Common Flock Research Articles

Performance and egg quality traits of local chickens across different agroecologies in the Kewot district, North Shewa zone, Northern Ethiopia

This study was conducted to evaluate the performance (productive and reproductive) potential and egg quality traits of local chickens (LCs) across different agroecologies (AEs) in the Kewot district, North Shewa zone, northern Ethiopia. A multistage sampling technique was used to select the study sites and households (HHs). The data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires, monitoring and measurements. A total of 147 HHs were included in this study. Ninety brooding hens were monitored to determine hatchability and survivability percentages. A body weight of 120 LCs was measured at the market centres. Furthermore, the egg quality traits of 120 freshly laid eggs were evaluated. The data were analysed by a statistical package for social sciences (version 20). In the study area, the average flock size of the LC/HH populations was 9.90 ± 0.36. The most common flock type was chicks, followed by pullets, with significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the lowland (LL) AE. The mean age at first egg of females and the mean age at sexual maturity of males were 6.05 ± 0.06 and 5.68 ± 0.08 months, respectively. The numbers of eggs per clutch and per year were 14.29 ± 0.40 and 50.02 ± 1.51, respectively. There was no significant difference (p > 0.05) in the average number of clutches/hen/year across AEs, while significantly lower (p < 0.05) numbers of eggs per clutch and per year were recorded for highland (HL) AEs than for LL agro-ecology. The mean hatchability percentage was 80.94 ± 1.69%. The mean market body weights of the male and female LCs were 0.91 ± 0.05 and 0.82 ± 0.05 kg, respectively. There were significant differences (p < 0.05) in egg weight, egg width, shell thickness, shell ratio, albumen height, albumen and yolk weight, yolk colour, and Haugh unit (HU) between the AEs. The results revealed that the performance potential and egg quality traits of the LC in the study district were somewhat poor. Therefore, AE-specific development interventions should be designed and implemented to improve the performance potential and egg quality traits of LC in the study area.

Persistent activity and therapeutic efficacy of Delcid® 7.5 against scab mites (&lt;i&gt;Psoroptes ovis&lt;/i&gt;) in sheep

The purpose of the research is to study persistent activity and therapeutic efficacy of Delcid® 7.5 against scab mites Psoroptes ovis in sheep.Materials and methods. The studies were performed in the Bukhty peasant farm enterprise in November 2021 on the Kizlyarsky District winter pastures in the Republic of Dagestan. Three groups of sheep were formed, of which two groups (second and third) had a confirmed clinical diagnosis of psoroptic mange (P. ovis) and one group (first) was free from scab mites. Sheep from the first and second groups were treated with Delcid at a dose of 10 ml of the drug per animal. After 10 days, sheep from the second group were treated with the drug repeatedly at the same dose. Sheep from the first and second groups were treated with the drug applied on dry and intact skin of the back along the spine using the drop method. The third control (infected) group of animals was not treated. All experimental groups of sheep were kept in a common flock. The Delcid persistent activity and thera-peutic efficacy were evaluated by clinical examination and microscopy of the skin for P. ovis mites before the experiment started and at 1, 3, 7, 10, 14, 21, 25 and 30 days after treatment in the first group and at 1, 3, 7, 11, 13, 17, 20, 24, 31, 35 and 40 days in the second and third groups of sheep.Results and discussion. It was found that Delcid 7.5 showed persistent activity in sheep against psoroptic mange pathogens for 21 days after a single treatment at a dose of 10 ml per animal. Delcid acaricidal effect after double treatment against P. ovis was 31 days.

Rondeaux

Rondeaux Daniel Groves (bio) Le temps a laissé son manteau. . .. —Charles d’Orleans Rajon . . . turned in his best season . . . erratic as ever. —the Guardian, 2012 Rondo’s tour . . . will continue in New Orleans. . .. —Sports Illustrated, 2017 “Time” called; a faked-out-of-its-jock,short-winded, sweat-drenched man-to-man(“the Garden crowd erupting . . . ”) ranfor cover—high-tops freeze, limbs knock, an orange blur, as per—à chaquefois—a playground-cool game plan,a little French Lick—faire le Jacques—swift, passing-fair legerdemain— a poly—allez, hop! (tick-tock)—optic, au courant catch-as-catch-can,eludes the last wide-stretched wingspan,arrives, to rise above the mere debac-le—dunked-on, faked-out-of-its-jock. Guiding the cutter toward the block—amused, precise (à la Rodin,or Gaudier?), l’artisanendures, delivers up the rock . . . Half-baked, beside the Common flock,the quickening Charles, the die-hard fan-taisie concocts combines: Ainge, Doc,cagey, to stretch the Truth in clan- destined rendezvous—langue d’octo Louisville—the courts, the coups, the van-ishing point one, roundabout, beganto make (“alight, O shade of Auerbach”)—the world is faked out of, ad hoc. [End Page 57] Daniel Groves daniel groves is the author of The Lost Boys, published by the University of Georgia Press in 2010, poems from which first appeared in Paris Review, Yale Review, Poetry, and elsewhere. He also coedited, with Greg Williamson, Jiggery Pokery Semicentennial, released by Waywiser Press in 2018, a compendium of double dactyls featuring contributions from more than forty contemporary poets and a cover designed by Milton Glaser. Copyright © 2018 University of North Carolina Wilmington

Risk factors associated with lambing traits

The objective of this study was to establish the risk factors associated with both lambing difficulty and lamb mortality in the Irish sheep multibreed population. A total of 135 470 lambing events from 42 675 ewes in 839 Irish crossbred and purebred flocks were available. Risk factors associated with producer-scored ewe lambing difficulty score (scale of one (no difficulty) to four (severe difficulty)) were determined using linear mixed models. Risk factors associated with the logit of the probability of lamb mortality at birth (i.e. binary trait) were determined using generalised estimating equations. For each dependent variable, a series of simple regression models were developed as well as a multiple regression model. In the simple regression models, greater lambing difficulty was associated with quadruplet bearing, younger ewes, of terminal breed origin, lambing in February; for example, first parity ewes experienced greater (P<0.001) lambing difficulty (1.56±0.02) than older ewes. The association between lambing difficulty and all factors persisted in the multiple regression model, and the trend in fixed effects level solutions did not differ from the trend observed in the simple regression models. In the simple regression analyses, a greater odds of lamb mortality was associated with male lambs (1.31 times more likely of death than females), lambs of very light (2 to 3 kg) and very heavy (>7.0 kg) birth weights, quadruplet born lambs and lambs that experienced a more difficult lambing (predicted probability of death for lambs that required severe and veterinary assistance of 0.15 and 0.32, respectively); lambs from dual-purpose breeds and born to younger ewes were also at greater risk of mortality. In the multiple regression model, the association between ewe parity, age at first lambing, year of lambing and lamb mortality no longer persisted. The trend in solutions of the levels of each fixed effect that remained associated with lamb mortality in the multiple regression model, did not differ from the trends observed in the simple regression models although the differential in relative risk between the different lambing difficulty scores was greater in the multiple regression model. Results from this study show that many common flock- and animal-level factors are associated with both lambing difficulty and lamb mortality and management of different risk category groups (e.g. scanned litter sizes, ewe age groups) can be used to appropriately manage the flock at lambing to reduce their incidence.

Genetic and environmental parameters estimation for milk traits in Slovenian dairy sheep using random regression model

(Co)variance components for daily milk yield, fat, and protein content in Slovenian dairy sheep were estimated with random regression model. Test-day records were collected by the ICAR A4 method. Analysis was done for 38 983 test-day records of 3068 ewes in 36 flocks. Common flock environment, additive genetic effect, permanent environment effect over lactations, and permanent environment effect within lactation were included into the random part of the model and modelled with Legendre polynomials on the standardized time scale of days in lactation. Estimation of (co)variance components was done with REML. The eigenvalues of covariance functions for random regression coefficients were calculated to quantify the sufficient order of Legendre polynomial for the (co)variance component estimation of milk traits. The existing 13 to 24% of additive genetic variability for the individual lactation curve indicated that the use of random regression model is justified for selection on the level and shape of lactation curve in dairy sheep. Four eigenvalues sufficiently explained variability during lactation in all three milk traits. Heritability estimate for daily milk yield was the highest in mid lactation (0.17) and lower in the early (0.11) and late (0.08) lactation. In fat content, the heritability was increasing throughout lactation (0.08&amp;ndash;0.13). Values in protein content varied from the beginning toward mid lactation (0.15&amp;ndash;0.19), while they rapidly increased at the end of lactation (0.28). Common flock environment explained the highest percentage of phenotypic variability: 27&amp;ndash;41% in daily milk yield, 31&amp;ndash;41% in fat content, and 41&amp;ndash;49% in protein content. Variance ratios for the two permanent environment effects were the highest in daily milk yield (0.10&amp;ndash;0.27), and lower in fat (0.04&amp;ndash;0.08) and protein (0.01&amp;ndash;0.10) contents. Additive genetic correlations during the selected test-days were high between the adjacent ones and they tended to decrease at the extremes of the lactation trajectory.

Lactation curves for milk yield, fat and protein content in Slovenian dairy sheep

Lactation curves for daily milk yield, fat, and protein content in three dairy sheep breeds were estimated by the repeatability animal model using test-day records. A total of 38 983 records from 3068 ewes of Bovec, Improved Bovec, and Istrian Pramenka breeds, collected between the years 1994 and 2002, were analysed. The three-trait repeatability animal model included breed and lambing season as fixed. The stage of lactation within each breed was modelled by the modified Ali-Schaeffer&amp;rsquo;s lactation curve. Parity and litter size were used as covariates in quadratic and linear regression, respectively. Common flock environment, additive genetic effect, permanent environment over lactations as well as within lactation were treated as random. The average daily milk yield was 1090 g in Bovec, 1010 g in Improved Bovec, and 731 g in Istrian Pramenka breeds. Overall means for fat and protein content were 6.59 and 5.53% for Bovec, 6.22 and 5.33% for Improved Bovec, and 7.20 and 5.63% for Istrian Pramenka. Breed, lambing season, stage of lactation, parity, and litter size significantly (P &amp;lt; 0.001) affected all three observed milk traits, with the only exception of parity in fat and litter size in protein content. The shape of lactation curves for daily milk yield in Bovec and Improved Bovec breeds fitted well to the general lactation curve in dairy sheep. Daily milk yield was increasing in the first month of lactation and decreasing thereafter. In Istrian Pramenka, the shape of lactation curve was more or less atypical, with daily milk yield decreasing almost throughout the entire lactation. Lactation curves for fat and protein content were opposite to the lactation curves for daily milk yield in all three breeds. &amp;nbsp;

Additive genetic and environmental variance components for milk traits in goat with test day model

Genetic and environmental dispersion parameters for daily milk yield (DMY), fat (FC), protein (PC) and lactose contents (LC) were estimated on 1805 does of Alpine and Saanen breed. During the period 1991-1996, 24044 monthly test days were obtained from 57 herds in Slovenia. (Co)variance components for random effects and residual were estimated by REML using Powell’s algorithm. The models contained season (year-month interaction) and breed as fixed effects, litter size, day of lactation and parity as independent variables, and common flock, permanent environment and additive genetic effect (animal) as random effects. Heritability for DMY was 0.19 - 0.20, for FC was 0.16 - 0.18, for PC was 0.21 - 0.24, and for LC was 0.21 - 0.23. The greatest part of phenotypic variance of FC, PC and LC remained in residual. FC and PC had a negative genetic correlation with DMY (-0.32 and -0.41). Correlation between FC and PC was positive (+0.57), as between PC and LC (+0.27).

Effect of Type of Defeathering System on Salmonella Cross-Contamination During Commercial Processing

The cross-contamination effects of three commercial defeathering systems were compared using turkeys from a single Salmonella- positive flock (≤ 15% cloacal-positive). Single or “common” flocks were used to control flock-to-flock variability. Thirty birds were mechanically defeathered in each system as the first flock of the day and compared with 30 hand-defeathered (control) birds. Three trials, each using a different common flock, were completed. In Trial 1, the incidence of Salmonella-positive birds decreased following mechanical defeathering at all three processors. The incidence of Salmonella-positive carcasses in test flocks increased following steam-spray (~100%) and kosher (~50%) defeathering in Trials 2 and 3, whereas no increase in Salmonella-positive carcasses resulted from conventional defeathering. The decrease in the number of Salmonella-positive birds as a result of defeathering observed in Trial 1, as compared to increases observed in Trials 2 and 3, may be related to the selection of feather-contaminated (Trial 1) vs intestinal-colonized (Trials 2 and 3) turkeys. Surface temperature of the carcasses and length of time required to defeather were monitored within each system. It is hypothesized that the increases in the number of Salmonella-positive birds following steam-spray and kosher defeathering in Trials 2 and 3 were a result of skin surface changes occurring during the defeathering process, which allowed increased adherence or entrapment of Salmonella spp. on or within remaining skin layers.

Notes on Siptornis striaticollis (Furnariidae) in Peru

The Spectacled Prickletail (Siptornis striaticollis) is a monotypic furnariid previously recorded only from the subtropical zone of the middle and upper Magdalena Valley in Colombia and the east slope of the Ecuadorian Andes (Mapoto) (Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 36, 1917; Chapman, Bull. Am. Mus. Nat. Hist. 55, 1926). In view of the paucity of information on Siptornis, we offer the following observations and report the first occurrence of the species in Peru. In 1978, during ornithological investigations in the Department of Cajamarca in northern Peru, we found Siptornis striaticollis northeast of Huancabamba, ca. 2 km south of Carmen, on the Sapalache-Namballe mule trail (OSOS’ S, 7922’ W). We saw these birds daily from 2 to 17 July foraging with large mixed-species flocks in patches of cloud forest between 1,660 m and 1,880 m elevation. Occasionally when a mixed-species flock assembled in an isolated cluster of trees, we made exact counts of arriving and departing individuals. Siptornis was a regular, low-density participant, with a maximum of three to four individuals per flock. Common flock members included the furnariids Crunioleuco curtata, Anabacerthia striaticollis, and Xenops rutilans, and the antwren Terenuru callinota. The prickletails foraged by creeping along branches, and probing moss clumps, clusters of dead leaves, fruticose lichens, and bark crevices at the level of the forest subcanopy and edge 5-15 m above ground. Several times individuals were seen hanging “paridlike” from petioles of Cecropia leaves, picking unidentified food items from undersides of leaflets. Among species that occur in the same area, Siptornis most closely resembles Xenops rutilans in behavior, size, coloration, and plumage pattern. Both Siptornis and Xenops tapped sporadically on limbs, often bracing the tail against the bark when probing deep crevices. During light rain or dense fog we often located these birds by their faint tapping sounds. On 9 July, after watching a large mixed-species flock pass over the trail, Eley heard a peculiar high-pitched trill coming from the top of a nearby bush. Immediately afterward, a Siptornis hopped into view and perched upright in the bush about 2 m above the trail. Another motionless individual about0.5 m from the first bird and in the interior of the bush answered the trill with a similar call. We heard no other vocalizations of this species. Siptornis striaticollis appeared most closely to fill the ecological niche of piculets of the genus Picumnus. In most subtropical cloud forest throughout eastern Peru and Bolivia at least one species of piculet occurs (Meyer de Schauensee, A guide to the birds of South America, Livingston Publ. Co., Wynnewood, Penn., 1970, and pers. observ.), but piculets are unknown in subtropical forest in the eastern Andes north of the Mararion River, where Siptornis occurs. Perhaps Siptornis and Picumnus are ecologically incompatible. Our three specimens, all males, are deposited at the Louisiana State University Museum of Zoology (LSUMZ). Data from these specimens are listed in Table 1. We thank Richard D. Semba and Manuel Sanchez S. for field assistance. J. Van Remsen, H. Douglas Pratt, John P. O’ Neill, and John Weske read the manuscript. We are most grateful to John S. McIlhenny and Babette M. Odom for their generous support of the field work of the LSUMZ.

STRUCTURE AND FORAGING PATTERNS OF FLOCKS OF TITS AND ASSOCIATED SPECIES IN AN ENGLISH WOODLAND DURING THE WINTER

SUMMARYBlue Tits were the commonest and most frequent members of mixed‐species insectivorous flocks during the winter at Wytham Wood, Oxford. Six common flocking species (Blue Tit, Longtailed Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit and Golderest) made up nearly two‐thirds of the birds in the study area. A tentative interspecific social dominance hierarehy was constructed: Great Tit &gt; Blue Tit &gt; Marsh Tit &gt; Coal Tit &gt; Long‐tailed Tit and Goldcrest. Blue Tits permitted conspecifics to approach them more closely than did other flock members. Blue Tits most frequently led the flocks, but no more than would be predicted by their abundance. Great Tits, and Marsh Tits and Coal Tits to a lesser extent, defended territories during the winter.Two of the six common species frequented the inner parts of branches (Great Tit, Coal Tit), two the outer parts of branches (Blue Tit, Marsh Tit), and two the twigs (Long‐tailed Tit, Goldcrest). Members of each of these species‐pairs showed marked differences in height of foraging and/or species of tree frequented. Because of their abundance, the impact of Blue Tits outside of their most highly frequented foraging zones may exceed that of species concentrating in these other zones (e. g., twigs high in trees). The Coal Tit foraged most diversely, the Great Tit least diversely. Species that foraged diversely in one of the three foraging categories (species of tree, substrate, height) usually foraged less diversely than most other species in the other dimensions. Species usually overlapped least in the zones exploited (inner parts of branches, etc.). Great Tits overlapped with other species less than did any other common flock member, and Coal Tits were the next lowest in this regard.

Observations of territorial life in breeding season of a pair of Jungle Crow in City Tokyo (to be continued)

In 1969, a pair of Jungle Crow Corvus macrorhynchos was kept under observation from later incubation period (April 13, five days before hatching) at Akasaka, Tokyo, where I lived in its breeding territory, which was about 45.83 ha, 1000m east to west (200m to west, 750m to east from nest) and 700m north to south (500m to north, 200m to south), thus oval in shape, with the nest situated near the round end. The northern (to the direction of winter roost) and eastern (toward summer roost) territorial boundaries are deliminated by big buildings of TBS television and Parliament respectively.The territory contains apartments, buildings of various sizes, small shops and private houses, with wooded shrine of Sanno on the hill of north-east border, wooded lawn slope of Prime Minister's official residence at eastern hill, and on the central hill, two big gingko trees, one of which having crow's nest, stand high with a patch of trees. Thus, there are some greens on central and surrounding hills, between which two main roads, one with highway, run crossing at Tameike (Fig. 1).Main buildings and other objects frequently used by crows, for resting, guarding, food storing and eating places, are numbered on territory map, with distance lines of 50m mesh (Fig. 3) and circles (Fig. 2).Observations were made on the roof of my home about 40m apart from the nesting gingko tree and I could see all directions of surrounding hills, except some blind area at south western part.Observation time, usually more than 2 hours for each observation, was selected according to its purpose of following the male's movements in its morning food search commenced as soon as he returns from flock roost to his territory before sunrise, female's attendance rate to nest and her daytime activity in relation to her mate or intruding other crows, feeding rates to chicks by male and female, food storing and hiding, roosting places, sexual and family life, as well as vocal communication.In the present paper (part 1; to be continued), observation data from April 13 to 30 are given with some tables and figures.1.The incbation is engaged by female only, but male may visits nest with 20-30 minutes intervals, calls her for confirmation or inviting for food, and if the male doesn't return long time from food search, the female may leave the nest in search of him, in some cases advertising herself by circling flight.2. Although sitting on nest in the foliage, the female is very keen to outside event or for vocal communication of the male and as soon as she perceives, or notices by male's voice, other crows trespass flying over beyond territorial boundary, the female at once takes off from the nest directly flying, with attack calls, to the intruders to chase them up from below. The male is, however, usually less aggressive, or even indifferent, being occupied by his job of food search for the day (But, when he is less occupied he may lead the defense chase of intruders).3. Finished the daytime activity of food search toward evening, the male rests on high top or antenna of building more or less 100m apart from the nest, and the female leaves the nest to pass some 15 minutes with the male preening or billing each other, and together return to nest site (to gingko tree adjacent to nesting gingko). Thus ended their activity of the day, the male leaves (with soft 'ka' of roosting signal vocal) to common flock roost about 1km from the nest site and the female gets back to the nest for her night incubation or brooding of early chicks (from 31st day after hatching the female also flew off to roost).4. Before sunrise, the male comes back to his territory in the dark of twilight, which the female on nest at once notices by his approaching call notes, and answering to him she flies out to adjacent tree to wait his arrival.

Common Flock Beds in Relation To the Public Health

Common Flock Beds in Relation To the Public Health