A.B. Mandal

Effect of in ovo threonine supplementation on early growth, immunological responses and digestive enzyme activities in broiler chickens

1. The effects of injecting threonine in ovo on early growth, some immunological responses and the activity of digestive enzymes of broiler chicks were investigated. Fertile eggs were distributed into 6 groups, each of 60. These were: untreated control, sham control, 10, 20, 30 or 40 mg threonine. Threonine was dissolved in 0·5 ml sterile saline and inoculated into the yolk sac of the 14-d-old embryo through the narrow end of the egg. 2. The ratio of chick to egg weight was 1·6% higher in the group given 30 mg threonine and at 28 d of age chicks receiving threonine were 29 to 79 g heavier than untreated controls. 3. Food conversion ratio until 7 d after hatching was improved in those chicks receiving 10, 20 or 40 mg threonine but there was no significant effect on the activities of amylase, pepsin or trypsin. 4. The humoral response to sheep red blood cells was significantly greater in those groups receiving 10, 20 or 30 mg threonine supplementation than in untreated controls. 5. The response to phytohaemagglutinin-P, a measure of the cell-mediated immune response, was not affected, however. 6. It is concluded that injections of 20 to 30 mg threonine into yolk sac can improve post-hatching growth and humoral responses of broiler chicks.

Effect of enzyme supplementation on the metabolisable energy content of solvent-extracted rapeseed and sunflower seed meals for chicken, guinea fowl and quail

1. The nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEN) content of solvent-extracted rapeseed and sunflower seed (un-decorticated) meals in relation to species (chicken, guinea fowl and quail) and dietary addition of feed enzymes (0 or 0·5 g/kg diet) was evaluated by a diet replacement method in a 3 × 2 factorial design. 2. The metabolism trial was conducted at two substitution levels (200 and 400 g/kg diet) of each meal with or without supplementation of commercial enzyme preparation in 6 individuals or 6 groups of cockerels, guinea fowls and quails. 3. The experimental diets were fed for a period of 12 d followed by a 3-d collection period during which total feed consumed and droppings output were quantitatively recorded. 4. The AMEN values of rapeseed meal for cockerels, guinea fowls and quails were 8·4, 8·7 and 8·8 MJ/kg, respectively, while the corresponding values for sunflower seed meal were 6·1, 6·1 and 6·2 MJ/kg dry matter, without enzyme supplementation. 5. The AMEN value of rapeseed meal did not improve with enzyme supplementation. However, AMEN values of sunflower seed meal significantly increased with enzyme supplementation, from 6·1 to 6·5 MJ/kg dry matter. 6. Since AMEN values of rapeseed meal and sunflower seed meal were similar in chicken, guinea fowl and quail, values reported for chicken could, therefore, be used for guinea fowl and Japanese quail.

Effects of feeding raw or reconstituted high tannin red sorghum on nutrient utilisation and certain welfare parameters of broiler chickens

1. A feeding trial was conducted on 360 1-d-old chicks from 0 to 6 weeks of age to assess the effect of processed high tannin red sorghum in the diet of broiler chickens on nutrient utilisation and certain welfare parameters. 2. Each of 9 dietary treatments was allotted to 4 groups (replicates) of chicks in a completely randomised design. The treatments were a maize–soy based standard broiler diet (control, RS0) and eight test diets formulated by incorporating either raw red sorghum (RS25, RS50, RS75, RS100) or reconstituted red sorghum ( ) replacing 25, 50, 75 or 100% of maize from the control diet. 3. The tannin content was reduced from 23 to 16 g/kg in reconstituted red sorghum. 4. Utilisations of nitrogen, calcium and phosphorus retention were similar in all the dietary groups. 5. The cell-mediated immune response measured as footpad index (FPI) value of birds given raw red sorghum was significantly higher than in control and reconstituted red sorghum groups. Similarly, comparatively better humoral response measured as HA titre value was observed in raw red sorghum based groups than in reconstituted ones. 6. Plasma albumin, globulin, protein, glucose, calcium, phosphorus, SGOT, SGPT and uric acid levels did not differ significantly due to dietary treatments. 7. Mild histopathological changes were observed in liver and kidney tissues of birds given raw red sorghum. 8. From the present study, it is concluded that (1) the reconstitution of high tannin red sorghum resulted in about 30% reduction in its tannin concentration; (2) the feeding of reconstituted sorghum based diets to broiler chickens did not exert any appreciable influence on nutrient utilisation, blood biochemicals and enzymes and gross pathological changes; and (3) the birds fed on raw red sorghum exhibited higher immuno-responsiveness in comparison to their reconstituted counterparts.

Comparative apparent metabolisable energy values of high, medium and low tannin varieties of sorghum in cockerel, guinea fowl and quail.

1. Nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy values (AMEN) of three varieties of sorghum (white—low tannin, brown—medium tannin and red—high tannin) were measured in three species of poultry (cockerel, guinea fowl and Japanese quail) by a practical diet replacement (total collection) method. 2. Each variety of sorghum was tested at two concentrations (200 and 400 g/kg of reference diet) in 6 replications with one cockerel or guinea fowl or two quails per replication. The duration of the trial included a 10 d preliminary feeding period (on conventional grower diet) followed by a 12 d adaptation period (on reference and test diets) and a 3 d balance period (with recording of feed intake and excreta output). 3. The calculated AMEN values of different sorghum varieties were: white—12.9, 12.8 and 12.7; brown—12.7, 12.3 and 12.6; and red—11.4, 11.1 and 11.6 MJ/kg for cockerels, guinea fowls and quails, respectively. The mean AMEN value of red sorghum (11.3 MJ/kg) was significantly lower than those of brown (12.5 MJ/kg) or white sorghum (12.8 MJ/kg). A negative correlation was observed between tannin concentration and AMEN. 4. There was no significant difference in the AMEN values of white, brown and red sorghum varieties to the different poultry species. AMEN values of sorghum for the cockerel could, therefore, be used in practical feed formulation for guinea fowl and quail.

Comparison of broiler chicken performance when fed diets containing meals of Bollgard II hybrid cotton containing Cry-X gene(Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab gene), parental line or commercial cotton

1. Total and free gossypol contents were 6·2 and 0·8, 5·4 and 0·5, and 6·1 and 0·7 g/kg in meals processed (solvent extracted) from Bollgard (BG) II, non-BG II or commercial cottonseeds, respectively. 2. Broiler chicks were given one of 7 dietary treatments (iso-nitrogenous, 220 and 195 g crude protein/kg diet at 0 to 21 and 21 to 42 d, respectively, at a metabolisable energy concentration of 12·15 MJ/kg). The treatments were: D1 (control, soybean meal [SBM] based), D2 and D3 (commercial CSM at 100 g/kg of diet with and without additional iron), D4 and D5 (BG II CSM with and without additional iron), and D6 and D7 (non-BG II parental CSM with or without additional iron). 3. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency, nutrient utilisation, certain blood constituents and carcase traits were not significantly affected by dietary treatments. 4. Weights of bursa and thymus were significantly higher in groups given diets containing BG II or non-BG diets containing added iron. 5. The results suggest that low free gossypol content cottonseed meals, for example, BG II, non-BG II and commercial solvent-extracted CSM could be included at 100 g/kg in broiler diets, safely replacing soybean meal without additional iron.

Effects of supplemental vitamin E in diet of Japanese quail on male reproduction, fertility and hatchability.

1. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effect of feeding higher supplemental vitamin E (VE) concentrations on male reproductive variables, fertility and hatchability of quails. 2. In experiment 1, sixty 5-week-old male quails, reared in individual cages, were fed male breeder diets supplemented with 0, 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU α-tocopherol acetate/kg. At 10 weeks, observations on cloacal gland size, foam production, testes weight and blood samples for testosterone estimation were taken. 3. In experiment 2, 50 male and 50 female cage-reared quails (5 weeks old) were fed male breeder and layer rations, respectively, supplemented with 0, 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU/kg. At 13 weeks, 9 different mating pairs (5 pairs/group) were formed. Group 1 contained one control male and one control female in each of 5 pens. In groups 2 to 5, control males were paired with females on supplements of 75, 150, 225 or 300 IU/kg. In groups 6 to 9, control females were paired with males on supplements of 75, 150, 225 and 300 IU/kg. During subsequent adaptation and egg collection periods, each of 10 d, control layer ration was fed to all groups. All the eggs laid during the 10-d egg collection period were incubated artificially to estimate fertility and hatchability. The trial was repeated at 15 weeks. 4. Adult male quails receiving moderate supplemental VE (75 and 150 IU/kg) had a higher cloacal gland index, quantity of foam secretion, testicular weight and plasma testosterone than quails fed on either VE-deficient or more highly supplemented diets (225 and 300 IU α-tocopherol acetate/kg). 5. It was concluded that a supplement of 75 IU VE/kg in maize/soybean diet could provide the best reproductive performance of male breeder quails. Cloacal gland index, quantity of foam secretion, testicular weight and plasma testosterone can serve as indirect indicators of testicular activity and fertilising ability in quails. Supplemental VE did not affect the fertility and hatchability of male and female Japanese quails.

Utilization of Sorghum and Finger Millet With or Without Feed Enzyme in Broiler Chickens

Abstract Elangovan, A.V., Mandal, A.B., Tyagi, Pramod K, Tyagi, Praveen K., Toppo, S. and Johri, T.S. 2004. Utilization of sorghum and finger millet with or without feed enzyme in broiler chickens. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 26: 33–38. A 4x2 factorial experiment of seven weeks duration was conducted on day-old broiler chicks (n=240) to study the efficacy of commercial feed enzyme preparation added @ 50g/quintal in four experimental diets containing either maize, sorghum, finger millet as sole cereal source or a combination of maize, sorghum, finger millet and pearl millet in equal proportions on performance, nutrient utilization, carcass traits and feed cost of production. The body weight gain and feed efficiency were significantly lower (P<0.01) in finger millet based diet, which were improved (P<0.01) upon enzyme addition. However, addition of enzyme in diets based on other cereals did not improve the performance of broilers. The enzyme addition significantly (P<0.05) improved the dry matter and gross energy metabolizability with higher nitrogen retention from diet containing finger millet. The carcass traits remained unaltered (P>0.05) by various dietary treatments. Feed cost of broiler production was higher (P<0.05) in finger millet based diet. It is concluded that diet containing finger millet, a poor quality grain, can be improved by adding commercial feed enzyme preparation.

Effects of dietary supplementation of organic chromium (picolinate) on physical and biochemical characteristics of semen and carcass traits of male turkeys

This experiment investigated the effect of dietary chromium (Cr as picolinate) on physical and biochemical characteristics of semen and carcass traits of adult male turkey. Seventy-two (72) male turkeys (16 weeks old) were randomly distributed into four dietary treatment groups (4×3×6) for a period of 24 weeks. Three experimental diets were supplemented with 250, 500 and 750μg Cr/kg (T2, T3 and T4 respectively) in basal diet (T1 considered as control). Semen physical characteristics viz. sperm concentration, progressive motility, live and dead count of spermatozoa and fertility differed significantly (P<0.05). Sperm concentration, progressive motility and fertility were higher and dead count was lower in T4 (750μg) group than control (T1) or other dietary treatments (T2 or T3) group. Semen biochemical parameters like creatinine, acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) concentration did not differ significantly among the dietary treatment groups, whereas, total protein, glucose, malondialdehyde (MAD) and cholesterol concentration differed significantly (P<0.05) amongst the treatment groups. Protein and MAD were higher while glucose and cholesterol concentrations were lower in T3 and T4 group than control or T1 group. The shrinkage loss, eviscerated yield, relative weight (as percent of body weight) of breast, thigh and liver improved on supplementation of Cr leading to significantly higher in T4 group in comparison to control. From this study, it could be concluded that supplementation of chromium as chromium picolinate, at 750μg/kg level in diet was beneficial for improving physical characteristics of semen, carcass yield and breast yield of adult male turkeys. However, Cr levels of 500 or 750μg/kg in diet were beneficial for semen biochemical parameters of adult male turkeys.

Comparative digestibility of amino acids of maize, sorghum, finger millet and pearl millet in cockerels and Japanese quails

1. The objective of the present study was to determine the apparent digestibilities of amino acids of maize, low tannin sorghum, pearl millet and finger millet in adult cockerels and Japanese quails. 2. Adult White Leghorn cockerels (25 weeks of age) and adult Japanese quails (15 weeks of age) were used to determine the apparent digestibilities of amino acids in cereal grains. 3. The digestibilities of amino acids in sorghum determined with quails were similar to cockerels, with the exception of histidine, which was significantly lower in quails. 4. In finger millet, the digestibilities of methionine and leucine were significantly higher, while that of histidine and cystine were significantly lower in adult quails than in adult cockerels. 5. The digestibilities of pearl millet amino acids were similar in quails and cockerels, except for that of histidine, which was significantly lower in quails. 6. Almost all the amino acids in maize, except histidine, had significantly higher digestibility values in quails than in cockerels. Histidine digestibility of all the 4 cereal grains was significantly lower in quails than in cockerels. 7. The amino acid digestibility values for certain cereal grains determined with cockerels do not support their use in formulating practical quail diets. The amino acid digestibility values of maize were underestimated by using cockerels while that of finger millet was overestimated.

Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Chromium Picolinate on Productive Performance, Egg Quality and Carcass Traits in Laying Turkeys

This experiment investigated the effects of dietary chromium picolinate (CrP) on production performance, egg quality traits and carcass traits of laying turkey. Seventy-two (72) female turkeys (16 wks old) were randomly distributed to four dietary treatment groups for a period of 24 weeks. Each treatment comprised three replicates, each containing 6 hens. Three experimental diets were supplemented with 250, 500 and 750 μg CrP/kg (T2, T3 and T4 respectively) with basal diet and diet T1 was considered as control. All hens were provided feed and water ad libitum. Production performance in terms of age at sexual maturity did not differ significantly (P>0.05), whereas egg production and egg mass differ significantly (P 0.05), whereas the Haugh unit score and shell thickness were significantly higher (P<0.05) in T4 treated groups than the control (T1) and other two treatment groups (T2 and T3). Percentage of carcass traits did not differ significantly (P<0.05) except the percentage of bleeding loss, wings and giblets among the control and CrP treated groups. From this study, it can be concluded that higher levels of dietary CrP (750 μg CrP/kg diet) may be beneficial for production performance (egg production and egg mass), some egg quality traits (Haugh unit score and shell thickness) in laying turkeys whereas, no significant differences were observed in percentage of carcass traits except the percentage of bleeding loss, wings and giblets.