V. Christodoulou

Effect of dietary dried oregano leaves on growth performance, carcase characteristics and serum cholesterol of female early maturing turkeys

1. A study was conducted with 120 female early maturing turkeys to test the effect of dietary dried oregano leaves (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum) on body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), feed conversion efficiency (FCE), carcase characteristics and serum cholesterol concentration. Dried oregano leaves had a content of 3·6 ml essential oils/100 g, while the carvacrol content was 855 g/kg of the total essential oils. 2. From 1 to 84 d of age, the turkeys were fed on 4 diets varying in oregano content (OR0, no oregano—control; OR45, 1·25 g oregano/kg; OR90, 2·5 g oregano/kg; OR135, 3·75 g oregano/kg). Birds were given feed and water ad libitum. 3. BW was unaffected by oregano throughout the experiment. FI and FCE were similar among all treatments until 42 d of age. From 43 to 84 d of age and for the overall experimental period, FI decreased linearly in treatment OR135 and FCE increased linearly with dietary oregano content. Body and carcase weights, carcase yield, and the relative weights of the heart and liver were not significantly affected by oregano content. The relative weights of the gizzard and small intestine decreased linearly with oregano content. Serum cholesterol content was similar among all treatments. 4. In the present study, dietary oregano (1·25, 2·5 and 3·75 g/kg) improved FCE in female early maturing turkeys between 43 and 84 d, with the lowest oregano inclusion (1·25 g/kg) giving the most cost effective diet. Thus, dried oregano leaves may be used as a natural herbal growth promoter for early maturing turkeys.

Effect of replacing soybean meal by extruded chickpeas in the diets of growing-finishing pigs on meat quality.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the replacement of soybean meal by extruded chickpeas in diets of growing-finishing pigs on meat quality. In a 17wk study 48 growing-finishing crossbred pigs were fed ad libitum. The experimental design included four treatments, each one of 12 pigs; the ECKP0 treatment was fed with diet containing soybean meal and no chickpeas (control), while treatments ECKP100, ECKP200 and ECKP300 were fed with diets containing 100, 200 and 300kg/t of extruded chickpeas, respectively. The lean meat quality of the longissimus lumborum et thoracis muscle was evaluated by chemical analysis (moisture, protein, fat and ash), fatty acid profile, pH measurement, cooking loss, color evaluation, and sensory evaluation. Odor and taste, tenderness, juiciness, and overall acceptability were scored on 1-10 scales by a group of 10 experienced assessors after a standard cooking regime. Small differences were observed between control and experimental groups in chemical composition (P>0.05). Fatty acid profiles, pH measurements and color evaluation did not differ among treatments (P>0.05), while cooking loss was significantly lower in the control group (P<0.05). The taste panel gave slightly higher scores for the tenderness and juiciness for the control group compared with the chickpea treatments (P<0.05). No differences were observed between control and experimental groups in taste scores (P>0.05). It is concluded that the replacement of soybean meal by extruded chickpeas, when substituted isonitrogenously and isoenergetically at inclusion levels up to 300kg/t of pig, does not influence significantly meat quality.

Different soil media for free-range laying hens

1. A replicated experiment compared bird use, soil structure, grass wear and free-moving nematode populations in 4 different soil media (recycled vegetable compost, 90% recycled vegetable compost and 10% sand, re-used topsoil and sterilised topsoil) all with established grass swards within the range area of a large free-range laying hen unit. 2. The birds initially spent a greater proportion of their time on the two topsoil swards in comparison to the two compost-based swards. However, once the whole flock of hens had prolonged access to the different swards (unfenced areas) there were no significant differences in the number of birds that frequented the different sward types. 3. The two compost-based soil media had 33% fewer nematodes per g of dry soil compared to the two topsoil-based media. However, the rate of loss of grass from the subplots was greater with the two compost-based soil media; this was probably due to the greater porosity of these types of soil media.

Serum enzyme status of Chios ewes fed increasing amounts of copper from copper sulfate

This study aimed to evaluate effects of orally administered copper (Cu) to Chios sheep breed on serum levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), l-alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate deydrogenase (LDH) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), in order to establish a practical and effective method in diagnosing the prehemolytic stage of chronic Cu poisoning. Eighteen ewes were allocated to three treatments of six ewes and fed a diet that contained 16.4 mg/day of Cu. Ewes in treatment Cu-0 received no additional Cu (control), while those in treatments Cu-60 and Cu-95 received 60 and 95 mg additional Cu/day, respectively, as an oral solution of copper sulfate. Therefore the ewes in treatment Cu-0, Cu-60 and Cu-95 consumed 16.4, 76.4 and 111.4 mg Cu/day, respectively. Serum enzyme levels were similar among treatments and all ewes remained clinically healthy until the end of the experiment. Results suggest that Chios ewes exhibit tolerance to Cu supplementation for up to 6 weeks.