Nutritional value, performance, carcass quality, visceral organ size, and blood clinical chemistry of broiler chicks fed 30% tannin-free fava bean diets.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the chemical and nutritional values of 5 tannin-free fava bean (FB) cultivars (FB9, FB10, FB13, FB17, and FB24) on growth, visceral organ size, and blood clinical chemistry of broiler chicks fed a corn-soybean meal 48 (SBM48) diet containing 30% tannin-free FB. In the first experiment, 49 Hy-line roosters, 55 wk of age, were individually precision-fed 30 g of each FB cultivar and soybean meal 44 (SBM44). Protein, methionine, and lysine contents of the FB seeds (0.005% tannin) were 27.7, 0.23, and 1.98% of DM, respectively. The AMEn of all FB cultivars was 2,839 kcal/kg and higher (P < 0.05) than SBM44. The true lysine digestibility of FB10 (94.1) was higher (P < 0.05) than FB9 (89.0%) and FB24 (89.2%), but comparable with the other fava beans. The FB cultivar's true methionine digestibilities were similar among each other and to SBM44. In a battery feeding trial, 6 corn-SBM48 diets containing 0 (control) or 30% of FB9, FB10, FB13, FB17, or FB24 seeds were each fed to Ross 308 1-wk-old male broiler chicks for 14 d. The determined FB nutrient values were used in formulating FB-containing diets. Birds fed FB-containing diets had better (P < 0.05) weight gain and feed conversion than those of the control. When compared with the control birds, relative weights of abdominal fat pad and liver were reduced (P < 0.05) by 30% inclusion of all dietary FB varieties, except for FB17 and FB13, respectively. Broiler chicks fed the FB13 diet had plasma thrombocyte and white blood cell (WBC) differential counts higher (P < 0.05) than those fed the FB10 diet and WBC count higher (P < 0.05) than the birds fed the FB17 diet. In conclusion, tannin-free FB was lower in protein, methionine, and lysine, but higher in AMEn, compared with SBM44. Moreover, FB seeds, especially FB10, can be included in a broiler chick diet with no adverse effects on performance, but FB13 increased WBC count.

Metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility of decorticated extruded safflower meal.

An experiment was conducted to determine TME and amino acid digestibility of several dehulled extruded safflower meals. Finely ground partially dehulled extruded (ESM), partially dehulled solvent-extracted (SESM), extensively cleaned dehulled and extruded safflower meal (CSM), or soybean meal 44 (SBM 44) was intubated to 9 fasted mature roosters with 40 g per rooster and total excreta was collected.The concentrations of all essential amino acids in CSM were higher than those in ESM and SESM. Also, compared with SBM 44, CSM was deficient in lysine, slightly higher in TSAA and tryptophan, but much higher in arginine. The AME(n) and TME(n) of CSM were 2,413 and 2,832 kcal/kg, respectively, and were higher than those of SBM 44 (P < 0.01). The true lysine digestibilities of CSM and SBM 44 were similar but were higher than those of ESM and SESM (P < 0.05). However, ESM, SESM, and CSM had similar true tryptophan and threonine digestibilities that were lower than that of SBM 44 (P < 0.05). With respect to TSAA, all feed ingredients under investigation had similar apparent and true digestibilities. In conclusion, extensive hull removal of safflower seeds followed by cold extrusion produced a low-fiber CSM rich in both energy and protein that makes it a promising feed ingredient for poultry.

Avian influenza outbreak in poultry in the Lebanon and transmission to neighbouring farmers and swine.

Twenty-four poultry farms in four major provinces of the Lebanon were investigated to verify the first emergence of avian influenza (AI). Both the meat chicken breeders and commercial chicken layers presented a significant average drop in egg production equivalent to 46% and 47.3%, respectively. However, the average drop in egg production in the free-range layers was only 11.1%. Flocks were confirmed as positive for AI by ELISA, clinical signs and pathological lesions. The pathogenicity, including case fatality in affected chickens, was different depending of the types of chicken and farming conditions. The average fatality rates among breeders, commercial layers, free-range layers and broilers were 2%, 2%, 1% and 35%, respectively. The majority of the randomly selected ELISA-positive serum samples collected from different farms showed H9-specific haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies. The direct immunoflorescent antibody test also revealed the presence of H9 antigen in congested brains and in tracheal lesions of broilers. The virus isolated from the brains of broilers was subtype H9N2. Pigs fed with carcasses of affected chickens showed H9-specific HI antibodies at 100%. Farmers (32.3%) serving the affected chickens also revealed these antibodies in their sera.