Effects Of Cinnamon On The Performance,Intestinal Mucosal Morphology,and Gut Microbiota In Chickens

Cinnamon,a traditional Chinese medicinal herb and a characteristic medicinal plant in Guangxi,possesses various health-promoting and medicinal properties.This research project was aimed to investigate the role of cinnamon in enhancing the digestive and absorptive functions of poultry intestinal tract,thereby improving production performance and enhancing the quality of poultry products.The study was focused on Guangxi Yellow chickens and Hailan brown egg chickens as target animals,examining the effects of adding cinnamon and other Chinese herbal medicines in feed on the production performance of Guangxi Yellow chickens as well as the influence on the production performance,egg quality,intestinal mucosa,and cecal microbial population of Hailan brown layer chickens during the late laying period.Experiment 1:A total of 1,500 healthy 1-day-old Guangxi Yellow chickens were selected as the experimental subjects.They were divided into six groups:the cinnamon group,puerarin group,astragalus group,Millettia speciosa group,Jiubiying plus Xiangfu group and blank control group,with 250 chickens per group and 5 replicates of 50 chickens in each.Each experimental group received 2 g/kg of the respective herbal medicine added to the basal diet.The pre-feeding period lasted for 7 days,followed by a 37-day experimental period.Body weight,average daily weight gain,and mortality rate were recorded.After the experiment,the experimental Guangxi Yellow chickens were euthanized by cervical dislocation,and the blood samples,spleen,bursa of Fabricius,and thymus were collected for analysis.The results showed that the addition of different herbal medicines in the feed reduced the mortality rate of Guangxi Yellow chickens in varying degrees.Among them,Millettia speciosa,Pueraria lobata and cinnamon had the most significant effects,followed by Jiubiying plus Cyperus rotundus,while Astragalus membranaceus had the least effect.Compared with the blank control group,the serum IL-1βlevels of Guangxi Yellow chickens in the Millettia speciosa group,cinnamon group,and Jiubiyin plus Xiangfu group were significantly reduced（P<0.05）.The IL-6levels of Guangxi Yellow chickens in the Millettia speciosa group,cinnamon group,astragalus group,kudzu root group,and Jiubiyin plus Xiangfu group were significantly decreased（P<0.05）,with the cinnamon group having the lowest levels.The GSH-Px levels of Guangxi Yellow chickens in the Millettia speciosa group,cinnamon group,astragalus group,kudzu root group,and Jiubiyin plus Xiangfu group were increased（P<0.05）,with the cinnamon group having the highest serum GSH-Px level.In summary,the addition of cinnamon to the feed can promote the production performance of Guangxi Yellow chickens and enhance the disease prevention capabilities.Experiment 2:Addition of Cinnamon Powder in Feed.Four hundred day-old Hailan brown layer chickens were randomly divided into four groups with 5replicates,each containing 20 chickens.They were fed diets containing 0,2,4,or 6 g/kg of cinnamon powder.The pre-feeding period lasted for 7 days,and the experimental period lasted for 42 days.Results showed that:（1）Addition of 4 g/kg of cinnamon powder in the feed significantly increased feed-to-egg ratio and average egg weight（P<0.05）;（2）The best improvement in egg quality was observed when 6 g/kg of cinnamon powder was added in the feed;（3）Addition of cinnamon powder in the feed increased the villus height-to-crypt depth ratio in the small intestine.In summary,the addition of cinnamon powder in the feed can increase feed intake and egg production rate in laying hens,improve egg quality during the late laying period,and enhance the villus height and crypt depth of the intestine.Experiment 3:Four hundred 400-day-old Hailan brown layer chickens were divided into two groups:control group and experimental group,with 5replicates and 20 chickens in each replicate.The control group was fed with a basal diet,while the experimental group was fed diets containing 6 g/kg of cinnamon powder.The experiment lasted for 42 days.On the 42^ndday of the experiment,six chickens were randomly selected and dissected for sampling.The ceca and cecal contents were collected for 16S r RNA sequencing.Results showed that the addition of 6 g/kg of cinnamon powder in the feed led to significant differences in the composition of cecal microbiota in laying hens,particularly in the phylum Firmicutes.The abundances of the families Ruminococcaceae and Lachnospiraceae in the ceca of the experimental group were significantly decreased（P<0.05）,while the relative abundances of the genera Lactobacillus and Ruminococcaceae（Fusobacteriaceae）in the ceca were increased significantly（P<0.05）.At the genus level,the relative abundance of the genus Bacteroides was the highest in the ceca.Compared to the control group,the relative abundances of the genera Lactobacillus and Butyricicoccus were increased（P<0.05）,while the relative abundance of the genus Desulfovibrio was decreased（P<0.05）in the cecal content samples of the experimental group.These findings suggest that the addition of 6 g/kg of cinnamon powder in the feed has a regulatory effect on microbial composition,while at the species level,the specific mechanisms of microbiota modulation need further exploration.In conclusion,the addition of cinnamon in the feed of Hailan brown layer chickens not only improves egg quality but also enhances their absorption function and regulates the composition of the intestinal microbiota,leading to an increase in beneficial microbial populations.