2. Because the traditional method of determination of droppings digestibility coefficients of nitrogen may lead to systematic errors in estimating the feeding value of foodstuffs, a method is proposed to determine the ileal digestibility coefficients. The ileal method is compared with the droppings method for a mixed food and for two foodstuffs: wheat and solvent‐extracted soyabean meal.
3. Birds selected for efficient food conversion showed distinctly higher digestibility coefficients for all nutrients than birds selected for high growth potential or birds from a commercial strain.
4. The influence of age on digestibility coefficients was not consistent.
5. Female birds showed digestibility coefficients which were, in general, 3% higher than those of male chickens.
6. Interactions between genotype and sex and between genotype and age for energy metabolisability were the only interactions observed for digestibility measurements.
7. The method of determination influenced the amino acid digestibility coefficients of the mixed food and the relative feeding values of wheat and soyabean meal.
8. It is important to use well defined animals (genotype, sex, age) in evaluating foodstuffs.
9. The preferred method for determination of digestibility coefficients of nitrogen and amino acids is based on ileal sampling, although the differences in amino acid digestibility coefficients were small between methods. 相似文献
2. Predation was higher in BA than HB.
3. Mortality through disease was higher in RIR than BA and HB.
4. Crossbred HB birds show the lowest combination of mortality and predation, suggesting a heterosis effect.
5. Mortality did not differ on farms and in field environments, suggesting an inability to improve biosecurity in farm conditions.
6. There was a positive relationship between eggshell strength and mortality. Calcium depletion from the birds’ bones, limiting foraging and escaping ability may be the explanation, which ultimately increases susceptibility to disease and predation. 相似文献
2. Hyperphagia, amounting to twice the intake of control birds early in the experiment, occurred on the repletion day.
3. Final body weight attained 80% of that of the controls.
4. Body fat concentration decreased at first but returned to that of controls after 3 weeks.
5. A consistent hyperlipaemia was observed after food deprivation or restoration.
6. There was a marked increase in the digestive enzymes found in the small intestine, but not in the pancreas during the repletion day.
7. These responses may be considered as mechanisms to reduce the physiological manifestations of starvation. 相似文献
2. The extent of agreement between inspection and revision ranged between 83.2 and 86.2%.
3. Agreement between inspectors and revisors was higher for the category of approved birds than for the condemned category.
4. Differences in the criteria used to assess the birds were observed.
5. The conclusion was drawn that findings in meat inspection require further discussion to reach an agreed standard. 相似文献
2. Chicks on treatments 1 and 2 were fed continuously while those on treatments 3 and 4 were fed during the day (from 06.00 h to 18.00 h) and night (from 18.00 h to 06.00 h) respectively. Chicks on treatment 1 received only natural light during the day, while those on treatments 2, 3 and 4 received supplementary lighting during the night in addition to natural light during the day.
3. Food consumption by birds on treatment 2 was significantly higher at 56 days of age, followed by birds on treatments 1, 4 and 3.
4. The pattern of body weight gains was similar to the order of food consumption.
5. Efficiency of food utilisation was poorest for birds on treatment 2.
6. Mortality rates were not influenced significantly by the feeding regimen and lighting pattern.
7. Dressing percentage and proportion of abdominal fat were greatest for birds on treatment 2. 相似文献
2. Plasma VLDL concentrations were consistently higher at all ages in fat line hens but were not affected by dietary treatment.
3. Mature body weight did not differ between the lines in birds fed ad libitum but with food restriction throughout life, fat line birds were lighter at 34 weeks.
4. There was little difference between the lines in abdominal fatness of birds fed ad libitum up to 60 weeks. Fat line birds were always fatter than lean line counterparts under food restriction.
5. Egg production was higher in lean line birds fed ad libitum but food restriction improved egg production in both lines. Peak egg productions were similar in both lines but there was evidence that the optimal food allowances for egg production was higher in the lean compared with the fat line.
6. Ovarian yellow follicle numbers were highest at 34 weeks in ad libitum fed lean line birds and declined linearly with decreasing body weight caused by food restriction but there was no such relationship in fat line birds.
7. White follicle numbers were higher and follicular atresia was lower in the lean line.
8. It is concluded that poor reproduction in fat line birds was associated with inhibition of follicular development and atresia rather than by high plasma VLDL concentrations promoting excessive yolk formation. 相似文献
2. The data conformed to a mixed model and adjustments were made for the fixed effects sex, hatch date and location. Adjustment improved the precision of the estimates by reducing the error variances significantly.
3. Rearing equal numbers of birds from each family at different locations made the interactions negligible.
4. Weight gain was greater if illumination intensity up to 35 d was less.
5. Females were not heavier on the 1st day but were heavier on the 14th and 35th days than males.
6. Variance components and genetic parameters were estimated. 相似文献
2. In experiment 1, the effects of exposure time and age of birds were studied. In experiment 2, the influence of body mass and the effect of multiple exposures were explored.
3. In the first experiment, microwave treatment caused the birds’ body temperature to rise significantly only at 0, 1 and 2 weeks of age. Body temperature increased linearly with exposure time.
4. Signs of thermal stress were evident during exposure for 80 or 100s up to the age of two weeks.
5. The heating effect of microwaves in the second experiment decreased as the total irradiated body mass increased. For the same body mass, however, the heating effect was greater at the younger age.
6. The effect of using multiple exposures in experiment 2 was additive and varied with the age and body mass of the birds.
7. A model for the heating effect of microwave radiation is discussed which takes into account all the factors studied. 相似文献
2. Battery caged hens had the poorest bones, as assessed by measurements of cancellous bone volume, radiographic density, cortical thickness and three‐point breaking strength.
3. Humeri from birds in the Litter and Wire system were less dense radiographically and weaker than those from Perchery or Naturel birds but leg bone characteristics were similar with these three systems.
4. There were no differences in bone characteristics between birds in Perchery and Naturel systems.
5. There were strong correlations between radiographic densities and strengths of contralateral humeri and tibiae over all husbandry systems. Humerus structural and strength characteristics may be the best criteria of osteoporosis in hens.
6. It is concluded that the extent of movement allowed by different husbandry systems affects structural bone loss and bone strength in laying hens.
7. It is further concluded that the breaking strength of a hen's bone is closely related to morphometric measures and radiographic density of its structural components. 相似文献
2. Whole blood viscosity was more than twice as high, and plasma triglyc‐eride and haemoglobin concentrations were over 30% higher in fat line than in lean line females fed ad libitum or in restricted birds of both genotypes.
3. Mean cell haemoglobin concentration was higher and mean cell volume lower in fat compared with lean line females.
4. Food restriction was associated with lower plasma triglyceride concentrations, lower numbers of heterophils and monocytes and a lower heterophil‐lymphocyte ratio.
5. Fat line birds had a higher blood pCO2 and lower pH than lean line birds.
6. Thermal stress was associated in ad libitum‐fed birds with a rise in blood pH and a decrease in pCO2, and in restricted birds with a decline in blood pH and an increase in pCO2.
7. Blood creatine kinase activity increased in all groups under thermal stress. 相似文献
2. The least floor area (0.035 m2/bird) depressed production in two‐bird cages. Floor area had little effect on the performance of larger colonies.
3. Birds in colonies of three, four or six laid and survived equally well when feeding space/bird and floor area/bird were constant.
4. Production per hen d and food intake were higher, but return on estimated capital outlay was lower, with 102 mm than with 76 mm feeding space/bird when colony size and floor area/bird were constant.
5. Production and food intake of birds which were not treated to prevent cannibalism declined, and mortality increased, as cage depth increased from 385 to 915 mm concomitantly with increasing colony size from 2 to 7 birds and decreasing feeding space from 152 to 43 mm/bird.
6. Increasing cage depth did not increase the proportion of cracked eggs.
7. Mortality was higher among birds fitted with plastic spectacles than among debeaked birds. 相似文献
2. The commercial broilers were divided into 2 groups of 100 birds each; CoQ9‐treated group and non‐treated group.
3. The chickens were grown in a positive‐pressured house with double high efficiency particulate air filtered intakes and exhaust, and thus were strictly isolated from infectious agents.
4. The chickens (15 to 21 d old) were exposed to cold stress in order to induce ascites.
5. The number of birds with ascites in the C0Q3‐treated group was significantly lower than in the non‐treated group.
6. Survival and production rates were better in the CoQ^‐treated group than in the non‐treated group. 相似文献
2. The egg production of birds fed on the unsupplemented triticale diet was significantly higher than that of the birds fed on the unsupplemented maize diet, but was not significantly different from that of the birds fed on the maize plus meat meal diet.
3. Protein quality of the unsupplemented triticale diet as judged by efficiency of nitrogen retention was similar or inferior to that of the unsupplemented maize diet.
4. The higher protein content of triticale and the increased intake of these diets seemed to be responsible for the better performance observed.
5. Addition of groundnut oil to the triticale diet did not improve either egg weight or production.
6. It is concluded that the quantitative substitution for triticale of maize does not adversely affect egg production and egg weight. 相似文献
2. In experiment 1, 72 individually caged ISA Brown pullets were fitted at 16 weeks of age (point of lay) with either ‘ring’ or ‘bumper’ beak devices or no device (control), half being fed on pellets and half on mash. The devices were held in place by lugs inserted in the nares.
3. There was evidence of discomfort immediately after fitting the devices, but not thereafter. In the first week, the devices reduced food intake, and were removed from 7 (15%) birds that lost weight consistently. Between 16 and 21 weeks, however, there were no significant effects of beak treatment or food form on either total food intake or egg production with the 65 remaining birds.
4. Beak treatment did not affect feeding efficiency (food intake per minute of feeding). The only behaviour affected was pecking at birds in adjacent cages, which was reduced with the ring device.
5. At 21 weeks, the birds were placed together in groups of 4 to 6 in 12 pens, each group consisting of birds from one of the 6 original treatments, and their behaviour was observed in experiment 2 between 21 and 23 weeks.
6. The only effects of beak treatment on behaviour were that pecking at pen walls was increased with the ring device, while pulling and eating feathers from group mates was seen mainly with control birds fed on pellets. Two birds were cannibalised in a control group on pellets.
7. Devices came off 3 (7%) birds in experiment 1 and were replaced, and rings slipped over lower mandibles of 2 (5%) birds in experiment 2 and were corrected.
8. At 23 weeks, beak lengths were increased with ring and bumper treatments, and pecking damage scores were low with all treatments.
9. It is concluded that these devices are not applicable commercially, but further trials would be justified with new improved designs. 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. There were negligible differences in preference between the experimental and reference grilled breast meats.
3. Odour preference differences for thawed, uncooked birds were significant after 1 month of storage at ‐ 12 °C and after 9 months at ‐ 18 °G.
4. In comparison with the reference birds the redness of frozen and thawed birds decreased more regularly during storage at ‐ 12°C than at ‐18 °C.
5. Packaging the birds in Cryovac instead of in polythene resulted, in the raw birds, in a greater difference in surface redness. This redness decreased more rapidly during storage than that of birds packaged in polythene. 相似文献
2. During the second and third weeks the incidence of tainted eggs exceeded 20% but fell to 11.4% during the final week.
3. Omission of the rapeseed meal from the diets halted the production of tainted eggs.
4. Neither egg production nor the health of the birds was adversely affected by the treatments.
5. The taint was described as “ fishy ” or “ crabby ” and was distinctive, but the source was not identified. 相似文献
2. Challenge with T‐strain IBV decreased body weight and induced kidney hypertrophy and kidney asymmetry.
3. Haematocrit was reduced in birds challenged with the Australian T‐strain IBV and plasma uric acid was elevated in unvaccinated birds exposed to the IBV challenge.
4. Challenge with T‐strain IBV caused significant increases in urinary water losses, accompanied by decreased urine osmolality and increased fractional excretion of sodium, calcium and potassium.
5. Vaccination at 1‐d‐old with Vic S‐strain IBV provided a limited degree of protection against an heterologous challenge with T‐strain IBV at 15 d of age. 相似文献
2. More eggs were produced per hen housed from 30 to 70 weeks in the shallow cages; the difference approached significance.
3. The pattern of feeding activity over the day was significantly more U‐shaped in the shallow cages; this pattern accords more closely with physiological requirements.
4. Feather damage caused by pecking was slightly but significantly more severe in the deep cages at 70 weeks.
5. The proportion of cracked eggs (collected from 60 to 70 weeks) was significantly lower in the shallow cages.
6. The arrangement of the hens was such that within the shallow cages a higher proportion of birds was present in the front half.
7. It is suggested that some of the advantages conferred by the shallow cage may be related to the greater accessibility of the food trough. 相似文献
2. Hens of the population with the high incidence of whitening appeared to be more fearful than hens of the population with the low incidence of whitening.
3. Brown colouration of the egg shell and the incidence and degree of shell whitening declined as the hens aged.
4. Brown colouration and egg shell whitening were most pronounced on the blunt ends of the eggs.
5. A large part of the variation in egg shell whitening was attributable to the individual (hen) component of variance.
6. Differences in egg shell whitening, between the two populations, were detectable throughout the 26 weeks of the experiment.
7. Oviposition intervals were similar for normal and coated eggs when birds were not exposed to disturbance.
8. Disturbance of hens increased oviposition intervals and the incidence and degree of shell whitening, to a similar extent, in both populations.
9. It is concluded that stress‐related egg retention is not the sole factor responsible for abnormal egg shell whitening. Shell whitening may occur as a consequence of the premature termination of shell pigmentation as well as a consequence of the retardation of oviposition which occurs when hens are disturbed. 相似文献