poultry nutrition – mycolab.ai

Harnessing mushrooms for poultry nutrition: Boosting health, immunity, and productivity

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Mushrooms and mushroom stems are emerging as natural feed additives that can significantly improve poultry health, growth, and egg/meat quality while reducing the need for antibiotics. These fungi contain beneficial compounds that boost immune function, reduce harmful bacteria, and protect against cellular damage. By using mushroom byproducts that are typically discarded, farmers can create more sustainable and environmentally friendly poultry production systems while improving overall bird health and productivity.

Use of Medicinal Mushrooms in Layer Ration

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This review discusses how medicinal mushrooms can be added to chicken feed to improve egg production and boost chicken health, offering a natural alternative to antibiotics. Several types of mushrooms like shiitake and oyster mushrooms have been shown to increase egg quality, strengthen immunity against diseases, and reduce cholesterol in eggs. These findings support the use of mushrooms as a sustainable solution for organic egg farming without compromising production or health.

Effects of Ganoderma lucidum Powder on the Growth Performance, Immune Organ Weights, Cecal Microbiology, Serum Immunoglobulins, and Tibia Minerals of Broiler Chickens

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Researchers tested whether powdered Ganoderma lucidum mushroom could replace antibiotic growth promoters in chicken farming. The study found that adding 0.2% mushroom powder to chicken feed improved weight gain and feed efficiency similar to antibiotics, while also promoting beneficial gut bacteria. The mushroom powder was safe and did not cause any disease, making it a promising natural alternative to antibiotics in poultry production.

Synbiotic microencapsulation of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum-lentinan for enhanced growth in broilers

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Researchers developed a special protective coating for beneficial bacteria called L. plantarum mixed with lentinan from mushrooms. This mixture helps chickens grow better and stay healthier by improving their digestion and fighting harmful bacteria. When the coated bacteria reach the chicken’s intestines, they release their beneficial properties, improving growth rate and immune function without using antibiotics.

Growth performance, meat quality, cecal microbiota and metabolomics profile of turkeys fed diets containing black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) meal

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Researchers tested using black soldier fly meal as a protein source in turkey feed to replace traditional soybean meal. Turkeys fed diets containing 5% BSF meal from mid-growth to slaughter showed better growth and weight gain with minimal changes to meat quality. The improvements appeared to be linked to beneficial changes in gut chemistry rather than changes in gut bacteria, making BSF meal a promising sustainable protein alternative for poultry farming.

Individual and Combined Effect of Zinc-L-Selenomethionine Complex with Mannan-Oligosaccharide on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Gut Development and Immune Response in Broilers

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This study tested whether combining organic selenium and a prebiotic from yeast could improve broiler chicken health without using antibiotics. The researchers fed different groups of chickens either selenium alone, the prebiotic alone, or combinations of both at different levels over 35 days. They found that the combination of higher selenium levels with the prebiotic worked best for improving meat quality, immune system strength and gut health, making it a promising natural alternative to growth-promoting antibiotics in chicken farming.

Effects of Cordyceps militaris solid medium on the growth performance, immunity parameters and intestinal health of broilers

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This research shows that a byproduct from growing Cordyceps militaris mushrooms can be used as a feed additive for chickens. When added at low doses to chicken feed, this mushroom byproduct improved the chickens’ growth, boosted their immune system, and created a healthier gut environment with beneficial bacteria. This offers a natural, non-antibiotic option for improving poultry farming.

Effects of a biotechnologically produced Pleurotus sapidus mycelium on gut microbiome, liver transcriptome and plasma metabolome of broilers

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Researchers tested whether mushroom mycelium (the root structure of mushrooms) grown in large bioreactors could be used as a supplement in chicken feed as a sustainable alternative to traditional ingredients. Over 5 weeks, broilers received feed with 0%, 2.5%, or 5% mushroom mycelium, with no negative effects on growth, digestion, or overall health observed. The study suggests that this biotechnologically produced mushroom biomass is a safe and potentially sustainable feed ingredient for poultry production.

Flammulina velutipes stem regulates oxidative damage and synthesis of yolk precursors in aging laying hens by regulating the liver–blood–ovary axis

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This study shows that adding golden needle mushroom stems to the feed of aging laying hens improves egg production by reducing oxidative damage and boosting reproductive hormones. The mushroom stem, normally a waste product, works through a liver-ovary signaling pathway to enhance the production of yolk-building proteins and improve the quality and number of developing eggs. The treatment was particularly effective at doses of 4-6% supplementation and also had beneficial side effects like reducing abdominal fat and improving eggshell thickness.

Effects of a biotechnologically produced Pleurotus sapidus mycelium on gut microbiome, liver transcriptome and plasma metabolome of broilers

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Researchers tested whether mushroom mycelium grown using agricultural waste could be safely added to chicken feed. The mycelium, rich in beneficial compounds like β-glucans, was added to broiler diets at varying levels for 35 days. Results showed that chickens fed diets containing up to 5% mushroom mycelium performed just as well as control chickens, with no negative effects on health, digestion, or metabolism, suggesting this sustainable feed ingredient could help reduce competition between animal feed and human food.

Research Topic: poultry nutrition