• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.979-984
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• 2017

Objective: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary Ca concentrations in low non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) diets containing phytase on growth performance, bone mineralization, litter quality, and footpad dermatitis (FPD) incidence in growing broiler chickens. Methods: A total of 1,800 21-day-old Ross 308 growing broiler chickens were allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments with 6 replicated cages. Six diets were formulated to provide increasing Ca concentrations of 4.0, 5.0, 6.0, 7.0, 8.0, or 9.0 g/kg in diets. The concentrations of NPP in all diets were maintained at 3.0 g/kg, and phytase was supplemented to all diets at the level of 1,000 fytase units (FTU)/kg. At the end of the 14-d feeding trial, birds were euthanized for tibia sampling, and litter samples were collected from 3 areas in the cage. The FPD incidence was measured based on a 6-point scoring system. Results: Dietary Ca concentrations had no effect on growth performance of growing broiler chickens. However, a tendency (linear, p = 0.05) for decreased feed efficiency was observed as dietary Ca concentrations were increased. The concentrations of Ca and P in the tibia of broiler chickens increased (linear and quadratic, p<0.01) with increasing Ca concentrations in low NPP diets containing phytase. Litter pH, moisture, and N contents were not affected by increasing Ca concentrations in low NPP diets containing phytase. However, a tendency (quadratic, p = 0.10) for increased FPD incidence with increasing dietary Ca concentrations was observed. Conclusion: Dietary Ca concentrations from 4.0 to 9.0 g/kg in low NPP diets containing phytase have little effects on growth performance of growing broiler chickens. However, Ca and P concentrations in the tibia are decreased if dietary Ca concentrations are less than 5.0 g/kg. The FPD incidence for growing broiler chickens may be decreased if less than 9.0 g/kg of Ca is included in diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.266-273
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• 2002

A total of 225 day-old broiler chicks (43.08 g initial body weight) were allotted to three dietary treatments for a 6-week feeding trial. The treatments were 1) Control (defatted rice bran; DFRB), 2) fresh rice bran (FRB) and 3) rancid rice bran (RRB). Rice brans were intentionally spoiled by two degrees of rancidity by the values of free fatty acids (FFA): 7.6% (FRB) and 16.3% (RRB). Diets were prepared on an isonutrient basis, and defatted or rancid rice brans were included 5 and 10% for starter (0-3 week) and finisher (3-6 week), respectively. At the end of the feeding trial, six chicks per treatment were sacrificed, and thigh meats were ground and stored at $1^{\circ}C$ for thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and peroxide value (POV) analyses. For a digestibility, 48 growing chicks (4 weeks old) were employed in cages (3 replicates/treatment, 2 birds/cage) according to the experimental design: FRB, RRB, pelleted and extruded rice bran. Some of the FRB were pelleted ($70^{\circ}C$) or extruded ($110^{\circ}C$). There was no significant difference in growth performance during the starter period, but chicks fed a diet containing DFRB grew faster (p<0.05) with increased feed intake (p<0.05) than those fed diets containing rice brans, FRB or RRB, during the finisher period. Feed conversion ratio in the RRB was inferior (p<0.05) to the DFRB. Between rice bran groups, weight gain was higher (pco.os) in FRB than in RRB during finisher period. There was a similar trend in growth performance of chicks for the overall period (0-6 week) as the finisher period. Dry matter and energy digestibilities were higher (p<0.05) in extruded than in RRB group. Protein digestibility was improved (p<0.05) when rice bran was extruded, but not pelleted. The chicken meats from RRB showed higher (p<0.05) TBARS than those from FRB during storage for 4 weeks at $1^{\circ}C$. In conclusion, it would appear that feeding rancid rice bran gave negative effects on growth performance and lipid stability of meat in broiler chicks.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.532-537
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• 2005

Increasing of body weight has been one of the important economic factors in the poultry industry. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is a polypeptide that serves to regulate muscle development and body growth. Moreover, IGF-I is related to feed efficiency. However, there are few studies regarding the regulatory roles of chicken IGF-I/-II compared with that of mammals. Especially, the Korean Native Ogol Chicken (KNOC) has a lean body growth and its body weight is generally lighter than the broiler chicken. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate associations among serum IGF-I/-II concentration, feed efficiency, and body growth in KNOC. The body weight and feed intake of KNOC were recorded from 20 to 36 weeks at 2 weeks intervals, and blood was taken every 2 weeks. Serum IGF-I/-II were measured by RIA. Chickens were divided into two groups, high and low serum IGF-I concentration. Generally, feed efficiency and growth performance (body weight and weight gain) in the high serum IGF-I group were higher than those of the low group during the experimental period. In particular, the body weight of the IGF-I high group were significantly different from those of the IGF-I low group at 34 and 36 weeks, respectively (p<0.05). Moreover, body weight, weight gain, and feed efficiency had a significant correlation with serum IGF-I at several weeks (p<0.05 and p<0.01). These results show that IGF-I plays an important role in body growth and suggests a possibility that serum IGF-I could be used as a selection marker for body growth in KNOC.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1729-1735
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• 2011

The effect of flaxseed meal on broiler performance, carcass characteristics, alpha-linolenic acid contents, and organoleptic characteristics of chicken meat was studied during a 42 day experiment. Broiler chicks were randomly allotted to 4 experimental groups and fed iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets containing flaxseed meal at 0, 5, 10 and 15%. Flaxseed meal did not affect the weekly body weight of broiler chicks during the first two weeks but thereafter weekly body weight reduced among flaxseed meal groups. At the end of $6^{th}$ week, birds fed on 15% flaxseed meal showed a reduction of 8% in body weight compared to the control group. Control group had significantly higher weight gain with slightly higher feed consumption and better feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and energy efficiency ratio (EER) than the flaxseed meal groups. Among the treatments, birds of 5 and 10% flaxseed meal groups had significantly better FCR, PER and EER compared to those of the 15% flaxseed meal group. The carcass characteristics data indicated a significant reduction in the eviscerated weight and breast yield at 15% flaxseed meal in the diet as compared to other dietary groups. However, the alpha-linolenic acid content in both breast and thigh meat was higher with an increasing level of flaxseed meal in the diets without affecting the sensory acceptability of meat. Based on the present study, up to 10% of flaxseed meal may be used in broiler diet to enhance the alpha-linolenic acid content in the broiler meat.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.2
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• pp.187-197
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• 2020

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of black soldier fly larvae oil (BSFLO) from the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) as a partial or total replacement of soybean oil (SBO) on growth performance, fatty acid (FA) profile, and meat quality of broiler chickens from 1 to 5 wk of age. A total of 210 male broiler chickens (Ross 308) at one-day of age were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (10 replicates and 7 birds/group): a basal control diet (CON), the basal diet in which the SBO was replaced by 50% (50 BSFLO) or 100% (100 BSFLO) of BSFLO. The growth performance, physical measurements and chemical traits of leg meat, and sensory analysis of breast meat were not influenced by diets. However, the relative weight (g/kg) of gizzard of CON was significantly higher (14.85, 12.52, and 13.02 for CON, 50 BSFLO, and 100 BSFLO; p < 0.05) than that of other treatments. As expected, the FA profile of breast meat was affected by BSFLO inclusion. The proportion (%) of saturated fatty acid (SFA) was increased (27.16, 27.58, and 28.72 for CON, 50 BSFLO, and 100 BSFLO; p < 0.05) by BSFLO inclusion and the percentage (%) of MUFA was also increased (43.36, 44.58, and 48.55 for CON, 50 BSFLO, and 100 BSFLO; p < 0.01). On the contrary, the proportion (%) of PUFA was decreased (29.49, 27.84, and 22.74 for CON, 50 BSFLO, and 100 BSFLO; p < 0.01). In conclusion, the present study suggests that the replacement of BSFLO did not show an adverse effect on growth performance and it could be an ingredient as a dietary fat source for a broiler diet.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.83-90
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• 2012

A study was investigated the effects of the probiotic mixture (PM) contained Lactobacillus plantarum (L. plantarum) SY-99 $2.4{\times}10^9CFU/kg$ and Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) SJ-61 $2.2{\times}10^9CFU/kg$ on growth performance and fecal microflora counts of broiler chickens. Referred to the previous studies, a total of 160 one-day-old male broiler chicken (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to four experimental groups, which were a basal diet alone (control) and supplemented with PM 0.1 g/kg feed (T1), PM 0.2 g/kg feed (T2), and PM 0.4 g/kg feed (T3). After 28 days of administration, the average daily feed intake of T1 and T3 was significantly different compared to that of control (p<0.05). In addition, the feed conversion ratio of T2 and T3 was significantly improved compared to that of control (p<0.05). On the 28th day after administration, all treatment groups were significantly increased fecal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts and decreased fecal Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) counts compared to T1 (p<0.05). The results of this study indicated that the combination of L. plantarum and B. subtilis strains in the range of 0.2-0.4 g/kg feed could be used for the improvement of growth performance and fecal microflora in broiler chickens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.437-443
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• 2010

To be economically profitable, the poultry industry demands an increase in stocking density, which could adversely affect chicken welfare. The current study was performed to investigate the effect of stocking density on stress-related, heat shock protein genes (HSP70 and HSP90), 3-hydroxyl-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) gene and telomere length in broiler chickens. Seven-day-old broiler chickens were housed at High (0.0578 $m^2$/bird), Standard (0.077 $m^2$/bird) and Low (0.116 $m^2$/bird) stocking densities with 8 replicates each until 35 d of age. The growth performance, such as body weight gain and average daily feed intake, was found to be significantly (p<0.05) higher in the Low density group, but these parameters did not show any difference between the High and Standard groups. Other growth performance, such as feed conversion ratio and final feed intake, showed no difference among the treated groups. The expression levels of HSP70 and HMGCR were found to be elevated with the increase of stocking density. The expression level of these genes was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the High density stocked group compared with the other groups, whereas the expression levels were not significantly different between the Low and Standard groups. The expression levels of HSP90 did not show any significant changes among the treated groups. The telomeric length of the birds housed in High density was reduced significantly (p<0.05) when compared to that of the birds in Low density. These results clearly indicate that birds stocked at high density show physiological adaptive changes indicative of stress at gene transcriptional and telomere levels.

• 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.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1145-1151
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• 2016

This study was conducted to evaluate the relative bioavailability (RBV) of 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OH-$D_3$) to cholecalciferol (vitamin $D_3$) in 1- to 21-d-old broiler chickens fed with calcium (Ca)- and phosphorus (P)-deficient diets. On the day of hatch, 450 female Ross 308 broiler chickens were assigned to nine treatments, with five replicates of ten birds each. The basal diet contained 0.50% Ca and 0.25% non-phytate phosphorus (NPP) and was not supplemented with vitamin D. Vitamin $D_3$ was fed at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 10.0, and $20.0{\mu}g/kg$, and 25-OH-$D_3$ was fed at 1.25, 2.5, 5.0, and $10.0{\mu}g/kg$. The RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ was determined using vitamin $D_3$ as the standard source by the slope ratio method. Vitamin $D_3$ and 25-OH-$D_3$ intake was used as the independent variable for regression analysis. The linear relationships between the level of vitamin $D_3$ or 25-OH-$D_3$ and body weight gain (BWG) and the weight, length, ash weight, and the percentage of ash, Ca, and P in femur, tibia, and metatarsus of broiler chickens were observed. Using BWG as the criterion, the RBV value of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ was 1.85. Using the mineralization of the femur, tibia, and metatarsus as criteria, the RBV of 25-OH-$D_3$ to vitamin $D_3$ ranged from 1.82 to 2.45, 1.86 to 2.52, and 1.65 to 2.05, respectively. These data indicate that 25-OH-$D_3$ is approximately 2.03 times as active as vitamin $D_3$ in promoting growth performance and bone mineralization in broiler chicken diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.7
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• pp.1001-1006
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• 2011

To determine the efficiency of copper (Cu) supplementation, a feeding experiment was carried out with 240 day old broiler chicks (vencobb-100). Birds were divided into four dietary treatments: i) C - no additives, ii) $T_1$-75 mg inclusion of Cu/kg diet, iii) $T_2$-150 mg inclusion of Cu/kg diet, iv) $T_3$-250 mg inclusion of Cu/kg diet. The present study was carried out in the Department of Animal Physiology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Kolkata, India for a period of 42 days (6 weeks). Growth performance was measured in terms of live weight gain, cumulative feed intake and feed conversion ratio at the end of $21^{st}$ and $42^{nd}$ day of the experiment and the result was found to be encouraging for commercial enterprises when the chickens were fed at 150 mg Cu/kg ($T_2$) of their diet. Excess dietary copper more than 150 mg/kg reduced the haemoglobin (Hb) concentration in blood and resulted in the accumulation of copper in the liver with decreased blood Hb concentration and packed cell volumes (PCV). Copper supplementation increased the total erythrocyte count (TEC) as copper is involved in erythropoiesis. But, from the result it is indicated that the dietary copper concentration could not alter the total leukocyte count (TLC). In case of different leucocytes count (DLC), there were no significant differences observed among the different treated groups. Statistical analysis showed significant (p<0.01) difference in plasma concentration of copper, zinc, ferrous and cholesterol among the different copper treated groups. The result indicates that supplementation of copper is an effective way of improving the production performance and haematological parameters in broiler chicken.