Effects of breed and early feeding on intestinal microbiota, inflammation markers, and behavior of broiler chickens - 16S v3v4

F. Marcato, D. Schokker, S.K. Kar, A. Bossers, F. Harders, J.M.J. Rebel, C.A. Jansen, E. van der Valk, L. Kruijt, D. te Beest, and I.C. de Jong. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of breed (fast vs. slower-growing), EF, and their interaction on jejunum microbiota, inflammation, and behavior of broiler chickens. The study included a total of 416 Ross 308 and 416 Hubbard JA757 day-old male broiler chickens until day 37 and day 51 of age, respectively. Within each breed, one half of the chickens received EF and the other half not, resulting in eight pens per treatment combination with 26 chickens per pen. A total of two chickens per pen were euthanized at two time points, i.e. target body weight (BW) of 200 g and 2.5 kg, and jejunum samples were collected. Jejunum content samples (N=96) were analyzed for their microbiota. In conclusion, using a slower-growing breed has beneficial effects on gut microbiota and fear responses of broilers, especially at slaughter age, whereas EF seems to have an impact only at an early stage of the life of broilers.