scholarly journals Differences in Tibia Shape in Organically Reared Chicken Lines Measured by Means of Geometric Morphometrics

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Domitilla Pulcini ◽  
David Meo Zilio ◽  
Francesco Cenci ◽  
Cesare Castellini ◽  
Monica Guarino Amato
Keyword(s):  
Geometric Morphometrics ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Growth Speed ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Static Behavior ◽  
Walking Behavior ◽  
Organic Farm ◽  
Genetic Types ◽  
External Reference ◽  
Slow Growing

In the present study, the conformation of the tibia of seven genetic lines of broilers was analyzed by Geometric Morphometrics and correlated to carcass weight and walking ability. The used chicken genetic lines were classified as fast, medium, or slow growing and ranked for their walking ability. Six chicken types were reared in an organic farm and slaughtered at 81 days of age while one slow-growing and highly walking line (Naked Neck) was reared in a commercial farm and used as external reference for moving activity and growth speed. A mixed landmarks and semi-landmarks model was applied to the study of tibia shape. Results of this study showed that: (i) body weight gain was positively correlated to the curvature of the antero-posterior axis of the tibia; (ii) the shape of the tibia and the active walking behavior were significantly correlated; (iii) walking and not-walking genetic lines could be discriminated in relation to the overall shape of the tibia; (iv) a prevalence of static behavior was correlated to a more pronounced curvature of the antero-posterior axis of the tibia. Results of this study revealed that the walking genetic types have a more functional and natural tibia conformation. This easy morphologic method for evaluating tibia shape could help to characterize the adaptability of genotypes to organic and outdoor rearing.

scholarly journals Effects of an Elevated Platform on Welfare Aspects in Male Conventional Broilers and Dual-Purpose Chickens

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Malchow ◽  
Lars Schrader
Keyword(s):  
Animal Welfare ◽  
Broiler Chickens ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Meat Production ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Dual Purpose ◽  
Foot Health ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Moderate Growth ◽  
Slow Growing

To avoid killing day-old male chicks, one possibility is to keep dual-purpose chicken strains. Here, the hens were kept for egg production, and the roosters were kept for meat production. Both sexes had moderate performances compared to the respective hybrid chicken strains. However, until now, little has been known about whether male dual-purpose chickens may profit from enrichment in the environment in which broiler chickens are raised under conventional conditions. This study aims to further investigate the suitability of elevated structures for dual-purpose chickens (Lohmann Dual) with moderate growth and for fast-growing male broiler chickens (Ross 308). In two consecutive trials, we kept 686 Ross and 672 Dual chickens in 24 compartments (2 trials × 2 strains × 6 compartments). Half of the compartments were equipped with elevated grid platforms at a height of 50 cm (enriched group). In the other half of the compartments, no platforms were installed (control group). We analyzed the usage of the elevated platforms by scan sampling and assessed animal-based (walking ability, plumage cleanliness, and foot health) and management-based (litter quality) indicators. Both strains showed increasing use of the elevated platforms from the first week of life onwards. However, the fast-growing chickens used the elevated platform less than the slow-growing chickens. At the end of the fattening period, the birds used the elevated grids more at night than during the daytime. Slow-growing chickens kept in enriched compartments showed a better walking ability. In general, slow-growing chickens had better plumage conditions and foot health compared to fast-growing chickens. Our results show that natural behaviors such as perching can be supported by offering elevated platforms and that animal-based indicators such as walking ability can be improved, at least in slow-growing chickens. Moreover, the use of an alternative chicken strain avoids killing day-old male chicks, and in addition, these chickens show fewer animal welfare problems than a conventional fattening strain. Thus, the use of male chickens of a dual-purpose strain can substantially contribute to improving animal welfare in broiler meat production.

scholarly journals Slow-growing broilers are healthier and express more behavioural indicators of positive welfare

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann C. Rayner ◽  
Ruth C. Newberry ◽  
Judit Vas ◽  
Siobhan Mullan
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Broiler Chicken ◽  
Litter Quality ◽  
Health Benefits ◽  
Stocking Density ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Post Mortem ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Welfare Benefits ◽  
Slow Growing

Abstract Broiler chicken welfare is under increasing scrutiny due to welfare concerns regarding growth rate and stocking density. This farm-based study explored broiler welfare in four conditions representing commercial systems varying in breed and planned maximum stocking density: (1) Breed A, 30 kg/m2; (2) Breed B, 30 kg/m2; (3) Breed B, 34 kg/m2; (4) Breed C, 34 kg/m2. Breeds A and B were ‘slow-growing’ breeds (< 50 g/day), and Breed C was a widely used ‘fast-growing’ breed. Indicators of negative welfare, behavioural indicators of positive welfare and environmental outcomes were assessed. Clear differences between conditions were detected. Birds in Condition 4 experienced the poorest health (highest mortality and post-mortem inspection rejections, poorest walking ability, most hock burn and pododermatitis) and litter quality. These birds also displayed lower levels of behaviours indicative of positive welfare (enrichment bale occupation, qualitative ‘happy/active’ scores, play, ground-scratching) than birds in Conditions 1–3. These findings provide farm-based evidence that significant welfare improvement can be achieved by utilising slow-growing breeds. There are suggested welfare benefits of a slightly lower planned maximum stocking density for Breed B and further health benefits of the slowest-growing breed, although these interventions do not offer the same magnitude of welfare improvement as moving away from fast-growing broilers.

scholarly journals Effects of Dietary Quebracho Tannin on Performance Traits and Parasite Load in an Italian Slow-Growing Chicken (White Livorno Breed)

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 684 ◽  
Author(s):  
Margherita Marzoni ◽  
Annelisse Castillo ◽  
Alessandro Franzoni ◽  
Joana Nery ◽  
Riccardo Fortina ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Parasite Load ◽  
Feed Conversion ◽  
Eimeria Spp ◽  
Performance Traits ◽  
Quebracho Tannin ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Slow Growing ◽  
Old Females

Tannins have shown numerous biological activities and are very appreciated in food animal production, especially for their antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antivirus effects. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of two levels of dietary Quebracho tannin (QT) on growth and performance traits, and possible effects on intestinal parasite load in Italian White Livorno pullets. A 140-day trial was carried out on 180 35-day-old females, fed on two levels of dietary QT inclusion: 0%, 1% and 2%. Birds were reared under free-range conditions. Dietary Quebracho tannin may be used up to 1% in growing female White Livorno chickens without any adverse effects. The results observed in this study on the use of dietary QT at 2% might have not reflected the real effect on performance traits due to the initial inclusion of dietary QT at 3%. Nevertheless, by reducing QT to 2%, a progressive normalization of body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio was observed, resulting in compensatory growth. QT was demonstrated to drastically reduce fecal outputs of Nematodes eggs (Ascaridia spp. and Heterakis spp.) and Coccidia oocytes (Eimeria spp.). The inclusion of 2% produced highly dry droppings.

Is the rotarod test an objective alternative to the gait score for evaluating walking ability in chickens?

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Malchow ◽  
A Dudde ◽  
J Berk ◽  
ET Krause ◽  
O Sanders ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Model ◽  
Linear Mixed Model ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Gallus Gallus Domesticus ◽  
Rotarod Test ◽  
Score System ◽  
Fast Growing ◽  
Pharmacological Studies ◽  
Gait Score ◽  
Slow Growing

Walking ability is related to motor co-ordination which, in rodents, can be assessed by an established test in pharmacological studies — the rotarod test. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a modified rotarod test for chickens and its relation to the often-used gait score system. At the end of their rearing period, we tested 138 male chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) from three differing growth performance strains: Ross 308 (fast-growing; n = 46), Lohmann Dual (medium-growing; n = 46) and Lohmann Brown Plus (slow-growing; n = 46). First, the chickens gait scores were assessed and, immediately following this, they were placed gently onto a steady rod. The velocity of the rotating rod gradually increased, and the latency to leave the rod was recorded. By using a linear mixed model, we were able to show that the latency to leave the rotating rod was significantly predicted by the gait score. Fast-growing chickens had shorter durations on the rotating rod, and these durations were associated with gait score. We conclude that the rotarod test provides an objective alternative method for assessing walking ability in chickens without the need for intense observer training or the risk of observer biases and propose that this novel methodology has the potential to function as a precise, objective indicator of animal welfare.

scholarly journals Comparison of growth performance among channel-blue hybrid catfish, ccGH transgenic channel catfish, and channel catfish in a tank culture system

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nermeen Y. Abass ◽  
Zhi Ye ◽  
Ahmed Alsaqufi ◽  
Rex A. Dunham
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Growth Performance ◽  
Channel Catfish ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Genetic Types ◽  
Hybrid Catfish ◽  
High Quality Protein ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Female Hybrid

AbstractFish is an essential source of high-quality protein for people worldwide. The present study was designed to compare the growth performance among the channel-blue hybrid catfish, channel catfish transgenic for the channel catfish growth hormone (ccGH) cDNA driven by the antifreeze protein promoter from an ocean pout Zoarces americanus (opAFP-ccGH), and non-transgenic channel catfish control. Mean body weight of channel-blue hybrid catfish was 15.80 and 24.06% larger than non-transgenic channel catfish control at 4 and 18 months of age, respectively. However, transgenic opAFP-ccGH channel catfish were 5.52 and 43.41% larger than channel-blue hybrid catfish and 22.19 and 77.91% larger than their controls at 4 and 18 months of age, respectively. Significant differences in mean body weight between the sexes within all genetic types were found. Males were larger than females (P < 0.001). However, mean body weight of non-transgenic males was not larger than transgenic opAFP-ccGH females or male and female hybrid catfish. Condition factor of transgenic opAFP-ccGH channel catfish was higher (P < 0.05) than that of full-sibling, non-transgenic channel catfish and hybrid catfish. The mean percentage body weight gain of GH transgenic channel catfish was 559%, the channel-blue hybrid catfish was 384.9% and their non-transgenic controls channel catfish was 352.6%.

100 KV Scanning Microscope

1972 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 472-473 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. V. Crewe ◽  
M. W. Retsky
Keyword(s):  
High Voltage ◽  
Voltage Divider ◽  
Electron Gun ◽  
Objective Lens ◽  
Parallel Beam ◽  
Emission Point ◽  
Error Amplifier ◽  
External Reference ◽  
Scanning Transmission ◽  
Transmission Microscope

A 100 kv scanning transmission microscope has been built. Briefly, the design is as follows: The electron gun consists of a field emission point and a 3 cm Butler gun. The beam has a crossover outside the gun and is collimated by a condenser lens.The parallel beam passes through a defining aperture and is focused by the objective lens onto the specimen. The elastic electrons are detected by two annular detectors, each subtending a different angle, and the unscattered and inelastic electrons are collected by a third detector. The spectrometer that will separate the inelastic and unscattered electrons has not yet been built.The lens current supplies are stable to within one part per million per hour and have been described elsewhere.The high voltage is also stable to 1 ppm/hr. It consists of the raw supply from a 100 kv Spellman power supply controlled by an external reference voltage, high voltage divider, and error amplifier.

L-Ascorbic Acid Addition to Chitosan Reduces Body Weight in Overweight Women

2014 ◽  
Vol 84 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 5-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eun Y. Jung ◽  
Sung C. Jun ◽  
Un J. Chang ◽  
Hyung J. Suh
Keyword(s):  
Ascorbic Acid ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Skinfold Thickness ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Percentage Body Fat ◽  
Overweight Women ◽  
Body Weights

Previously, we have found that the addition of L-ascorbic acid to chitosan enhanced the reduction in body weight gain in guinea pigs fed a high-fat diet. We hypothesized that the addition of L-ascorbic acid to chitosan would accelerate the reduction of body weight in humans, similar to the animal model. Overweight subjects administered chitosan with or without L-ascorbic acid for 8 weeks, were assigned to three groups: Control group (N = 26, placebo, vehicle only), Chito group (N = 27, 3 g/day chitosan), and Chito-vita group (N = 27, 3 g/day chitosan plus 2 g/day L-ascorbic acid). The body weights and body mass index (BMI) of the Chito and Chito-vita groups decreased significantly (p < 0.05) compared to the Control group. The BMI of the Chito-vita group decreased significantly compared to the Chito group (Chito: -1.0 kg/m2 vs. Chito-vita: -1.6 kg/m2, p < 0.05). The results showed that the chitosan enhanced reduction of body weight and BMI was accentuated by the addition of L-ascorbic acid. The fat mass, percentage body fat, body circumference, and skinfold thickness in the Chito and Chito-vita groups decreased more than the Control group; however, these parameters were not significantly different between the three groups. Chitosan combined with L-ascorbic acid may be useful for controlling body weight.

Ex Vivo Inhibition of Platelet Aggregation in Patients with Severe Limb Arteriopathy Treated with BAY U3405, a Specific IX A2 Receptor Antagonist

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (05) ◽  
pp. 659-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Bellucci ◽  
W Kedra ◽  
H Groussin ◽  
N Jaillet ◽  
P Molho-Sabatier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Platelet Aggregation ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Randomized Study ◽  
In Vivo Studies ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Peripheral Blood Flow ◽  
Walking Ability ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Platelet Factor

SummaryA double-blind, placebo-controlled randomized study with BAY U3405, a specific thromboxane A2 (TX A2) receptor blocker, was performed in patients suffering from severe stade II limb arteriopathy. BAY U3405 or placebo was administered in 16 patients at 20 mg four times a day (from day 1 to day 3). Hemostatic studies were done before therapy, and on day 2 and day 3 under therapy. On day 3, BAY U3405 was shown to induce a highly statistically significant decrease of the velocity and the intensity of the aggregations mediated by arachidonic acid (56 ± 37% for the velocity, 58 ± 26% for the intensity) or by U46619 endoperoxide analogue (36 ± 35% for the velocity, 37 ± 27% for the intensity). Similar results were already observed on day 2. By contrast, such a decrease was not noticed with ADP mediated platelet aggregation. Furthermore, plasma levels of betathrombo-globulin and platelet factor 4 remained unchanged. Peripheral hemodynamic parameters were also studied. The peripheral blood flow was measured using a Doppler ultrasound; the pain free walking distance and the total walking ability distance were determined under standardized conditions on a treadmill. These last two parameters show a trend to improvement which nevertheless was not statistically significant. All together these results encourage further in vivo studies using BAY U3405 or related compounds on a long-term administration.

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