NUTRITIONAL STRATEGIES FOR ENHANCING GROWTH AND EFFICIENCY OF FEED UTILIZATION IN POULTRY

• Sponsoring Institution: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
• Project Status: COMPLETE
• Funding Source: EVANS-ALLEN
• Reporting Frequency: Annual
• Accession No.: 1015310
• Project Start Date: Jun 1, 2018
• Project End Date: Sep 30, 2021
• Program Code: [(N/A)]- (N/A)

Recipient Organization
TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
3500 JOHN A. MERRITT BLVD
NASHVILLE,TN 37209

Performing Department
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Non Technical Summary
Poultry is widely used as a leaner form of meat and an equitable source of protein all over the world. Meeting demand for poultry and poultry products requires gain in genetic potential complemented with nutritional regimens that maximize growth and improve efficiency of feed utilization. To also ensure profitability and improve feed efficiency in the poultry industry, birds are reared in limited spaces, consequently increasing the occurrence for rapid spread of diseases among poultry flocks. These practices have necessitated changes in dietary nutrient density and use of antibiotics, excess of which have been implicated in antimicrobial drug resistance. The aim of the proposed research is to enhance growth and efficiency of feed utilization in poultry, especially chickens and guinea fowl. An additional goal is to search for alternative to antibiotics. The optimum requirement for the amino acids arginine, methionine and cysteine by the Pearl grey guinea fowl are lacking. Also, the minimum amounts of nutrients, especially the essential amino acids that sufficiently drive metabolic processes in poultry as a whole are not well established. The requirement of these nutrients for optimum growth performance of poultry will be evaluated. Newly discovered direct-fed microbials or probiotics will be evaluated for potential use as substitute for antibiotics and to improve efficiency of nutrient utilization in chickens and guinea fowl. In completely randomized design, French and Pearl grey guinea fowl and broiler chickens will be assigned to floor pens and subjected to dietary treatments. Dose response experiments with varying dietary concentrations of either amino acids or probiotics will be conducted from hatch to eight weeks of age. The optimum concentrations of arginine, methionine and cysteine, and the effectiveness of direct fed microbials or probiotics will be determined by growth performance, carcass characteristics, and assay of metabolic indices and gene expression of the experimental birds. Findings from this research will be published in the Journal of Poultry Science and optimum levels of these nutrients will be recommended to guinea fowl and traditional poultry producers.

Animal Health Component

90%

Research Effort Categories

Basic

10%

Applied

90%

Developmental

(N/A)

Classification

Knowledge Area (KA)	Subject of Investigation (SOI)	Field of Science (FOS)	Percent
302	3220	1010	100%

Knowledge Area
302 - Nutrient Utilization in Animals;

Subject Of Investigation
3220 - Meat-type chicken, live animal;

Field Of Science
1010 - Nutrition and metabolism;

Keywords

poultry performance

guinea fowl

broiler chickens

probiotics

amino acids

Goals / Objectives
The aim of the proposed research is to enhance growth and efficiency of feed utilization in poultry, especially chickens and guinea fowl. An additional goal is to search for alternative to antibiotics. Specific objectives are to:evaluate methionine and cysteine requirement of the Pearl Grey guinea fowl;evaluate arginine requirement of the pearl grey and French varieties of the guinea fowl;evaluate the efficacy of direct-fed microbials to improve efficiency of feed utilization and growth performance in poultry; andevaluate the efficacy of direct-fed microbials to improve hydrolysis and bioavailability of phytin phosphorus in broiler chickens.

Project Methods
To meet objective one, nine diets will be fed to 540 Pearl grey guinea fowl from hatch to 10 weeks of age. Two diets will consist of corn-soybean meal meeting or exceed NRC (1994) nutrient requirements of poultry. In a 3x3 factorial arrangement, birds will be fed diets containing 0.4, 0.45 and 0.5% methionine each in combination with 0.35, 0.4 and 0.45% cysteine at hatch to 4 weeks of age (WOA). At 5-10 WOA, the experimental diets will contain 0.35, 0.40, and 0.45% methionine each in combination with 0.35, 0.40 and 0.45% cysteine. Diets will be formulated using ideal amino acid concept to ensure adequacy of essential amino acids so the methionine and cysteine response would not be limited. The feed provided to all experimental birds will be iso-caloric and iso- nitrogenous and will contain 3,100 ME Kcal/kg and 23% CP and 3,150 ME Kcal/kg and 21% CP at 0-4 and 5-10 weeks of age, respectively. Each dietary treatment will be replicated three times. The diets will be fed in marsh form and provided at free choice. Water will also be provided at free choice throughout the experimentation period. Feed consumption and body weight from which body weight gain and feed conversion ratio will be calculated will be measured weekly. Mortality will be recorded as it occurs. At 10 weeks of age, 20 percent of the experimental birds will be slaughtered and carcass characteristics which include carcass weight, abdominal fat content and yield of specific carcass components such as breast, thighs and drumsticks will be determined. To meet objective two, 500 day-old each of Pearl grey and French guinea keets of same sex will be fed standard guinea fowl diets containing 1.22, 1.10, 0.98, 0.86, and 0.74% arginine and 1.16% Lysine, from hatch to 4 weeks of age (WOA). These diets will contain 3,100 kcal ME/kg of diet and 23% crude protein (CP). At 5-8 WOA, experimental diets will contain 1.22, 1.10, 0.98, 0.86, and 0.74% arginine and 1.16% Lysine and 3,150 kcal ME/kg of diet and 21% CP. Feed consumption and body weight from which body weight gain and feed conversion ratio will be calculated will be measured weekly for 8 weeks. Mortality will be recorded as it occurs. At 8 weeks of age, 20 percent of the experimental birds will be slaughtered and carcass characteristics which include carcass weight, abdominal fat content and yield of specific carcass components such as breast, thighs and drumsticks will be determined. To meet objective three, 320 each day-old broiler chicks and French guinea keets will be randomly assigned to four dietary treatments comprising various proportions of L. reuteri and S. coelicolor. The L. reuteri and S. coelicolor will be added into the feed by using wheat middlings as a carrier at a concentration of 100ppm (100mg/kg). Three dietary treatments contained two probiotic bacteria in three different proportions as L. reuteri and S. coelicolor individually at 100ppm, and a mixture of L. reuteri and S. coelicolor at 50ppm each; the fourth treatment (control) will have no probiotic bacteria. Broiler chickens will be fed a starter diet from 0-3 weeks of age (WOA) consists of 3,200 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME) and 23% crude protein (CP). A grower diets will be fed from 4-6 WOA and will contain 3,200 ME kcal/kg diet and 21% CP. At 7-8 WOA broiler birds will be fed with finisher diets comprising L. reuteri and S. coelicolor, and 3,250 ME kcal/kg diet and 20% CP. French guinea fowl will be fed a starter diet from 0-4 WOA consists of 3,100 ME kcal/kg diet and 23% CP. A grower diets containing L. reuteri and S. coelicolor will be fed from 5-8 WOA and will contain 3,150 ME kcal/kg, and 21% CP. The selected microbes will be added into feed using wheat middlings as a carrier at 100 ppm (100mg/kg) feed. All the treatments will be replicated four times with 20 birds per replicate. Experimental birds will be weighed every week until 8 WOA. Feed conversion ratios (FCR) and body weight gains (BWG) will be determined from recorded weekly feed consumption and body weights. After 8 weeks of probiotic feeding, 20% of experimental birds will be sacrificed by cervical dislocation and whole carcass, thighs, drumsticks, wings, breast, and fat will be excised and weighed. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) contents will be collected and assayed to confirm and enumerate the L. reuteri and S. coelicolor. Fecal Samples will also be collected periodically to determine the presence of these microorganisms in the GIT of the experimental birds. Transcriptome and metabolomics assays of the GIT contents will be assayed. To meet objective four, in an 8-week study, 640 day-old broiler chicks will be randomly assigned to eight dietary treatments comprising various proportions of Lactobacillus, Enterococcus and Bifidobacterium. The microbes will be added into the feed by using wheat middlings as a carrier at a concentration of 100 ppm (100 mg/kg) of each microbe alone, and a combination of equal proportions of each microbe constituting 50, 100, 150 and 200 ppm or mg/kg. The control diet will not contain probiotic bacteria. Broiler chickens will be fed the probiotics in starter diets from 0-3 weeks of age (WOA) consists of 3,200 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME) and 23% crude protein (CP). A grower diets will be fed from 4-6 WOA and will contain 3,200 ME kcal/kg diet and 21% CP. At 7-8 WOA broiler birds will be fed with finisher diets comprising L. reuteri and S. coelicolor, and 3,250 ME kcal/kg diet and 20% CP. All the treatments will be replicated four times with 20 birds per replicate, and feed (mash) and water will be provided ad libitum throughout the study. Mortality will be monitored and recorded as it occurs. Experimental birds will be weighed every week until 8 WOA. Feed conversion ratios (FCR) and body weight gains (BWG) will be determined from recorded weekly feed consumption and body weights. After 8 weeks of probiotic feeding, 20% of experimental birds will be sacrificed by cervical dislocation and whole carcass, thighs, drumsticks, wings, breast, and fat will be excised and weighed. The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) contents will be collected and assayed to confirm and enumerate the Lactobacillus acidophilus, Enterococcus faecium, and Bifidobacterium bifidium. Fecal Samples will also be collected periodically to determine the presence of these microorganisms in the GIT of the birds. During the 4th and 8th WOA, experimental birds will be fed the experimental diets containing 0.3% inert chromium oxide marker in order to determine the retention of free phosphorus and also to determine the hydrolysis of phytin phosphorus due to feeding of the probiotics. These diets will be fed for 7 days prior to 3 days of fecal collection. After collection, fecal samples will be dried in an oven at 27 C for 24 h. Excreta samples from each replicate will be ground separately in a Wiley mill with a 60 mesh screen. The feed and excreta samples will be ash dried at 550 0C for 8 h prior to analysis for phosphorus levels. Phosphorus in feed and excreta will be determined by the phosphomolybdic acid method. Percent retention of phosphorus will be determined by acid digestion and spectrophotometry. Data will be analyzed using the General Linear Model of SAS, and means will be separated by the Duncan's Multiple Range Test.

Progress 06/01/18 to 09/30/21

Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience include students, poultry industry, scientific community, and Agricultural extension agents. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?This project provided research training and professional development opportunity toone postdoctoral research associate, undergraduate and graduate students. In addition, one high school intern participated in the project. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences such as the Annual International Poultry Science association conference,the Tennessee Academy of Sciences Conference, and through scientific publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? Nothing Reported

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Poultry is widely used as a leaner form of meat and an equitable source of protein all over the world. Meeting demand for poultry and poultry products requires gain in genetic potential complemented with nutritional regimens that maximize growth and improve efficiency of feed utilization. To also ensure profitability and improve feed efficiency in the poultry industry, birds are reared in limited spaces, consequently increasing the occurrence for rapid spread of diseases among poultry flocks. These practices have necessitated changes in dietary nutrient density and use of antibiotics, excess of which have been implicated in antimicrobial drug resistance. The antimicrobial drug resistance can be transferred to consumers making it very difficult to treat human bacterial infections. The aim of the proposed research was to enhance growth and efficiency of feed utilization in poultry, especially chickens and guinea fowl by optimizing the utilization of amino acids. An additional goal was to search for alternative to antibiotics. The methionine and cysteine requirements for optimum growth performance of the French guinea fowl broilers from hatch to 8 weeks of age (WOA) was evaluated. The experimental diets were fed in phases: starter and finisher at 0-4 WOA and 5-8 WOA, respectively. The birds were assigned to dietary treatments in a completely randomized experimental design in 3 x 3 factorial arrangements of dietary treatments comprising 3 concentrations of methionine (0.40%, 0.45%, and 0.50%) each in combination with 0.35%, 0.40%, and 0.45% cysteine. The experiment had a total of 496 guinea fowl assigned to the dietary treatments, and each dietary treatment was replicated 3 times with 18 birds per replicate. The experimental birds were weighed weekly, and feed consumption, feed conversion, and body weight gain were determined weekly. Based on the findings of this study, birds that were fed diets containing 0.50% - 0.45% methionine and 0.45% - 0.35% cysteine had the highest body weight gain at 0-3 WOA. At 4-8 WOA, diets containing 0.50% methionine and 0.45% - 0.40% cysteine had the lowest feed conversion ratio. Therefore, diets containing 0.45% methionine and 0.35% cysteine and 0.50% methionine and 0.40% cysteine at 0-3 WOA and at 4-8 WOA, respectively, were utilized more efficiently and economically by the French guinea fowl broiler. This information will provide consumers guidelines for feeding guinea fowl broilers to help minimize feeding costs. Three microbes (Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Bifidobacterium) were evaluated for their potential to hydrolyze free phosphorus and improve growth performance of broiler chickens. The results indicated that broiler chickens fed probiotic bacteria at the rate of 100 or 150 mg/kg of feed consumed 12.0% and 17.8% more feed, respectively, and increased body weight gain by 5.9% and 8.4%, respectively. Broiler chickens fed diets containing the probiotics at either 100 or 150 mg/kg of feed retained 14.5% and 17.5% of phosphorus, respectively, when compared with birds fed diets without the probiotic bacteria. The use of probiotic bacteria did not affect mortality. The antibiotic growth promoters, bacitracin zinc and Lactobacillus reuteri were evaluated for their beneficial effects on the growth performance of guinea fowl broilers. One-day-old French guinea fowl broilers (320) were individually weighed and assigned into four dietary treatments and replicated four times. The treatments comprised a negative control, antibiotic-zinc bacitracin (50mg/kg), probiotic (L. reuteri, 100mg/kg diet) and soy protein (positive control). The L. reuteri was encapsulated in soy protein. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Experimental birds were weighed weekly for six weeks. Body weight gain and feed consumption from which feed conversion was derived were determined weekly. Average feed consumption was lower in birds fed the antibiotic and probiotic diets when compared with the controls. The antibiotic and probiotics fed birds also exhibited higher body weight gains than the controls. In this experiment, bacitracin zinc and L. reuteri both significantly improved bird growth, feed conversion and overall bird performance. Bacitracin zinc improved feed conversion and weight gain in broiler chickens just like L. reuteri, a bacterium frequently used in probiotic formulations for humans and other livestock species. It has proven to reduce feed consumption without compromising weight gain in guinea fowl broilers. Thus, L. reuteri based probiotics were determined to be a viable alternative to antibiotics used as growth promoters in poultry. The effect of Escherichia coli strain nissle 1917 (EcN) on growth performance of broiler chickens was also evaluated. In a completely randomized design, a total of 200 1-day-old broiler chicks were fed four dietary treatments comprising a standard corn-soy (SCS) control, SCS + soy protein, SCS + 108 cfu/g EcN, and SCS + 109 cfu/g EcN from hatch to 8 weeks of age (WOA). The EcN was encapsulated in soy protein, premixed in wheat middlings and homogeneously mixed in the SCS diets. Feed and water were provided ad libitum, birds were weighed weekly and body weight gain (BWG), feed consumption (FC) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined weekly. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using the General Linear Model of SAS and means were separated by the Least Square Means option. The birds fed diets containing 109 cfu/g EcN exhibited mean BWG that were 15% higher than those of birds fed the control diets at 1-8 WOA (P<0.05). The FC was higher and FCR was significantly lower (P><0.05) in birds fed the 109 cfu/g EcN. Broilers fed 108 cfu/g EcN had improved BWG and FCR at 1-4 WOA (P><0.05), however differences in these parameters among treatments were not significant at 5-8 WOA (P>0.05). Therefore, feeding 108 cfu/g EcN had slight improvement of BWG and FCR of broilers at 1-4 WOA, whereas feeding 109 cfu/g EcN significantly increased BWG and reduced FCR of broiler chickens at 1-8 WOA. In another studyLactobacillus reuteri (L. reuteri) and Streptomyces Coelicolor (S. Coelicolor) were selected as probiotic bacteria, encapsulated, and added into broiler feed at a concentration of 100 mg/kg of feed. In an 8-week study, 240 one day-old chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. Three dietary treatments contained two probiotic bacteria in three different proportions asL. reuteriandS. coelicolorindividually at 100 ppm, and mixture ofL. reuteriandS. coelicolorat 50 ppm each. The fourth treatment had no probiotic bacteria and it functioned as the control diet.L. reuteriandS. coelicolorwere added to the feed by using wheat middlings as a carrier at a concentration of 100 ppm (100 mg/kg). Chickens fed diets containingL. reuteriandS. coelicolormixture showed 2% improvement in body weight gain, 7% decrease in feed consumption, and 6-7% decrease in feed conversion ratios. This research suggests thatL. reuteriandS. coelicolorhave the potential to constitute probiotics in chickens combined or separately depending on the desired selection of performance index.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Sarayu Bhogoju, Collins N. Khwatenge, Thyneice Taylor-Bowden, Gabriel Akerele, Boniface M. Kimathi, Joseph Donkor and Samuel N. Nahashon, 2021. Effects of Lactobacillus reuteri and Streptomyces coelicolor on Growth Performance of Broiler Chickens. Microorganisms 2021, 9, 1341. https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms 9061341.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2021 Citation: Collins N. Khwatenge and Samuel N. Nahashon. 2021. Recent Advances in the Application of CRISPR/Cas9 Gene Editing System in Poultry Species. Frontiers in Genetics 12:1-13 doi: 10.3389/fgene.2021.627714.
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Angela Washington, 2020. Evaluating Escherichia Coli Nissle as a potential probiotic for broiler chickens. MS Thesis, Tennessee State University, Fall 2020.

Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20

Outputs
Target Audience:Students, poultry industry, scientific community, and Agricultural extension agents. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate and threeundergraduate students resarchers were trained and they were fully involved in these research projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences such as the Annual InternationalPoultry Science association conference and the Tennessee Academy of Sciences Conference, and through scientific publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, the evaluation the effect of new probiotics on poultry performance and the optimal levels for arginine in guinea fowl will be reported.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Antibiotics have been used therapeutically as feed additive in poultry feeding and they have been reported to improve poultry performance. Consequently, their overuse has been associated with antimicrobial resistance in poultry and poultry products, which is transferable to the consumer, a risk to human health. Alternatives to antibiotics, such as the probiotic Escherichia coli strain nissle 1917 (EcN) have been evaluated for use in humans. There is, however, limited research on the potential use EcN as a probiotic in poultry. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of EcN on growth performance of broiler chickens. In a completely randomized design, a total of 200 1-day-old broiler chicks were fed four dietary treatments comprising a standard corn-soy (SCS) control, SCS + soy protein, SCS + 108 cfu/g EcN, and SCS + 109 cfu/g EcN from hatch to 8 weeks of age (WOA). The EcN was encapsulated in soy protein, premixed in wheat middlings and homogeneously mixed in the SCS diets. Feed and water were provided ad libitum, birds were weighed weekly and body weight gain (BWG), feed consumption (FC) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were determined weekly. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA using the General Linear Model of SAS and means were separated by the Least Square Means option. The birds fed diets containing 109 cfu/g EcN exhibited mean BWG that were 15% higher than those of birds fed the control diets at 1-8 WOA (P<0.05). The FC was higher and FCR was significantly lower (P<0.05) in birds fed the 109 cfu/g EcN. Broilers fed 108 cfu/g EcN had improved BWG and FCR at 1-4 WOA (P<0.05), however differences in these parameters among treatments were not significant at 5-8 WOA (P>0.05). Therefore, feeding 108 cfu/g EcN had slight improvement of BWG and FCR of broilers at 1-4 WOA, whereas feeding 109 cfu/g EcN significantly increased BWG and reduced FCR of broiler chickens at 1-8 WOA.

Publications

• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Collins N. Khwatenge*, Boniface M. Kimathi, and Samuel N. Nahashon. 2020. Transcriptome Analysis and Expression of Selected Cationic Amino Acid Transporters in the Liver of Broiler Chicken Fed Diets with Varying Concentrations of Lysine. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2020, 21, 5594; doi: 10.3390/ijms21165594.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Collins N. Khwatenge*, Boniface M. Kimathi, Thyneice Taylor-Bowden and Samuel N. Nahashon. 2020. Expression of lysine-mediated neuropeptide hormones controlling satiety and appetite in broiler chickens. Poultry Science 99 (1):1409-1420. (https://doi.org/10.1016/j. psj.2019.10.053).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Collins N. Khwatenge* and Samuel N. Nahashon. Effect of lysine on transcriptome profile and expression of selected cationic amino acid transporters in broiler chickens. Poultry Science Association 109th Annual Meeting, July 2022, 2020, Virtual Annual Meeting (Abstract page 65).
• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2020 Citation: Collins Khwatenge 2020. Coupling transcriptome sequencing and crispr/dcas9-mediated enhancement of lysine utilization in broiler chickens. PhD Dissertation, Tennessee State University, December 2020.

Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19

Outputs
Target Audience:Students, poultry industry, scientific community, and Agricultural agents. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two graduate and four undergraduate students underwent research training and they were fully involved in these research projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were disseminated through presentations at scientific conferences such as the Annual Poultry Science association and the Tennessee Academy of Sciences, the Tennessee State University Wide Research Symposium, workshops, and webinars, and scientific publications. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, ongoing studies on evaluation of potential use of probiotics in poultry and the optimal levels for arginine in guinea fowl will be reported.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? Antibiotics used as growth promoters in livestock have been linked to antibiotic resistant pathogens, adding to the pressing issue in human and animal health. Therefore, regulation of antibiotic use in animal production has become more prevalent and consumer trends have deemed antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) as unfavorable. Practices of producers must change to meet these new demands without compromising animal growth and performance. Probiotics or direct-fed microbials are a viable and more natural method of promoting growth in comparison to AGPs in livestock, including poultry. This study investigates AGP bacitracin zinc and Lactobacillus reuteri and their effects on the growth performance of guinea fowl broilers. One-day-old French guinea fowl broilers (320) were individually weighed and assigned into four dietary treatments and replicated four times. The treatments comprised a negative control, antibiotic-zinc bacitracin (50mg/kg), probiotic (L. reuteri, 100mg/kg diet) and soy protein (positive control). The L. reuteri was encapsulated in soy protein. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Experimental birds were weighed weekly for six weeks. Body weight gain and feed consumption from which feed conversion was derived were determined weekly. Average feed consumption was lower in birds fed the antibiotic and probiotic diets when compared with the controls. The antibiotic and probiotics fed birds also exhibited higher body weight gains than the controls. In this experiment, bacitracin zinc and L. reuteri both significantly improved bird growth, feed conversion and overall bird performance. Bacitracin zinc improved feed conversion and weight gain in broiler chickens just like L. reuteri, a bacterium frequently used in probiotic formulations for humans and other livestock species. It has proven to reduce feed consumption without compromising weight gain in guinea fowl broilers. Thus, L. reuteri based probiotics may be a viable alternative to antibiotics used as growth promoters in poultry.

Publications

• Type: Theses/Dissertations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Richards, C. 2019. Evaluation of methionine and cysteine requirement for optimal growth performance of the French guinea fowl broiler. MS Thesis, Tennessee State University,May 2019.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Nahashon, S. N. 2019. Gompertz-Laird model prediction of optimal utilization of methionine and cysteine by French guinea fowl broilers. Poult. Sci. 98(E-Suppl. 1): 187.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Taylor-Bowden, T, S. Boghoju and S. Nahashon. 2019. Analysis of broiler chickens microflora using metabolomics and transcriptome to understand probiotic and host-relationship. 129th Tennessee Academy of Science Conference, Columbia, TN., November 22, 2019. pp11.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Khwatenge, C. and S. Nahashon. 2019. Effect of lysine on transcriptome profile and expression of select cationic amino acid transporters in broiler chickens. 129th Tennessee Academy of Science Conference, Columbia, TN., November 22, 2019. pp11.
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2019 Citation: Pigg, A. and S. Nahashon. 2019. Evaluating the effects of Lactobacillus reuteri and Zinc bpp24.acitracin on growth performance of guinea fowl broilers. 129th Tennessee Academy of Science Conference, Columbia, TN., November 22, 2019.

Progress 06/01/18 to 09/30/18

Outputs
Target Audience:Students; poultry industry; scientific community; and agricultural extension agents. Changes/Problems: Nothing Reported What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Threegraduate students andtwo undergraduate students undewent research training and were fully involved in these research projects. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The results were dsseminated through presentations at scientific conferences such as the Annual Poultry Science Association conference, workshops, publicationsand university symposiums and seminars. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?In the next reporting period, ongoing additional studies on use of probiotics in poultry and also the optimal levels of methionine,cysteine, and argininein guinea fowl will be reported.

Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals? In a repeat trial evaluating the methionine and cysteine requirement for optimal performance of the French guinea fowl, it was observed that at 0-4 WOA, methionine and cysteine was optimally utilized at 0.50% and 0.40%, respectively. However, at 0-8 WOA, the optimal dietary methionine and cysteine for these birds seem to be 0.45%. To meet objective 3 and 4, several studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in growth performance of poultry. Three microbes (Lactobacillus, Enterococcus, and Bifidobacterium) were evaluated for their potential to hydrolyze free phosphorus and improve growth performance of broiler chickens. The results indicated that broiler chickens fed probiotic bacteria at the rate of 100 or 150 mg/kg of feed consumed 12.0% and 17.8% more feed, respectively, and increased body weight gain by 5.9% and 8.4%, respectively. Broiler chickens fed diets containing the probiotics at either 100 or 150 mg/kg of feed retained 14.5% and 17.5% of phosphorus, respectively, when compared with birds fed diets without the probiotic bacteria. The use of probiotic bacteria did not affect mortality.Lactobacillus reuteri and Streptomyces coelicolor were selected as probiotic bacteria and encapsulated to supplement with dietary treatments to broiler chickens. In an 8-week study, 240 day old chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments. L. reuteri and S. coelicolor were added to the feed by using wheat middlings as a carrier at a concentration of 100ppm (100mg/kg). Three dietary treatments contained two probiotic bacteria in three different proportions as L. reuteri and S. coelicolor individually at 100ppm, and mixture of L. reuteri and S. coelicolor at 50ppm each and the fourth treatment which had no probiotic bacteria functioned as control diet. Chickens fed diets containing L. reuteri and S. coelicolor mixture showed improved body weight gain, feed consumption, and decreased feed conversion ratios. This research suggests that L. reuteri and S. coelicolor have the potential to constitute probiotics in chickens combined or separately depending on the desired selection of performance index.

Publications

• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Nahashon, S., C. Richards, T. Bowden-Taylor, B. Kimathi, and C. Khwatenge. 2018. Effect of varying dietary methionine and cysteine concentrations on growth performance of the French guinea fowl broiler. Poultry Science. 97 (E-Suppl. 1): 197.
• Type: Journal Articles Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Sarayu Bhogoju, Samuel Nahashon, Xiaofei Wang, Carl Darris, and Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge. 2018. A comparative analysis of microbial profile of guinea fowl and chicken using metagenomic approach. PLoS ONE 13(3): e0191029. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. Pone.0191029 (Open Access).
• Type: Conference Papers and Presentations Status: Published Year Published: 2018 Citation: Kimathi, B., C. Khwatenge, T. Bowden-Taylor, and S. Nahashon. 2018. Identification of long noncoding RNAs in chicken divergently selected for leanness. Poultry Science. 97 (E-Suppl. 1): 40.