Effect of Age on the Immune and Visceral Organ Weights and Cecal Traits in Modern Broilers

Animals

Patricio Paz¹  Manuel Valdivié²  Victoria Ortega³  Yordan Martínez³  Edison Altamirano³ 

[1] Agricultural Science and Production Department, Zamorano University, P.O. Box 93, Valle de Yeguare, San Antonio de Oriente, Francisco Morazan, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras;National Center for Laboratory Animal Production, P.O. Box 6240, Santiago de las Vegas, Rancho Boyeros, La Habana, Cuba;Poultry Research and Teaching Center, Agricultural Science and Production Department, Zamorano University, P.O. Box 93, Valle de Yeguare, San Antonio de Oriente, Francisco Morazan, Tegucigalpa 11101, Honduras;

关键词: age;    digestive organ;    cecal pH;    cecal lactic acid bacteria;    broiler;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ani11030845

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

This study aimed to determine the effect of age on the immune and visceral organ weights and cecal traits in modern broilers. 200 male Ross^® 308 broilers were randomly selected, then 20 broilers were slaughtered every day (up to 10 days old) after six hours of fasting. All the organs measured had a progressive increase in absolute weight as the days progressed, apart from the spleen, which decreased its absolute weight on day 5, even though on day 10 it showed the highest values. Moreover, the small intestine relative weight increased from the fourth to the ninth day and was correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with the relative weight of the proventriculus, gizzard, small intestine, and cecum, although without statistical association with the of the heart. There was a correlation between the cecum relative weight and the cecal lactic acid bacteria, and between the primary lymphoid organs. The pH (from 5.74 to 7.40) and cecal lactic acid bacteria (from 6.11 to 8.79 log 10 CFU/g) changed according to the age of the broilers. The results could contribute to the understanding of the physiology and intestinal microbiology of the first 10 days old of modern broilers, which is crucial to improve the genetic expression of these animals.

【 授权许可】

Unknown