cometadata/datacite-titles-descriptions-related-identifiers huggingface dataset:
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306642.v1
title: Comparison of Mycoplasma gallisepticum Infection in Different Samples and Ages of Chicken Breeder Flocks

description: ABSTRACT This study aimed to compare method-based and newly developed sample-based methods for Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) detection in different samples of breeder flocks suffering from respiratory disease problems by using culture, real-time PCR (rPCR) and ELISA from chicks and embryonated eggs. Overall, 450 samples of 19-day-old chicken embryo’s trachea, 450 samples of 8-day-old chicken tracheal swabs and 900 blood samples of 20-, 27-, 34-, 40- and 46-week-old breeder chickens from 5 flocks were sampled for 26 weeks, and were all tested for MG by culture, MG-rPCR and MG-ELISA. Culturing assays and rPCR were applied to 450 mixture samples from 19-day-old chicken embryo’s trachea and 450 tracheal swab samples (each pooled into groups of 3) from 8-day-old chicks from the same flocks. Also, 900 blood samples from the same 5 breeder flocks suffering from respiratory disease problems were tested by MG-ELISA. In individual sample-based analyses, 55 (18.3%) of the 300 pooled swab samples were positive for MG using culture methods, and 106 (35.3%) of the same samples were found positive by rPCR (sensitivity, specificity). The ELISAs indicated that 252 (28%) of the 900 breeding blood samples were MG seropositive. Using age-based analyses, the most positive period was 46 weeks, followed by 40 weeks, 34 weeks, 27 weeks and at least 20 weeks, in order of decreasing seropositivity. When comparing the culture and rPCR results of the two different sampling methods, chicken embryo’s trachea yielded more positive results than did tracheal swabs from the same flocks. In conclusion, rPCR is a highly specific, sensitive and reliable method for MG identification.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306640.v1
title: Effect of Broiler Crating Density and Transportation Distance on Preslaughter Losses and Physiological Response During the Winter Season in Punjab, Pakistan

description: ABSTRACT A study was conducted to determine the impact of crating density and transportation distance on losses and physiological response of broilers during the winter season. For this, ROSS-308 broilers were crated at three densities (i.e., 10, 12, and 15 birds/crate) in plastic crates and transported in three distances (i.e., 80, 160, and 240 km) during the winter season at 3.6 - 9.5ºC temperature and 63.3 - 78.8% relative humidity. Results showed that body weight loss increased significantly with the increase in transportation distance and decrease in crating density, whereas dead on arrival, physical injuries and bruises were not different among different transportation distance and crating density treatments. Significant reduction in carcass and breast yield was observed with the increase in transportation distance, whereas an increase in crating density above 12 birds per crate increased breast yield. Birds transported for 240 km had the highest serum catalase activity and the lowest rectal body temperature compared to other treatments. A gradual increase in crating density resulted in the increase in thyroxine concentration and reduction in rectal temperature. Serum glucose, albumin and uric acid concertation increased significantly after 160km of transportation, but serum triglyceride contents decreased. Moreover, an increase in crating density also increased serum glucose and triglyceride. Results suggested that longer transportation distance during the winter season increased body weight shrinkage with a reduction in carcass and breast yield, and the impact of losses and stress was greater in treatments having a lower number of birds in crates.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306639.v1
title: Effect of Environmental Enrichment on the Body Weight in Broiler Chickens

description: ABSTRACT The present study had the objective of analysing the impact of the use of environmental enrichment (music and light stimuli), broiler sex, and age in broiler chickens’ weight during growth. The observational study was carried out on a commercial farm. The environmental enrichment consisted of broilers’ stimulation by sound and light, and a house was kept without stimulus (control). The music stimuli consisted of different music styles and was played during the experiment to promote motivation for the birds. The light stimuli came from a coloured (red and green) LED strobe projector. Both stimuli were applied once a day for about 6 minutes, for five weeks. The broilers were weighed at the end of each week of growth. Throughout the growth period, broiler behaviours were analysed weekly through videos, and the leg disorders of the birds were put into score evaluations. The effects of the environmental enrichment type, gender, and age, and the probable interactions of these variables, on the weight of the broiler chickens were analysed by the comparative analysis of means, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and Tukey test of multiple comparisons. 7, 14, and 21 day old broiler chickens did not differ on body weight when compared with age, gender, and environmental enrichment (broiler house) (p&gt;0.05). Males from 21 days of age had an increase in body weight when compared with females. Light enrichment presented the lowest body weight when compared with all studied houses, while the absence of enrichment presented the highest broiler weight.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306637.v1
title: Comparison of Some Biomechanical Properties of Tibiotarsus in Four Different Feather Color Lines of 60-Day Old Female Quails

description: ABSTRACT This study aimed to compare some morphological and mechanical measurements of four different color female quails to contribute to the formation of the morphological database. Quails are the smallest farmed avian species which are becoming more important for the poultry industry. They are also used as experimental animals and are valuable birds for researches. Genetic factors are important determinants of bone strength. Thus, skeletal disorders may be reduced by breeding selection in quails. Forty female quails with four different feather colors, including wild, white, yellow, and black, were compared at 60 days of age. Each quail group contained ten individuals. A three-point bending test was performed with a custom-made testing machine designed for low strength materials. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of body weight. The tibiotarsus weight in wild and black (0,665±0,055g and 0,687±0,025g, respectively) was significantly lower than in the others but, the significant highest value was in white quails (0,758±0,063g) (p=0.001). Significantly shorter tibiotarsus was observed in the black quails (51,286±1,374mm), while the tibiotarsi of the white and yellow quails were the tallest (53,216±1,796mm and 53,083±1,092mm, respectively) (p=0.005). There were no significant differences among the groups in the biomechanical properties of tibiotarsus, except stiffness. Stiffness was the highest in the white quails (109,500±3,807 N/mm) and the lowest in the black quails (99,000±9,498 N/mm) (p=0.042). In conclusion, white quails have been observed to have relatively better bone biomechanical properties compared to the other color groups at 60 days of age.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306636.v1
title: Effects of Lysophospholipid and Lipase Enzyme Supplementation to Low Metabolizable Energy Diets on Growth Performance, Intestinal Morphology and Microbial Population and Some Blood Metabolites in Broiler Chickens

description: ABSTRACT This experiment aimed to evaluate the impacts of dietary lysophospholipid (LPL) and lipase enzyme complementation based on low-energy diets on growth performance, intestinal morphology, blood metabolites, immune response, and carcass traits in broiler chickens. Two hundreds broiler chicks were assigned to a completely randomized design with five treatments and four replications with ten one-day old chicks. The five treatments were: positive control (PC) without LPL supplementation and adequate in all nutrients, negative control (NC) without LPL the reduced 150 kcal/kg of metabolizable energy, NC+ 0.15% LPL (LPL15), NC+ lipase (NCL), NC+ 0.15% LPL+ lipase (NCLL). Feeding LPL improved body weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). In contrast, lipase supplementation showed no significant improvement on weight gain and FCR. Supplementation of LPL and lipase did not have significant effect on immune organ, abdominal fat, and liver and thigh but decreased heart and gizzard and increased breast relative weight (p&lt; 0.05). Digestibility of dry matter did not show significant effect but crude protein and ether extract improved digestibility in LPL15 and NCLL group in contrast to NC group (p&lt;0.05). Dietary treatment showed no significant improvement on the metabolic blood factors (p&lt;0.05). The inclusion of LPL to negative diet (LPL15) and LPL+lipase to negative control diet raised villus height, ratio of villi height to crypt depth and increased crypt depth. Overall, LPL inclusion to diet increased weight gain and improved FCR, crude protein and fat digestibility, and improved villus height and ratio of villi height to crypt depth to NC group.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306634.v1
title: Soybean β-conglycinin Induces Intestinal Immune Responses in Chicks

description: ABSTRACT β-conglycinin from soybean has been recognized as one of the major feed allergens. This study investigated the effects of β-conglycinin-induced allergic sensitization on chicks’ small intestines. A total of 40 7-day-old (100 g) chicks were divided into four groups as control, β-conglycinin 1 h, β-conglycinin 6 h, and β-conglycinin 12 h. All treatment groups were administered 60 mg of β-conglycinin/chick and small intestine samples were collected. β-conglycinin-induced allergic sensitization marginally damages the epithelium lining of the duodenum villi and, in addition, significantly increases the accumulation of mast cells in the lamina propria and crypt of the duodenum. Moreover, the TNF-α level significantly increased in all β-conglycinin groups. IL-8 and IL-2 were significantly downregulated in the 1 h group; however, there were increases for the 6 h and 12 h groups. These results suggest that β-conglycinin may lead to an inflammatory response in the chicks’ small intestines.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306632.v1
title: Study on the Efficient Methods for Chicken Eggshell windowing and the Factors Affecting the Hatchability

description: ABSTRACT In order to find out the main factors influenced the hatchability and improve the hatchability of the windowed chicken eggs at stage X, several experiments were made on the basis of the former patent of eggshell windowing methods on equatorial plane, such as cutting and sealing techniques, air cell recovering, laying position immediately after sealing, as well as the injection volumes into the subgerminal cavity of the blastoderm. The result showed that:1) the best sealing material combination was straw powder (SP) and instant glue (IG); 2) there was a highly positive correlation between air cell rate and hatchability; 3) the highest hatchability increased to 71.6% when the eggs were windowed and sealed with IG dropped firstly and then SP sprinkled, finally lay down with the blunt end upward immediately after being sealed; 4) the hatchability was significantly reduced as injection volume (DMEM) was increased (p&lt;0.05 or p&lt;0.01) from 1 µL to 10 1 µL, and the group of injecting 1 µL was the highest (48.4 %). The hatchability and efficiency with such method of windowing, injecting, and sealing was the highest at the present time (more than 30 eggs per hour per person), and it might be broadly used in the fields of avian transgenesis, genetic resources preservation, and embryonic development model of human medicine.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306631.v1
title: High Prevalence of Multidrug-Resistant Nontyphoidal Salmonella Recovered from Broiler Chickens and Chicken Carcasses in Brazil

description: ABSTRACT The extensive use of antimicrobial agents has contributed to the emergence of antimicrobial resistance and multidrug resistance (MDR) in Salmonella, an important zoonotic pathogen that causes outbreaks and sporadic cases of gastroenteritis in humans. The study aimed to investigate the antimicrobial resistance profile of Salmonella strains isolated from poultry in Brazil. A total of 230 Salmonella strains, isolated from cloacal swabs (n=56) and broiler carcasses swabs (n=174) before and after chilling from slaughterhouses under Federal Inspection Service within the period 2012-2017, were analyzed. Serotyping and antibiotic susceptibility testing were performed on all the isolates. Serotyping results showed that 41% of the strains were Salmonella Heidelberg, 29% S. Minnesota, 12% S. Saintpaul, 6.5% S. Enteritidis, 3.9% S. Anatum, 2.2% S. Cerro, 2.2% S. Senftenberg, 1.7% S. Newport, 0.4% S. Ealing, 0.4% S. O:4,5 and 0.4% S. O:9,12. MDR rates of the isolates were 67.4%. S. Heidelberg 89.5%, S. Minnesota 51.5%, S. Saintpaul 82.1%, S. Anatum 66.7%, S. Cerro 60%, S. Senftenberg 40%. Out of the 230 strains, 41.3% presented resistance to Penicillins + beta-lactamase inhibitor, Penicillin, 1st and 2nd Generation Cephalosporin, 3rd and 4th Generation Cephalosporin, Tetracycline and Sulfonamide. Salmonella Heidelberg, S. Saintpaul, S. Anatum, S. Cerro, S. Senftenberg and S. Minnesota were isolated after chilling tank highlighting a food safety concern for the industry of poultry and poultry products indicating a risk to collective health. The high prevalence of MDR nontyphoidal Salmonella obtained in this study limit the options available to treat infectious disease in humans and animals.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306628.v1
title: Haematology, Carcass and Fatty Acid Composition of Finishing Broilers Fed Enzyme Supplemented Expeller Copra Meal in Corn-Animal Protein Diets

description: ABSTRACT This study analyzes the effect of different levels of expeller copra meal (ECM) in animal protein-based diets with enzyme on the haematology, carcass and fatty acid composition of broilers. One hundred and sixty 20 days old Cobb broilers were assigned 8 different diets, 2 of them being controls and 6 others containing ECM at 150, 300 and 450 g/kg, with or without enzymes. Four replicate cages of 5 birds each were fed the diets in a completely randomized design. Higher white blood cell (WBC) counts were obtained in chickens fed the control and 150 g/kg ECM with enzyme (p&lt;0.05) diets. Meat saturated fatty acids (SFA) content increased on the 150 g/kg diet and later decreased above 300 g/kg without enzyme (p&lt;0.05). Monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content was reduced with the inclusion of increasing ECM levels (p&lt;0.05). No interaction effect on polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) was found. Main effects observed were MUFA and PUFA decrease with the inclusion of ECM in the diet (p&lt;0.05). Saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was found to increase on the 150 g ECM/kg diet and later to reduce with increasing ECM levels (p&lt;0.05). Enzyme supplementation reduced SFA and MUFA content (p&lt;0.05) but had no effect on PUFA (p&gt;0.05). In conclusion, inclusion of ECM up to 300 g/kg in corn-animal protein diets has no adverse effects on most broiler haematological variables, but meat fatty acid composition may be altered. More research into basal diet composition, enzyme source and concentration is recommended.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306627.v1
title: The Effects of Sodium Chloride versus Sodium Bicarbonate at the Same Dietary Sodium Concentration on Efficacy of Dietary Phytase and a Carbohydrase-Protease Cocktail in Broilers

description: ABSTRACT A trial was conducted to determine the effect of phytase (PHY) or a carbohydrase/protease cocktail (CPX) on broilers fed diets with two different levels of chloride (0.28% or 0.43%) created by altering dietary salt (NaCl) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3). There were 6 combination dietary treatments (3 enzyme x 2 NaCl treatments) applied to 4 replicate pens. The treatments were as follows: Control diet (CON), CON+PHY and CON+CPX, with 0.5% or 0.25% NaCl. The 0.25% NaCl versions contained 0.35% sodium bicarbonate. The 0.5% salt versions had no sodium bicarbonate. Replicate pen BW, and feed consumption (FC) were measured at 1, 14, and 35 d, and mortality was weighed daily for feed conversion ratio (FCR) calculations. Feed consumption at 14 d tended to be lower (p&lt;0.10) for CON+CPX diets compared to CON and CON+PHY diets. The birds fed CON+CPX diet consumed less feed but exhibited improved FCR in the presence of 0.5% NaCl at 14 d. The birds fed the CON, and CON+PHY diets exhibited higher BW at 14 d (p&lt;0.05) and 35 d (p&lt;0.01) of age than did CON+CPX birds. From 15 d to 35 d, birds fed the CON+CPX diet exhibited poorer BW gain (BWG) in the presence of 0.25% NaCl (p&lt;0.05). In conclusion, Cl, as NaCl versus NaH2CO3, could affect CPX but not PHY feed enzyme function in broilers. Further, it may be suggested that certain feed enzymes may be best utilized at later broiler ages rather than in initial feeds.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306624.v1
title: Morphology, Blood Chemistry and Behavioral Response of Crossbred Chickens Reared Under Alternative Production Systems

description: ABSTRACT In the present study, the second generation of two genotypes RNN (Rhode Island Red × Naked Neck) and BNN (Black Australorp × Naked Neck) obtained by two self-crosses (RNN × RNN =RR and BNN × BNN= BB) and two reciprocal crosses (RNN × BNN = RB and BNN × RNN = BR) were evaluated in three alternative production systems (conventional cages, enriched cages, and aviary). In total 480 birds, comprising 240 pullets with 240 cockerels (60 pullets & 60 cockerels from each crossbred) were used during rearing phase (17-21 weeks). Higher body weight, shank circumference, body and drumstick length were noticed in RB and BR genotypes. Among different production systems, chickens reared in enriched cages showed higher body weight and body lengths than other production systems. Comparing the behavior of chickens, higher feeding, jumping and dust bathing were observed in chickens reared in aviary systems than in other production systems while the maximum perching behavior was showed by the chickens reared in enriched cages. The highest glucose level was observed in RR genotypes when reared in aviary systems. Antibody titers against ND and IB were highest in chickens reared in aviary systems. In conclusion, RB and BR genotypes had better performance in terms of morphometrics and blood biochemistry when reared under enriched cages and aviary systems.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306622.v1
title: Eggshell and Bone Quality in Two Different Genetic Groups of Aged Layer Breeders

description: ABSTRACT The present study was conducted on pair aged commercial laying breeder strains (Hy-Line Brown and Hy-Line W-36) to evaluate genetic differences of eggshell and bone quality. In addition, egg production performance, mortality rate, internal organs and reproductive measurements were determined. Correlation coefficients among some eggshell and bone traits were calculated. White layer breeder hens had significantly higher percentages of hen-day and hen-housed egg production compared to the brown one. Brown Hy-Line layer breeder strain had better eggshell quality compared to W-36 Hy-Line layer breeder strain. The white layer breeder strain had a significantly higher relative oviduct weight compared to the brown one. Brown layer breeder strain recorded the higher humerus width in comparison with the white one. Tibia bone weight of brown layer breeder strain was significantly heavier by 22.87% as compared to the white strain. Moreover, the brown breeder strain recorded the higher figure of tibia width, thickness, and strength. In conclusion, at the end of the laying cycle, brown Hy-Line layer breeder strain exhibited better eggshell quality, body weight and tibia bone quality than those of W-36 breeder strain. Positive correlation coefficients were detected between humerus bone strength and both eggshell thickness and strength in brown and white strains.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306619.v1
title: Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis of Salmonella spp. in Broilers Technological Processing and Determination of a Performance Objective (PO) for Frozen Chicken Breast

description: ABSTRACT The present study investigated the frequency, level of contamination and serotyping of Salmonella strains isolated from broiler flocks in different processing sites and the fulfillment of a Performance Objective (PO) in frozen chicken breasts, as a risk assessment to measure the efficacy of prevention and control programs applied to reduce the risk of Salmonella spp. in raw poultry meat that contribute to reach food safety and public health goals. From 1,800 samples of cloacal swabs, carcasses before and after immersion chilling and frozen breasts derived from 20 broiler flocks slaughtered at two processing plants located in the mid-west and southern regions of Brazil, 278 samples were positive for Salmonella spp. by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) automated BAX System (DUPONT QUALICOM, USA), and 118 were enumerated by miniaturized most probable number technique. 122 Salmonella spp. strains were serotyped at the National Reference Laboratory of Cholera and Enteric Diseases of Oswaldo Cruz Institute Foundation (FIOCRUZ), showing a dominance of Salmonella Minnesota in every processing steps of the slaughterhouse located in the Brazilian mid-west region. Only 1 lot failed to reach the expected result for the Performance Objective (PO), using a maximum of 10% positivity acceptance for Salmonella spp. in frozen chicken breasts. Qualitative and quantitative results combined may be considered an effective tool to evaluate the effect of prevention and control programs for Salmonella spp. on the safety of the final product.
DOI: 10.6084/m9.figshare.14306616.v1
title: Hybrid Phytase and Carbohydrases in Corn and Soybean Meal-Based Diets for Broiler Chickens: Performance and Production Costs

description: ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effect of using 500 FTU/kg of hybrid phytase (created from three bacteria - Natuphos E), with or without xylanase and glucanase (560 TXU/kg; 250 TGU/kg) - Natugrain TS, in corn and soybean meal-based diets, with nutritional reductions in metabolizable energy (ME), Ca, and available phosphorus (AP), on performance parameters and production costs in broiler chickens. The 1875chickens were housed in boxes and distributed among 5 treatments with 15 replicates of 25 chickens each. The experiment included a positive control (the diet of which met the nutritional requirements of the birds), two negative controls (with ME reductions of 70 and 100 kcal/kg, and fixed reductions in Ca [0.16%] and AP [0.15%]), and two treatments with identical nutritional reductions in addition to enzyme supplementation. The treatments included the following: PC= positive control (basal diet (BD) corn and soybean meal); R_70 = BD with reduction of 70 kcal/kg, Ca and AP;R_100 = BD with reduction of 100 kcal, Ca and AP; R_70 + P =BD with reduction of 70 kcal/kg, Ca and AP + phytase (500 FTU/kg); R_100 + P + XG =BD with reduction of 100 kcal/kg, Ca and AP + phytase (500 FTU/kg) + xylanase (560 TXU/kg) + glucanase (250 TGU/kg). Performance parameters, carcass yield, and production costs (USD/ton chilled carcass) were evaluated. In conclusion, the reductions of 70 kcal/kg, 0.16% Ca, and 0.15% AP did not affect performance in chickens over 42 days, if diets were supplemented with hybrid phytase (500 FTU/kg). Supplementation with hybrid phytase and carbohydrases in diets with reductions of 100 kcal/kg, 0.16% Ca, and 0.15% AP led to lower production costs.