no significant differences were observed in egg weight, feed consumption, and feed conversion efficiency among the 6 groups. Supplementation with different levels of B. licheniformis was found to be effective in improvement of egg quality by increasing egg shell thickness and strength. Compared with control, d-lactate content, diamine oxidase activity, and adrenocorticotropic hormone level in serum decreased significantly, and the level of estradiol and follicle-stimulating hormone increased significantly in plasma of all the experimental groups. Dietary supplementation with B. licheniformis increased the intestinal villus height and reduced the crypt depth. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of B. licheniformis could improve laying performance and egg quality significantly in a dose-dependent manner by decreasing the stress response, upregulating the growth hormone, and improving intestinal health.
authors: Key Laboratory of Molecular Feed Sciences, Institute of Animal Nutrition and Feed Sciences, College of Animal Science, Zhejiang University, Zhejiang, China 310058.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Lei
authors: Y L
authors: YL
authors: Li
authors: D Y
authors: DY
authors: Yu
authors: I R
authors: IR
authors: Rajput
authors: W F
authors: WF
authors: Li
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism*; D001407:Bacillus / Q000502:physiology*; D002645:Chickens / Q000502:physiology*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements / Q000032:analysis; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D007413:Intestinal Mucosa / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007583:Jejunum / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D010063:Ovum / Q000502:physiology*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012098:Reproduction; D013045:Species Specificity; D013053:Spectrophotometry / Q000662:veterinary
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D006728:Hormones