Objective: We investigated the effects of a source of selenium [inorganic or nano-selenium (nano-Se)] on female V-line rabbits with or without injection of ivermectin (IVM). Material and Methods: Eighty four rabbits (12 weeks old) were randomly divided into 4 groups of 21 rabbits each with the basal diet supplemented as per the following treatments: G1 (control): inorganic Se at 0.3 mg/kg diet with no IVM injection; G2: inorganic Se with IVM injection; G3: nano-Se with no IVM injection; and G4: nano-Se with IVM injection. IVM was injected subcutane¬ously at 0.2 mg/kg body weight starting when the does were 14 weeks old and repeated weekly for five consecutive weeks. Results: Replacement of inorganic Se with nano-Se improved body weight and total body weight gain, total feed intake, average feed conversion ratio, and reproductive performance (age at puberty, number of service/conception, conception rate, number of kits/litter, and lit¬ter weight at birth). Similarly, sexual activity of does, serum estrogen levels, and serum levels of antioxidants (glutathione reduced, catalase, and malondialdehyde) increased in nano-Se-sup¬plemented groups. Ivermectin treatment in inorganic Se-supplemented groups was detrimental to growth and reproductive performance, while these parameters improved in IVM-treated and nano-Se-supplemented groups. Conclusion: Nano-Se mitigated the negative effects of IVM treatment on the growth and repro¬ductive performance of does. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(1.000): 128-137]

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the combination of hairy eggplant (Solanum ferox) and bitter ginger (Zingiber zerumbet) on the production performance and hematological parameters of whiteleg shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Materials and Methods: Four treatments were formulated in the test feed, where P1 (control + commercial vitamin C); P2 (120 ml/l combination of S. ferox and Z. zerumbet); P3 (100 ml/l); and P4 (80 ml/l) 6,000 post-larvae shrimp with an average initial weight of 0.2 gm were randomly stocked in four groups, with three replications per treatment, and 500 were stocked in each pond with a total of 12 pounds. Results: Based on the results, there were significant differences in production performance (survival, absolute weight growth, specific growth rate, and feed conversion ratio). Biologically, the best performance was found in the P3 treatment (100 ml/l). In this treatment, the total number of hemocytes and the number of hyaline hemocytes were much higher, and this was not the case in the control treatment (P1), where the number of semi-granular and granular cells was significantly higher than the treatment group (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study confirmed that supplementation of 100 ml/l of S. ferox and Z. zerumbet could improve the production performance and hemato-immunological parameters of whiteleg shrimp, with functional potential to be developed in phytobiotic-based commercial diets for shrimp. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(1.000): 78-86]

Objective: Quail production is ranked as an important alternative animal protein source in Cameroon. One of the main constraints of this production is the quality of feed, which lacks pro¬tein that is regularly supplied by fish meal. To avoid disagreements due to the constant shortage of fish meal, alternative protein sources are needed, and among them are crickets (Acheta domes¬ticus). The goal of this study was to find out how well Japanese quails could be raised if fish meal was replaced with cricket meal. Materials and Methods: A total of 192, 4-week-old quails were divided into 12 similar sets of 8 females and 8 males. The Four experimental diets (T00, T15, T30, and T45) were all formulated based on the level (0%, 15%, 30%, and 45%, respectively) of fish meal substitution with cricket meal in the basal diet (crude protein: 20.18% and ME: 3,013.78 kcal/kg) and randomly assigned to three sets in a completely randomized design consisting of four treatments each repeated three times. Growth, carcass, and some reproduction parameters were collected. The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and the Duncan test, with a significance level of 5%. Results: Cricket meal diets increased body weight in males (204.32 ± 5.69 gm for T45) and regard¬less of the sex (226.72 ± 29.45 gm for T30) compared to 184.17 ± 3.11 gm and 214.55 ± 32.77 gm for the control group, respectively. In females, substitution at 30% increased body weight (253.80 ± 6.48 gm), while 45% induced a reduction (216.67 ± 6.49 gm) when compared to the control group value (244.92 ± 6.07 gm). Carcass yield and the proportion of different parts were not significantly affected by the experimental diets. Liver proportions were significantly higher at 15% and 35% cricket meal incorporation compared to 45%. First songs and egg laying were recorded at 7 weeks with T15, which also led to improved egg laying performance compared to the other treatments. Ovaries were poorly developed in the T45 females compared to the other treatments. Conclusions: Cricket flour might be a good candidate as a locally available protein source to sub¬stitute fish meal in the Japanese quail's diet at the finisher and reproductive stages, and the level of 30% seems to be more efficient. [J Adv Vet Anim Res 2022; 9(2.000): 310-322]