Mark Geier

IntroductionWheat, maize and sorghum are the three most commonly used grains in the poultry industry worldwide (Liu et al., 2014). These cereal grains usually constitute a major proportion (60 - 70%) of the diet fed to broilers (Black et al., 2005). Although cereals represent a major source of energy for birds, there are wide variations in the energy and nutrient content of different species and c ...

BackgroundThe avian ceca generally have a more important role in digestion than the cecum in most mammals. Avian ceca are usually finger-shaped blind pouches, presenting as lateral extensions at the junction of the small and large intestine and are commonly present in pairs. In birds the ceca vary considerably in size and morphology; ranging from very long, such as in most domestic poultry, to com ...

IntroductionA range of studies have investigated the structure of the microbiome in the gut of broiler chickens. Comparison across studies has proven difficult because of the variety of different methods used; e.g. culture based studies [1], G+C profiling analysis [2], quantitative PCR [3], and 16S rRNA based studies. The 16S-based methods have used a number of different approaches including termi ...

INTRODUCTIONThe gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microbiota of humans and animals consists of complex populations that include many different species of bacteria along with smaller numbers of fungi, protozoa, and archaea (Zoetendal et al., 2006). Over the last decade our understanding of the diverse functional roles and interactions of the GIT microbiota has rapidly advanced (Zoetendal et al., 2006). ...