Abstract
ABSTRACT Objectives of the study were to investigate influence of artificial insemination (AI) in caged and floored flock in comparison to natural mating (NM) on broiler breeders’ welfare, productive performance and economic appraisal. To execute this experiment, a total of 1440 pullets of Ross-308 Parent Stock along with 168 males were picked from a commercial flock and divided into three groups i.e., AIC=AI in cages, AIF=AI on floor and third was NM=NM on floor. Each group carried 480 females (HH) while 168 males were divided into 41, 48 and 58 for AIC, AIF and NM, respectively. During both phases all procedures and studied parameters were the same except the sperm dose rates which were changed during post peak. According to the results, significantly (p≤0.05) higher levels of serum corticosterone, glucose and cholesterol were recorded in birds of AIC and respectively as compared to birds being allowed to mate naturally. Whereas, the experimental males and females of AIF and AIC kept for AI exhibited (p≤0.05) higher body weight, depletion % and feed consumption particularly in post peak phase. However, among the birds subjected to AI, the birds kept in the cages had better performance (p≤0.05) than the birds kept in the floor. Moreover, frequency rate of insemination in females and milking of males found (p≤0.05) reciprocal to the depletion, feed intake and body weight during peak but particularly in post peak. Perhaps, various sperm doses remained inert to implicit any impact on studied parameters. Similarly, egg weight was neither affected by housing systems nor by mating strategies during both phases. However, various insemination and milking frequencies noticeably swayed the productive traits under this study. AI in floored flock was found ineffective even in comparison to natural mating. In conclusion, AI in cages brought forth the better productive performance and lesser male depletion, hence, can be recommended.
Highlights
Housing systems and mating strategies have become a global focus of concern as these are being referred one of the most cogent factors in overall performance of broiler parent stock (PS) in progressive poultry (Whitehead et al, 2016)
The experiment was performed in two phases (Peak = 29 to 45 weeks and post peak = 45-62 weeks) to investigate the effect of various interventions being strived in artificial insemination (AI) in caged as well as in floored flock in comparison to natural mating (NM) on bird welfare, productive traits and economic appraisal
Stress can be defined as any biological response elicited when a bird perceives a threat to its homeostasis which cause a negative impact on the welfare of a bird (Mugnai, 2011)
Summary
Housing systems and mating strategies have become a global focus of concern as these are being referred one of the most cogent factors in overall performance of broiler parent stock (PS) in progressive poultry (Whitehead et al, 2016). Floor rearing system to an extent satisfies the natural behavior of the bird (Ericsson et al, 2016) with lesser capital cost in consort with natural mating (NM) and artificial insemination (AI) as compared to cages. To floor, cages maintain quality of eggs (Gianenas et al, 2009), and prevents the nutrient wastage by restricting movement of birds better production with less feed consumption has been noticed (Hetland et al, 2004). Installation of cage system escalates the capital cost (Valkonen et al, 2008) as well as the welfare requirements of birds are being compromised by two folds (Matthews and Sumner, 2015; Campbell et al.,2019) i.e., one by restricting movement and secondly by adopting AI which is almost compulsory in such housing systems. That’s why conventional battery cage system (caged) has been criticized and banned in some countries (e.g., European), because it prevents birds from exhibiting their natural behavior (Mugnai et al, 2011)
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