ABSTRACT
Data from breeder hens and chicks are particularly critical for the development of vitamin B2 recommendations for organic poultry. To test safe thresholds of supplementation, 100 breeder hens (Hubbard JA 57â¯K) and ten cockerels were allocated to ten housing groups, with each receiving supplementation of either 4.0 (treatment CON) or 2.5â¯mg (treatment RED) riboflavin per kg feed. After 15â¯weeks of experimental feeding, 256 eggs were incubated. From the hatched chicks (Hubbard S757), 192 were allocated to four treatments based on their parents' treatment (CON- or RED-) and on their own supplementation of either 4.0 (-CON) or 2.5â¯mg (-RED) riboflavin per kg feed. Two groups of each combination (CON-CON, CON-RED, RED-CON, RED-RED), each with 24 chicks of both sexes, were fattened for nine weeks and slaughtered. Analysis of total riboflavin (sum of native concentrations and supplements) in the parent's feeds revealed an average, over the 15â¯weeks, of 7.8 and 5.8â¯mg per kg feed for CON and RED, respectively. Body weight, plumage integrity, gait appearance, footpad, claw and keel bone integrity, lesion scores, laying performance, and egg mass were found to be of similarly high levels for all hens without any treatment effects. Performance traits of the hens in both treatments reached the specifications of the producer for this genotype. Yolk and albumen riboflavin concentrations were not affected although yolk colour in the RED treatment group became darker. Fertility was not affected, and hatchability was 100 per cent. Total riboflavin concentrations in the broiler diets were on average, over 9 weeks, 8.2 and 6.1 mg/kg for CON and RED, respectively. In chicks, RED treatment of their parents led to significant depressions of feed intake and growth. The RED treatment of the chicks themselves also impaired growth. Growth rates of the CON-CON treatment were in line with the specifications of the producer for this genotype. Plumage scores, footpad integrity and walking appearance of the broilers, and dressing percentage of the carcasses were not affected by treatment. The RED treatment of chicks caused lower spleen and heart weights, while pancreas and liver weights, and liver riboflavin concentrations were not affected. In conclusion, supplementation of 4.0â¯mg/kg to organic diets did not evoke any health or performance problems for breeder hens or broiler chicks, while a supplementation level of 2.5â¯mg per kg feed led to reduced weight gains, although without any other riboflavin deficiency symptoms.
Subject(s)
Animal Feed , Chickens , Animal Feed/analysis , Animals , Diet/veterinary , Dietary Supplements , Female , Fertility , Male , RiboflavinABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Phytotherapy becomes increasingly popular in veterinary medicine. To fully exploit the therapeutic potential of medicinal plants and ensure their safe use, knowledge about the effective plant parts and preparations is required. Improper use and overdosage of medicinal plants can be toxic. With www.phytoarznei.ch, we provide an online decision support aid that allows for the retrieval of currently available information on medicinal plants and their use in domestic animals. This decision support system is based on the available literature in the field, which after critical evaluation has been incorporated into a structured database. For each medicinal plant or drug, we have listed therapeutic indications, different application types, organoleptic properties, plant ingredients, pharmacological effects, dosages, duration of treatment, toxicity, legal frame for use in livestock and relevance for doping. A user-friendly access to all data is achieved by means of two search programs, either by entering the plant name or name of the drug in a search field or by selecting the desired animal species and therapeutic application from respective drop-down lists. This database on medicinal plant applications in animals is linked to the poisonous plant database of the University of Zurich and, for marketed preparations, to the Swiss compendium of veterinary medicinal products as well as to an index of related veterinary products.
INTRODUCTION: En médecine vétérinaire aussi, la phytothérapie devient de plus en plus populaire. Exploiter le potentiel thérapeutique des plantes médicinales et assurer leur utilisation en toute sécurité nécessite toutefois une connaissance particulière des parties de plantes ou des préparations efficaces. Une utilisation inappropriée et un surdosage de plantes médicinales peuvent être toxiques. C'est pourquoi nous avons créé un outil de prise de décision en ligne, www.phytoarznei.ch, qui permet un accès rapide aux connaissances actuelles sur les plantes médicinales et leur utilisation sur les animaux. Ce système d'information est basé sur la littérature spécialisée disponible qui a été incorporée, après une évaluation critique, dans une base de données structurée. Les indications thérapeutiques, les modes d'applications, les propriétés organoleptiques, les composants, les effets pharmacologiques, doses, la durée du traitement, la toxicité, les réglementations juridiques chez les animaux de rente ainsi que la pertinence en matière de dopage sont répertoriés pour chaque plante médicinale ou médicament à base de plantes. Deux programmes de recherche fournissent un accès convivial, soit par la saisie du nom de la plante, du nom du médicament ou des ingrédients de la plante dans une zone de recherche, soit en sélectionnant les espèces d'animaux souhaitées ainsi que l'utilisation thérapeutique dans des menus déroulants correspondants. Cette base de données des plantes médicinales est liée avec base de plantes toxiques de l'Université de Zurich et, si des produits finis correspondants sont disponibles, au Compendium des médicaments vétérinaires suisse ainsi qu'à un répertoire de produits vétérinaires.
