• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1495-1502
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• 2024

Objective: This research investigated the effect of administering chromium (Cr) and meloxicam (MEL) on growth performance, cortisol and blood metabolite, and behaviors in young, regrouped heifers. Methods: Fifty Holstein dairy heifers (body weight [BW] 198±32.7 kg and 6.5±0.82 months of age) were randomly assigned to non-regrouped group or four regrouped groups. Non-regrouped animals were held in the same pen throughout the entire experimental period (NL: non-regrouping and administration of lactose monohydrate [LM; placebo]). For regrouping groups, two or three heifers maintained in four different pens for 2 weeks were regrouped into a new pen and assigned to one of four groups: regrouping and LM administration (RL); regrouping and Cr administration (RC); regrouping and MEL administration (RM), and regrouping and Cr and MEL administration (RCM). LM (1 mg/kg BW), Cr (0.5 mg Cr picolinate/kg dry matter intake), and MEL (1 mg/kg BW) were orally administered immediately before regrouping. Blood was collected before regrouping (0 h) and at 3, 9, and 24 h and 7 and 14 d thereafter. Behaviors were recorded for 7 consecutive days after regrouping. Results: Average daily gain was lower (p<0.05) in RL than NL heifers, but was higher (p<0.05) in RM, RC, and RCM than RL heifers. RL heifers had higher (p<0.05) cortisol than NL heifers on d 1 after regrouping. The cortisol concentrations in RC, RM, and RCM groups were lower (p<0.05) than in RL treatment 1 d after regrouping. Displacement behavior was greater (p<0.05) in RL group than all other groups at 2, 3, and 6 d after regrouping. Conclusion: Regrouping caused temporal stress, reduced growth performance, and increased displacement behavior in heifers. Administering Cr and MEL recovered the retarded growth rate and reduced displacement behavior, thereby alleviating regrouping stress.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.87-95
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• 2012

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of varying levels of metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) on growth performance and carcass characteristics in layer-type growing male chicks. Nine hundred 1-d-old Hy-Line Brown male chicks were randomly allocated to 30 pens in a $2{\times}3$ factorial design. The experimental diets contained 2 levels of ME (2,800 kcal/kg and 2,950 kcal/kg) in combination with 3 levels of CP (17%, 18.5%, and, 20%). A significant interaction of ME and CP on feed intake was observed (p<0.05). No interaction was observed between ME and CP for 53 d BW gain or FCR, which improved linearly with dietary CP levels (p<0.05). A significant interaction or tendency was observed between ME and CP levels. The intake of ME for 1 g BW gain was linearly decreased with increasing CP levels (p<0.001). The intake of CP per bird was significantly increased in low ME (2,800 kcal/kg) treatment than that of the high ME treatment (2,950 kcal/kg) (p<0.05), and dietary CP level had more influence on CP intake for gram BW gain than level of ME. The relative weights of liver, spleen, breast meat and, leg were not influenced by the dietary treatments. Serum BUN, albumin, creatinine, and the activities of GOT and GPT were not influenced significantly by the diet treatment. In conclusion, the growth performance in layer-type male chicks was linearly increased when the level of dietary CP increased. The ME and CP did not affect the carcass characteristics and blood profiles. Therefore, the optimum levels of dietary ME and CP to improve the growth were 2,800 kcal/kg and above 18.5% in layer-type growing male chicks, respectively.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.459-470
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• 2007

Domestically, finishing pigs are marketed at 110 kg on an average. However, it is thought to be feasible to increase the market weight to 120kg or greater without decreasing the carcass quality, because most domestic pigs for pork production have descended from lean-type lineages. The present study was undertaken to investigate the growth efficiency and profitability of ‘high’-market wt pigs and the physicochemical characteristics and consumers' acceptability of the high-wt carcass. A total of 96 (Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc-crossbred gilts and barrows were fed a finisher diet ad laibtum in 16 pens beginning from 90-kg BW, after which the animals were slaughtered at 110kg (control) or ‘high’ market wt (135 and 125kg in gilts & barrows, respectively) and their carcasses were analyzed. Average daily gain and gain:feed did not differ between the two sex or market wt groups, whereas average daily feed intake was greater in the barrow and high market wt groups than in the gilt and 110-kg market wt groups, respectively(P<0.01). Backfat thickness of the high-market wt gilts and barrows corrected for 135 and 125-kg live wt, which were 23.7 and 22.5 mm, respectively, were greater (P<0.01) than their corresponding 110-kg counterparts(19.7 & 21.1 mm). Percentages of the trimmed primal cuts per total trimmed lean (w/w), except for that of loin, differed statistically (P<0.05) between two sex or market wt groups, but their numerical differences were rather small. Crude protein content of the loin was greater in the high vs. 110-kg market group (P<0.01), but crude fat and moisture contents and other physicochemical characteristics including the color of this primal cut were not different between the two sexes or market weights. Aroma, marbling and overall acceptability scores were greater in the high vs. 110-kg market wt group in sensory evaluation for fresh loin (P<0.01); however, overall acceptabilities for cooked loin, belly and ham were not different between the two market wt groups. Marginal profits of the 135- and 125-kg high-market wt gilt and barrow relative to their corresponding 110-kg ones were approximately -35,000 and 3,500 wons per head under the current carcass grading standard and price. However, if it had not been for the upper wt limits for the A- and B-grade carcasses, marginal profits of the high market wt gilt and barrow would have amounted to 22,000 and 11,000 wons per head, respectively. In summary, 120～125-kg market pigs are likely to meet the consumers' preference better than the 110-kg ones and also bring a profit equal to or slightly greater than that of the latter even under the current carcass grading standard. Moreover, if only the upper wt limits of the A- & B-grade carcasses were removed or increased to accommodate the high-wt carcass, the optimum market weights for the gilt and barrow would fall upon their target weights of the present study, i.e. 135 and 125 kg, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.291-300
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• 2005

Two experiments were carried out to assess the appropriate incubation conditions namely; duration, moisture content and the ideal microbial inoculant for fermented dried food waste(EW) offered to broilers. The nutrient utilization of birds fed the FW diets at varying dietary inclusion rates was also compared with a control diet. In Experiment 1, different moisture contents(MC) of 30, 40, 50 and $60\%$ respectively were predetermined to establish the ideal duration of incubation and the microbial inoculant. A 1mL Aspergillus oryzae(AO) $(1.33\times10^5\;CFU/mL)$ was used as the seed inoculant in FW. This results indicated that the ideal MC for incubation was $40\~50\%$ while the normal incubation time was > 72 hours. Consequently, AO seeds at 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00mL were inoculated in FW to determine its effect on AO count. The comparative AO count of FW incubated for 12 and 96 hours, respectively showed no significant differences among varying inoculant dosage rates. The FW inoculated with lower AO seeds at 0.10, 0.05 and 0.01mL were likewise incubated for 72 and 96 hours, respectively and no changes in AO count was detected(p<0.05). The above findings indicated that the incubation requirements for FW should be $%40\~50\%$ for 72 hours with an AO seed incoulant dosage rate of 0.10mL. Consequently, in Experiment II, after determining the appropriate processing condition for the FW, 20 five-week old male Hubbard strain were used in a digestibility experiment. The birds were divided into 4 groups with 5 pens(1 bird per pen). The dietary treatments were; Treatment 1 : Control(Basal diet), Treatment 2 : $60\%$ Basal+4$40\%$ FW, Treatment 3 : $60\%$ $Basal+20\%\;FW+20\%$ AFW(Aspergillus oryzae inoculate dried food-waste diet) and Treatment 4: $60\%$ Basal+$40\%$ Am. Digestibility of treatment 2 was lowed on common nutrients and amino acids compared with control(p<0.05) and on crude fat and phosphorus compared with AFW treatments(T3, T4)(plt;0.05). Digestibility of treatment 3 and 4 increased on crude fiber and crude ash compared treatment 2 (p<0.05). Digestibility of control was high on agrinine, leucine, and phenylalnine of essential amino acids compared with treatment 3 and 4(p<0.05), and diestibility of treatment 3 and 4 was improved on arginine, lysine, and threonine of essential amino acids. Finally, despite comparable nutrient utilization among treatments, birds fed the dietary treatment containing AO tended to superior nutrient digestion to those fed the $60\%$ Basa1+$40\%$ FW.