ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Microorganisms in Vertebrate Digestive Systems
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1605305
Dietary Verbena officinalis reduces feather-pecking duration in laying ducks by modulating cecal microbiota composition and hypothalamic neurotransmitter secretion
Provisionally accepted
- 1Key Laboratory of Animal Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction in the Plateau Mountainous Region, Ministry of Education, Guizhou University, Guizhou, Guizhou Province, China
- 2Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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Verbena officinalis, a traditional Chinese herb with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, has not been extensively studied for its effects on poultry gut microbiota and behavior. This study evaluated the impact of Verbena officinalis supplementation (0%, 2%, and 4%) on growth performance, cecal microbiota, and feather pecking behavior in laying ducks. Ninety healthy 1-dayold ducks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments for a 5-week growth trial, and 45 feather-pecking ducks were used to assess behavioral and neurochemical effects. Before the trials, ducks were adopted to experimental conditions for 7 days fed with basal diet. Results showed no significant differences in body weight or average daily gain (ADG) among groups (P > 0.05), but feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly lower in Verbena groups (P < 0.05). Cecal microbiota analysis revealed higher Chao 1 and ACE indices (P < 0.01), increased Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05), and decreased Firmicutes and Megamonas in verbena groups (P < 0.05). Spirochaetae (P = 0.014), Elusimicrobia (P = 0.032), and Lentisphaera (P = 0.036) were predominant differential phyla, while Oscillospira (P = 0.003), Phascolarctobacterium (P = 0.039) and Megamonas (P < 0.001) were predominant differentia genera. Feather pecking duration and hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) levels were reduced in Verbena groups (P < 0.05), with NE negatively correlated with Spirochaetae (P < 0.05). In conclusion, 2% Verbena officinalis supplementation promotes beneficial gut microbiota changes and reduces feather-pecking behavior, though underlying mechanisms require further investigation.
Keywords: Cecal microbiota, Duck, Feather pecking behavior, hypothalamic noradrenaline, VERBENA OFFICINALIS
Received: 10 Apr 2025; Accepted: 19 May 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Liu, Zhu, Shenglin, Bingnong, Liao and Zhu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yang Shenglin, Guizhou University, Guiyang, China
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