Abstract
ABSTRACT A dose-response experiment with four dietary copper concentrations (4.17, 8.17, 12.17 and 16.17 mg/kg) was conducted to estimate the growth performance, slaughter performance, nutrient content of fecal and liver copper concentrations of growing Goslings from 28 to 70 d of age. Two hundred healthy male Yangzhou geese with similar body weight were randomized to four groups with five replicates per treatment and ten geese per replicate. Average daily feed intake, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio of geese for each pen were measured from 28 to 70 d of age. At 70 d of age, two geese were selected randomly from each pen and slaughtered to evaluate carcass quality. Metabolism experiment was conducted with five male geese from each group (one goose per pen) which body weight was close to the mean weight of the group from 64 to 70 d of age. Significant effects of dietary copper was found on body weight, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield, fecal copper concentrations and liver copper concentrations. Body weight, feed conversion ratio and carcass yield showed significant quadratic response to increase dietary copper concentration, while fecal copper concentration and liver copper concentration showed a significant linear response. The result showed that dietary Cu addition can improve growth by increasing the use of the feeding stuff and improving carcass yield in growing Goslings. Furthermore, taking into consideration, the optimal level of Gosling dietary copper was between 8.77 and 11.6 mg/kg from 28 to 70 days of age.
Highlights
With the development of poultry husbandry in China, goose production is becoming intensive and more widespread
An increase in dietary copper resulted in an increase and Copper level
No mortality found during the experiment. This pattern suggested that excess copper was not conducive to the growth of geese
Summary
With the development of poultry husbandry in China, goose production is becoming intensive and more widespread. The Yangzhou geese, which is a major breed in China, are medium in body size and have dual-purpose, for meat and egg production (Shi et al 2007). Owing to lack of experience of raising criterion for Goslings, husbandmen can only depend on personal experience or seek rearing criteria for chickens in determining the feeding allowances, thereby causing wasteful production. It is, imperative for geese intensive production to establish more accurate raising criterion. Copper was an essential trace element for poultry and livestock (Davis & Mertz, 1987). Basing on the central role in various vital proteins, deficiency and toxicity, Leeson (2009) reported that copper deficiency could cause severe health problems including growth depression, disability of
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