Performance of Broiler Chickens Fed Sweet Potato Meal (Ipomoea batatas L.) Diets

Day-old Lohman broiler chicks (n = 120) were fed on five starting diets for 4 weeks in groups of 24 birds. The starting diets contained 0%, 9%, 18%, 27% and 36% sweet potato tuber as a replacement for maize. From the fifth week, the 120 birds were tested in groups of 30 on four finishing diets containing 0%, 15%, 30% and 45% sweet potato tuber as a replacement for maize. The carcass quality was significantly (p>0.05) improved due to a significant (p>0.05) reduction of abdominal fat in the birds fed on the 45% sweet potato finisher diets. However, the birds on the sweet potato diet continually passed wet dropppings, resulting in a significant (p>0.05) reduction in body weight and feed conversion efficiency. The optimum levels of inclusion of sweet potato in the diets were considered to be 27% and 30% for starting and finishing broiler chickens, respectively. Sweet potato diets may be a remedy for fatty broilers.     

甘蓝型低芥酸油菜单株产量基因效应的研究

用5×5半双列杂交研究甘蓝型低芥酸油菜单株产量的遗传,结果表明:供试的甘蓝型低芥酸油菜品系中,单株产量的遗传符合加性显性模型,显性性质为超显性,平均显性度为1.404。显性基因约为隐性基因的3倍多,并且多数增效基因表现显性,但也有显性的减效基因存在。单株产量的广义遗传力h_B~2=71.4％,狭义遗传力h_N~2=33.18％。供试亲本显性效应的强弱依次为81007>81006>81018>81004>81033,增效基因的多少依次为81018>81006>81007>81004>81033。一般配合力的大小依次为81018>81006>81004>81033>81007。     

体细胞克隆牛0～12月龄生长的测定研究

通过对5头体细胞克隆母犊牛及其同期自然繁殖出生的荷斯坦母犊牛初生期、6月龄、12月龄的体重、体尺指标测定,初步分析了其生长发育速度的变化规律。结果表明:(1)克隆牛初生重53.67±7.00kg,明显高于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),6月龄体重141.00±16.49kg,明显低于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),12月龄体重302.80±32.17kg,与自繁奶牛基本相当;(2)克隆牛0～6月龄期间平均日增重0.70±0.11kg明显低于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),6～12月龄期间平均日增重0.90±0.12kg,与自繁奶牛基本相当(P>0.05),0～12月龄期间平均日增重0.70±0.11kg,与自繁奶牛基本相当(P>0.05);(3)克隆牛初生体尺指标明显大于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),6月龄体尺指标明显小于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),12月龄体尺指标与自繁奶牛相当(P>0.05);(4)克隆牛0～6月龄期间体尺平均增长明显低于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),6～12月龄期间体尺平均增长明显高于自繁奶牛(P<0.01),0～12月龄期间体尺平均增长明显低于自繁奶牛(P<0.01)。     

Growth and Apparent Absorption of Minerals in Broiler Chicks Fed Diets with Low or High Tannin Contents

Sorghum grains with low (0.28 per cent catechin equivalent (%CE) or high (1.36 %CE)) tannin contents were used to study the effect of tannin on growth and on the apparent absorption of Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Co by chickens. High-tannin sorghum caused a highly significant (p0.01) reduction in the weight gain and feed intake of broiler chicks compared to low-tannin sorghum and increased the feed conversion ratio (p0.01). The amount of tannin did not affect mortality. The apparent absorption of Ca, P, Mg, Na, K, Fe and Co was reduced (p0.01) by feeding sorghum grains with a high tannin content.     

Estimates of Breed Average Direct,Maternal and Heterosis Effects for Some Pre-weaning Traits of Zebu Breeds and Their Crosses in Southeastern Mexico

Information on 936 birth weights (BW), adjusted weaning weights (AWW) and average daily gains (ADG) from Brahman (B), Indubrazil (I), Gyr (G) and commercial Zebu (C) cattle and their crosses were obtained from the records of a farm in the State of Yucatan, Mexico. Two statistical models were used to analyse the data: the first included the effects of year and season of birth, sex of the calf, cow's parity number and breed group. The other model included the same environmental effects as the previous model and the genetic components of breed group (breed additive, breed maternal and heterosis effects). Additive and maternal effects were expressed as deviations from those for the B breed. The means of BW, AWW and ADG for the B breed were 33.3 ± 0.64 kg, 204.0 ± 4.9 kg and 760.06 ± 19.24 g/day, respectively. Both models gave similar results in terms of the variance explained. Additive effects were significant (p < 0.05) for AWW and ADG but not for BW. The minor additive effect was for the C breed (−10.75 kg and −40.77 g for WW and ADG, respectively). Maternal and heterosis effects were not significant (p > 0.05) for any of the traits. The correlation between the breed group means and the means estimated by the prediction equation was r = 0.88. Finally, there was no significant genetic effect on pre-weaning calf performance among the genotypes evaluated. The genetic model can be used to predict the genotype means with a high degree of accuracy. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The effects of low doses of Senna occidentalis seeds on broiler chickens

The effects of 0.5%, 0.3% and 0.1% w/w concentrations of Senna occidentalis (So) seed mixed with commercial ration were studied in 18 groups of 32 broiler chicks each, from 1 day to 49 days of age. Three groups were fed one of the rations throughout their lives (TL). Three other groups were fed one of the rations from the 1st to the 28th day of life (starter phase, SP), and the final 3 groups were fed one of the rations from the 29th to 49th day (finisher phase, FP). Each experimental group was matched by a control group fed the same diet over the same period but without the inclusion of So. All the animals were killed at 49 days of age, and blood was collected from 10 birds in each group for biochemical studies (ALT, AST, GGT, LDH, UA). A complete necropsy was performed on 3 birds from each group. No significant differences in the biochemical parameters in the serum were found between the control and experimental chicks, but animals treated with 0.5% So in groups FP and TL, gained less weight and chicks that received 0.3% So or 0.5% So in the ration throughout life (TL) had a larger feed conversion ratio. Besides this, degenerative changes were found in the striated skeletal muscle in the chest, in the myocardium and in the liver in the animals that received the higher concentrations of So seeds.     

The Effects of Replacing Dicalcium Phosphate with Busumbu Rock Phosphate on Performance and the Mechanical Properties of Bone in Growing Chicks

Three hundred, day-old broiler chicks, with an average initial weight of 41.8±1.79 g, were used in a 15-day study (10 birds per battery cage) to characterize their performance and fluorine status when dicalcium phosphate (DCP) was replaced by Busumbu rock phosphate (BRP) as the source of phosphorus in the chicks' ration. The treatments comprised a standard ration with BRP replacing 0, 25%, 50%, 75% or 100% of DCP. Replacing DCP with BRP significantly reduced the final weight of the chicks (p<0.01), feed intake (p<0.01), weight gains (p<0.01) and dry matter digestibility (p<0.05) but increased (p<0.05) the feed-to-gain ratio. True phosphorus absorption and the percentage of phosphorus in the tibia were not affected by increasing amounts of BRP in the diet. Increasing levels of BRP in the diet linearly reduced (p<0.01) the percentage bone ash, calcium, Ca:P ratio, ultimate breaking force, bending moment, stress, and modulus of elasticity. Leg stiffness, lameness, reduced feed intake, and a decline in general health were recorded in 10–40% of the chicks on 75% and 100% BRP, respectively. These results suggest that excessive ingestion of fluorine from the BRP caused the reduction in the chicks' performance.     

Efficacy of Sarafloxacin in Broilers after Experimental Infection with Escherichia coli

Infections of chickens with Escherichia coli serotypeO78 can be treated with the antibiotic sarafloxacin. Three experiments were conducted on the administration of this drug to chickens that had been experimentally infected with E. coli. The birds were monitored for 10 days after infection for their average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), and the post-mortem pathology was assessed. In the first experiment, sarafloxacin (20 mg/L, equivalent to 5 mg/kg live weight per day), given in the drinking water for 3 days after infection, led to a reduction in the mortality from 75% to 27%, but the ADG of the treated birds was still less than that of the uninfected controls. In the second experiment, when the sarafloxacin was administered at the same dose in the water but over only 2 h, there was also a considerable reduction in mortality, and the ADG and the FCR also improved significantly. In the third experiment, the dose dependence of the drug was tested. The birds were given 5 and 10 mg/kg per day sarafloxacin in each group, starting within 2 h after infection. This rapid administration of the drug completely prevented mortality, while the ADG and FCR were similar to those of the uninfected controls.     

麦盖提羊体重与脂肪相关性的研究

本文主要对麦盖提羊体重与脂肪指标的相关性进行研究分析,并对体重与尾脂重.网油重和肾油重的相关性进行研究分析,认为麦盖提羊活重与胴体重.胴体重与尾脂重,网油重和肾油重之间有不同程度的正相关关系,周岁公母羊活重与胴体重的相关系数分别为0.914和0.997胴体重与尾脂重的相关系数分别为0.56和0.75而且差异极显著.成年公母羊胴体重与尾脂重的相关系数分别为0.73和0.70而且差异极显著.同时指出降低油脂含量和尾脂比重的具体做法,这对麦盖提羊现代育种提供科学的依据.     

撒坝猪部分生长发育性状的典型相关分析

采用SAS统计分析系统对577头撒坝猪的3个体重性状和5个体尺性状进行了典型相关分析.结果表明,体重与体尺性状的第一、第二典型相关系数达到了显著水平(P＜0.01),分别为0.9532和0.3044,占总相关的99.97%.体重性状与体尺性状间的相关主要是由于4月龄体重、6月龄体重与6月龄胸围、6月龄腿围的相关引起的.在达到显著水平的两对典型变量中,体重性状的两个典型变量对6月龄体长、胸围和腿围的预测能力较强,体尺性状的两个典型变量对4月龄体重和6月龄体重的预测能力较强,在实际育种中,选择体尺性状可同时达到提高体重性状之目的.