Effects of cerium oxide supplementation to laying hen diets on performance,egg quality,some antioxidant enzymes in serum and lipid oxidation in egg yolk

This study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary cerium oxide levels (0, 100, 200, 300 or 400 mg/kg) on the laying performance, egg quality, some blood serum parameters and egg lipid peroxidation of laying hen. In total, one hundred and twenty 22‐week‐old brown Lohman LSL laying hens were randomly assigned to five groups equally (n = 24). Each treatment was replicated six times. Dietary supplementation of cerium oxide had no significant effect on feed intake and egg weight. The addition of cerium oxide to the laying hens' feed improved feed conversion ratio and increased (p < 0.05) egg production. Quality criteria of egg for except shell breaking strength were not affected by supplementing cerium oxide. In particular, supplementation of 200 and 300 mg/kg cerium oxide to the laying hens feed led to a significant (p < 0. 01) increase in egg shell breaking strength. Calcium and phosphorus concentration of serum increased significantly (p < 0.05) with supplementation of 100 mg/kg cerium oxide to laying hen diets. It was also observed that serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration decreased significantly with supplementation of cerium oxide in diets. Inclusion of cerium oxide resulted in a significant reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) values in egg yolk in this study. It can be concluded that the addition of cerium oxide had positive effects on egg production, feed conversion ratio and egg shelf life. Based on the results of this study, it could be advised to supplement laying hens feed with cerium oxide as feed additives.     

Effects of dietary Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bacillus subtilis on laying performance,egg quality,blood biochemistry and immune response of organic laying hens

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two different probiotic micro‐organisms on the performance, egg quality and blood parameters of organically reared hens. A total of 900 16‐week‐old Hy‐Line layer hybrids were randomly assigned to three groups of 300 birds each. The control (CTR) group was fed a corn–soya bean cake‐based diet; the L group was fed the same diet supplemented with 0.1% Lactobacillus acidophilus, while the B group was fed the same diet supplemented with 0.05% Bacillus subtilis. Data were recorded at the beginning (weeks 5 and 6: T1) and at the end (weeks 19 and 20: T2) of the experiment, and no differences in hen performance were recorded between dietary groups or sampling times. All of the investigated clinical chemistry parameters, except GGT, were affected by diet (p < 0.05), with the best results recorded for the probiotic‐treated groups. The immune‐response values showed higher blood bactericidal activity in the B and L groups at T2 (p < 0.05) and a lower lysozime concentration in the B group at T1. Higher antibody production against Newcastle disease virus was observed in the L group compared to the CTR (p = 0.013). No differences in oxidative status were recorded, and no effects of diet on egg quality were observed. Among the physical egg characteristics, only the Roche scale colour was affected by diet (p < 0.05): the egg yolk was paler in the L group. The age of the hen was the most relevant factor affecting physical egg characteristics. The chemical parameters of the egg were almost unaffected by supplementation with probiotics except for the lipid content, which decreased with the L diet (p < 0.05). Both probiotic inclusions had beneficial effects on hen metabolism and welfare, and L. acidophilus induced the best immune response.     

Effects of Alternative Molting Programs and Population on Layer Performance: Results of the Thirty-Fifth North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Test

A study involving 7 white-egg and 3 brown-egg commercial layer strains was conducted at the North Carolina Piedmont Research Station to assess the effects cage population 3-bird vs. 4-bird cages and alternative molt programs on performance through 113 wk of age (791 d). The flock was divided into 3 groups; not molted (NM), maintained in continuous production; molted using feed restriction (FR), an industry-type 14-d feed withdrawal molting program initiated at 463 d of age; and molted using a nonfasted/anorexic program (NF), in which an ad libitum supply of a low protein, low energy molt feed was provided. Productivity, egg size, and egg quality were monitored at 28-d periods throughout the test providing the performance data for the white-egg and brown-egg strains with regard to these management factors. Detailed results by strain are available on the following Web site: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/poulsci/tech_info.html#layer. The performance for the 3-bird or 4-bird cage groups for either type of layer was similar, except that birds in 4-bird cages had higher feed consumption in the first production phase than did the birds in 3-bird cages. In the same time period the white-egg birds in the 3-bird cages had a greater percentage of cracked eggs and a smaller percentage of Grade A large eggs than those in 4-bird cages. No differences were observed in egg income for the 2 population sizes for either type of layer. However, due to their higher feed consumption, the white egg birds in the 4-bird cages had higher feed cost per hen for the first cycle, which was offset by the egg income component due to their increased production rate. The molted layers outperformed the nonmolted layers for both types of layers in terms of overall income over feed costs. The FR molted hens, under a program that has traditionally been used by commercial producers, outperformed NF-molted hens, indicating that further refinements are needed to make the NF program economically competitive with the FR molting program.     

寡齿新银鱼卵细胞粘丝的亚显微结构

经电镜扫描寡齿新银鱼的第Ⅳ时相，第Ⅴ时相卵母细胞和受卵的卵细胞粘丝，结果表明，卵细胞表面具从受精孔发生的１２根左右粘丝，此粘丝于受精孔处微弱弯曲，经侧部渐向受精孔相对处呈现很强扭曲或互相缠绕。卵细胞粘丝不仅出现在受精卵和第Ⅴ时相卵母细胞表面，而且清晰地出现在第Ⅳ时相卵母细胞的滤泡膜上。     

大银鱼卵细胞粘丝扫描电镜观察

用扫描电镜观察了大银鱼的第Ⅲ时相，第Ⅳ时相，第Ⅴ时相卵母细胞和受精卵的卵细胞粘丝的外部形态特征和它们的粘性，并讨论了卵细胞粘丝的功能。     

Interspecific differences in early life‐history traits in a species complex of stream‐resident galaxiids

Fish differentially provision resources to eggs and larvae to optimise survival during the critical early life‐history period. Resource allocation is limited by a trade‐off between egg size and fecundity, and the optimal strategy varies with habitat type. This study examines the consequences of egg size differences for the early life‐histories of four closely related galaxiid species which occur in contrasting habitat types on the South Island, New Zealand. Headwater species had substantially larger water‐hardened eggs, longer incubation times, and newly hatched larvae were on average up to 41% longer than lower catchment species. Significant interspecific differences in gape diameter, eye diameter and myomere depth were also observed. Swimming ability was positively associated with larval length at hatch. Interspecific differences in length and swimming ability were generally maintained throughout the larval period, despite larvae being reared under relatively benign conditions where many other studies suggest initial differences should disappear. These results demonstrate the consequences of differential maternal provisioning to the egg for larval traits. The larger larvae of headwater species are likely to be more resistant to starvation and have improved foraging ability compared to lower catchment species; traits which are likely to confer them survival advantages in the low productivity, food‐scarce environments they occupy. The smaller larvae of lower catchment species are likely to be a consequence of females investing in fecundity in these relatively resource‐rich streams.     

绿壳蛋鸡IGF-Ⅰ基因SNPs分析及其与末期产蛋性能的相关性研究

本研究以胰岛素样生长因子Ⅰ(insulin-like growth factors-Ⅰ, IGF-Ⅰ)基因作为候选基因,运用PCR-RFLP法检测基因变异,并分析其变异与鸡末期产蛋性能的相关性。以绿壳蛋鸡(n=113)作为试验材料,对IGF-Ⅰ基因5'调控区进行遗传多样性研究。研究结果表明,该调控区扩增产物经PstⅠ酶切后出现AA、AB、BB共3种基因型,经χ²检验绿壳蛋鸡在IGF-Ⅰ位点上符合Hardy-Weinberg平衡状态(P＞0.05)。相关分析表明,IGF-Ⅰ基因5'调控区PstⅠ位点对于产蛋末期(14和15月龄)的产蛋性能没有显著影响(P＞0.05)。     

产蛋鹅大肠杆菌的分离鉴定和免疫效果观察

通过对某养鹅专业户病死产蛋鹅的病原分离,革兰氏染色镜检,生化试验,药敏实验。结果表明:分离菌为大肠杆菌,对头孢噻肟、阿米卡星、壮观霉素等高度敏感,对青霉素、四环素等产生耐药。分离菌制成蜂胶灭活苗免疫该专业户产蛋鹅后,发病率和死亡率明显下降,具有较好的免疫效果。