Cage type and mineral nutrition had independent impact on skeletal development in Lohmann LSL-Lite pullets from hatch to 16 weeks of age

The effects of rearing cage type and dietary Ca,available P and vitamin D_(3)(VitD_(3))on body and skeletal development were studied.A total of 3,420 Lohmann LSL-Lite day-old chicks were reared in conventional(CON)or furnished cages(FUR)to 16 wk of age.Initially,40 and 150 chicks/cage were placed in CON and FUR and transitioned to 20 and 75 chicks/cage at 8 wk of age,respectively.Three diets:Diet 1,Diet 1.5 and Diet 2 were formulated to meet nutrient specifications with Diet 1.5 and Diet 2 containing 1.5 and 2 times more Ca,P and VitD_(3)than Diet 1,respectively.Diets were allocated within cage type to give 6 replicates and fed in 3 feeding programs:starter,grower and developer.At 4,12 and 16 wk of age,BW was recorded,and femur,tibia and blood samples for bone quality and related parameters.There were no interactions(P>0.05)of cage type,diet and pullet age on BW,plasma Ca and inorganic P,femur and tibia morphometry,mineral density(MD),breaking strength(BS)and ash concentration(AC).Concentration of Ca,P and VitD_(3)linearly decreased BW(P<0.001),relative femur(P=0.010)and tibia weight(P=0.013).A quadratic increase on femur MD(P=0.03)and BS(P=0.026)was observed with dietary concentration of Ca,P and VitD_(3).Femur(P=0.031)was longer for CON than FUR pullets,however,femur for FUR pullets had higher(P=0.003)AC.Cage had no effect(P≥0.415)femoral MD and BS.Pullets reared in FUR cages exhibited higher tibial MD(P=0.015),BS(P=0.071),AC(P<0.01)and whole-body mineral content(P<0.01).In conclusion,cage type and diets showed independent effect on femur and tibia quality with FUR pullets exhibiting enhanced indices of mineralization.Feeding pullets twice the recommended Ca,P and VitD_(3)decreased BW,relative weight of leg bone but enhanced femoral strength with no effects on tibia attributes.

Modification of perchery system:Preference for ramps rather than ladders during early adaptation period for cage-reared pullets

Poor early adaptation in aviaries has adverse effects on welfare and the later production.Effects of system modification by ramps and ladders on early adaptation of birds were investigated.A total of 240 pullets and 24 cockerels of Yukou Jing Pink II parent stock were allocated into six perchery compartments at the age of 83 days from conventional cages.Three compartments were modified with ramps of different angles,30°,40°and 30°&50°combination.The other compartments were fitted with 2 ladders,with 22 cm steps and 33 cm steps.Spatial distribution of birds and eggs,as well as the data of ramps and ladders utilization were used to assess birds’adaptation and the effectiveness of modification facilities.A higher proportion of hens got onto the tiered platforms in ramp group(p<0.001)and engaged in feeding(p=0.002).Inversely more than 85.0%of hens dwelled on the system floor in the ladder group for the whole observation period.The proportion of birds feeding increased over time(p<0.001),with the proportion of birds lying decreasing(p<0.001).A higher frequency of utilization of ramps was found compared with ladders(4.5-25.8 vs.2.8-14.7 times/40 birds per hour).For ramp use,79.3%of hens negotiated level change by using 30°ramp and behavioral process was also found related with the type of ramps.On the contrary,very few successful level changes were observed via ladders and 60%of ladder use was ended with birds backing to the system floor.Besides,a higher proportion of non-nest eggs was recorded in ladder group in the early laying period.These results indicated that modification of ramps is more applicable for improving birds’early adaptation and later production in perchery system of multi-tier,especially for pullets reared in conventional cages.

Some Serum Metabolites and Haematological Parameters of Pullet Chicks Fed Cassava Root Products(CRPs)

Blood biochemistry is routinely used in veterinary medicine to evaluate the health status of animals and poultry.The experiment was designed to evaluate serum metabolites and haematological parameters of pullet chicks fed cassava root products(CRPs).Diet 1 contained 100%maize and served as the control diet(CD).Diets 2,3 and 4 contained 50%unpeeled cassava chip(UCC),unpeeled cassava pellet(UCP)and unpeeled cassava grit(UCG),respectively,while diets 5,6 and 7 contained 100%of respective cassava products.There were three replicates of 10 birds each in a completely randomized design.At the seventh week,blood samples were carefully collected from three birds from each replicate for haematological indices and serum metabolites.Results on haematological indices showed that values recorded were not adversely(p<0.05)affected by dietary treatments.Birds fed CD had packed cell volume(PCV),haemoglobin(Hb),red blood cell(RBC),mean corpuscular haemoglobin(MCH)and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration(MCHC)values that were similar(p>0.05)to values recorded by birds fed cassava based diets.The respective values ranged from 18.50%to 24.50%,11.30 g/dL to 12.75 g/dL,2.43×10^6/mm^3 to 3.69×10^6/mm^3,32.96μmg to 50.87μmg and 44.65%to 63.41%.Serum glucose and thiocyanate were significantly(p<0.05)affected by inclusion of CRPs.Serum thiocyanate of birds fed the CD(0.14 mg/dL)was lower(p<0.05)than values recorded for those fed 50%and 100%UCC,UCP and UCG(2.33 and 2.56,2.25 and 2.47,2.19 and 2.38 mg/dL,respectively).Also values of serum glucose of birds fed 100%UCC,UCP and UCG(181.52,179.64 and 173.24 mg/dL,respectively)were higher(p<0.05)than CD.However,serum protein and its fractions were not affected.Conclusively,haematological indices were not adversely affected by dietary treatment,but serum glucose and thiocyanate were affected.

Nutritional modulation of health, egg quality and environmental pollution of the layers

World egg production and consumption have been increasing for the past decades. Traditional strategies in poultry nutrition have made vital contributions to this great growth in quantity. However, current global issues should be considered in modern egg production such as growing populations and food security, food safety and quality, limited resources and environmental problems. The development of knowledge of poultry nutrition and modern biotechnology provides novel nutritional approaches to closely fit the requirement of pullets and laying hens, which will consequently decrease the nutrition excretion and maintain the lower cost of feed. Nutrition has also been widely accepted as a strategy to influence health and diseases of laying hens. The maintenance of good health is an important prerequisite for improving productivity and egg quality. In addition, there are many measures and strategies for minimizing the incidence of egg defects and providing a choice of lifestyle to enhance human health. This paper reviews current research progress on developing innovative technologies and strategies to maximize animal health and performance, improve the quality of egg products and minimize pollution caused by poultry production.