2. A randombred control population of known pedigree was used to measure the environmental trends.
3. Selection in pure lines resulted in concomitant improvement in the crosses for the selected as well as the correlated traits.
4. Cross performance was comparatively more than expected on the basis of mid‐parent values, indicating involvement of non‐additive gene action in the expression of cross performance.
5. Crosses responded better to independent culling level selection for egg weight than their parents.
6. Heterosis appeared to increase in later generations as compared with initial generations of selection. 相似文献
2. In 4 consecutive trials, 4752 hens were recorded for keel bone status. Evaluation of plumage condition was made for 1440 hens and bone breaking strength was recorded for 1200 hens. A total of 4962 eggs were analysed for internal and external egg quality traits. Analyses involved 30 small group compartments per trial.
3. The layer line had a much more pronounced influence on humerus breaking strength than on tibia breaking strength.
4. Plumage condition, particularly on the neck, was positively correlated with humerus breaking strength in both layer lines.
5. An average of 34% of LB and 23% of LSL hens showed keel bone deformities, with higher proportions of slight deformities.
6. Slight keel bone deformities, rather than moderate to severe, increased significantly during the laying period.
7. Stocking density had no influence on bone breaking strength, keel bone status and egg quality traits.
8. LB layers had a 1.4-fold higher humerus, but only a 1.06-fold higher tibia breaking strength compared to LSL layers.
9. Tibia breaking strength was significantly affected by the interaction of group size and layer line. LSL layers in small groups had lower tibia breaking strengths than those of the large groups. 相似文献
2. Half the hens had undergone beak trimming at 18 weeks, but in many cases regrowth had occurred.
3. Plumage damage and loss was significantly reduced in beak‐trimmed birds compared with birds with normal beaks. Tier and cage design had no effect.
4. This finding supports the idea that feather pecking is the important factor in causing plumage damage, rather than abrasion.
5. A comparison between 64 birds in which beak regrowth had occurred, and 64 in which it remained truncated, showed that both groups had similar plumage scores.
6. It appears to be the beak‐trimming procedure which is important; subsequent regrowth being irrelevant. 相似文献
2. Dry plucking increased weight loss due to plucking and eviscerating, and reduced chilled carcass yield.
3. Dry eviscerating increased carcass water uptake during chilling.
4. Pre‐chilling with running water increased carcass water uptake compared with chilling in ice and water alone.
5. Water uptake during chilling appeared to be increased by longer eviscerating time. 相似文献
2. A circadian system was postulated to control the restriction of ovulation to an 8‐h period of the day under conventional 14 h light: 10 h dark regimes.
3. The final phase of follicular maturation was postulated to commence after ovulation of the preceding ovum in the hierarchy.
4. Ovulation was postulated to occur when a mature follicle was present in the ovary during the appropriate phase of the circadian‐linked system.
5. The predicted times of oviposition were within the standard error of the observed times of oviposition under 21‐, 24‐ and 28‐h photoschedules.
6. It was concluded that this hypothesis for the control of the ovulatory cycle of the hen is consistent with current knowledge. 相似文献
2. Some plants and their respective volatile oils and extracts have the potential to alleviate coccidiosis and reduce its severity.
3. Most plant bioactives improve some, but not all, aspects of coccidiosis with variable effectiveness against different species of Eimeria.
4. Difficulties in comparing research findings have arisen from the use of different experimental models, different active components and infectious dose of Eimeria.
5. Current knowledge of their potential anti-coccidial effects may provide guidance for the use of botanical extracts in the control of the coccidiosis. 相似文献
2. A comparison with an unselected control flock (C) over 50 weeks of lay in the final generation indicated a number of statistically significant correlated responses in commercially important traits in the S line in addition to the direct response of + 0.004 in specific gravity.
3. With an increase in specific gravity, there was a decrease of 3.4 in the percentage of soft‐shelled eggs laid.
4. The weight and albumen height of eggs measured within 1 hour of lay declined by 1.8 g and 2.1 Haugh units respectively.
5. There were reductions in the weight and albumen height losses of eggs stored over a 10‐d period (C 0.74, S 0.62 g and C 17.9, S 15.0 Haugh units respectively), so that at the end of this period the albumen heights in both lines were the same.
6. Average body weight and daily food intake were less by 0.28 kg and 7.5 g respectively.
7. Although there was no change in egg production, the average age at first egg was reduced by 11.3 d. 相似文献
2. Restricted birds were lighter throughout the experiment.
3. Relative adrenal weight tended to be greater in restricted birds but the difference decreased with time.
4. There was no depletion of adrenal cholesterol: from week 5 there was a significantly greater amount in the adrenals of restricted birds.
5. After 1 week of restriction plasma corticosterone concentration was 73% greater than in controls. It decreased progressively, falling within the normal range at 5 weeks.
6. Restricted birds were hypoglycaemic from weeks 2 to 7 and hyper‐lipacidaemic throughout. A negative correlation between plasma glucose and free fatty acids was found. 相似文献
2. Increased mortality, perosis and other pathological changes involving a number of tissues were observed in birds fed on a low‐choline diet.
3. Methionine replaced part of the dietary requirement for choline at low dietary choline concentrations.
4. High dietary concentrations of choline (> 1 750 mg/kg) increased the requirement for dietary TSAA.
5. Increasing the dietary choline while maintaining the TSAA at an inadequate level may decrease performance. 相似文献
2. The different varieties of wheat investigated contained different proportions of water‐soluble to water‐insoluble hemicelluloses.
3. By comparison of the arabinose to xylose ratios it was concluded that water‐soluble and insoluble arabinoxylans of wheat were branched to the same degree.
4. Starch from six wheat varieties grown in the U.K. was very well digested by adult cockerels and true metabolisable energy values of the wheats were high.
5. Small amounts of cell wall carbohydrates were digested by adult cockerels. 相似文献
2. Growth rate, food intake, food utilisation and proportion of dietary nitrogen retained were much poorer in chicks receiving salseed meal.
3. The chicks receiving salseed meal developed pathological lesions in liver and kidney.
4. The red blood cell count, white blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume of the chicks receiving salseed meal were lower than those of chicks receiving maize.
5. The apparent metabolisable energy value of salseed meal was determined as 6.83 MJ/kg. 相似文献
2. Protein content generally increased with age in all muscles and decreased in skin. Protein content in skin of males was always higher than that in females.
3. Moisture content in all muscles decreased with age. In the skin, moisture decreased with age considerably more in females than in males.
4. Fat content increased with age in all tissues, while ash content of breast, thigh and skin decreased with age.
5. Phosphorus, chloride, magnesium and potassium all decreased with age in all the tissues. Thigh and skin calcium content were affected by age, as was the sodium content of drumstick and skin.
6. The sex effect on the inorganic constituents was variable. 相似文献
2. Food passage in the crop was significantly reduced by intraperitoneal (IP) injection of LPS while it did not affect the number of defecations, suggesting that LPS may affect food passage only in the upper digestive tract.
3. Similar to LPS, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), one of the mediators of LPS, also reduced crop-emptying rate in chickens while it had no effect on the number of defecations.
4. Pretreatment with indomethacin, which is an inhibitor of cyclooxygenase (COX), a prostaglandin synthase, had no effect on LPS-induced inhibition of crop emptying.
5. IP injection of LPS did not affect the mRNA expression of COX2 in the upper digestive tract of chickens.
6. It is therefore likely that LPS and PGE2 reduced food passage rate in the crop by a prostaglandin-independent pathway in chickens. 相似文献
2. No difference was found in the qualitative electrophoretic patterns of the anterior pituitary homogenates at different ages and between the sexes.
3. Pituitary PRL concentrations in males were generally higher than in females.
4. Pituitary PRL concentrations in castrated immature cockerels were higher than in intact birds, while PRL concentration was depressed by the injection of testosterone propionate or oestradiol benzoate.
5. Prolactin concentration in intact immature cockerels was decreased by daily injection of testosterone or oestradiol for 3 weeks but not by injection of the hormones for 1 week. 相似文献
2. Activities were higher in birds in cages than in those on the floor, reflecting perhaps the stress of caging. Activities increased with age.
3. Activities were higher in pullets selected for higher production.
4. The type of housing had no effect on egg production, but age at first egg, egg weight and 40‐week body weight were found to be affected significantly. 相似文献
2. Egg, yolk, albumen and shell plus membrane weights increased, whereas the egg shape, specific gravity and shell thickness decreased between 49 and 154 days of age.
3. Yolk, albumen and shell plus membrane comprised 32–59%, 53–57% and 7–80%, respectively of the total egg weight.
4. Regression between the quail's age and the characteristics of eggs were derived and correlation coefficients ranged from —0–42 to — 0–86. The albumen weight was more highly correlated with egg weight than yolk weight.
5. Relationships were also derived between egg shape and specific gravity, and egg shape and albumen weight.
6. It was concluded that the eggs’ characteristics were modified as the quails aged, and the best criterion of the shell's strength was the egg shape. 相似文献
2. Storage of uneviscerated Wrolstad turkeys at 4 °C for 10 days caused no statistically significant changes in meat flavour or texture.
3. During further storage at —2 °C, however, there was a slight but significant change in flavour, which became more marked with time in birds which had been eviscerated after the initial period at 4 °C.
4. Both eviscerated and uneviscerated birds became slightly tougher during storage.
5. Initial holding at 4 °C increased the numbers of psychrotrophic bacteria on the skin by about 103 but subsequent changes at — 2 °C were slight for uneviscerated birds.
6. Eviscerated carcases had higher counts than uneviscerated birds after storage at — 2 °C and, although ‘off’ odours were not detected, spoilage appeared to be imminent at the end of the 20‐d period. 相似文献
2. The Sinai egg was smaller and its shell thicker and stronger than the Leghorn egg. All the differences were statistically significant.
3. Shell thickness and strength of Leghorn eggs were in accordance with values predicted on the basis of egg mass, while those of the Sinai and the two crosses were considerably higher than predicted.
4. The apparent differences in mean egg mass between Sinai and Leghorn breeds did not explain the differences in egg‐shell quality, neither did the shape index which was very similar among all breeds.
5. The findings suggest that the differences in egg‐shell properties are of a genetic origin.
6. The thick, strong and less permeable egg‐shell of the Sinai breed may reflect adaptations to its arid environmental origin and to incubation in the open.
7. These genetically‐determined egg‐shell characteristics might serve in a future selection for improved egg‐shell quality in poultry. 相似文献
2. Eighty broilers were randomly divided into two groups. Birds in the control group were fed on maize–soybean-based diets. Birds in the treatment group were provided the same diet supplemented with 2 g/kg BA encapsulated in a vegetable oil matrix.
3. At the end of the trial (d 35), pH, bacterial composition and metabolites were determined in the crop, jejunum, ileum and caecum.
4. Growth performance variables and pH were not significantly different.
5. BA concentration decreased rapidly in the proximal gut. However, the treatment diet showed higher BA in the crop, jejunum, ileum and caecum.
6. Total lactate in the crop and D-lactate in the jejunum was higher in the BA treated group. Caecal total and branched chain fatty acids were decreased due to the treatment.
7. Lactobacilli populations were significantly altered by BA supplementation. A trend for increased lactobacilli was observed in the crop, while it became significant in the jejunum and ileum. Lactobacillus species responded differently to the treatment. Four of 5 measured Lactobacillus species, particularly in the ileum, followed the course observed for total lactobacilli; only Lactobacillus salivarius was not modified.
8. Correlation analysis showed that BA modified the intestinal microbiota. Lactobacilli correlated negatively to all studied clostridial clusters and enterobacteria. Clostridial clusters IV and XIVa were significantly increased in the jejunum, whereas only clostridial cluster XIVa was increased in the caecum.
9. Encapsulated BA modified the intestinal microbiota which can lead to the conclusion, that the main beneficial mode of action of BA in the gut appears to be the enhancement of lactic acid bacteria, which in turn may act as a vanguard against pathogens. 相似文献