Experimental Flock Research Articles

Multilocus sequence typing of pathogenic treponemes isolated from contagious ovine digital dermatitis stage five lesions: Implications for disease transmission dynamics

Contagious ovine digital dermatitis (CODD) causes a severe, infectious foot disease and lameness of sheep, is common within the UK and is now also emerging in other countries. As well as causing severe animal welfare issues, huge economic losses emerge from the disease due to weight loss/lack of weight gain, and veterinary treatments. CODD lesion progress is measured, with a scoring system from 1 (early lesions) to 5 (healed). Here, using samples from an experimental flock infected by natural means, samples were taken from CODD stage 5 lesions, post treatment, and subjected to bacterial isolation and MLST using previously published methods. Sequences were compared to others from the same flock, and those from previous studies.All CODD 5 lesions produced viable Treponema spp. bacteria. High levels of variation of bacteria were seen, with 12 sequence types (STs) for T. medium phylogroup (11 new), 15 STs for T. phagedenis phylogroup (9 new) and six T. pedis STs, of which two were new. This study shows that CODD stage 5 lesions still contain viable bacteria, representing all three known pathogenic Treponema spp. phylogroups, and these may thus play a role in disease transmission and epidemiology despite appearing healed after treatment. The high level CODD treponeme variability within an infected flock where sheep were bought from different sources, as might occur in common agricultural practice, may suggest reasons as to why the bacterial disease is difficult to treat, control and eradicate, and adds further complexity to the polybacterial pathogenesis of these lesions.

Does tail docking prevent Cochliomyia hominivorax myiasis in sheep? A six-year retrospective cohort study

Abstract Tail docking is a husbandry practice widely incorporated in sheep farms around the world. It is an irreversible mutilation that impairs animal welfare, both immediately and in the longer term. The defence of tail docking as a practice is centred around the perception that doing so contributes to the promotion of local hygiene, allowing the use of the wool, facilitating reproductive management and reducing the chances of myiasis, a disease caused by the invasion of blowfly larvae in the tissues of warm-blooded animals. However, current understanding of farm animal welfare questions the need to maintain practices such as tail docking. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of tail docking on the incidence of Cochliomyia hominivorax myiasis in sheep in an experimental flock in Brazil during a six-year retrospective cohort study. Relative risk, odds ratio and incidence rate ratio were the association measures adopted. A total of 4,318 data-points were collected and supplied the analytical model. Tail docking did not decrease the risk and, on the contrary, was found to increase the chances of sheep being affected by myiasis. The results support the hypothesis that tail docking is not a protective factor against the occurrence of myiasis and further fuel calls for a rethink of tail docking being deployed as a blanket measure in the prevention of myiasis in sheep.

New methods for old challenges: A sampling protocol for sequential stable isotope analysis (δ13C and δ15N) of dentine collagen in high-crowned teeth

Intra-tooth or sequential stable isotope analyses are nowadays widely implemented in zooarchaeological research. Sequential isotopic analyses have been mainly restricted to the mineral fraction of the enamel, while a wider implementation in dentine collagen has been generally eluded, despite conforming an essential organic compound for paleodietary studies. In high-crowned teeth, dentine grows oblique to the vertical axis of growth and some challenges arise when trying to isolate dentine increments during a sequential sampling. Previous sampling strategies slice the whole dentine thickness and provide sequences where isotopic variation is largely attenuated. In this study, we show a new proposal for performing carbon and nitrogen isotope analyses of dentine collagen which better fits dentine's growth. We implemented it in mandibular second molars of an experimental modern sheep flock. Our sampling largely reduces the isotopic “damping” of previous approaches and provides short time-span samples. Sequential δ13C values obtained in dentine tissue yielded similar resolution to those obtained in enamel tissue of the same individuals. This proposal, especially suitable for caprine and other bovid species, broadens the implementation of dentine collagen signatures in the field of stable isotope analyses in zooarchaeology.

Evaluation of different light intensities on the well-being, productivity, and eggs quality of laying hens

Light sources and light intensity are factors that can elicit different responses in laying hens. Investigations carried out on this subject show divergent results or are scarce, particularly for light emitting diode (LED) sources and for more recent strains. Therefore, the goal of the present study was to evaluate the effects of different illuminances (5, 20, 50 and 100 lx), from linear LED lighting on the physiological responses, productive performance and egg quality of 25–36-week-old Hy-line W-80 laying hens. The experiment was conducted in climate-controlled wind tunnels and the birds were divided into three experimental flocks, each lasting 28 days. Initially, the birds underwent seven days of acclimatization, and the evaluations of all parameters were performed on Days 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28 of each flock. The results demonstrated that the tested illuminances did not influence the responses of the birds and the quality of the eggs when their effect was evaluated separately (p > 0.05, F test). However, the illuminance exposure time influenced cloacal and surface temperatures, feed intake, body mass and albumen percentage. Therefore, an acclimatization period of 28 days is recommended for Hy-line W-80 laying hens at the peak laying period. The illuminances of 5, 20, 50 and 100 lx were not harmful for the laying hens, since the changes in the physiological responses remained within the thresholds recommended as comfort. Thus, environments with 5 lx were sufficient to guarantee access to feeders and drinkers by the birds and avoid discomfort and production and egg quality losses.

Mixed-species flock composition matters: interspecific influences on finding novel food in North American parids.

Individuals of a wide range of species are sensitive to the presence of other species, and can often benefit from associations with other species in mixed-species groups (MSGs) through food-finding or avoiding predation. In an earlier field study, we found that both Carolina chickadees, Poecile carolinensis, and tufted titmice, Baeolphus bicolor, were better able to solve a novel feeder task when their MSGs were more diverse in terms of species composition. Like most studies of MSGs, however, that earlier study did not experimentally manipulate MSG size and composition. We did that manipulation here, providing experimental flocks of chickadees and titmice with three novel feeder tasks in semi-natural aviary environments. We found that successful titmouse flocks generally had a higher proportion of titmice in them, going against the findings of our earlier field study. Conversely, successful chickadee flocks solved one of the novel feeder tasks more quickly with a higher proportion of titmice in them, corroborating the findings of our earlier field study. We now need to assess socio-ecological influences on MSG size and composition, and how those relate to individual behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Mixed-species groups and aggregations: shaping ecological and behavioural patterns and processes'.

Epigenetic effects on broiler exposure to magnetic field on progeny meat production traits

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of the exposure of Ross 308 broiler breeders to a magnetic field on the meat production traits of progeny. The experimental flock consisted of 60 hens and ten cocks of Ross 308 broiler breeders at 36 weeks of age, divided randomly into four groups; each group applied for treatment with three replicates. The treatments were control (T1), storage of semen in an 803 gauss magnetic field for 24 h (T2), storage of fertilized eggs in a magnetic field of 250 gausses for 72 h before entering the incubator (T3), and exposing individual cages to 250 gausses of magnetic field for 8 Weeks (T4). The progeny result from the broiler breeders groups was recorded for body weight and feed intake, compared with the control (T1). The results showed no significant differences among progeny groups in body weight, weekly weight gain and weekly feed intake during the rearing period. Keywords: Epigenetic, magnetic broiler breeders, broiler progeny performance

Effect of Avigen immunomodulator on beta lysine activity in broilers

The beta-lysine activity of blood serum and egg white in broilers and broiler breeders from the ROSS 308 hybrid reared in industrial conditions was studied using a photometric method. The birds from the experimental groups were treated with polybacterial immunomodulator "AVIGEN", the anti-stress preparation "ASPIVIT C" and the preparation "BIOXAN", which helps to increase the resorption surface of the intestinal mucosa.We found increased activity of beta-lysine in the blood serum in immunomodulator-treated broilers. No significant differences were found in the activity of beta-lysine in the blood serum of the experimental and control parent herds until the onset of lay. On the onset of lay, we observed an increase in beta-lysine activity in the blood serum, especially pronounced in the experimental herd. We also registered an increase in this indicator in the egg white of the birds from the experimental flock from the 2nd to the 7th day after laying. Elevated serum beta-lysine concentrations during the onset of lay, legitimizes beta-lysine as a stress-induced factor of non-specific immunity. The higher levels of beta-lysine in the blood serum and egg white of the experimental herds are probably due to the stimulation on the mucous membranes with the polybacterial immunomodulator AVIGEN.

Effect of supplementations of vitamin E and organic selenium on productive performance of broiler breeders

Nutrition supplementation in broiler breeder diets are necessary to provide the nutritional requirements for the optimal performance of the broiler breeder flock after significant genetic improvement of production performance. The study aimed to determine the effect of adding vitamin E and organic selenium to the diet of broiler breeder Rose 308 in the productive and reproductive traits. The experimental flock consist of 60 hens and 10 cocks at 41 weeks of age. The birds divided into four groups for treatments application, and each treatment had three replicates (five hens per replication). The first treatment T1 fed a standard diet without addition (control) containing 15% crude protein and metabolic energy 2775 kilocalories / kg of diet, and T2 used a standard diet and 500 mg vitamin E / kg of diet supplementation, and T3 used a standard ration plus 0.5 mg of organic selenium (Availa powder) / kg of diet supplementation, and T4 used a standard diet plus a mixture of vitamin E and organic selenium (Availa powder) in proportions 500 and 0.5 mg, respectively.

Effect of magnetic field on productive and hysiological performance in broiler breeder

The experiment was conducted to determine the effect of magnetic field on the productive and physiological performance of Ross 308. The experimental flock consist of 60 hens and 10 cocks of broiler breeders, which randomly divided into four groups and distributed on the treatments with three replicates for each treatment. The treatments included the control treatment (T1), exposure the stored semen to 803 gauss magnetic field for 24 hours (T2), exposure the fertile eggs to 250 gauss magnetic field for 72 hours before entered the incubator (T3) and exposure the individual cages to 250 gauss magnetic field for 8 weeks (T4), and the performance traits of hen day egg production, egg weight, recorded from magnetization cages group and compared with control group. The results showed a significant decrease (P≤0.05) in fertility and hatchability of total eggs in T2 compared with other groups, and there was no significant difference in the hatchability of fertile eggs and embryonic mortality among treatments, egg weight and the hen day egg production. (HD).

The effect of the multiple genotypes of Myostatin gene on reproductive characteristics of the Iraqi brown local chickens

The experimental flock consisted of 101 laying hens attributed to the Sire and Dam from the local Iraqi chickens at the age of 74 weeks / the third generation belonging to the fields of the Poultry Research Station in the Agricultural Research Department / Ministry of Agriculture. Hens were selected based on the characteristic of high egg production rate which was more than 60%, the study aims to determine the multiple genetic features of the Myostatin gene (MSTIN) and its contribution to affecting the average body weight in a sample of Iraqi brown local chickens.blood samples were collected and DNAextracted DNA with a concentration of 98% and a purity of 19.8, PCR-Product technique was used to multiply the segment of the Myostatin gene, and sent to the Republic of South Korea, Macrogen Corporation-Korea, and using the Sanger and Coulson method, the genotypes of genetic mutations were,by sequencing the percentages of individuals carrying it contributed to the variance of genetic frequency and chi-square values (24.8, 58.5 and 37.6 for mutations, respectively) and their incompatibility with the Hardy-Weinberg rule. The hybrid genotypes (CG, AB, and TC) showed significant p<0.05 in the weekly egg production rate throughout the productive periods,While there were no significant differences in the average weight of the first egg (36.32, 36.37 and 36.32 g for mutations, respectively), as well as no significant difference in the measures of egg quality (white and yolk weight and their percentages) among all individual of the local brown chicken under study.

Wool scoured colour: Heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations with wool traits in Corriedale sheep

Scoured wool colour determines the potenti al colour range and dye-ability of wool tops. Improvement of scoured wool colour of fleeces from Corriedale sheep through multi-trait breeding programmes is currently not possible due to limited existing information on its heritability and genetic correlations with other fleece traits. The present study aimed to determine genetic parameters of scoured wool colour traits, with emphasis on their genetic and phenotypic correlations with objectively and visually assessed fleece traits. Data from 1181 hoggets of two experimental flocks were used. Heritabilities were estimated for scoured wool yellowness (Y-Z) and scoured wool brightness (Y), greasy fleece weight (GFW) and clean fleece weight (CFW), wool yield (WY), mean fibre diameter (MFD), coefficient of variation of fibre diameter (CVD), staple length (SL), staple strength (SS) and a range of visual wool traits (greasy wool colour, wool character, handle, staple formation, dust penetration and cross-linking). Trivariate statistical models under a Bayesian setting were used, including the environmental effects of flock, sex, litter size and climatic variables (accumulated precipitation, maximum temperature and relative humidity) and the animal genetic effect, Y-Z was moderately heritable (0.22 ± 0.06) and should respond to selection. Its genetic correlations with GFW, CFW and SL were significant, positive (unfavourable) and moderate (0.43 ± 0.15, 0.56 ± 0.14, and 0.44 ± 0.14, respectively). There was a positive (favourable) association between MFD and Y-Z (0.25 ± 0.17). The genetic correlation between Y-Z and greasy wool colour was 0.70 ± 0.13, although this trait showed a low heritability value (0.13 ± 0.04). Wool brightness showed low heritability (0.10 ± 0.04) and only appeared to be genetically correlated with SL and wool character (0.56 ± 0.17 and 0.39 ± 0.22, respectively). Phenotypic correlations of Y-Z and Y with wool production and quality traits were all less than 0.20 in size. Overall, this study reports new genetic parameters for wool colour and their associations with fleece traits in Corriedale sheep. Our findings suggest that it could be possible to select against wool yellowness, with some caution, given the possible detrimental effects on economically important wool traits, especially fleece weight and staple length. More investigation is warranted. Indirect selection via greasy wool colour is an alternative approach, but the responses would be slower. Easy and cheap measurement should be balanced against the size of the response from direct selection versus indirect selection.

Molecular-based monitoring of live vaccines in dust samples from experimental and commercial chicken flocks and its potential use as a screening test

Despite the high cost of vaccination programmes, conventional methods to evaluate vaccine uptake are often impractical and costly. More recently, molecular-based testing of poultry dust has been used to monitor the “take” of Marek's disease virus and infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) live vaccines. This study aimed to provide proof-of-concept for detecting other poultry pathogens by using molecular detection of vaccine microorganisms in poultry dust of vaccinated flocks. Dust and choanal cleft and cloacal swabs were collected from chickens vaccinated against avian encephalomyelitis virus (AEV), fowlpox virus (FPV), Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) and Mycoplasma synoviae (MS) using live vaccines in an experimental flock. Dust samples were collected weekly from 5 commercial breeder or layer flocks from day-old up to 25 weeks of age. These flocks were vaccinated against Newcastle disease virus (NDV), infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV), ILTV, fowl adenovirus (FAdV), MG and MS. Samples were tested for nucleic acids of these microorganisms by PCR or reverse transcriptase PCR. Genomes of all targeted vaccines were detected in dust samples from the experimental and commercial flocks except for FPV, which was detected only in the experimental flock. FAdV was detected in unvaccinated commercial flocks. These findings suggest that PCR detection of target organisms in dust samples has potential as a relatively simple and inexpensive population-level test to monitor vaccine take and/or pathogen status in chicken flocks. Further studies comparing the detection of each of these microorganisms in poultry dust with individual birds samples are required to validate this approach.

Climatic and genetic effects in seasonal measurements of colour in Corriedale wool

Wool colour is an important quality trait indicating dyeing potential, and it is described by two components: yellowness and brightness. The aims of this research were to: a) estimate the effect of climatic variables on wool yellowness and brightness; b) know if wool colour was genetically the same trait or it is expressed differently along time. Data from ewes progeny (n = 1371) of two experimental flocks were used. Mid-side and back wool samples were taken in summer, autumn, winter, and spring, to determine yellowness and brightness. Models considered the fixed effects of sex, litter size, experimental station, staple length, average maximum temperature, accumulated rainfall and average relative humidity, and the animal as a random genetic effect. Differences between sampling areas were estimated by the simple use of Test t (Student) for differences between means. A yellowness value of 1.77 ± 1.77 units was found in spring sampling (complete staple length), with great variability between animals; brightness was 63.58 ± 3.63. The lowest yellowness values ​​were obtained in the winter sampling; the yellowness value recorded in the back area was significantly higher than that obtained in mid-side (P < 0.001) in summer and winter samplings. Positive associations were evident with accumulated rainfall with yellowness in summer and autumn samplings. Favourable associations between mid-side Y and maximum temperature were obtained, except in spring sampling; for relative humidity, the associations were unfavourable. Heritability estimates of yellowness and brightness in all mid-side and back samplings were of low to intermediate magnitude. Genetic correlations among samplings were positive and low to moderate for mid-side yellowness, very low to moderate for mid-side brightness, and very low to high for back brightness. This study demonstrates that yellowness and brightness are associated with climatic effects. Wool colour traits are heritable and the moderate genetic associations among seasonal samplings suggest that they were not the same trait along time. Further investigation should be conducted to study possible interactions among climatic variables, as well as seasonal genetic variation in yellowness and brightness. Genetic correlations with other economically important traits is another area for future studies.

Characterization of poultry house dust using chemometrics and scanning electron microscopy imaging

Poultry house dust is composed of fine particles which likely originate from a diverse range of materials such as feed, litter, excreta, and feathers. Little is known about the contribution of these sources to broiler house airborne dust so the present study was designed to identify the relative contributions of these sources. Samples of feed, excreta, feather, and bedding, known mixtures of these and settled dust from 28 broiler chicken flocks were tested for the concentration of 18 chemical elements. A chemometrics approach (the application of multivariate statistical techniques to chemical analysis data) was used to identify the primary source material in broiler chicken house dust samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was also used to analyze dust sample particulates based on examination of source materials. Excreta was found to be the main component of broiler chicken house dust, both by SEM and chemometric analysis. SEM of experimental flock dust between 7 and 35 days of age (d) revealed that the contribution of excreta to dust increased with age from 60% at 7 d to 95% at 28 d (P < 0.001). The proportion of bedding and feed in dust declined with age while the contribution of feather material remained low throughout. This study demonstrates that excreta provides the bulk of the material in poultry dust samples with bedding material, feed and feather material providing lower proportions. The relative contributions of these materials to dust varies with age of birds at dust collection. Additional research is required to determine the health and diagnostic implications of this variation.

Farming and pastoral systems shape the physiological and immunological indices of the dromedary she-camels

Background: Camel (Camelus dromedarius) is a vital animal to the daily life of the desert as a source of food and transportation, its milk is used as medicine for diverse ailments. Aim: This study was planned to evaluate the effect of two different feeding systems (farming and pastoral systems) on physiological and immunological indices of one-humped dromedary she-camels during different physiological stages. Material and methods: Forty female camels under farm and grazing systems were used from the Camel Experimental Flock in Matrouh (farming system) and Bedouin flock in a grazing unit in the same area (pastoral system). Blood samples were collected during different physiological stages to determine the desired parameters. Results: It was revealed that lymphocytes significantly increased in grazing camels as compared to farm ones. Leukocytes significantly increased in post-partum and lactation than other camels. The number of RBCs increased significantly in pregnant and lactating than other camels. Albumin increased significantly in pregnant and lactating camels and decreased in dry and post-partum. Results showed a significant increase in blood lipids including total lipids, phospholipids, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and low-density lipoproteins in farm camels compared to grazing ones. Lactating and pregnant camels showed a significant increase in cholesterol compared to dry and post-partum. In lactating camels, insulin significantly increased compared to other groups. But, cortisol significantly increased in post-partum camels. Conclusion: Farm camels show better physiological and immunological profiles than grazing ones reflect the importance of supplementary feeding especially during pregnancy and lactation.

Effects of antibacterial peptide combinations on growth performance, intestinal health, and immune function of broiler chickens

To study the effects of antibacterial peptides (ABPs) on feeding broilers, this experiment compared the 2 combinations of ABP with antibiotics by separately adding the supplement to the diet of 818 broilers as follows—antibiotics, Pratt and Full-tide, and Pratt and plant essential oil—and then the effect of them on production performance, immune function, antioxidant capacity, serum biochemical indicators, and microorganisms of the experimental flocks was investigated and compared. It was found that the aforementioned indicators among the 2 groups of ABP and the antibiotic group were close to or even better than those of antibiotics, and the combination added with plant essential oils had generally better effects. These results indicated that ABPs could improve economic benefits by promoting growth, preventing disease, and reducing the rate of death. This study deepened the research on the action mechanism of ABPs and not only explored the feasibility of ABPs as a novel feed additive for broilers but also provided experimental data and theoretical basis for the application of ABPs.

Detection and Quantification of Clostridium perfringens and Eimeria spp. in Poultry Dust Using Real-Time PCR Under Experimental and Field Conditions.

Infection of poultry with Eimeria spp., the causative agent of coccidiosis, can predispose birds to necrotic enteritis (NE) caused by netB gene-positive strains of Clostridium perfringens. The detection of Eimeria spp., C. perfringens, and netB were examined in settled dust from broiler flocks under experimental and field conditions. Dust samples were collected from settle plates twice weekly from two experimental flocks inoculated with three species of pathogenic Eimeria in 9-day-old chicks, followed by netB gene-positive C. perfringens 5 days later to produce subclinical and clinical NE. A noninoculated flock was sampled weekly from day 0 and served as a control flock. An additional 227 dust samples from commercial broiler flocks were collected at the end-of-batch (6-7 wk of age; one scraped dust sample per flock). In the NE-subclinical and NE-clinical flocks, high levels of Eimeria spp. and C. perfringens were detected after inoculation followed by a gradual decline over time. In the control flock, C. perfringens and netB were detected at low levels. No significant effect of sampling location was evident on Eimeria spp., C. perfringens, and netB load within poultry houses. These results provide evidence that Eimeria spp., C. perfringens, and netB gene copies can be readily measured in poultry dust samples collected in settle plates and may provide an alternative sampling method for monitoring flock coccidiosis and NE status. Further studies are required to assess the utility for such a test in commercial flocks.

Provision of desert cooler in shed of ewes during summer in hot semi-arid region

In hot arid and semi-arid regions, heat stress is a major constraint in animal production due to prolonged summers with high temperatures. In dairy husbandry, the desert cooler and evaporative cooling system are effectively used to reduce heat stress. However, the effectiveness of desert coolers on sheep under the hot semi-arid region during summer is not explored. Therefore, the present study was carried out to assess the effect of the provision of the desert cooler in a shed of ewes during the summer in the hot semi-arid region. For this purpose, 20 acyclic Malpura adult ewes having bodyweight 30.29 ± 0.5 kg of 2- to 3-year-old were selected from the experimental animal flock. The ewes were equally divided into two groups, namely G1 (control) and G2 (desert cooler). Ewes of both groups were kept in a roofed shed, with mud-floored and four sides covered with the chain-linked fence. The ewes of G2 were provided with a desert cooler from morning 09:00 h to evening 18:00 h. Ewes of both the groups were provided with an ad libitum diet consisting of 70% roughage (Cenchrus ciliaris hay) and 30% concentrate feed. The meteorological parameters were recorded daily in the morning and afternoon. The body weight and physiological response were recorded on a weekly basis. The blood sample was collected at weekly intervals to estimate blood biochemical and endocrine parameters. The data were analyzed using a general linear model. The maximum temperature, relative humidity, and temperature-humidity index in the afternoon were significantly (P < 0.01) lower in G2 shed where the desert cooler was used as compared to G1 shed. The respiration rate and skin temperature in the afternoon were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in G2 ewes as compared to G1. The plasma glucose and triidothyronine levels were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in G1 as compared to G2. Other blood biochemical, endocrine, and reproductive parameters did not vary (P > 0.05) between the groups. The present study clearly established that the provision of the desert cooler in sheep sheds created a better microenvironment for sheep, leading to improved physiological responses to heat stress as compared to sheep kept without desert cooler. However, the well-adapted native adult sheep of the hot semi-arid region are well versed in combat heat stress in the natural summer of a hot semi-arid region.

Effect of drinking earthen pot water on physiological response and behavior of sheep under heat stress.

Heat stress is a major limiting factor for animal welfare and sheep production. Traditionally in India, the villagers used to keep their drinking water in the earthen pot to make it cold during summer. The cold drinking water (24-28°C) during summer gives a feeling of relief from the heat. Therefore, the present study was carried out to assess the effect of drinking earthen pot water on physiological response and behavior of sheep under heat stress for one month. For this purpose, eighteen Avishaan rams were selected from the experimental animal flock and they were equally divided into three groups; viz., control (CON), heat stress (HS) and heat stress with earthen pot water (HSC). The animals of HS and HSC were exposed to higher ambient temperatures to induce heat stress inside the psychometric chamber. The animals of CON and HS were provided with ad-libitum water of their ambient temperature whereas; HSC groups were provided with ad-libitum cold water (24-28°C) earthen pot water. All the animals were offered with 400gm concentrate mixture and ad-libitum Cenchrus hay. The bodyweight of HS rams was significantly reduced (P<0.05) at the end of the experimental period as compared to their initial body weight. The total roughage and dry matter intake was significantly higher (P<0.01) in HSC rams as compared to HS rams. The plasma thyroxine concentration was significantly lower (P<0.05) in HSC as compared with HS group. The rumination time significantly reduced (P<0.05) in HSC group. However, The blood biochemical did not differ among the groups. Therefore, it may be concluded that Avishaan rams have the ability to adapt to heat stress. Nevertheless, the availability of earthen pot cold drinking water under heat stress reduced their body weight loss, improves their metabolic activity and ultimately improves their welfare.

Assessment of genetic resistance and abomasal tissues expression of Yichang white goat experimentally challenge with Haemonchus contortus infection

Our previous association study revealed the mutation in candidate immune genes (NOD1 &amp; NLRP9) was significantly associated with FEC of Haemonchus contortus infection in Yichang white goats, but the relative expression of mRNA of those genes associated with resistance to H. contortus was not investigated. Aim of the current experiment was to evaluate the susceptible and resistant individuals to nematode infection within the population of Yichang white goat (YWG) and assess the differential level of mRNA expression of those candidate genes in the abomasal tissues of susceptible and resistant goats. Fecal egg count (FEC) was determined using a modified McMaster technique, and the hematological parameter was measured by Mindray auto hematology analyzer. Phenotype data were collected and analyzed using a generalized linear model with SAS statistical program. Field investigate revealed that the prevalence (76%) with maxium parasite load (734.34±84.21epg) of H. contortus occurred in August within the experimental flock FEC in resistant group (103.38±1.20epg) and susceptible group (1180.25±43.53epg) group demonstrated the presence of two distinct goat populations within this breed. Four resistant and four susceptible goats were selected from each group. The parasite infection was established by artificially challenge with 5000 infective L3 larvae of H. contortus. Abomasal tissues were collected from all experimental goats after 42 days of post-infection. FEC, Body weight, packed cell volume, and hemoglobin value were significantly different (P &lt; 0.01) between resistant and susceptible group of goats. Quantitative real-time PCR in abomasal tissues revealed that the expression level of mRNA for NOD1 (P &lt; 0.00001), IFNG (P &lt; 0.0001), NLRP9, TLR8, IL32, (P &lt; 0.001) and IGF1 (P &lt; 0.01) was higher in resistant goat compared to susceptible, except SFTPA1. These findings revealed the presence of genetic resistant individuals to H. contortus within the goat breed and expression of NOD1 and NLRP9 genes proved the positive finding of our previous study. Presence of genetic resistant individuals in Yichang white goat YWG breed could be a good candidate for selective breeding and highly expressed genes related to resistant could be used as biomarkers to develop H. contortus resistant goat population.&#x0D; Progressive Agriculture 30 (2): 194-208, 2019