The microbial community is known to have a key role during the rearing period of broilers. In this study, gut microbial composition and diversity were examined to evaluate the relationships between these factors and broiler growth performance. By applying 454-pyrosequencing of the V1-V3 regions of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, six fecal samples from four- and 28-day-old chickens from three broiler farms and 24 intestinal samples of broilers with heavy and light body weights were analyzed. Microbial composition assessment revealed Firmicutes to be the most prevalent phylum at farm A, while Proteobacteria were predominant at farms B and C. Fecal microbial richness and diversity indices gradually increased from four to 28 days at all three farms. Microbial diversity assessment revealed that small intestine microbial diversity was lower in heavy birds than in light birds. In light birds, the Firmicutes proportion was lower than that in heavy birds. In conclusion, each broiler farm revealed a specific microbial profile which varied with the age of the birds. The microbial communities appeared to affect growth performance; therefore, gut microbial profiles can be utilized to monitor growth performance at broiler farms.

The large amount of tissue culture medium (TCM), which contains some of the active secretory components of Korean wild ginseng (KWG; Panax ginseng) such as saponins, is usually discarded after harvest of KWG. The present study was aimed to investigate the efficacy of oral administration of the TCM-KWG on growth performance and diseases resistance in broiler chickens. A day old broiler chickens randomized in 6 groups (n=60/groups) were administered orally with 0, 2, 4, 8, 16 and 32 mL/L TCM-KWG through drinking water for 5 weeks and examined the change of weight gain, feed intake and blood components. Also, five weeks old broiler chickens (n=15/groups) were challenged orally with Salmonella (S.) gallinarum and investigated the mortality in broiler chickens. An average weight gain and feed intake significantly didn't change in TCM-KWG administration groups as compared to control group. The concentration of calcium (Ca), phosphate (Pi) and potassium (K) in serum were increase by TCM-KWG administration in broiler chickens. We also found that oral administration of TCM-KWG through drinking water significantly reduced the mortality in broiler chickens experimentally infected with virulent S. gallinarum. The results of this study indicated that TCM-KWG administration may elevate the resistance on disease and improved the skeleton formation and body homeostasis of chickens, and TCM-KWG can be used as a cost-effective and environmentally alternative additives to control of the disease and growth.

Pseudomonas aerusinosa infection was diagnosed in broiler chicks, and was submitted to the National Veterinary Research and Quarantine Service in Korea. The total mortality rate was about 1,500 birds out of 22,000 broilers. Clinically, affected birds showed clinical signs including depression and anorexia with lameness and trembling of the leg. At necropsy, the dead broilers appeared to have omphalitis, yolk sac infection, fibrinous epicarditis, and fibrinous exudates in liver with swollen hock joint. Microscopically, there were multiple necrotic foci in the liver, fibrinous exudates in the heart, and infiltration of heterophils into the joint spaces of the hock joint.

Norfloxacin (NFX) is a fluorquinolone antibacterial agent with a high antimicrobial activity and might have great potential for treating common infections in poultry. The objective of this study was to obtain comparative pharmacokinetic data after a single oral administration and medication with drinking water of norfloxacin-glycine acetate (NFX-GA) at the dose rate of 10 mg/kg bw in broilers. Fifty minutes following oral administration of NFX-GA, serum concentrations peaked at 1.32 ㎍/mL (range 1.03-1.45 ㎍/mL).

This study was conducted to determine the incidence of microorganisms associated with dressed broiler with intact skin and without skin at different frozen storage periods such as 0, 10, 20, 30 days and to demonstrate the role of packaging and pretreatment chilling on the changes of carcass quality. The values of total viable count (TVC), total coliform count (TCC), total streptococcal count (TStC) and total staphylococcal count (TSC) were determined for meat samples of thigh and breast and swab samples of visceral surfaces of the broilers with intact skin and without skin.