Standard Management Conditions Research Articles

In ovo betaine and heat acclimation affect hatching results, growth performance and immunity of the broilers under cyclicheatstress.

This study investigated the effects of in ovo betaine and thermal manipulation during incubation on growth performance, and some immune parameters of broilers under cyclic heat stress (CHS). Eggs were divided into 5 groups and incubated at 1) 37.8°C and 60% relative humidity (Control incubation and not-injected, CI); 2) eggs were incubated at CI and in ovo betaine injected into yolk sac on d 11 (E11) (CI + In ovo); 3) eggs were exposed to 38.8°C for 8h between 10 and 18d of incubation (heat acclimation, HA); 4) eggs were incubated at HA and in ovo betaine applied (HA + In ovo); 5) positive control: eggs were incubated at CI and injected with saline. Hatched chicks were raised under standard management conditions until 21 d, between 21 and 42 d half of the chickens in each incubation treatment were kept either at optimum (OPT) or at CHS. In ovo and HA did not affect hatching performance. In ovo increased thymus and spleen weights of chicks. Serum IgG was higher in HA + In ovo chicks. From d 7 to 21, in ovo chicks were heavier body weights, consumed more feed, and better feed conversion than those from CI. The body weights of HA chickens were similar in OPT and CHS on d 28 and 35. CHS reduced the body weight of CI chickens which was compatible with their feed consumption. Moreover, feed intake of HA + In ovo chickens exposed to CHS was higher than those not injected indicating that HA + In ovo enhanced thermoregulation of chickens under CHS.

Effects of in ovo vaccination time on broiler performance parameters under field conditions

Hatchery performance is often evaluated based on descriptors such as hatchability, 7-d mortality, and cost. In addition to these descriptors, it is useful to include in this analysis aspects of chick quality through post-hatch performance. Realizing the bird's complete genetic potential necessitates meeting various criteria, with effective support for the chick's immune system being among the pivotal factors. To be effective, in ovo vaccination systems must deliver the vaccines to specific sites in the egg, a circumstance that directly depends on when the injection is made. We examined production data to evaluate the impact of in ovo vaccination time on performance parameters of male Ross308AP chicks. A comprehensive survey was conducted examining records from 3,722 broiler flocks produced and raised by the same company under standard nutrition and management conditions. The selected data specifically pertained to flocks that underwent slaughter between 41 and 45 d. In our analysis, 4 different linear models were built, one for each response variable: mean weight (MW), body weight gain (BWG), corrected feeding conversion rate (cFCR), and total mortality (TM). The linear models used in the analyses included as main predictor the timing of in ovo vaccination (440, 444, 448, 452, 456, 458, and 460 h of incubation), and as additional predictors: age of the breeding flock (26-35, 36-55 and 56-66 wks old), slaughter age, identity of the hatchery, and the season at which the data was collected. Our results showed that the timing of in ovo vaccination significantly affected BWG and cFCR, with procedures performed at 460 h of incubation showing the best outcomes. Breeding flock age affected all response variables, with older breeding flocks delivering increased MW, BWG and TM, and middle-aged flocks increased cFCR. Increasing slaughter age reduced BWG while MW, cFCR and TM were all increased. These data emphasize the benefits of performing in ovo vaccination as close as possible to 460 h of incubation to extract the best BWG and cFCR from Ross308AP male broiler.

Effects of copper nanoparticles on performance, muscle and bone characteristics and serum metabolites in broilers.

Three hundred and twenty day old Hubbard broilers were randomly allocated to four treatments (8 replicates, 10 birds/pen) and were raised under standard management conditions. Birds in the first group served as control and were fed a corn based diet, while birds in the remaining three groups i.e.; A, B and C were fed with a basal diet supplemented with copper nanoparticles (CuNP) at 5, 10 and 15 mg /kg of diet respectively for 35 days. Supplementation of CuNP linearly increased (P≤0.05) body weight (BW), average daily weight gain (ADWG) and feed intake (FI) in broilers. Uric acid, glucose levels in blood and feed conversion ratio (FCR) reduced linearly (P≤0.05) with CuNP supplementation in diet. Supplementation of CuNP in the diet also linearly increased (P≤0.05) tibia weight, length, diameter, weight/length index (W/L) and Tibiotarsal index (TT index). Inclusion of CuNP in broilers diet linearly increased the measured parameters of muscle i.e.; pH, fiber diameter, fiber cross-sectional area, fascicle diameter, fascicle cross-sectional area (P≤0.05). Concentration of copper, iron, calcium and phosphorous in blood also increased line-arly (P ≤ 0.05) with CuNP supplementation. Overall, CuNP positively affected the growth performance, histological characteristics of muscles, bone strength and serum metabolites in broilers.

The rate of chronic kidney disease progression in advanced stages and the dynamics of the uremic syndrome parameters

Background. The current practice of patients with advanced CKD stages management is not optimal, as it leads to the risk of an emergency dialysis start with an unfavorable prognosis, does not utilize all the possibilities of nephroprotective therapy and does not provide optimal correction of the most important uremic syndromes before starting dialysis, which worsens the per spectives of long-term patient-oriented dialysis treatment. THE AIM. The obtained features of the standard practice will provide the possibility to assemble group carefully matched with intensive management group to compare outcomes in future prospective study and to assess the significance of the proposed program components of the intensive management of patients with advanced stages of chronic kidney disease in the "transition center". PATIENTS AND METHODS. A group with regular (at least 6 visits per year) follow-up of 540 patients with baseline CKD3B was retrospectively formed from the city nephrology center database (which included 7696 patients with CKD3 and higher) and was traced to the need for renal replacement therapy or to death. As part of the follow-up, patients underwent regular clinical and laboratory evaluation and received nephroprotective therapy, which were recorded in the database. RESULTS. The dynamics of an accelerating decrease in eGFR (according to CKD-EPICr) from median of -2.76 (-3.26÷-2.36) to -4.34 (-5.01÷-3.46) and further to -6.01 (-7.11÷-5.23) ml/min/1.73 m2/ year for the stages of CKD3B→CKD4→CKD5 in parallel with the dynamics of blood levels of hemoglobin (and iron), phosphate (and calcium), albumin, as well as proteinuria is described – factors that turned out to be significant in the multiple regression model with a dependent variable – the rate of eGFR reduction (the significance of the model F=2.864; p=0.015). CONCLUSION. The obtained detailed description of the progression of CKD in a typical regional population under standard management conditions will provide the possiblity to form a group from a cohort of regular monitoring in a nephrocenter, carefully compared with an intensive management group in the prototype of a transition center based on a large inpatient dialysis center to assess the significance of the components of the proposed control and interventions program.

Mitigation potential of individual and combined dietary supplementation of local Bentonite Clay and Distillery Sludge against Ochratoxin-A induced toxicity in broilers

BackgroundThis study aimed to evaluate the ameliorative effects of dietary supplementation of local bentonite clay (BN) and distillery sludge (DS) alone and in combination on ochratoxin-A (OTA) induced toxicity in broilers. For this purpose, day-old-broiler chicks (n = 270) were procured from the local market and reared under standard management conditions. After 7 days of acclimatization, birds were divided into 2 main groups A and B with respect to OTA inclusion level in feed, each with four sub-groups viz. A1-A4, each challenged with OTA at a dietary inclusion level of 250 µg/kg feed and B1-B4, each challenged with OTA at the level of 500 µg/kg feed and a common control group that was fed with basal feed throughout the experiment. In groups A and B, BN and DS were administered with feed at the rate of 10 g/kg of feed and 5 g/kg of feed alone and in combination, respectively.ResultsResults showed that OTA administration alone resulted in poor feed conversion ratio (FCR) and immunological responses along with increased serum levels of alanine transaminase (ALT), Aspartate transaminase (AST), urea and creatinine (P < 0.05). A significant decrease (P < 0.05) in serum protein levels (albumin, globulin and total protein) was also observed in OTA-fed groups in a dose-dependent manner. The addition of BN at 10 g/kg of OTA-contaminated feed resulted in better FCR and immunological responses as compared to those fed OTA only. The BN supplementation also conferred protection against elevation of serum biochemical parameters when compared with OTA-fed groups. However, the addition of DS could not provide significant protection (P > 0.05) on alteration of serum biochemical parameters in response to the OTA induced toxicity. The combined supplementation of BN and DS resulted in amelioration of OTA-induced toxicity and showed improved FCR, immunological, hematological and serum biochemical parameters (P < 0.05) when compared with other groups. Similarly, BN and DS resulted in a significant decline (P < 0.05) in the OTA tissue residues compared with other groups and control.ConclusionIn conclusion, combined dietary supplementation of BN (10 mg/kg) and DS (05 mg/kg) in feed reduced the toxic effects of OTA contamination at levels of 250 and 500 µg/kg of feed in broilers. So, the combination products of BN and DS may be successfully developed for use in poultry for protection against OTA-induced toxicity in broilers.

Evaluation of Serum Biochemical Profile in Heifer and Adult Sahiwal Cows Reared in Maharashtra

Background: The Sahiwal cattle, one of the best dairy breeds of Zebu cattle in India and Pakistan, originated from the Montgomery district of Pakistan. The performance of this breed in the tropical environment is also better than other cattle breeds. Now a day Sahiwal is choice of farmers in Maharashtra as it is a milch type breed mostly preferred for Deshi cow milk production and for organic farming. Blood profile of an individual is an important indicator of an individual’s well-being. Normal blood levels of various biochemical components are essential for normal function of various systems in the body including reproductive system. Hence, the current study was aimed to evaluate of serum biochemical profile of Sahiwal cows reared in Pune district of Maharashtra. Pune district of Maharashtra comes under western Maharashtra plain zone with Grayish black soils. The annual rainfall ranges from 150 to 700 mm. Soils formed from trap rock are grayish black in colour and varying texture. The natural vegetation is of shrub. The area mostly grows paddy, sugarcane, pearl millet, sorghum and groundnut. Methods: Serum biochemical profile of Sahiwal heifers and cows were evaluated at different stages i.e. below 1 year heifer, above 1 year heifer, early lactating cow, mid lactating cow, late lactating cow, dry pregnant cow and dry non pregnant cows. Total seventy (70) animals was selected i.e. ten (10) animals from each group stage. All animals were maintained under standard feeding and management conditions. The blood samples of selected cows were collected by puncturing in jugular vein in heparinized vacationer tubes. Analysis of serum profile of 70 blood samples were carried out by using automatic blood analyzer machine (Miura 200 I.S.E. group, Italy). Result: The concentrations of serum cholesterol, glucose, triglyceride, uric acid, calcium, phosphorus, copper, zinc, total protein, globulin, A: G ratio ALP, ALT and AST were significant in different stages of Sahiwal cows. The non-significant difference was observed in different stages of Sahiwal cows in regards to serum concentration of amylase, bilirubin direct, bilirubin total, creatinine, urea, albumin, magnesium, iron and GGT.

Genetic and phenotypic characterization of Kuzi ducks of Odisha and evaluation of carcass quality

In the present investigation, the Kuzi ducks of Odisha were studied with respect to different phenotypic traits and genetic parameters measured for Juvenile traits from 1,718 ducklings hatched in three hatches using 40 sires and 160 dams reared under standard management conditions. Fertility, hatchability, juvenile traits, body weight gains and plumage characteristics were recorded. Carcass characteristics of the drakes were also measured at 20 weeks of age. The average fertility was 75.42% and hatchability on total egg set and fertile egg set basis were 61.79 and 82.10%, respectively. The body weight between male and female showed sexual dimorphisms with respect to body weight and conformation traits from 4th week onwards in Kuzi ducks. The least square body weight recorded at 8 weeks of age in male, female and pooled over sexes were 1,388, 1,231 and 1,282 g, respectively. Heritability estimates for different juvenile traits were moderate to high in magnitude for the traits studied. Body weight recorded at 20 weeks of age was 1,818 g in male and 1,628 g in female. Total edible carcass yield was 76.48% at 20 weeks of age in male. Multi-colour is found to be dominant plumage colour. The study revealed that Kuzi ducks of Odisha have very good potential for duck farming in the country and the body weight of the duck may be improved by selection of the birds and the drake (male) may be used for meat purpose. The growth of the ducklings was very fast from 2 to 8 weeks of age.

Small intestinal mucosal cells in piglets fed with probiotic and zinc: a qualitative and quantitative microanatomical study.

Probiotics and zinc are commonly used and beneficial in pig production. This work aimed to assess the effects of probiotic and zinc on the mucosal cells of the small intestine in respect to digestive capacity and immunity in pre- and post-weaned piglets. Eighteen Large White Yorkshire piglets were divided equally into control and treatment groups. The piglets were maintained in standard management conditions and were weaned at 28 days of age. The treatment group of piglets fed a mixture of probiotics orally at 1.25 × 109 CFU/day and zinc at 2000 ppm/day from birth to 10 days of age. At three different age-groups viz. day 20 (pre-weaning) and, day 30 and day 60 (post-weaning), the animals were sacrificed. For histomorphology, the tissue samples were processed and stained with Mayer's haematoxylin and eosin for routine study, combined periodic acid-Schiff-Alcian blue for mucopolysaccharides and Masson-Hamperl argentaffin technique for argentaffin cells. The stained slides were observed under the microscope. The samples were processed as per the standard procedure for scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The statistical analysis of the data using the appropriate statistical tests was also conducted. The mucosal epithelium of villi and crypts were lined by enterocytes, goblet cells, argentaffin cells, microfold (M-cell) cells, tuft cells and intraepithelial lymphocytes. The multipotent stem cells were located at the crypt base. The length of the enterocyte microvilli was significantly longer (p < 0.05) in the treatment group of piglets. The number of different types of goblet cells and argentaffin cells was more in treated piglets irrespective of segments of intestine and age. The intraepithelial lymphocytes were located in apical, nuclear and basal positions in the lining epithelium of both villus tip and base with their significant increase in the treatment group of piglets. The transmission electron microscopy revealed the frequent occurrence of tuft cells in the lining mucosa of the small intestine in treated piglets. Dietary supplementation of probiotic and zinc induced the number of different mucosal cells of villi and crypts in the small intestine that might suggest the greater absorptive capacity of nutrients and effective immunity in critical pre and post-weaned piglets.

The Equine Faecal Microbiota of Healthy Horses and Ponies in The Netherlands: Impact of Host and Environmental Factors.

Simple SummarySeveral studies have described the bacterial composition in the intestines of horses, and several factors of influence have been detected. Variation in the results between studies, however, is substantial. Therefore, the current study aimed to study the bacterial composition in the faeces of healthy horses and ponies kept under standard housing and management condition in The Netherlands. Seventy-nine horses and ponies originating from two farms were included. Several factors, such as location, age, the season of sampling, horse type (horses vs. ponies) and pasture access significantly affected the bacterial composition. The current study provides important baseline information on variation in the bacterial composition in healthy horses and ponies under standard housing and management conditions. The aforementioned factors identified in this study to affect the bacterial population of the gut should be considered in future studies regarding the bacterial population of the equine gut.Several studies have described the faecal microbiota of horses and the factors that influence its composition, but the variation in results is substantial. This study aimed to investigate the microbiota composition in healthy equids in The Netherlands under standard housing and management conditions and to evaluate the effect of age, gender, horse type, diet, pasture access, the season of sampling and location on it. Spontaneously produced faecal samples were collected from the stall floor of 79 healthy horses and ponies at two farms. The validity of this sampling technique was evaluated in a small pilot study including five ponies showing that the microbiota composition of faecal samples collected up to 6 h after spontaneous defaecation was similar to that of the samples collected rectally. After DNA extraction, Illumina Miseq 16S rRNA sequencing was performed to determine microbiota composition. The effect of host and environmental factors on microbiota composition were determined using several techniques (NMDS, PERMANOVA, DESeq2). Bacteroidetes was the largest phylum found in the faecal microbiota (50.1%), followed by Firmicutes (28.4%). Alpha-diversity and richness decreased significantly with increasing age. Location, age, season, horse type and pasture access had a significant effect on beta-diversity. The current study provides important baseline information on variation in faecal microbiota in healthy horses and ponies under standard housing and management conditions. These results indicate that faecal microbiota composition is affected by several horse-related and environment-related factors, and these factors should be considered in future studies of the equine faecal microbiota.

Effects of addition chitosan-oligosaccharide of snail shell in the diet on quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) performance and carcass characteristics

It is well documented that feed additives improve livestock productivity through improving feed intake, feed efficiency, and livestock health status. Oligosaccharide is categorized as a prebiotic additive that can modify the microbial ecosystem in the small intestine by creating an environment that is more favorable for nonpathogenic bacteria’s growth. Current research investigates the effects of chitosan-oligosaccharide (COS) from snail shells in the diet on quail performance and carcass characteristics. A total of 100 female DOQ were placed in a Completely Randomized Design, five treatments and four replicates with five birds for each replicate and were kept under standard management conditions for six weeks. Basal diet consisted of corn, rice bran, soybean, fish meal, coconut oil, minerals, methionine, and lysine, and was mixed in such a way to achieve 22% protein. Treatments were the basal diet without feed additive (T1) as the negative control, the basal diet with 28 ppm preparation of lactate acid bacteria, LAB (T2) as the positive control, the basal diet with 200 ppm of COS (T3), the basal diet with 400 ppm of COS (T4), and the basal diet with 600 ppm of COS (T5). The birds were having free access to the diets and drinking water. Bird’s weight and feed intake were recorded weekly. At the end of the experiment, two birds from each cage were selected and slaughtered for carcass assessment and weight digestive organ. The variables are feed intake, live weight gain, feed conversion ratio, carcass yield, breast meat weight, and organ weight. The data were analyzed by using Anova and comparison tests using the Duncan test. The results revealed that the addition of COS in the diet significantly reduced (P<0.05) feed intake, carcass yield, and dressing percentage and improved (P<0.05) feed conversion ratio, liver, and two ceca (P<0.05). Other parameters were not different (P>0.05) between treatments. Therefore, it could be concluded that the inclusion of chitosan-oligosaccharide (COS) in the diet improved quail performance by enhancing feed efficiency.

Timing of harvesting reverses the effect of cutting twice with ratoon rice

A new ratoon rice cropping method known as the SALIBU system, which uses the lower nodes of the stubble, is gradually spreading throughout the tropical regions. In a previous study, the technology package, ‘cutting twice’ has a large effect on the number of ratoons (tillers), and interestingly, the effect has a large positive effect under poor management conditions, but a medium negative effect under standard management conditions. The conditions included fertilizing, water management, and growth stage at harvesting; however, which of these conditions has the greatest effect on the effect of ‘cutting twice’ remains unclear. We performed a pot experiment focusing on fertilizer and timing of harvesting, to clarify which of the level of fertilizer or the delay of harvesting time affects the number of ratoons. The results showed that with a short delay in harvesting there were almost no ratoons, a long delay in harvesting resulted in many ratoons. This indicates the negative effect of cutting twice occur due to earlier harvesting. Generally, the growth of ratoons depends on the carbohydrate reserves of the stubble. Hence, in the case of a single harvest, the ratoons decrease with the delay in harvesting. On the other hand, cutting the stem increases dead buds in the nodes closer to the ground. Namely, the second cut will remove the high node buds and reduce the incidence of ratoons. As for adding fertilizer results in more ratoons steadily. Harvesting earlier (at the physiological maturation stage; 25% green husk) than normal is emphasized in the SALIBU technology package. However, our results show the ‘cutting twice’ reduces the number of ratoons when harvesting early.

Seasonal Variations in Semen Quality of Pasundan Bulls in their Native Tropical Environment

The success of artificial insemination highly depends on the semen quality, in which it may significantly associate with the environmental factor. However, the information regarding the seasonal effects on semen quality of Pasundan bulls is still scarce. This study aimed to examine seasonal variation in semen quality of Pasundan bulls in their native environment. A total of 203 ejaculates produced by two Pasundan bulls aged at four years old were used in this study. The bulls were kept under standard management conditions in Lembang Artificial Insemination Center. The results showed that mean values of semen volume, sperm concentration, total sperm number, individual sperm motility, post-thawing sperm motility and frozen semen production of Pasundan bulls were 5.7 mL, 1.17 billion/ml, 6.57 billion/ejaculate, 62.1,0 40.6 and 272% doses/ejaculate, respectively. Semen volume, individual sperm motility and post-thawing sperm motility were not affected by different seasons (P>0.05). Whereas, the significant reduction of sperm concentration (P<0.05), total sperm number (P<0.01) and frozen semen production (P<0.01) were observed in the dry season as compared to the rainy season. The minor change in ambient temperature, maximum ambient temperature, relative humidity and temperature-humidity index were detected between seasons. On the other hand, about 52% greater sunshine duration was detected in the dry season compared to the rainy season. In conclusion, the semen quality of Pasundan bulls is reduced during the dry season, which is considerably associated with the increase in sunshine duration.

Productive and reproductive performances of two-breed and three-breed pig crosses with Niang Megha, Hampshire and Duroc inheritance reared under subtropical Eastern Himalayan hilly climate.

The objective of the study was to evaluate the performance of different crossbreeds, viz., two-breed crosses including HN-50 (50% Hampshire × 50% Niang Megha) and HN-75 (75% Hampshire × 25% Niang Megha) and three-breed cross, HND (25% Hampshire × 25% Niang Megha × 50% Duroc) for suggesting suitable crossbred pigs with appropriate inheritance for subtropical Eastern Himalayan hilly climate. These crossbreed pigs were reared in standard management conditions in Nucleus Pig Breeding Farm of ICAR RC for NEH region. A total of 1995 records were collected which included data on production performance (n = 1466), reproductive performance (n = 428) and carcass traits (n = 101) from farm record book maintained over a period of 7years. Productive performance included body weight, ADG and FCR at different stages of growth. The study revealed productive performance was highest in two-breed cross of pigs with 75% H inheritance (HN-75) and three-breed cross (HND) pigs. Reproductive performance included ages at puberty, first conception and first farrowing, along with inter-farrowing interval, pregnancy and farrowing rate as well as litter performance. The HN-75 was found to be having shorter inter-farrowing interval and higher pregnancy rate than other genetic groups. Regarding carcass traits, three-breed cross had a higher dressing percentage and less back-fat thickness than other crossbred pigs. Two breed crosses of pigs were found to be having a higher back-fat thickness than three-breed cross pig, and HN-75 had a better dressing percentage than HN-50. Thus, it was concluded that three-breed cross was recommended for lean meat production, and two-breed cross HN-75 was recommended for both breeding and fattening purposes for subtropical Eastern Himalayan hilly climate.

Impact of Probiotic and Zinc on Brush-border Enzyme and Histoenzymatic Profile in the Small Intestine of Pre and Post-weaned Piglets

Background: Probiotics and zinc are commonly used and beneficial in pig production. This work aimed to assess the effect of probiotic and zinc on brush-border enzyme activity and histoenzymatic study of the small intestine in pre and post-weaned piglets. Methods: Eighteen LWY piglets were divided equally into control and treatment groups. The piglets were maintained in standard management conditions and were weaned at 28 days of age. The treatment group of piglets fed a mixture of probiotics orally @ 1.25 x 109 CFU/day and zinc @ 2000 ppm/day from birth to 10 days of age. At three different age-groups viz. day 20 (pre-weaning), day 30 (weaning) and day 60 (post-weaning), the animals were sacrificed. For disaccharidase enzyme estimation, the mucosal brush border of the small intestine was scrapped off and the experiment was conducted. For histoenzymatic assay, the small intestine samples were preserved in liquid nitrogen at -196ºC immediately after sacrifice. They were sectioned at 10µm thickness maintained at -20ºC and stained for different histochemical staining. The statistical analysis of the data using the appropriate statistical tests was also conducted. Result: The activity of different brush-border enzymes such as maltase, sucrase and lactase was more in the treatment group of piglets. The activity of different histochemical enzymes such as alkaline phosphatase, acid phosphatase, adenosine tri-phosphatase and non-specific esterase was increased in the treated group of piglets.

Effect of polyphenol extract on performance, serum biochemistry, skin pigmentation and carcass characteristics in broiler chickens fed with different cereal sources under hot-humid conditions.

This study investigated the interaction between polyphenols with different cereal sources and their effects on performance, serum biochemistry, corticosterone levels and carcass characteristics in broiler chickens reared under hot-humid environment. Newly hatched coloured broiler chicks (n = 240) were randomly divided into six groups with five replicates of two different cereal sources, namely corn and broken rice-sorghum combined, and three levels of pomegranate peel polyphenol extracts (PPP) 0, 50 and 100 mg/kg in each cereal groups. Birds were maintained under standard management conditions for six weeks during hot-humid environment (Temperature: 29–36 °C; Relative Humidity: 69–80%). Fortnight body weight and feed consumption were recorded and serum biochemical constituents were estimated at 28 and 42 days of age. The body weight gain was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in broken rice-sorghum diet than in corn diet. The supplementation of polyphenols increased the skin and shank pigmentation. Serum protein, lipids and minerals showed significant difference due to cereals, polyphenols and their interactions. Corn-fed birds had significantly higher visceral organs weight than the alternate grain-fed broilers. The serum corticosterone levels were significantly reduced in the PPP supplemented groups than the control, it could be concluded that, supplementation of 50 mg/kg polyphenol extract from pomegranate peels improved production performance in broilers fed broken rice-sorghum as cereal source under hot-humid conditions.

Amelioration of immunosuppressive effects of aflatoxin and ochratoxin A in White Leghorn layers with distillery yeast sludge

The present study was carried out with the objectives to thrash immunotoxic effects of moldy feed in commercial White Leghorn layers and to know either addition of distillery yeast sludge (DYS) in moldy feed ameliorates the immunotoxic effects or not. For this purpose, moldy feed was prepared containing OTA and AFB1 56 and 136 μg/kg, respectively. For this purpose, 100, 40-week-old White Leghorn hens were procured and kept under standard management conditions. Birds were divided into five equal groups. Birds were kept on moldy feed (ochratoxin A: 56 μg/kg and aflatoxin B1: 136 μg/kg) mixed with 0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2% DYS/kg moldy feed. Group A served as control. Blood was collected without anticoagulant to separate serum. Serum ALT, creatinine and blood urea levels significantly increased in moldy-fed group as compared to control group, while nonsignificantly different readings of serum ALT, creatinine and blood urea were recorded in moldy feed + 2% DYS and control group. Immune parameters, that is, lymphoproliferative response to PHA-P, phagocytic potential and total protein and IgG titers against sheep RBCs were significantly decreased in birds receiving moldy feed as compared to control group. Almost all parameters studied were normal compared to control group with the addition of 2% DYS in moldy feed, while 1% DYS partially ameliorated the immunotoxic effects of mycotoxins.

Effects of gentle interactions on the relationship with humans and on stress-related parameters in group-housed calves

AbstractAlthough the relationship between farm animals and humans has strong implications for animal welfare and productivity, there have been few experimental studies on the influence of gentle interactions in group-housed calves. In the present study, Austrian Simmental calves were housed in groups of four under standard management conditions. Fourteen calves experienced 40 min of additional gentle interactions in the form of stroking and gentle talking during the first four weeks of life, whereas the remaining eleven calves did not. The animals’ fear of humans was measured by avoidance distance tests on 33 and 76 days of age and by an arena test that comprised three phases — isolation, presence of a human, isolation — at 34 days of age. The very low avoidance distances did not differ significantly between the groups. In the arena test, there was less behaviour indicative of stress in the presence of the experimenter compared with the isolation phases. Heart-rate measurements showed a corresponding pattern. Control calves showed more tail-flicking than stroked calves and had higher concentrations of salivary cortisol before and after the test. There were no other significant differences between the groups. The minor number of behavioural differences may result from the control animals’ good relationship with humans, ie there is a ceiling effect. If the general contact between stockpeople and calves is gentle and negative experiences are minimised, it is possible to achieve a good calf-human relationship without additional efforts.

Effect of Supplementation of Licorice Root (Glycyrrhiza Glabra L.) Extracts on Immune Status in Commercial Broilers

An experimental study was designed with the objective of exploring the effect of supplementation of Glycyrrhiza glabra extracts on immune status in commercial broilers. Fifty four, day old, straight run broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 3 treatment groups (T 1 - unsupplemented; T 2 - supplemented with 1% G. glabra crude extract powder and T 3 - supplemented with 0.1% G. glabra s tandardized extract powder) consisting of three replicates of six chicks each. The birds were reared under standard and uniform management conditions throughout the experimental period. Ranikhet-LaSota strain was used to produce antibodies against Ranikhet disease virus. All the birds were also immunized against Sheep Red Blood Cells (SRBC). HI titre values against Ranikhet (LaSota) and HA titre values against SRBC antigens were estimated to assess the humoral immunity. The Serum Biochemical Parameters viz., serum total protein and albumin were estimated and serum globulin and albumin:globulin ratio were calculated. To assess the cell mediated immunity, total and differential white blood cell counts were performed. The group supplemented with 0.1% licorice standardized extract has shown significantly (p<0.01) higher HI titre value against Ranikhet disease virus, than the other groups, on day 42, whereas, there was no significant differences among the groups on days 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35 in HI titre values. Licorice root standardized extract supplemented group performed better than other groups in increasing HI titre values throughout the study period. Against SRBC antigen, significant differences (p<0.01) were observed among the groups on days 21, 28, 35 and 42 in HA titre values (p<0.01). Licorice root standardized extract supplemented group performed better than other groups in increasing HA titre values throughout the study period. No significant differences were noticed among groups in 2 weeks and 6 weeks except on 4 weeks in which significant (p<0.01) differences were noticed in serum albumin, serum globulin and albumin:globulin ratio. No significant differences were observed in the total WBC and differential cell counts throughout the study period among different treatment groups. This shows that licorice root extracts do not have any direct effect on cell mediated immunity.

Population structure and effect of inbreeding on lamb growth in Bharat Merino sheep

The objective of present study was to evaluate the population structure and genetic variability in the Bharat Merino, a synthetic sheep evolved and maintained under standard farm management conditions and also to observe any possible effect of inbreeding on lamb growth and heritability estimate. The pedigree of 5723 animals born between 1975 and 2006 was available, out of which 5115 were in the population reference for which estimates were obtained. Effective number of founders (fe) was 55, representing 12.79% of the potential number of founders in population reference. The effective number of ancestors (fa) was 40 and the genetic contribution of the 14 most influent ancestors explained 50% of the genetic variability. The realized effective population size of the flock was 89.29±2.13. The ratio fe/fa which expresses the effect of population bottlenecks was 1.375. The average inbreeding coefficient for the whole analyzed pedigree and for inbred animals was 2.32% and 4.8%, respectively. The average relatedness coefficient between individuals of the population was estimated to be 4.23%. The inbreeding coefficient increased with the addition of each generation to the pedigree. In the reference population, 6.69% individuals had more than 6.25% Fi. Although the levels of inbreeding in the flock were under control, looking in to the closed structure of the flock, accumulation of higher inbreeding in some individuals was inevitable. Study revealed non-significant effect of individual inbreeding or change in inbreeding on the lamb live weights, except birth weight where every one percent increase in inbreeding (Fi) was found to negatively affect the birth weight in lambs by 0.019kg. Estimate of heritability for birth weight was little higher (0.27±0.03) when inbreeding was included in the model as compared to little lower estimate (0.26±0.03) where inbreeding was excluded.

A Fluctuating Thermal Regime Improves Long-Term Survival of Quiescent Prepupal &lt;I&gt;Megachile rotundata&lt;/I&gt; (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae)

The alfalfa leafcutting bee Megachile rotundata (F.) is the primary pollinator for alfalfa seed production. Under standard management conditions, the alfalfa leafcutting bee develops to the diapausing prepupal stage under field conditions, after which they are cold-stored at a static temperature until the following spring, when temperatures are raised and development resumes. We have assessed the effects of a fluctuating thermal regime (FTR) during overwintering cold storage, where bees were exposed to a daily 1 h pulse of 20 degrees C, and compared viability and insect quality to bees stored under a static thermal regime. Our results demonstrate that implementing an FTR protocol dramatically increases the survival of cold-stored alfalfa leafcutting bees, effectively extending their shelf-life into the subsequent growing season. These findings could substantially ameliorate significant obstacles that restrict the more widespread use of this important pollinator, such as the biological constraints that restrict its use in early blooming crops, and yearly fluctuations in bee prices that add significant financial uncertainty to end users. This study also strengthens a growing body of evidence that indicates FTR protocols are superior to static thermal regime protocols for insect cold storage.