• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.763-768
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• 2006

Genetic and pharmacological studies in mice have demonstrated a complementary role for the melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) in the control of food intake, energy balance and body weight. This study was designed to investigate the associations of a MC4R gene polymorphism on chicken growth and body composition traits in broiler lines divergently selected for abdominal fat. A SNP (G54C) was found in CDS region of chicken MC4R gene. The analysis of the least squares and variance revealed a significant association between the G54C SNP and BW, CW and SL at 7 wk of age, and there were significant differences in different genotypes (p<0.05). The results from protein secondary structure prediction and tertiary structure prediction showed that it appeared a helix in $13^{th}$ amino acid and two strands at $14^{th}$ and $15^{th}$ amino acid in mutant protein, respectively. It maybe induce the change of the activity or function of MC4R gene in poultry.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.703-710
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• 2003

The purpose of this study was to detect association between genetic variation and economic trait in the porcine heart type fatty acid-binding protein gene as a candidate gene for the traits related with growth and meat quality in pigs. The H-FABP is a 15-kDa protein expressed in several tissues with high demand for fat metabolism such as cardiac and skeletal muscle and lactating mammary gland. H-FABP is small intracellular protein involved in fatty acid transport from the plasma membrane to the site of $\beta$-oxidation and/or triacylglycerol or phospholipid synthesis. In this study, H-FABP PCR-RFLP was performed in F$_2$ population composed of 214 individuals from an intercross between Korean Native Boars and Landrace sows. PCR products from two primer sets within H-FABP gene were amplified in 850bp and 700bp. Digestion of PCR products with the restriction digestion enzymes HaeⅢ and HinfⅠ, revealed fragment length polymorphisms(RFLPs). The genotype frequencies from H-FABP/HaeⅢ was .29 for genotype DD, .53 for genotype Dd, and .15 for genotype dd, respectively. The genotype frequencies of HH, Hh, and hh from H-FABP/HinfⅠ was .38, .41 and .20, respectively, in the population. Relationships between their genotypes and economic traits were estimated. In H-FABP/HaeⅢ locus, there were specific genotypes(Dd and dd) associated with economic traits such as body weights at 3, 5, 12, and 30 week of age (p〈.05 to .001). The ‘d’ allele was associated with gaining of body weight. In H-FABP/HinfⅠ locus, Genotypes of HH and Hh associated with growth traits such as body weights at 5, 12, and 30 week of age (p〈.05 or p〈.001) and back fat thickness, body fat including abdominal and trimmed fat (p〈.001) and intramuscular fat(p〈.05) The ‘H’ allele was positively associated with gaining of body weight and fatness deposition. In conclusion, a significant association of the H-FABP gene from its genetic variation was found on body weight, intramuscular fat and backfat thickness.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.10
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• pp.1377-1385
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• 2009

Effect of inclusion of hard vs. soft wheat bran with different particle size on diet digestibility, growth performance and some slaughter traits was evaluated in fattening rabbits. Four isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets were used according to the origin of wheat bran (hard (HWB) - Triticum durum - and soft (SWB) - Triticum aestivum) combined with wheat bran particle size sieved by 2 mm (fine: 2) or by 8 mm (coarse: 8) in a bifactorial (2${\times}$2) study. A growth trial was conducted to measure the effect of treatments on performance in one hundred and twenty New Zealand White${\times}$Californian rabbits fed experimental diets from 50 to 87 days of age. Faecal apparent digestibility was determined within the last week in twenty animals per diet. Digestibility of nutrients was higher (p<0.05) in the diet containing HWB2, except for crude protein, ether extract and ash, than fine and coarse soft wheat bran diets. Final live weight, feed intake and feed consumption of rabbits on the diet with fine hard wheat bran were higher and resulted in greater daily weight gains (p<0.01) than for animals on the other diets. The slaughter yield and percentage value of organs were not significantly (p>0.05) affected by the diets fed; however, the diet containing fine hard wheat bran led to lower (p<0.05) percentages of skin, abdominal fat and carcass drip loss than the other dietary treatments. It is concluded that fine hard wheat bran can be better included in the diet than soft wheat bran to maximize growth performance without affecting carcass traits of fattening rabbits.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1407-1416
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of genotype (slower-growing vs. fast-growing) and production system (access to outdoors vs. indoor) on the growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality (chemical composition, physicochemical and sensory properties) of chickens. The experiment was performed on 1,040 day-old hybrid male chickens of two genotypes. Slower-growing chickens (Hubbard JA957, certified) and fast-growing chickens (Hubbard F15) were fed identical diets until 65 days of age. Both genotypes (each represented by 520 birds) were divided into two subgroups and were raised in pens on litter with outdoor access or in indoor confinement without outdoor access (four replications per subgroup, each of 65 birds). Until day 21, the birds stayed in the indoor facility, in deep-litter pens. The birds could forage on pasture 12 h daily, commencing at three weeks of age. Stocking density was 0.13 $m^2$ floor space per bird in pens on litter, and 0.8 $m^2$ per bird in grassy yards. Compared with fast-growing, slower-growing chickens were significantly lighter (by 17%), had a lower breast and thigh muscle yield and a higher abdominal fat content, but they were characterized by higher survival rates at 65 days, a higher protein content and a lower fat content of breast meat. Outdoor access had no negative effects on the growth performance, muscle yield, the fatty acid profile and oxidative status of meat lipids. The meat of free-range chickens was darker in color, it had a higher protein content and a better water-holding capacity, but it was less juicy than the meat of birds raised indoors.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.102-108
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• 2004

The present experiment was conducted to assess the efficacy of methionine hydroxy analogue free fatty acid (MHAFA) in comparison to DL-methionine (DL-Met) utilizing day-old commercial broiler chicks (n=300). The chicks were randomly distributed into 30 groups of 10 chicks each. Three dietary treatments, viz. D1-maize-soybean meal based basal diet (Control), D2- control diet supplemented with DL- methionine to meet its requirements and D3-control supplemented with MHA-FA @ 1.54 times of DL-methionine used in D2, were formulated. Each dietary treatment was offered to 10 replicated groups of chicks following completely random design (CRD). The chicks fed on supplemental DL-Met had significantly higher (p<0.01) gain in body weight, followed by MHA-FA group and control during 0-3 weeks of age. During overall growth period (0-6 weeks), chicks in DL-Met and MHA-FA groups grew better (p<0.01) than those in control. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved (p<0.01) on supplementation of either DL- Met or MHA-FA in the basal (Control) diet during 0-3 weeks of age. The FCR for overall period, however, did not differ statistically (p>0.05) amongst the treatments. The eviscerated yields emanated from diets with DL-Met or MHA-FA were higher (p<0.01) than that in Control. Abdominal fat pad was also more (p<0.01) in broilers fed control diet than in DL-Met or MHA-FA supplemented group. Breast yield was higher (p<0.05) in MHA-FA fed broilers than those fed DL-methionine supplemented or un-supplemented diets. The efficacy of MHA-FA in comparison to DL-Met for growth was 62.11, 64.82 and 63.88% and for feed efficiency was 62.98, 67.73 and 64.01% at 0-3, 3-6 and 0-6 weeks of age, respectively, while it was 65.85, 71.40 and 67.49% for eviscerated yield, abdominal fat pad reduction and breast yield at 6 weeks of age, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.10
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• pp.1471-1478
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• 2015

The present study aimed to assess the effect of dietary substitution of soybean meal (SBM) with dehulled-micronized faba bean (Vicia faba var. minor) in guinea fowl broilers on their growth traits, carcass quality, and meat fatty acids composition. In this trial, 120 day-old guinea fowl keets were randomly assigned to two treatments which were fed from hatch to 12 weeks of age. Birds were fed two wheat middlings-based diets comprising of a control treatment which contained SBM (78.3 g/kg) and a test diet containing dehulled-micronized faba bean (130 g/kg) as the main protein source. Substituting SBM with faba bean had no adverse effect on growth traits, dressing percentage, or breast and thigh muscles relative weight of the guinea fowls. Conversely, a decrease (p<0.05) of abdominal fat was found in guinea fowls fed the faba bean-diet. Breast muscle of birds fed faba bean had higher $L^*$ score (p<0.05) and water-holding capacity (p<0.05) than the SBM control diet. Meat from guinea fowls fed faba bean had less total lipids (p<0.05) and cholesterol (p<0.01), and higher concentrations of phospholipids (p<0.01). Feeding faba bean increased polyunsaturated fatty acid concentrations in breast meat and decreased the saturated fatty acid levels. Moreover, dietary faba bean improved the atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes in guinea fowl breast meat. Results indicated that substitution of SBM with faba bean meal in guinea fowl diet can improve carcass qualitative traits, enhancing also meat lipid profile without negatively affecting growth performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.12
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• pp.2031-2038
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• 2020

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of intermittent feeding and cold water on performance and carcass traits in broiler chickens between 4 to 6 wk of age exposed to daily high temperature. Methods: Broilers were assigned to four treatment groups according to a 2×2 factorial design between 22 to 42 d of age (80 broilers per treatment, 4 replications). Broilers were divided into two main groups as feeding type (ad-libitum [AL] and intermittent [IF] for 6 h daily) and sub-groups as water temperature (normal [NW], 24.9℃ and cold [CW], 16.4℃). Heat treatment was applied between 11.00 to 17.00 h daily between 22 to 42 d of age. Results: Live weight at 6th wk was not affected by feeding type and water temperature, but the live weight was significantly higher in IF chickens at the 5th wk (p<0.05). Average weekly gain of IF broiler chickens were higher compared to AL group at 4, 5, and 6 wk of age (p< 0.05). Although feeding type did not affect feed intake in 4 and 5th wk, feed intake was higher in IF chickens at 6th wk (p<0.01). In addition, feeding type and water temperature did not affect feed conversion ratio and interactions were not significant (p>0.05). Water temperature had no significant effect on heart, liver, gizzard, and abdominal fat percentages (p>0.05). Conclusion: It is concluded that IF increased the average weekly gain in chickens reared under daily heat stress for 6 h between 22 to 42 d of age. IF in hot environmental conditions slightly increased performance without adversely affecting health, welfare, and physiological traits, whereas CW implementation had no significant effect on performance. It can also be said that IF suppresses a sudden increase in body temperature depending on age and live weight.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.841-846
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• 2014

The present study was conducted to determine whether the two-step time-restricted feeding improves the fattening traits of one-step time-restricted feeding in geese. Thirty-six 8-wk-old geese were allotted into one of three groups. Group R1 (the 1-step restricted feeding group) was allowed access to feed for 2 h in the morning from 8 wk to 14 wk of age. Group R2 (the 2-step restricted feeding group) was treated as Group R1, but was additionally fed for 2 h in the afternoon from 12 wk to 14 wk of age. Group C (the control group) was fed ad libitum from 8 wk to 14 wk of age. Feed intake and body weight (BW) were recorded daily and weekly, respectively. At 14 wk of age, the blood samples were collected to determine the fasting plasma levels of glucose, triacylglycerols and uric acid before sacrifice. The results showed that daily feed intake (DFI) was lower, feed efficiency (FE) was higher in both Groups R1 and R2 than in Group C, and daily gain (DG) in Group R2 was higher than in Group R1 during the whole experimental period (p<0.05). Group R1 exhibited lower abdominal and visceral fat weights in carcass than did Group C (p<0.05), and Group R2 was in intermediate. The fasting plasma glucose levels in Group C were higher, and triacylglycerol levels in Group R1 were higher, compared with the other groups (p<0.05). It is concluded that time-restricted feeding in the fattening period not only increases FE but reduces DFI, and the additional meal during the late fattening period improves the DG without the expense of FE in geese.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.996-1002
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• 2014

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary alpha-lipoic acid (LA) and acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) on growth performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality in Arbor Acres broilers. A total of 486 1-d-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allocated to 9 dietary treatments, 9 treatments were group A (0 mg/kg LA and 0 mg/kg ALC), group B (50 mg/kg LA and 0 mg/kg ALC), group C (100 mg/kg LA and 0 mg/kg ALC), group D (0 mg/kg LA and 50 mg/kg ALC), group E (50 mg/kg LA and 50 mg/kg ALC), group F (100 mg/kg LA and 50 mg/kg ALC), group G (0 mg/kg LA and 100 mg/kg ALC), group H (50 mg/kg LA and 100 mg/kg ALC), group I (100 mg/kg LA and 100 mg/kg ALC). Birds were slaughtered at 42 days old. Average daily gain (ADG), average feed intake (AFI), feed conversion rate (FCR), eviscerated rate, breast muscle percentage, thigh muscle percentage, abdominal fat percentage, liver weight, muscle color ($L^*$ value, $a^*$ value, $b^*$ value), pH values at 45 min and 24 h postmortem were measured. Results showed that there existed an interaction between LA and ALC in growth performance of broilers, carcass traits and meat quality. The overall result is that high level of LA and ALC led to lower AFI, ADG (p<0.01), lower abdominal fat percentage, liver weight (p<0.01), lower $L^*$ value, $a^*$ value, and $b^*$ value of breast muscle, $L^*$ value of thigh muscle (p<0.05), and higher FCR (p<0.01), eviscerated rate (p<0.01), breast muscle percentage, thigh muscle percentage (p<0.05), $a^*$ value, pH 45 min and pH 24 h of thigh muscle (p<0.01). These results suggested that dietary LA and ALC contributed to the improvement of meat quality in broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.50-56
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• 2003

An experiment was carried out to compare the body weight, shank length, rectal temperature, comb area, abdominal fat, blood parameters and bone traits of capon, slip and intact birds in Taiwan country chicken cockerels. One hundred and sixty-six Taiwan country chicken cockerels were randomly assigned to caponized or intact male groups. Caponized birds were surgically altered at 10 weeks old and raised to 28 weeks old. At 28 weeks of age, the capons were separated into capon and slip groups, depending on the atrophy of the comb and wattle in size. The results showed that body weight and shank length in slips were significantly (p<0.05) greater than in intact birds. Intact birds had the highest (p<0.05）feather scores and the lowest (p<0.05) rectal temperature. Compared with intact birds and slips, capons had a significantly (p<0.05) smaller comb area. Bone percentage, stress and cortical thickness, and bone and ash calcium content and plasma testosterone concentration, in intact birds were the highest (p<0.05) followed by slips and capons. However, intact birds had the lowest (p<0.05) plasma ionized calcium and phosphorus concentrations. Bone and ash manganese contents in capons were significantly (p<0.05)lower than those in others. These findings support the hypothesis that androgenic effects on secondary sexual characteristics are stronger than anabolic growth promoting response. Androgens can directly influence calcium fluxes in male chickens. Caponized caused a reduction in the bone percentage, stress, cortical thickness and bone calcium content.