Maria Teresa Capucchio

1. IntroductionIt is well known that female and male broilers chickens are separately reared in the Italian production system, as the consumers seek three different market classes of birds: the so-called light-, medium- and heavy-size broilers. In particular, heavy birds are male broiler chickens that reach 3.4–3.6 kg of live weight during 54–58 day rearing cycles, in order to provide ...

1. IntroductionEffective functionality and health of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) are important factors in determining animal performance [1]. These aspects are particularly relevant in poultry farming, where animals capable of growing rapidly within a short period of time are needed.Three components of gut health have previously been suggested: diet, mucosa (which is, in turn, characterized b ...