CairoUniversity. A. R. E. Al-Azhar University. Gaza Cooperation program SOME NUTRITIONAL STUDIES TO ALLEVIATE THE EFFECT OF HEAT STRESS ON BROILERS BY RAMZI ABDEL AZIZ A. BASHIR B.Sc. Animal Production and Health, 1998 Faculty of Agriculture An-Najah National University, Nablus- Palestine. A Thesis Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master Degree In Agriculture Science (Poultry Nutrition) Department of Animal and Poultry Production Faculty of Agriculture and Environment AL-Azhar University, Gaza - Palestine 2012 CairoUniversity. A.E.R Al-azharUniversity. Gaza Supervision sheet SOME NUTRITIONAL STUDIES TO ALLEVIATE THE EFFECT OF HEAT STRESS ON BROILERS BY RAMZI ABDEL AZIZ A. BASHIR Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master In Agriculture Science (Poultry Nutrition) Department of Animal and Poultry Production Faculty of Agriculture, and Environment AL-Azhar University, Gaza - Palestine This Thesis for the degree of M.Sc. had been supervised by: Prof Dr. Hatem Ayesh El Shanti Professor of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture AL-Azhar University, Gaza-Palestine Prof Dr. Adel Zaki Mohamed Soliman Professor of Poultry Nutrition, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University, Egypt Dr. Ahmed Mohammed Abdel-Khalek Senior Researcher of Poultry Nutrition, Animal Production Research Institute, Egypt " ر يبِخَ نَ وُلمَعَْت امَبِ ُهَّللاوَ تٍاجَرَدَ مَلْعِلْا اوُتوُأ نَ يذَِّلاوَمْكُنمِ اوُنمَآ نَ يذَِّلا ُهَّللا عَِفرْيَ" 11 مقْر ةيلآا ةلداجملا ةروس I Dedication This thesis is dedicated to my parents, brothers, sisters, wife and my children … with love and respect. Special dedication is to be presented to the souls of all martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the sake of our beloved home land, Palestine. II Acknowledgement All thanks go to Allah, who granted me the power to finish this work. I would like to express my sincere special thanks and gratitude to Prof. Dr. Hatem A. Al Shanti, Professor of Animal Production, Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture Al–Azhar University for his direct supervision, encouragement, guidance, and help throughout this study. I am sincerely grateful to Prof. Dr. Adel Zaki Mohamed Soliman, Professor of Poultry Nutrition, Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University for his direct supervision and for his help, assistance, suggestions and patience. Thanks and appreciation should be extended to Dr. Ahmed Abdel- Khalek, senior researcher of Poultry Nutrition, Department of Poultry Nutrition, Animal Production Research Institute, ARC, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt, for his encouragement, patience and revision of this study. Finally, I am very grateful to all those who helped and encouraged to make this research possible. III Contents Page 1. INTRODUCTION 1 2. REVIEW OF LITRATURE 3 2.1. Temperature effects on poultry 3 2.2. Nutritional manipulations to alleviate the effect of heat stress on poultry 5 2.2.1. Antioxidants 5 2.2.2. Enzymes' supplementation 11 2.2.3. Herbal plants 13 2.2.4. Combined effect of some supplements 15 3. MATERIALS AND METHODS 21 3.1. Experimental birds and design 21 3.2. Experimental diets 22 3.3. Management 23 3.4. Measurements and methods of results interpretation 24 3.4.1. Live body weight gain 24 3.4.2. Feed intake 25 3.4.3. Feed conversion ratio 25 3.4.4. Slaughter test 25 3.4.5. Body temperature 25 3.4.6. Biochemical constituents of blood plasma 25 3.5. Economical efficiency of production 26 3.6. Statistical analysis 26 4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 27 4.1. Environmental temperature during the experiment period 27 4.2. Effect of feeding different feed additives on broiler performance 27 4.2.a. Live body weight and weight gain 27 4.2.b. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio 29 4.2.c. Viability and European Production Efficiency Index 30 4.3. Effect of feeding different feed additives on slaughter characteristics, 32 and body temperature 4.3.a. Slaughter characteristic 32 4.3.b. Body temperature 34 4.4. Effect of feeding different feed additives on blood plasma constituents 35 4.5. Effect of different feed additives on economic efficiency 38 5. SUMMARY 43 6. CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 47 7. REFERENCES 48 ARABIC SUMMARY IV List of tables No. page 1 Ingredients and composition of the basal diet (%) 23 2 Average weekly environmental temperatures and relative 24 humidity during all experiment period 3 Performance of broiler chicks as affected by different 39 treatments 4 Effect of treatments on slaughter characteristics and rectal 40 temperature 5 Effect of the experimental treatments on some blood 41 plasma constituents 6 Input/output analysis and economic efficiency as affected 42 by different treatments V 1- INTRODUCTION Per capita poultry meat consumption in developing regions, which include most of the hot regions of the world, is still considerably lower than in developed countries from the temperate regions. For example, in the Middle East and North Africa, the average daily per capita intake of animal protein does not exceed 25 g, compared with over 45 g in most of the developed countries (Daghir, 2008). The most obvious constraint on poultry production in hot climate regions, especially during summer months is high temperature, especially when coupled with high humidity, imposes severe stress on birds and leads to reduced performance. Ain-Baziz et al., (1996) noted that, when Shaver broiler chicks from 4 to 7 weeks of age were grown under high environmental temperature (32ºC), the body weight gain was reduced by about 47% compared to those raised in normal temperature (22ºC). Kalamah et al., (2002) found that, when one day-old Norfa chicks exposed to heat stress (37, 41 and 45ºC) in climatic chambers, body weight gain was significantly (P≤ 0.01) decreased, while feed conversion, mortality rate, body temperature and respiration rate were increased (P<0.01) with increasing ambient temperature. Various techniques are being practiced by the farmers to minimize the negative heat stress. Nutritional manipulations with its low cost are preferred to alleviate the negative effects of heat stress on performance (Şahin et al., 2009). Nutritional manipulations, such as the addition of antioxidants, enzyme mixtures and some herbs are reported to be beneficial in alleviating some of the heat stress related to physiological responses and improving thermo tolerance. Vitamin C and E supplementations are reported to be beneficial in alleviating some of the heat stress related to physiological responses 1 and improving thermo tolerance through their antioxidant effects (Jones et al., 1996; Sahin and Kucuk, 2001; Sahin et al., 2006). Exogenous enzymes addition also, can complement the endogenous enzymes in the digestive system during heat stress. Tawfeek (1996) found that providing heat stressed rabbits with enzyme mixtures helped rabbit to withstand heat stress. Sahin and Kucuk (2001) attributed the decreased activity of digestive enzyme namely trypsin, in broiler quails to the high ambient temperature. Essential oils extracted from herb and spices were found to have some biological properties such as antimicrobial (Dorman and Deans, 2000), antioxidant (Botsoglou et al., 2002), enzymatic (Hernandez et al., 2004), digestion stimulating (Alçiçek et al., 2003). Besides the fact that essential oils have anti-heat stress effects, and they can activate immune system (Çabuk et al., 2006). The aim of this study was to assess the effects of dietary supplements of vitamin C,vitamin E, commercial enzyme mixture (thermo stable endo-1,4-beta-xylanase), rosemary (Rosmarinus Officinalis L.)and peppermint(Mentha piperita L.), either alone or in combination in broiler diets during hot summer season (from late August to beginning October, 2010) onbroilers' performance, carcass traits, blood plasma constituents and economics of production. 2