Comparative Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics and Meat Quality of Local Horro and Exotic Cockerels of Tropical Origin Fed Growers Diet

Growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of male chickens were evaluated using eight-week-old 360 cockerels from three exotic (Koekoek, Kuroiler and Sasso-R) and one Ethiopian indigenous (Horro) genotypes. Cockerels in each breed (90) were randomly allocated into three replications of 30 birds each and housed in deep litter pens for the experiment that lasted for 8 to 16 weeks. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design. Seven birds per breed were slaughtered at the end to determine carcass yield, chemical composition and quality attributes of meat. The Kuroiler breed has higher body weight, body weight change (1621.8 g), average daily gain (28.9 g/day), daily feed consumption (127.4 g/day) and better feed conversion ratio (4.40) than other breeds. The Kuroiler breed has heavier slaughter weight (2716.3 g), dressed carcass weight (2201.0 g), eviscerated carcass weight (1905.1 g), breast weight (537.7 g), thigh weight (303.1 g) and drumstick weight (274.8 g) than other breeds. Total edible offal was higher for Kuroiler (324.2 g) and Sasso-R (306.1 g), intermediate in Koekoek (204.4 g) and low in Horro (152.4 g) breed. The relative proportion of breast and drumstick (% slaughter weight) were lower in Koekoek and Sasso-R (17.3 and 8.9) breeds, respectively. Abdominal fat weight (13.7 g and 1.02%) was lowest in Horro. Sasso-R showed higher percent edible offal weight (13.4%) than Horro breed (11.4%). The DM content in breast and thigh meat was higher for Horro breed than the rest. The CP content in the breast and thigh meat was lower for the Kuroiler and Koekoek breeds, respectively. Higher EE in the thigh meat was recorded for Sasso-R (8.9%), whereas, EE content in the breast meat was similar (3.4% - 3.7%) among the breeds. Flavor, tenderness, juiciness and general acceptability of breast and thigh meat were not affected by breed. The highest net return was observed in the Kuroiler breed. Based on the results obtained, it is suggested that the Kuroiler breed can be used for cockerel meat production in Ethiopia where intensive broiler production is not well developed.

Haematological and Serum Biochemistry Profile of Cockerels Experimentally Infected with <i>Salmonella enterica</i>Serovar Zega

Salmonellosis is a serious medical and veterinary problem worldwide and causes great concern in the food and livestock industries, especially the poultry industry which occupies a prominent position in the provision of animal protein and accounts for about 25% of local meat production in Nigeria particularly and is identified as a disease of major economic importance causing low performance in poultry production. The study was carried out at the experimental animal farm, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. One hundred (100) five-week old chickens obtained from the Poultry division of National Veterinary Research Institute, Vom, were used for the experiment. The birds were randomly assigned to 4 groups of 25 birds per group (A, B, C, D). Each bird in all the groups received 0.5 ml of PBS containing 1 × 108 cfu/ml of Salmonella enterica serovar Zega as follows: Group A was infected with Salmonella Zega intra-nasally (IN). Group B was infected with Salmonella Zega intra-peritonealy (IP). Group C was infected with Salmonella Zega orally (OR). Group D was the Uninfected control (CT). There was a significant change (p 0.05) in the mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) in the infected groups compared across the different days post infection. There was significant increase (p Salmonella Pullorum and Salmonella Gallinarum that are known to cause pathology in birds Salmonella Zega which is none host specific for birds can also cause pathology in them. This is the first report in the study area to the best of our knowledge.

Comparison of slow freezing and vitrification methods for Venda cockerel’s spermatozoa

An improvement in avian semen cryopreservation is essential and has the potential to improve the cryo-gene banking efficiency. This study compared two cryopreservation methods (slow freezing and vitrification) and the effect of different thawing/warming temperatures (5℃, 25℃ and 41℃) on Venda cockerel’s spermatozoa. Semen samples from Venda cockerels were diluted with modified Kobidil+ extender supplemented with 8% dimethyl sulfoxide. Semen from each ejaculate was stained with nigrosin/eosin for viability examination. The cryopreserved samples were either slow cooled in 0.25 mL straw or vitrified in a solid surface vitrification (SSV) device. Semen straw or cryovial was stored in liquid nitrogen container. The straw or cryovial with sperm was thawed or warmed at 5?C, 25?C and 41℃ and analysed by a Computer-Aided Sperm Analysis (CASA). There was a significant difference in live/normal sperm between the semen donors. Cockerels spermatozoa cryopreserved by slow freezing (43%) and thawed at 5?C had a significantly higher survival and motility rate compared to vitrification (2.5%) method. In conclusion, there was higher rate of live/normal morphology sperm. Cryopreservation process reduces sperm motility and velocity rate regardless of cryoprevervation method and thawing or warming temperatures. However, slow freezing was a better method to maintain motility of spermatozoa following cryopreservation.

Composition and Physico-Chemical Properties of Meat from Capons Fed Cereals

Chemical composition, physico-chemical properties and fatty acid composition of breast and drumstick meat from capons （castrated male cockerels） fed cereals were studied. Three groups of capons were reared. One group was fed ad libitum the same commercial diet until the 4th mon of life. The last month of its life, the capons of this group were fed corn. The second and third group of capons were fed the same diet from caponization. The second group was fed mixture of corn （50%） and wheat （50%）. The third group of capons was fed 2/3 corn and 1/3 mixture of corn （50%） and barley （50%）. Capons were reared under free-range conditions and slaughtered at 150 d of age. Caponization was performed at 48 d. No signiifcant effects of feeding in chemical composition, pH, water holding capacity, drip and cooking losses and texture of the meat were observed. The meat of the third group （capons fed 83%corn） was more yellow and showed higher content of C18：2 than that of the other capons.

Occurrence and Damage of Ferrisia virgata Cockerell on Longan (Dimocarpus longgana Lour.) in Guangdong Province of China

Ferrisia virgata （Cockerell） is a post with wide distribution and broad range of host plants, but apparently it has not yet known to be an important post in China. Survey on pests of longan （Dimocarpus longgana Lour. ） in Zhangjiang of Guangdong Province in 2011 found that F. virgata had caused serious damage on production of longan. The paper first reported damage status of F. virgata on longan and also preliminarily introduced field identification characterlstics and host plants of F. virgata reported.

The Response of Cockerel Semen Kinematic Parameters LIN, STR, WOB, ALH and BCF to Induced Oxidative Stress

Computer-assisted sperm class analyser (CASA) analysis of avian semen following cryopreservation indicates that their semen motility and viability parameters become compromised, due in part to oxidative stress. To mimic these observations we have treated cockerel semen with an oxidative stress inducing agent, namely hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and monitored the motility, kinematic and viability parameters over time. Briefly, five healthy and fertile South African Venda cockerels were selected and their semen was collected using the abdominal massage technique. The semen was then treated with H2O2 at 0 µM, 5 µM, 50 µM and 200 µM concentrations for 0, 3, 16 and 24 hrs. The semen motility, kinematic and viability parameters were then determined using the CASA system while the viability was determined using the SYBR-14/PI staining. The Pearson’s correlation coefficient was determined to test the relationships between the levels of induced oxidative stress, period of exposure to oxidative stress inducing agent and the motility plus kinematic parameters. Our data revealed that in raw cockerel semen, there was high and positive correlations between total motility (TM), progressive motility (PM), rapid (RAP), curvilinear velocity (VCL), straight line velocity (VSL) and average path velocity (VAP) while the kinematic parameters LIN, STR, WOB, ALH and BCF had low or negative correlations with them. Furthermore, TM, PM, RAP, VCL and VSL remained highly and positively correlated with the induced oxidative stress and also, linearity (LIN), straightness (STR), wobble (WOB), amplitude of lateral head displacement (ALH) and beat cross frequency (BCF) remained negatively correlated with the induced oxidative stress, after 3 hrs. After 24 hrs, TM, PM, RAP, VCL, VSL, VAP and ALH, became negatively correlated with the induced oxidative stress while LIN, STR, WOB and BCF became positively correlated with the induced oxidative stress. Conversely, when the H2O2 concentration used was correlated with motility and kinematic parameters over time, TM, PM, RAP, VCL, VSL, VAP became negatively correlated with oxidative stress while LIN, STR, WOB, ALH and BCF show negative or low correlations with the induced oxidative stress. This data indicates that LIN, STR, WOB, BCF and to some extend ALH, reveal the least correlations with the induced oxidative stress under persistent oxidative stress conditions in cockerel semen. In conclusion, cockerel semen, like buck semen, does not easily succumb to oxidative stress since the raw semen correlations of CASA analysed parameters are comparable to these observed after 3 hrs of H2O2 treatment. In addition, the oxidative stress levels tolerated by cockerel semen should not 5 µM H2O2 oxidative stress levels. Lastly, lack of correlation between LIN, STR, WOB, BCF and ALH and induced oxidative stress can be used in cockerel semen to show intolerable cryopreservation conditions.