Intoxication Induced by Urea Containing Diets in Broiler Chickens: Effect on Weight Gain, Feed Conversion Ratio, Hematological and Biochemical Profiles

Urea as a source of cheap non-protein nitrogen is used to adulterate fish and meat meals which are basic components of broiler diets. The present study was carried out to elucidate the effects of urea on weight gain, and hematological and biochemical profiles. A total of 48 broiler chicks were randomly allotted into 4 groups, designated Groups 1, 2, 3 and 4 of 12 birds each. Birds in Groups 2, 3 and 4 were fed on diets containing urea at the levels of 1%, 2.5% and 4%, respectively. Birds in Group 1 served as control and were not exposed to urea. Experimentation period was for 3 weeks and experiment was terminated when birds were 42 days of age. Body weight of all intoxicated birds at the various intervals was significantly decreased in comparison with that of the untreated control. Compared with control, all intoxicated broilers manifested significant (P ≤ 0.05) decrease in all hematological parameters involving erythrocytic and total leucocytic counts, Hemoglobin (Hb) and Packed Cell Volume (PCV) on a dose- and time-pattern. In comparison with the control levels, biochemical profile of the intoxicated birds disclosed significant decrease in blood glucose level and significant increase in serum uric acid, urea, Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) and Lactate Dehydrogenase (LDH) levels. Based upon the present data, it was concluded that the addition of urea to broiler diets bears serious sequences concerning the general health condition, performance, weight gain, and hematological and biochemical profiles.

Genomic polymorphisms at the crhr2 locus improve feed conversion efficiency through alleviation of hypothalamus-pituitary-interrenal axis activity in gibel carp(Carassius gibelio)

Improvement in fish feed conversion efficiency(FCE)is beneficial for sustaining global food fish supplies.Here,we show that a set of polymorphisms at locus of the corticotropin releasing hormone receptor 2(crhr2),which is involved in hypothalamuspituitary-interrenal(HPI)axis signaling,is associated with improved FCE in farmed allogynogenetic gibel carp strain CAS Ⅲ compared with that in the wild gibel carp strain Dongting(DT).This set of polymorphisms downregulates the expression levels of crhr2 mRNA in the brain and pituitary tissues in gibel carp strain CAS Ⅲ compared with those in strain DT.Furthermore,compromised HPI axis signaling is observed in gibel carp strain CAS Ⅲ,such as decreased α-melanocyte stimulating hormone protein levels,plasma cortisol content,and stress responses.Moreover,enhanced activation of protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1 signaling observed in the muscle tissue of strain CAS Ⅲ in comparison to that in strain DT indicated elevated anabolic metabolism in strain CAS Ⅲ.Thus,these studies demonstrate that the genetic markers associated with compromised HPI axis signaling,such as crhr2,are potentially useful for genetic selection toward improvement in farmed fish growth and FCE,which would reduce fishmeal consumption and thereby indirectly facilitate sustainable fisheries.

Growth and Diet Utilization Efficiencies of Overwinter Juvenile Mud Crabs Fed with Different Diets

[Objectives]To study the utilization efficiency of different diets for juvenile Scylla paramamosain.[Methods]Low-value fish,shrimp,clam and clamworm were fed to overwintering young mud crabs,and the performance of the feed was evaluated by growth,feed utilization and energy allocation.[Results]Shrimp-fed mud crabs showed the best growth performance,while fish-fed mud crabs showed the worst growth performance and converted the least protein and energy for growth.Shrimp-fed mud crabs molted more frequently,and the dry matter mass and energy of Exuviation were significantly higher than those of fish-fed mud crabs.The shrimp-fed crabs also had significantly higher food intake than those fish-fed crabs.The order of feed conversion efficiency(FCE)of fish-fed mud crabs was Polychaete>clam>shrimp>fish,while the order of FCE calculated with FCE-P and FCE-E was Polychaete>clam>shrimp>fish.Fish-fed mud crabs had the least energy intake and the least energy for growth,molting,excretion,metabolism,and feces.Among the four treatments,the mud crabs fed on Polychaete had the largest proportion of energy used for growth,while the mud crabs fed on fish had the largest proportion of energy used for molting.The proportion of energy consumed by mud crabs fed on Polychaete was the smallest,which may be the main reason for the higher FCE-P and FCE-E of mud crabs fed on Polychaete.[Conclusions]The results of this experiment showed that the utilization of low-value fish by mud crabs was the worst,suggesting that fish should not be used as control or reference food when studying the formula feed of mud crabs.

Effects of exogenous enzymes, Lactobacillus acidophilus or their combination on feed performance response and carcass characteristics of rabbits fed sugarcane bagasse

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Lactobacillus acidophilus（LAC）, exogenous enzymes of ZAD（exogenous enzyme preparation） or their combination on feed conversion, and dressing of rabbits fed different treatments of sugarcane bagasse（SCB）. Five rations were allotted randomly to five groups of New-Zealand White（NZW） rabbits（n=10） with initial live body weight of（838±42.4） g and 5 weeks of age. Rabbits were fed on diets with different sources of fiber as follows,（i） a control diet composed of 100% berseem hay and 0% SCB,（ii） 50% berseem hay and 50% untreated SCB（USCB）,（iii） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with L. acidophilus（LAC）,（iv） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with ZAD（ZAD）, and（v） 50% berseem hay and 50% SCB treated with a combination of LAC＋ZAD（LZ）. Treatments of SCB with L. acidophilus, ZAD and LAC＋ZAD had the highest feed conversion ratio than both USCB and control. The dressing percentage of rabbits that fed the LAC and LZ diets was higher（P〈0.05） compared with that in the other groups. Performance index（PI） for LAC group was improved（P〈0.05） compared to that for the other groups; however, PI for USCB group was the lowest（P〈0.05）. It could be concluded that treating SCB with L. acidophilus, exogenous enzymes of ZAD or their combination improved feed conversion and performance with more positive effects with L. acidophilus than the other treatments.

Linkage between the intestinal microbiota and residual feed intake in broiler chickens

Background:Intestinal microbiota plays a key role in nutrient digestion and utilization with a profound impact on feed efficiency of livestock animals.However,the intestinal microbes that are critically involved in feed efficiency remain elusive.Methods:To identify intestinal bacteria associated with residual feed intake(RFI)in chickens,male Cobb broiler chicks were individually housed from day 14 to day 35.Individual RFI values were calculated for 56 chickens.Luminal contents were collected from the ileum,cecum,and cloaca of each animal on day 35.Bacterial DNA was isolated and subjected to 16S rRNA gene sequencing.Intestinal microbiota was classified to the feature level using Deblur and QIIME 2.High and low RFI groups were formed by selecting 15 and 17 chickens with the most extreme RFI values for subsequent LEfSe comparison of the difference in the microbiota.Spearman correlation analysis was further performed to identify correlations between the intestinal microbiota composition and RFI.Results:No significant difference in evenness,richness,and overall diversity of the microbiota in the ileum,cecum,or cloaca was observed between high and low RFI chickens.However,LEfSe analysis revealed a number of bacterial features being differentially enriched in either high or low RFI chickens.Spearman correlation analysis further identified many differentially enriched bacterial features to be significantly correlated with RFI(P<0.05).Importantly,not all short-chain fatty acid(SCFA)producers showed a positive association with RFI.While two novel members of Oscillibacter and Butyricicoccus were more abundant in low-RFI,high-efficiency chickens,several other SCFA producers such as Subdoligranulum variabile and two related Peptostreptococcaceae members were negatively associated with feed efficiency.Moreover,a few closely-related Lachnospiraceae family members showed a positive correlation with feed efficiency,while others of the same family displayed an opposite relationship.Conclusions:Our results highlight the complexity of the intestinal microbiota and a need to differentiate the bacteria to the species,subspecies,and even strain levels in order to reveal their true association with feed efficiency.Identification of RFI-associated bacteria provides important leads to manipulate the intestinal microbiota for improving production efficiency,profitability,and sustainability of poultry production.

Analysis of York Pigs Feeding Behavior Using Stepwise Regression and Principal Component Regression

A statistical analysis was conducted on the feeding behavior of 106 York breeding pigs.Pearson correlation analysis,principal component correlation analysis and multiple stepwise regression equation methods were applied to establish regression equations of the York breeding pigs total feed intake per time and average feed intake per time with corrected fat thickness,feed conversion rate,and corrected daily gain.The results showed that:①there were three peak feed intake periods for the pigs,and the correlation coefficient between the feed intake and the corrected fat thickness of the pigs in the 24 h period was positive or negative,that is,increasing the number of feeding times and the feed intake was not necessarily conducive to the fat thickness accumulation,but the breeding goal of fat thickness could be achieved by controlling the feeding times and feed intake;②the average feed intake of pigs in the 60-90 kg body weight stage was 30%-50%higher than that of the 30-60 kg body weight stage,but the number of feeding times decreased,the peak feeding time was more concentrated,and the feeding duration per time was 3.0 min longer,indicating that as the weight of pigs increased,the feed intake increased significantly;and③the stepwise regression equations and the principal component equations showed that the feeding behavior of York pigs in the 30-90 kg growth stage was not only affected by the feeding time within 24 h,but also by environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.The feeding behavior of York pigs is a complex process of interaction between environmental factors and animal factors.

Feeding Effect of Growing-Finishing Pigs under Fine Division of Feeding Stages

In order to study the feeding effect of fine division of feeding stages on the growing-finishing pigs,96 healthy Duroc × Landrace ×Yorkshire hybrid commercial pigs with similar age in days,size,and body weight about 15 kg,half boars and half sows,randomly divided into3 treatments( each treatment repeated 4 times,and each repetition 8 pigs). According to the body weight division standard,three stages,four stages,and five stages of feeding were adopted separately. The daily ration of with different nutrition levels was used,body weight and feed consumption were measured,and effects of different feeding methods on body weight increase,feed utilization,and economic benefits of growing-finishing pigs. The results showed that compared with the three-stage feeding,the body weight of five-stage and four-stage feeding increased by 4. 18%( P < 0. 01) and 2. 41%( P < 0. 05),respectively,and the body weight of five-stage feeding increased by 1. 74%( P < 0. 05) compared with that of four-stage feeding; the daily feed consumption of five-stage and four-stage feeding increased 3. 10%( P < 0. 01) and 1. 70%(P <0. 01),respectively,and the daily feed consumption of five-stage feeding was 1. 37% higher than that of four-stage feeding. The feed cost of five-stage feeding and four-stage feeding increased 3. 32%( P < 0. 01) and 1. 61%( P < 0. 05) separately,and the feed cost of five-stage feeding was 1. 69% higher than that of four-stage feeding( P < 0. 01). The income from average body weight increase of five-stage and fourstage feeding increased by 5. 47%( P < 0. 01) and 3. 59%( P < 0. 01) respectively,and the benefit of average body weight increase of fivestage feeding was 1. 81% higher than that of four-stage feeding( P > 0. 05). The crude protein consumption from average body weight increase of five-stage and four-stage feeding decreased by 2. 28%( P < 0. 01) and 1. 68%( P < 0. 01),respectively; the crude protein consumption from average body weight increase of five-stage feeding was 0. 67% lower than that of four-stage feeding; the feed conversion ratio of five-stage feeding,four-stage feeding,and three-stage feeding was 2. 92,2. 93,and 2. 95 respectively. The results showed that compared with the threestage feeding,the four-stage and five-stage feeding could significantly increase the body weight of the growing-finishing pigs,improve the feed utilization level and improve the economic benefits,and the effect of five-stage feeding was better than the four-stage feeding.

Residual Feed Intake as a Measure to Select Genetically Productive Beef Cattle: A Review

Measures such as residual feed intake(RFI)have been increasingly considered to select cattle with superior feed efficiency,as it is a characteristic of feed efficiency calculated as the difference between observed intake and estimated intake considering metabolic weight and the weight gain.Estimated feed intake is obtained through the multiple regression equation of observed consumption on metabolic mean live weight and weight gain.The standard was shared among animals into one herd selected for low RFI(high efficiency)and compared to the one selected for high RFI(low efficiency).There was no correlated response in weight per year and in weight gain,and the effectiveness of low RFI selection in reducing feed costs was proven without affecting production.However,selection of animals with negative RFI is not done by selecting animals directly according to the size of the viscera,rather it is done indirectly,that is,when selecting the most efficient animals and normally these animals already have the smallest viscera size.The RFI is a trait that presents genetic variability,selectable to improve and has moderate heritability,between 0.30 and 0.35.The RFI is important because it reduces the direct economic impacts of reduced feed intake,as well as the effects of environmental impact on reducing methane emissions from enteric fermentation of ruminants.

The Effect of Quantitative Feed Restriction Duration on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Broiler Chickens

The growth productivity of broilers is influenced by improving growth performance through improving body weight, average daily gain, and feed conversion rate. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of quantitative feed restriction duration on growth performance and carcass characteristics of broilers. A total of 144 day-old broiler chicks were reared in a deep litter system until slaughter at 42 days. Chicks were randomly allocated to three treatments which were replicated three times with 16 birds per replicate. The three treatments were the control (T1), one week of feed restriction (T2), and two weeks of feed restriction (T3). Birds were fed with starter, grower and finisher diets. The average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) were computed for each week. Carcass weight and internal organs weights were measured. The body weight gained by the birds in T1 was similar to the birds that were restricted for a week. The treatments had a significant effect on the average daily gain in weeks 4, 5, and 6. The ADG for T2 was higher (P < 0.05) at week 5 after 1 week of restriction, than T1 and T3. The feed conversion ratio was significantly higher in T3 after 2 weeks of restriction. In T2 and T3, feed intake was significantly lower than in birds fed ad libitum at week 4 at the start of the treatment. There was no significant effect on the relative weights of heart weights, liver, gizzard, feet, and heads among the treatment groups except for intestine weight which was lower (P < 0.05) in T1 than T2 and T3. It was concluded that broilers that were restricted for one week had a positive result in growth performance. Feed restriction had minimal effect on the organ weights of broiler chickens.

Growth Response and Fatty Acid Composition of Juvenile Procambarus clarkii Fed Different Sources of Dietary Lipid

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding various sources of dietary lipid on weight gain, feed conversion, survival and fatty acid composition of juvenile red swamp crawfish, Procam-barus clarkii. Six semi-purified diets containing vitamin-free casein, defatted soybean meal, 0. 5% choline chloride, 0. 5% glycine and 0. 5% cholesterol were supplemented with 6. 0% of either anchovy oil, linseed oil, soybean oil, rapeseed oil, safflower oil or pork lard. Each diet was fed to crawfish (3. 07±0. 21 g average weight) in three replicate aquaria for 60 days. Survival rate, weight gain and feed conversion were best for crawfish fed the diet containing anchovy oil. Crawfish fed the linseed oil diet had the second highest weight gain, followed by crawfish on soybean oil, repaseed oil, safflower oil and pork lard diets, respectively. Feed conversion values were a reflection of weight gain. Results showed that both n-6 and n-3 fatty acids are dietary essential for juvenile Procambarus clarkii, although n-3 fatty acids promoted faster growth than n-6. However, highly unsaturated fatty acids (HUFA) (20 : 5n-3 and 22 :6n-3) had better growth-promoting effect than 18 : 3n-3, due probably to the limited ability of crawfish to bioconvert fatty acids to polyenoic forms of longer chain length. The fatty acid composition of the crawfish generally reflected that of the dietary lipids, especially for the diets containing unsaturated fatty acids.

Total Replacement of Fish Oil with Vegetable Oils in the Diet of Juvenile Jade Perch Scortum barcoo Reared in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems

To determine the replacement of fish oil with vegetable oils in the diet of juvenile Jade perch Scortum barcoo, four feeds with each a different oil （fish, sunflower, linseed and a mixture of 75% canola and 25% linseed oil）, were fed to Jade perch reared in recirculating aquaculture systems （RAS）. The trial lasted for 10 weeks and the fatty acid （FA） profile of both feed and fish muscle tissue were examined. There was no difference in growth, feed conversion rate （FCR） and mortality. The fish grew from 10 g to 110 g with a FCR of 1.25 and 0 mortality. The FA profile of the fish muscle tissue reflected the FA profile of the feed. The flesh of the fish that were fed the linseed oil diet, were extremely high in omega-3 （n-3） polyunsaturated FA （n-3 PUFA） with 3.75% of wet weight. This is one of the highest concentrations of n-3 PUFA ever recorded in fish flesh. In a finishing feeding test, the remaining vegetable oil fed fish were fed the fish oil diet for another two weeks immediately after the 10 weeks trial, to check for a possible recovery of n-3 highly unsaturated fatty acids （HUFA）. The wash out rate of FA towards n-3 HUFA in the muscle tissue was about 25% over this two weeks period.

Effect of Zinc Methionine Supplementation on Productive Performance of Lactating Friesian Cows

Twelve lactating Friesian Cows with body weight of 450 to 550 kg and in the second to fifth lactating season were used after 8 weeks of cal- ving in a complete switch-back design. The cows were fed a basal ration of 35% concentrate feed mix-ture with 40% berseem and 25% rice straw （ on a dry matter （DM） basis） without supplementation （ G1 ） or supplemented with 5 and 10 g zinc methionine per head per day （G2 and G3, respectively）. Nutrient digestibility coefficients and nutritive values were significantly increased （P 〈0.05） by zinc methionine supplementation. Cows in G2 had the highest feed intake of total digestible nutrients （TDN） and digestible crude protein （DCP）, followed by Ga and G1, respectively （ P 〈 0.05 ）. The ruminal total volatile fatty acid concentration increased and ammonia nitrogen decreased significantly （ P 〈 0.05 ） by zinc methio-nine supplementation. Cows in G3 showed the highest plasma total protein, albumin, and globulin concen- trations （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Zinc methionine supplementa- tion led to significant decreases （ P 〈 0.05 ） in the activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase. A significant increase （ P 〈 0.05 ） was observed in the milk yield for G2 （2.54 kg/d or 18. 1% ） and G3 （ 1.95 kg/d or 14.2% ） compared with the control group. The corresponding increase in 4% fat-corrected milk （FCM） was 2.85 and 2.03 kg/d （21.63% and 15.74% ） for G2 and G3, respectively. Cows in G2 had the highest fat, total protein, and total solids contents, and the yield of all milk constitu- ents and animals in G3 showed the highest lactose, solids-not-fat, and ash contents. Zinc methionine sup- plementation improved feed conversion, reducing the quantities of DM, TDN, and DCP required to pro- duce 1 kg of 4% FCM （P〈0.05）. The average dai- ly feed cost per kilogram of 4% FCM decreased and the average income from milk production increased with zinc methionine supplementation （ P 〈 0.05 ）. Quadratic analysis showed that the optimal level of zinc methionine supplementation is 6 g per head per day in terms of milk yield and net revenue.

Study of the Compensatory Growth Following Starvation of Juvenile Golden Pompano Trachinotus ovatus

A starvation trial was conducted to determine compensatory growth of the juvenile golden pompano Trachinotus ovatus which were deprived of food for 1, 2, 5 and 7 days respectively. The results of tests in outdoor cement pools and net pens showed that, in the first 15 days and 30 days, the growth of 1 day and 2 days-deprived groups was probably the same with that of control group, which accorded with fully compensatory description. However, the weight of 5 days and 7 days-deprived fingerlings were lower than that of the control group, which accorded with the description of the partial compensatory growth. As the starvation prolonged, feed conversion efficiency of the starved groups increased and was higher than the control group. Meanwhile, feeding rate also increased, but the fish of 1 day and 2 days-deprived groups was lower than that of the control group, and feeding quantity reduced and was lower than that of the control group. It suggested that the mechanism of compensatory growth was mainly due to improving feed conversion efficiency. Fish biochemical composition was analyzed： the water content and ash of fish sample increased due to starvation, while the lipid and protein decreased. The loss of lipid was greater than that of the protein, and the biochemical composition of fish in each group was restored to the control level by the end of the experiment. It suggested that Trachinotus ovatus may mainly consume lipid during the period of starvation.

Impacts of Date Palm Seeds （Phoenix dactyliferous L.） on Growth Indices and Nutrient Utilization of Common Carp Cyprinus carpio L,

This study was carried out to study the effect of adding different levels of date palm seed （Phoentix dactyliJProus） powder in the diet of common carp （Cyprinus carpio） at fish laboratory of Animal Production Department, College of Agricultural Sciences, Sulaimani University, Sulaimani, Iraq. The actual experimental feeding trials were conducted for 70 d and the adaptation period for 21 d. A total of 81 common carp fingerlings weighted 62 ± 2 g were divided into three experimental groups. The control treatment T1 was with 0 g date palm seed, T2 with 2.5 g date palm seed per kg diet and T3 with 5 g date palm seed per kg diet. Each treatment was in three replicates in which three common carp fingerlings were stocked in each aquarium which fed the experimental diets twice daily. The results indicated that weight gain （WG） and specific growth rate （SGR） in the third treatment （T3） group were significantly higher than those of fish fed control diets. T2 consumed more diet than other treatments with 306.940 g with higher feed conversion ratio （FCR）; T3 was higher significantly in food efficiency. No significant （P 〈 0.05） differences obtained from consumed protein while the protein efficiency ratio was significantly higher in T3 with 319.323. Control was higher significantly in flesh weight without viscera with the third treatment; in flesh weight without head and viscera each the control and the second treatment was significantly higher than the third treatment. As a conclusion, the date palm seeds powder have a positive effect on growth performance of common carp.

Cost of Production at Business Unit in Aquaculture Industry： Study at Aquafarm Nusantara Company

Types of industry are manifold, patterns used in the determination of the cost of production can also vary. Elements of the cost of production are raw materials, direct labor, and factory overhead. Value of raw materials used in aquaculture industry in particular needs to calculate the cost of feed consumed by fish, thus greatly affect the price of fish feed cost of production. The calculation of the value of raw materials in fish production cost element to consider is the calculation of the value of raw material components, namely, （1） biomass of harvestable fish as the basic multiplication cost of production per kilogram or per fish harvested fish; （2） the ratio of fish feed intake by the amount of fish produced or often called the Feed Conversion Ratio （FCR）; and （3） the average purchase price of feed on fish harvest period is used as the basis for calculating the cost of production as well. This research is applied research that uses data archive aquaculture companies. The results in the observed period, the value FCR is 0.80, which means to fish have been consumed as much as 0.80 kg of fish feed. Biomass of fish that are harvested at 47,399.95 kg or 1,869,647 individuals. The average purchase price of fish feed on the observation period amounted to IDR 4,855.79. So the price of raw materials contained in harvested fish in the observation period calculates the value of multiplying all the components of raw materials （i.e., IDR 184,131,362.57）. Method of calculating the cost of production companies is process method and charging method used is the full costing method.

Performance of Broilers Supplemented with Natural Herb Extract

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of a natural herb extract on the general performance, carcass parameters and mortality of broiler chicks. A total of 720 one-day old chicks (Cobb 500) were used in the experiment and randomly partitioned into nine pens (80 chicks per pen). Three experimental diets (C: regular starter feed;CC plus: regular starter feed supplemented with chicken plus herbal extract;AFC plus: antibiotic-free diet supplemented with chicken plus) were assigned each to three randomly selected pens. The herbal extract was supplemented in drinking water at rate of 300 ml/cubic meter. Results showed that weights, feed conversion ratios (FCR) and dressing percentages (DP) increased (P < 0.05) in birds supplemented with herb extract compared to control birds. Mortalities and sudden deaths were minimized via herbal supplementation. However, herbal supplementation had no significant effects on carcass cuts and some visceral organs. The relative economic efficiency (REE) was up to 13% improved by the herb supplementation. It can be concluded that feeding the herbal extract has significant positive effects on broilers general performance as feed efficiency is increased by 11% and on mortality and sudden death cases.

Feed profile analysis of oil palm‐integrated beef cattle farming systems by metabolic energy budgeting and implications for beef production and pastoral system design

Background:Oil palm is a tropical crop with worldwide plantings approaching 20 million ha and large areas in Indonesia,Malaysia and Thailand.The plantations are readily managed as silvopastoral systems incorporating cattle grazing(Oil Palm Silvopastoral System for Cattle,OPSC)but there is a need for analytical tools and data to understand system herbage supply and feed conversion efficiency(FCE).Methods:Metabolic energy budgeting was used to estimate herbage harvested by cattle in three OPSC subsystems,9 and 12 years after oil palm establishment,and FCE of the subsystems was determined.Understorey herbage was also analysed for nutritive value,botanical composition and herbage accumulation within one grazing‐regrowth cycle.Results:The herbage‐harvested estimate was 2.0−2.4 t dry matter(DM)ha^(-1) year^(-1) for 9 year old subsystems and 1.4-1.7 tDMha^(-1) year^(-1) for a 12 year old subsystem.Herbage metabolisable energy(ME)was 8.3−8.5 MJ kg^(-1) DM and crude protein(CP)was 15%-16%DM.FCE values for subsystems ranged from 32 to 94 kg DM kg^(-1) liveweight‐gain.Conclusions:Herbage DM yield is declining,while herbage ME is marginal but CP is adequate.FCE is suboptimal but can be optimised by defining the trajectory of declining herbage production with canopy closure as plantations age and matching stocking rate to herbage supply using a comparativestocking‐rate‐type statistic.

Ascertaining the potential effects of temperature on growth,survival and feeding of different juvenile clown fish

Objective:To determine the physiological and ecological responses of marine ornamental fishes to the change of water temperature with its potential effects on the growth,survival and feeding in clown fish.Methods:Three different sea anemone fish(Premnas biaculeatus,Amphiprion clarkii,Amphiprion akallopisos)were reared in confinement at water temperatures of 26,28,30,32,and 34℃using thermostat and they were maintained up to the marketable size,and growth,survival and feeding were evaluated during the experimental period.Results:The results illustrated that water temperature influenced the physiological performance of juveniles of three different sea anemone fish significantly.The growth and survival rates of juveniles of three different clown fish significantly increased with the increase of water temperature from 26℃to 34℃(P<0.05).Water temperature also influenced the feeding of three different clown fish significantly with feed conversion ratio increased from(0.071±0.020),(0.075±0.030)and(0.079±0.028)to(0.057±0.040),(0.047±0.030)and(0.045±0.028)for Premnas biaculeatus,Amphiprion clarkii and Amphiprion akallopisos respectively with increase of water temperature from 26℃to 34℃(P<0.05).Specific growth rates(P<0.05)increased significantly with increase of water temperature and positively correlated with the feed conversion ratio,indicating that growth rates are significantly increased with increase of temperature.Conclusions:This study deliberately reveals that the physiological response of juveniles of clown fish as the change of water temperature and substantiated that water temperature influenced juvenile growth,survival and feeding significantly.This study also put forward that the reduced growth,survival and feeding of juveniles at lower temperature which have ecological impacts on clown fish juveniles in settlement and population replacement in the wild.

Effects of different levels of urea supplementation on nutrient intake and growth performance in growing camels fed roughage based complete pellet diets

The utilization of urea in camels has beneficial and negative effects. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of different levels of urea supplementation on nutrients intake, digestibility,growth performance, feed efficiency and economics in growing camels fed roughage based complete pellet diets. In the present study, eighteen growing camels with an average live body weight of306.17 ± 2.05 kg were randomly assigned in three treatments: T1 = roughage complete pellet diet without urea,T2 = T1 plus 1% urea,and T3 = T1 plus 2% urea. The results showed that the urea supplementation significantly affected average daily feed and nutrient intake of dry matter(DM), organic matter(OM), crude protein(CP), neutral detergent fiber(NDF), and acid detergent fiber(ADF)(P < 0.05).On the contrary, the average daily intake of nitrogen free extract(NFE) and water were not influenced by increasing urea supplementation(P > 0.05). Similarly, digestion coefficient of DM, CP, ether extract(EE),crude fiber(CF) and ADF was influenced by increasing urea level(P < 0.05), while the digestion coefficient of OM, NFE and NDF was not affected by increasing urea level(P > 0.05). The intake of digestive nutrients was similar among all treatment groups. Total body live weight gain and average daily gain were significantly higher in urea supplemented groups(P < 0.05) than in the control group. The supplementation of urea at 1% in low quality roughage complete pellet diets significantly improved(P < 0.05) the feed efficiency. In conclusion,these results indicated that the incorporation of urea at 1% in roughage based complete pellet diets could positively improve nutrients intake, digestibility, growth performance and feed conversion efficiency of growing camels.

Growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs fed diets supplemented with benzoic acid

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the efficacy of benzoic acid on the growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs. A randomized complete block design was used in both experiments with the initial body weight as the blocking factor. There were 3 treatments corresponding to 3 dietary levels of benzoic acid: 0, 0.3%, and 0.5%. In experiment 1, a total of 144 PIC L1050 barrows(initial body weight 7.1 ± 0.6 kg) were used with each treatment replicated 8 times. In experiment 2, a total of 288 PIC L1050 barrows(initial body weight 36.1 ± 3.6 kg) were used with each treatment replicated 16 times.There were 6 barrows in each replicate pen for both experiments. Experiments 1 and 2 lasted 28 and 70 days, respectively. In experiment 1, average daily gain(ADG) of all growth phases increased linearly(P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of benzoic acid, which led to a linear improvement in average body weight on d 28(P < 0.05). There was also an improvement in feed conversion ratio(FCR) of d 0 to 14(linear effect: P < 0.05) and in average daily feed intake(ADFI) of d 14 to 28 and d 0 to 28(linear effect:P < 0.01). In experiment 2, ADG during d 0 to 35 and d 35 to 70 and average body weight on d 35 improved linearly(P < 0.05) with increasing supplementation of benzoic acid. Average daily gain of d 0 to70 and average body weight on d 70 increased significantly in a both linear and quadratic manner. There was a linear improvement in FCR in all growth phases(P < 0.05). In conclusion, the dietary inclusion of benzoic acid at the supplementation levels of 0.3% and 0.5% significantly improved the growth performance of nursery and grower-finisher pigs in the current study; the nursery pigs responded to the dietary supplementation of benzoic acid up to 0.5% linearly while the grower-finisher pigs achieved the optimal ADG at the calculated supplementation level of 0.36%.