Klas Elwinger

Influence of increasing levels of β-glucanase on the productive value of barley diets for broiler chickens

The influence on the productive value of diets for broiler chickens based on barley harvested at two stages of ripeness, when including β-glucanase in increasing amounts, was evaluated in a production experiment over three weeks. Feed consumption and live weight increased (P < 0.001) and feed conversion was improved (P < 0.001) by including β-glucanase in the diets. Dry matter content of excreta increased significantly as a result of β-glucanase inclusion. Broiler chickens receiving diets based on barley harvested at combine ripeness were slightly heavier (P < 0.05) at three weeks than those fed on barley harvested at early yellow ripeness.

High-fibre sunflower cake affects small intestinal digestion and health in broiler chickens

1. An experiment was conducted to evaluate high-fibre sunflower cake (HF-SFC); a feed ingredient distinguished by large amounts of crude fibre and insoluble non-starch polysaccharides (i-NSP). 2. Broiler chickens (n = 160) were fed on pelleted maize-based diets free from coccidiostats and antibiotic growth promoters between 15 and 31 d of age. Diets included 0, 10, 20 or 30% HF-SFC. Performance and small intestinal health were assessed. 3. In general, HF-SFC inclusion mediated significant linear increases in ileal digestibility of fat and protein and significant linear decreases in ileal digestibility of dry matter, ash and energy. 4. Weight gain increased linearly with HF-SFC inclusion. Feed conversion was negatively affected by 30% HF-SFC but not by 20% HF-SFC. 5. In the jejunal lumen, inclusion of HF-SFC was associated with significant decreases in colony counts of Clostridium spp. 6. HF-SFC inclusion resulted in significant linear reductions of villus height, thickness of muscularis mucosa, and the circular and longitudinal layers of muscularis in the jejunum. Crypt depth and submucosal thickness were not affected. 7. The data indicate that broiler chickens may thrive on feeds with insoluble fibre contents far exceeding those used in practice, and that HF-SFC exerts some positive effects on digestion and small intestinal health.

EFFECTS ON PLUMAGE CONDITION, HEALTH AND MORTALITY OF DIETARY OATS/WHEAT RATIOS TO THREE HYBRIDS OF LAYING HENS IN DIFFERENT HOUSING SYSTEMS

The effects on plumage condition and health when feeding diets with varying oats/wheat ratios to different non‐beak‐trimmed hybrids housed in various systems were studied in two experiments. In experiment 1 (Expt. 1) 1146 Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) and 1006 Lohmann Brown (LB) birds were housed in eight aviary pens; four in each of the systems Lovsta (L) and Marielund (M), or in six groups of 24 conventional cages each (C). Two diets with a high proportion of either oats or wheat were used. Experiment 2 (Expt. 2) included 1740 LSL and 1632 SLU‐1329 birds housed in 6 pens each of system M. Diets with varying proportions of oats and wheat were given. In Expt. 1, LB hens housed in C showed better plumage condition compared with those housed in the aviaries, whereas LSL birds showed the opposite trend. Housing system affected most health traits, showing superior results for system C regarding, for example, bumble foot, cleanliness of feet and keel bone lesions. In Expt. 2, feather cover deteriorated in LSL...

Effects on Production, Health and Egg Quality of Varying Proportions of Wheat and Barley in Diets for Two Hybrids of Laying Hens Kept in Different Housing Systems

Abstract A total of 2152 hens were fed one of two diets, with 25.0% wheat and 38.7% barley or 50.0% wheat and 13.7% barley. The hens were housed in battery cages with three hens per cage and in two aviary systems with tiered wire floors and litter-Lovsta with two tiers and Marielund with three tiers. Two hybrids were used: ISA Brown and Lohmann selected Leghorn. Production, interior and exterior egg quality, health, plumage, keel bone and foot condition were studied. The high-wheat diet resulted in inferior plumage condition owing to feather pecking, especially in the Leghorn hybrid, which in turn probably caused the higher feed consumption recorded. No other effects on production or egg quality traits were observed. Mortality, cannibalism, keel bone condition and foot condition were far more affected by housing system and hybrid than by diet. The highest mortality, mainly caused by cloacal cannibalism, was registered for ISA Brown in aviaries.

Pop hole passages and welfare in furnished cages for laying hens

1. This study included two designs of furnished cages for 16 hens; H-cages divided into two apartments by a partition with pop holes in the middle of the cage, and fully open O-cages, without a partition. The hypothesis was that in this rather large group of birds the pop hole partition would benefit the birds by allowing them to avoid or escape from potential cannibals, feather-peckers or aggressive hens. All cages had two nests, two perches and one litter box. 2. A total of 10 cages (5 H and 5 O) were stocked with Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) and 8 cages (4 H and 4 O) with Hy-Line W36. No birds were beak-trimmed. 3. Heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratios, duration of tonic immobility (TI) and exterior appearance (scoring of plumage condition and wounds at comb or around cloaca) were used as indicators of well-being. Total mortality and deaths due to cannibalism were also recorded. 4. Visits to nests and passages through partition pop holes were studied in samples of 35 and 21 birds, respectively, using a technique based on passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. 5. Cage design (H- vs O-cage) had no effect on the welfare traits chosen. 6. Hy-Line birds showed higher H/L ratios, longer duration of TI and better plumage condition than LSL birds. These differences are discussed in terms of stress thresholds and copying strategies. 7. On days when a hen made visits to nests, the visiting frequency was 1·4 and the total time in the nest was 41 min on average. Hens made use of the pop hole passages between 1 and 8 times per hen and day. 8. Overall low levels of aggression, lack of injuries or deaths due to cannibalism, and plumage condition indicating moderate feather pecking, together imply a low need to escape. The pop holes were used frequently and birds distributed well between compartments showing that the system worked well. However, at this group size there was no evidence in the measured traits that H-cages provided a better housing environment.

Intestinal digesta viscosity decreases during coccidial infection in broilers.

1. The effect of intestinal digesta viscosity on bird performance in chickens with coccidiosis was compared to those without coccidiosis. 2. Six hundred chicks were divided into five groups: one control group was fed a basal maize/soyabean-based diet and the other groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 2, 4, 6 or 8 g carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) per kg of feed. At 14 d of age half the birds were individually inoculated with sporulated oocysts of Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria praecox. 3. Intestinal digesta viscosity increased with increasing inclusion of CMC. This effect was considerably less pronounced in inoculated than in non-inoculated birds. 4. There was a significant negative effect on live weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with increasing CMC inclusion in non-inoculated birds, but in inoculated birds there was no clear relation between CMC inclusion and performance. Neither intestinal lesion scores, nor numbers of Clostridium perfringens in the caeca, were significantly affected by CMC inclusion. 5. Across all diets inoculation impaired growth rate by 9% and FCR by 8%, but did not affect the amount of C. perfringens in the caeca.

Response of Laying Hens to Different Dietary Lysine Intakes

Abstract Two sequential experiments, each lasting 420 days, were conducted to test whether different strains of laying hen differ in their response to various lysine intakes. In Expt. 1 five diets, calculated to be isocaloric (11.3 MJ ME/kg) and varying in lysine content from 460 to 870 mg/kg were fed to each of 5 strains, 3 commercial White Leghorn (WL) hybrids (Hisex, LSL and Shaver) and 2 experimental cross bred strains. In Expt. 2 five isocaloric (11.4 MJ ME/kg) diets with calculated lysine contents ranging from 480 to 880 mg/kg were fed to each of 4 strains, 2 commercial WL hybrids (LSL and Shaver), one commercial Rhode Island Red hybrid (Hisex Brown) and 1 experimental strain. To test whether lysine was the first limiting amino acid in the diets used, 0.1% L-lysine HCl was added to 4 of the original diets used in Expt. 1 and fed to the WL strains. Large variation in egg output between strains of birds was observed. Second degree polynomial equations were fitted to the data obtained from each experim...

Shell and Interior Quality and Chemical Composition of Eggs from Hens of Different Strains and Ages Fed Different Dietary Lysine Levels

Abstract Eggs from three commercial and two experimental strains of laying hens were sampled four times during 420 days of laying period when the hens were 25, 42, 58 and 78 weeks of age. Each strain was given one of 5 isocaloric (11.3 MJ ME/kg) diets with crude protein (CP) levels of 12.4, 13.7, 15.0, 16.3 and 17.6% and corresponding lysine contents of 0.46, 0.56,0.66,0.77 and 0.87%. The diet with 0.66% lysine was supplemented with 0.1% lysine HCl, and compared with the unsupplemented 0.66 and 0.77% lysine diets only when fed to the commercial strains. The effects of age, strain and diet were investigated on; shell quality as measured by shell weight (SW), thickness (ST), weight/unit of surface area and deformation (DFM) and interior quality as measured by albumen height (AH), Haugh units (HU), yolk colour (YC) and incidence of blood and meat spots (BMS). Chemical composition was analysed as protein, lipids and solids in yolk, albumen and total egg liquid (TEL). Features causing down-grading of the eggs ...

Behaviour, production and health of organically reared fast-growing broilers fed low crude protein diets including different amino acid contents at start.

Abstract Only fast-growing broilers are available for organic production in Sweden, and due to organic legislations and long rearing periods feed restriction has to be practised. To evaluate the effect on welfare aspects and health, two diets, low in crude protein content, with (LPA) and without amino acid supplements (LP) were fed to 1400 Ross 308 chickens, divided over eight pens in two chicken houses, with access to outdoor pasture. Behavioural observations were conducted at 2, 6 and 10 weeks. In general, birds fed the LP diet used their outdoor pasture more, and showed a higher frequency of behaviours related to feed search, than the LPA birds. The LPA diet resulted in higher live weight, mortality and more leg problems. However, cannibalism outbreaks which are rarely seen in broiler production occurred in the LP birds. This indicates that new problems were introduced that are not beneficial for animal welfare. Furthermore, the behaviour differences related to feed search, changes between behaviours and preening might have indicated a frustration related to the qualitative feed restriction for the chickens given the LP diet.

Comparison between Barley/Fish Meal- and Maize/Soybean Meal-based Diets with Various Lysine and Protein Levels Fed to Different Strains of Laying Hens

Abstract Five barley- and five maize-based isocaloric (11.4 MJ ME/kg) diets ranging in lysine content from 0.48–0.88% were fed to each of 3 strains of laying hens over a 420 day laying period. The strains used were a Rhode Island Red (RIR) laying type (Hisex Brown), a White Leghorn (WL) laying type (Shaver Starcross 288) and an experimental cross breed (WL×RIR), with a total number of 2400 birds. Traits studied were mortality, rate of lay, egg weight, egg output, intakes of feed, metabolizable energy (ME), crude protein (CP), and lysine, feed conversion ratio (FCR), final live weight, and condition of plumage, claws, and feet. Strain of bird and dietary lysine level significantly affected all traits except mortality. The effect of cereal type on laying performance was not significant. There were no significant interactions between the effects of strain of bird, dietary lysine level or type of cereal on egg production. A significant interaction between cereal type and dietary lysine level in FCR was observ...