Lactobacillus and dietary sunflower meal supplementation in layer diets: Effects on specific serum content and...

Studies show that in poultry houses, hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) is present in a much higher concentration than its odor threshold of 10 ppb for humans and has a short-lived deleterious effect on White Leghorns at concentrations of 0.2% H₂S. A possible way to reduce H₂S emissions (often exhausted into the environment) is to decrease its concentration in manure by adding high fiber byproducts and probiotics in diets. A combination of probiotics (Lactobaccillus paracasei, Lactobaccillus plantarum, and Lactobaccillus rhamnosus at 1.56 mL per 10 L (to provide 3.64 × 10⁶ cfu/L of each species) in chlorinated drinking water and sunflower seed meal (SFM) were evaluated for their early effects on the H₂S concentration in manure and specific measurements in serum. Sixty-four White Leghorn inbred crosses (65- to 74-week-old) were randomly allocated into two replicates of four treatments including a Control, Control + Probiotics, Control + Probiotics + 20% SFM, and Control + 20% SFM. After a 7-day acclimation period with different treatments, fecal matter was analyzed for total sulfur (TS), sulfate-sulfur (SO₄-S), and H₂S while blood serum was analyzed for amylase, calcium, phosphate, cholesterol, and triglycerides. Results indicated that probiotics significantly increased SO₄-S, whereas 20% SFM decreased H₂S, total sulfur, and increased sulfate sulfur. Dietary supplementation of SFM also significantly decreased serum amylase activity, calcium, and phosphorus.