2. Males were divided into non-aggressive and aggressive groups during the breeding season based on ethological evaluation. At the beginning, in the middle and at the end of the breeding season, a blood sample was taken from all males on the same day and the concentration of selected biochemical indicators and the total circulating testosterone in the plasma were determined.
3. Male-to-female aggression during the breeding season of pheasants was not influenced by the total plasma testosterone of males.
4. The concentration of total plasma testosterone in males decreased gradually during the breeding season.
5. Male-to-female aggression of pheasants did not have a significant effect on any of the assessed biochemical indicators.
6. The influence of the breeding season affected the activities of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase as well as the concentrations of glucose, magnesium, potassium and chloride in the blood plasma of cage-housed male pheasants. 相似文献
2. Half the hens had undergone beak trimming at 18 weeks, but in many cases regrowth had occurred.
3. Plumage damage and loss was significantly reduced in beak‐trimmed birds compared with birds with normal beaks. Tier and cage design had no effect.
4. This finding supports the idea that feather pecking is the important factor in causing plumage damage, rather than abrasion.
5. A comparison between 64 birds in which beak regrowth had occurred, and 64 in which it remained truncated, showed that both groups had similar plumage scores.
6. It appears to be the beak‐trimming procedure which is important; subsequent regrowth being irrelevant. 相似文献
2. In 4 consecutive trials, 4752 hens were recorded for keel bone status. Evaluation of plumage condition was made for 1440 hens and bone breaking strength was recorded for 1200 hens. A total of 4962 eggs were analysed for internal and external egg quality traits. Analyses involved 30 small group compartments per trial.
3. The layer line had a much more pronounced influence on humerus breaking strength than on tibia breaking strength.
4. Plumage condition, particularly on the neck, was positively correlated with humerus breaking strength in both layer lines.
5. An average of 34% of LB and 23% of LSL hens showed keel bone deformities, with higher proportions of slight deformities.
6. Slight keel bone deformities, rather than moderate to severe, increased significantly during the laying period.
7. Stocking density had no influence on bone breaking strength, keel bone status and egg quality traits.
8. LB layers had a 1.4-fold higher humerus, but only a 1.06-fold higher tibia breaking strength compared to LSL layers.
9. Tibia breaking strength was significantly affected by the interaction of group size and layer line. LSL layers in small groups had lower tibia breaking strengths than those of the large groups. 相似文献
2. Although the protein content of all tissues varied with age, the only statistically significant effect was on the level of protein in the gizzard.
3. The moisture content of the gizzard was significantly affected by age and blood by age and sex.
4. The fat content of the gizzard was significantly affected by age, as was the effect of sex on the fat content of blood.
5. The ash contents of heart and gizzard were significantly affected by age.
6. The phosphorus contents of the gizzard, heart and liver were significantly affected by age, as were the chloride content of heart and the calcium content of the liver. Blood potassium was significantly affected by sex. Fluctuations in the contents of other elements are discussed.
7. The variability in organ composition is discussed with respect to the degree of trimming and preparation of the samples. 相似文献
2. Thirteen farms participated, all housing Lohmann LSL layers in systems allowing 8 or 10 hens per cage.
3. Each flock was visited at three different ages: 32, 62 and 77 weeks. During each visit, 100 hens were examined for keel bone fractures and deviations, plumage damage, body wounds, foot pad lesions, bumble feet, missing toes and toe wounds.
4. A deterioration with age of the condition of the plumage and keel bone was found (P < 0.001). At 77 weeks of age, 16% of the birds had poor plumage, and 43% of the birds had keel bone damage. In contrast, foot pad lesions were most prevalent at 32 weeks of age (13%), whereas the other foot injuries and body wounds remained at a relatively low level throughout the three ages examined.
5. Prevention of damage to the keel bone, plumage and foot pads should therefore be considered when aiming to improve welfare of laying hens housed in small furnished cages. 相似文献
2. Protein and energy metabolism were studied in males from these selected lines fed on a diet of intermediate protein content.
3. All selected birds retained more nitrogen than those studied 10 years previously.
4. There was no difference in nitrogen retention between groups, although relative growth rate of group B birds was higher.
5. Heat productions relative to gross energy intake were 0.38 (group B) and 045 (group A). Energy retentions relative to gross energy intake were 0.39 (group B) and 0.35 (group A); the difference being primarily due to higher fat retention in group B.
6. Using a common maintenance requirement for metabolisable energy, group B utilised metabolisable energy for growth (0.78) better than did group A (0.71).
7. At 53 d of age plasma glucose (10%) and insulin (50%) were higher in group B than in group A. 相似文献
2. A circadian system was postulated to control the restriction of ovulation to an 8‐h period of the day under conventional 14 h light: 10 h dark regimes.
3. The final phase of follicular maturation was postulated to commence after ovulation of the preceding ovum in the hierarchy.
4. Ovulation was postulated to occur when a mature follicle was present in the ovary during the appropriate phase of the circadian‐linked system.
5. The predicted times of oviposition were within the standard error of the observed times of oviposition under 21‐, 24‐ and 28‐h photoschedules.
6. It was concluded that this hypothesis for the control of the ovulatory cycle of the hen is consistent with current knowledge. 相似文献
2. Three SNPs were identified in the MC1R coding region by multiple alignment of sequences from individuals with different plumage colours. A missense C/T mutation located at 169 bp within the Open Reading Frame caused a Ile57Val mutation in the amino acid sequence, and had a significant relationship with the black colour.
3. The expression of MC1R was higher in black plumage quails than that in maroon plumage quails, whereas the expression of ASIP was higher in maroon plumage quails than that in black plumage quails.
4. It is concluded that the black plumage colour in Japanese quails may be caused by either increased production of MC1R or decreased production of ASIP. 相似文献
2. In total, 83 single unit activities were recorded from the caudal mesenteric nerve.
3. Receptors were grouped according to their locations in different layers of the rectum as (i) over the branching points of the blood vessel or in the serosal layer, (ii) in the muscle layer or (iii) in the mucous membrane of the rectum.
4. All the receptors, both spontaneous and non‐spontaneous, responded to mechanical probing. Receptors of the muscle layer responded to distension also and showed a slowly‐adapting nature. Most of the receptors of the other two groups were of the rapidly‐adapting type.
5. Conduction velocity ranged from 0.76 to 34.6 m/s.
6. Sympathetic afferent fibres from the hind gut ascend along the intestinal nerve and join the caudal mesenteric nerve via the colonic ganglion. 相似文献
2. Restricted birds were lighter throughout the experiment.
3. Relative adrenal weight tended to be greater in restricted birds but the difference decreased with time.
4. There was no depletion of adrenal cholesterol: from week 5 there was a significantly greater amount in the adrenals of restricted birds.
5. After 1 week of restriction plasma corticosterone concentration was 73% greater than in controls. It decreased progressively, falling within the normal range at 5 weeks.
6. Restricted birds were hypoglycaemic from weeks 2 to 7 and hyper‐lipacidaemic throughout. A negative correlation between plasma glucose and free fatty acids was found. 相似文献
2. Intra-abdominal (IA) injection of LPS significantly suppressed feeding behaviour and significantly increased mRNA expression of IL1β and IL8 in the diencephalon when compared to the control group, while IL6 tended to be increased.
3. Intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of 200 ng IL1β significantly decreased food intake at 60 min after the injection while IL6 and IL8 had no effect.
4. IA injection of these ILs (200 ng) had no effect on food intake in chicks.
5. ICV injection of 200 ng IL1β did not affect water intake and plasma corticosterone concentration, suggesting that central IL1β might not be related to the regulation of drinking behaviour and the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis.
6. The present study demonstrated that central IL1β but not IL6 and IL8 might be related to the inhibition of feeding in chicks. 相似文献
2. Dry plucking increased weight loss due to plucking and eviscerating, and reduced chilled carcass yield.
3. Dry eviscerating increased carcass water uptake during chilling.
4. Pre‐chilling with running water increased carcass water uptake compared with chilling in ice and water alone.
5. Water uptake during chilling appeared to be increased by longer eviscerating time. 相似文献
2. Growth rate, food intake, food utilisation and proportion of dietary nitrogen retained were much poorer in chicks receiving salseed meal.
3. The chicks receiving salseed meal developed pathological lesions in liver and kidney.
4. The red blood cell count, white blood cell count, haemoglobin concentration and packed cell volume of the chicks receiving salseed meal were lower than those of chicks receiving maize.
5. The apparent metabolisable energy value of salseed meal was determined as 6.83 MJ/kg. 相似文献
2. The Sinai produced significantly fewer, smaller eggs, resulting in lower egg mass output (g/bird d), than the Leghorn and the crossbreds.
3. Egg weight of both crossbreds was intermediate between Sinai and Leghorn but laying rate was closer to that of the Leghorn.
4. Differences in egg mass output apparent at 8 to 10 months of age decreased considerably with age.
5. These findings suggest that selection or crossbreeding of the Sinai might improve productive performance while maintaining improved eggshell quality. 相似文献
2. A randombred control population of known pedigree was used to measure the environmental trends.
3. Selection in pure lines resulted in concomitant improvement in the crosses for the selected as well as the correlated traits.
4. Cross performance was comparatively more than expected on the basis of mid‐parent values, indicating involvement of non‐additive gene action in the expression of cross performance.
5. Crosses responded better to independent culling level selection for egg weight than their parents.
6. Heterosis appeared to increase in later generations as compared with initial generations of selection. 相似文献
2. Protein content generally increased with age in all muscles and decreased in skin. Protein content in skin of males was always higher than that in females.
3. Moisture content in all muscles decreased with age. In the skin, moisture decreased with age considerably more in females than in males.
4. Fat content increased with age in all tissues, while ash content of breast, thigh and skin decreased with age.
5. Phosphorus, chloride, magnesium and potassium all decreased with age in all the tissues. Thigh and skin calcium content were affected by age, as was the sodium content of drumstick and skin.
6. The sex effect on the inorganic constituents was variable. 相似文献
2. No differences were detected between the gains in weight of the control and experimental groups of birds.
3. A marked negative linear relationship was observed between the dry weight of the amount of caecal tissue removed when the birds were 22 d old and the weight of the left caecum at the end of the experiment.
4. The average growth rate of the left caecum (g dry tissue/week) was found to be dependent on the estimated weight of caecal tissue remaining after surgery.
5. No evidence was obtained to indicate that the growth of the right caecum responded to the removal of the left caecal tissue.
6. The morphology and histology of the operated caeca were found to be similar to the equivalent regions of the unoperated caeca. Surgical interference was not followed by any major changes in mucosal architecture.
7. In birds which had experienced unilateral caecectomy, the discharge of caecal faeces usually stopped for about 2 d. When caecal defaecation was resumed, the pattern of defaecation appeared to be the same as that observed in sham‐operated birds with both caeca intact. 相似文献
2. Investigations were carried out on 100 hens per flock at the slaughter line and recorded as part of a novel scoring system. In addition, post-mortem investigations as well as parasitological examinations were conducted on 10 birds from each flock.
3. Birds with access to free range had better plumage than birds kept in barn systems. Housing in aviaries was associated with a higher prevalence of foot pad lesions and keel bone deformations. In addition, poorer plumage, more and worse skin and foot pad lesions were documented in hens slaughtered during the winter months.
4. Oophoritis and/or salpingitis were the most prevalent pathomorphological changes observed. Intestinal parasites, especially Heterakis gallinarum and Ascaridia galli, were frequent. Hens kept indoors had fewer nematoda and cestoda than those from conventional and organic free range.
5. The slaughterhouse protocol allowed direct comparison of variables between flocks and specific problems to be identified in particular flocks. The results could be used to initiate detailed investigations into problematic issues on selected farms. 相似文献
2. The Na and water contents of skeletal muscles were increased by TA treatment while K was unaltered.
3. The extracellular space expressed as a proportion of starved body weight was unaffected by TA implantation.
4. Plasma or serum concentrations of P, Ca, Mg, Na and K and activities of the enzymes aspartate aminotransferase [EC 2.6.1.1], creatine kinase [EG 2.7.3.2] and γ‐glutamyl transferase [EC 2.3.2.2] were not changed by TA treatment.
5. Packed cell volume was significantly increased by TA implantation after a delay of some 2 to 3 weeks while plasma protein concentrations were immediately decreased for a period of two weeks before nearly normal concentrations were obtained again.
6. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate was decreased by TA treatment, but serum protein electrophoretic pattern was unchanged. 相似文献