The nutritional value of salseed (Shorea robusta) meal for growing chicks

1. Salseed meal contains 98 g crude protein, 22 g ether extractives, 450 g available carbohydrate and 117 g tannins per kg.

2. From the chemical analysis the metabolisable energy (ME) content of salseed meal would be expected to be 11.22 MJ/kg. In vivo assay with chicks yielded values considerably less than this, 7.1 MJ/kg being found at an inclusion rate of 150 g/kg diet.

3. As the inclusion rate of salseed meal was increased to 300 g/kg, dietary ME and the digestion and retention of dietary protein decreased.

4. More than 50 g salseed meal/kg in the diet of chicks resulted in poor growth rate and food conversion.     

The nutritional value of low lathyrogenic Lathyrus (Lathyrus sativus) for growing chicks

1. The feeding value of new low β‐N‐oxalyl‐amino‐L‐alanine (BOAA) lines of Lathyrus sativus (lathyrus) and the benefits of dehulling the seed or of pre‐adapting chicks to lathyrus‐based diets were examined in several experiments.

2. Chicks fed on diets containing 400 g/kg of the low (1.3 g BOAA/kg seed) and medium (2.2 g BOAA/kg seed) BOAA lines did not differ (P>0.05) in weight gain (WG) or in apparent fat and protein digestibilities compared to birds fed on a wheat‐based diet.

3. Consumption of 600 g low BOAA lathyrus/kg diet caused a slight, but significant (P< 0.05), decrease in WG. Food efficiency decreased as the amount of dietary lathyrus was increased, suggesting that lathyrus may contain an antinutritive factor(s) other than BOAA.

4. Removal of the hull (70 g hull/kg seed) from the seed did not affect chick performance (P> 0.05).

5. Pre‐adapting chicks for 7 d to diets containing up to 600 g medium line lathyrus/kg diet did not reduce the detrimental effects of the lathyrus.

6. Although dehulling and pre‐adaptation of chicks to lathyrus were not beneficial, the low and medium lines of lathyrus tested show potential for use in chick diets up to at least 400 g lathyrus/kg diet.     

Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) Diets Relative to the Energy Requirements of Small Mygalomorph Spiders (Paraphysa sp.)

This article describes the basic prey requirements of Paraphysa sp., a small mygalomorph spider from the central Andes. Paraphysa sp. can be maintained in captivity using mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) as its primary food source. During a period of 66 days the prey requirements (larvae/day) were calculated for weight maintenance and compared with findings of previously reported resting and active metabolic rates. The spiders in this study ate at frequencies between 0.18 and 0.59 larvae/day, with an average of 0.43 ± 0.14 larvae/day. From the regression line between frequency of feeding (larvae/day) and weight gain, we determined that 0.31 larvae/day were needed for a weight gain of 0. Thus, for the spiders to increase their weight, they would need to eat more than 1 larva every 3 days. This frequency yields a caloric intake of 0.193 kcal/d, or equivalently, a carbon dioxide production of 0.189 mL CO₂/g·h. The findings in this report are greater than the resting metabolic rate at 35°C, and they agree with the active metabolic requirements of this spider in the field.     

Effects of heating time and sodium metabisulfite on the nutritional value of full-fat soybeans for chicks.

Two 21-d trials were conducted to evaluate the effect of heating time and sodium metabisulfite (SMBS) on the nutritional value of full-fat soybeans for chicks. In Trial 1, four pen-replicates of eight chicks each were fed corn-based diets (19% CP; 3,167 kcal of ME/kg) containing either 44% CP soybean meal or full-fat soybeans. The soybeans either were unheated or were autoclaved at 121 degrees C for 10, 20, 30, 40, 60, or 90 min. Soybean oil was added to the soybean meal diet to make it isoenergetic with the soybean diets. Trypsin inhibitor, urease activity, and the solubility of protein in the soybeans decreased as heating time increased. Weight gain increased and feed:gain and pancreas weights decreased quadratically (P less than .01) with heating time. Rate and efficiency of gain were maximized when the soybeans were heated for 40 min; further heating for 60 or 90 min reduced performance. In Trial 2, SMBS was added at levels of 0, 1, or 2% to full-fat, unheated soybeans or to soybeans before autoclaving at 121 degrees C for 10, 20, or 40 min. Four pen-replicates of seven chicks each were fed corn-soybean diets (19% CP; 3,144 kcal of ME/kg) with 12 treatments in a factorial arrangement of heating times and SMBS levels. The rate and efficiency of chick weight gain improved linearly (P less than .01) and pancreas weights decreased linearly (P less than .01) as heating time increased. Less heating time was required to maximize performance and minimize pancreas weights when SMBS was added, resulting in a heating time x SMBS interaction (P less than .05). Under the conditions of this research, chicks fed full-fat soybeans achieved maximum performance when the soybeans were heated at 121 degrees C for 40 min, and SMBS decreased by one-half the heating time required to inactivate the trypsin inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitor activity in soybeans was more closely related to their nutritional value than was urease activity.     

The effect of processing on the nutritional value of guar meal for broiler chicks

Guar meal contains two factors which are detrimental to the growth rate and food conversion of chicks. One of the factors is the trypsin inhibitor which can be destroyed by cooking the raw guar meal for a period of 1 hr at a temperature of 110° C. with the injection of super‐heated steam for a period of 15 min. after the cooker attains a temperature of 110°C. The second deterimental factor in guar meal is the guar gum which causes a depression in growth and sticky droppings when the total level of the gum in the diet exceeds 1.8 per cent. The usage of heated guar meal in chick diets is apparently limited by the gum content of the meal. Pectinase, an enzyme preparation added to a chick ration which contained 15 per cent processed guar meal, produced an increase in the weight gain of chicks fed the ration over those fed 15 per cent processed guar meal. Hypertrophy of the pancreas resulted in the chicks fed 20 and 30 per cent processed guar meal and in all groups fed raw guar meal.     

The influence of variety and enzyme supplementation on the nutritional value of barley for chicks

Six experiments were conducted to study the effect of variety and enzyme supplementation on the nutritional value of barleys grown in the same location. Significant differences in chick weights at 4 weeks were observed in 3 of the experiments where the barley varieties were compared. The differences could not be correlated with differences in chemical composition of the varieties tested, since these were insignificant.

Enzyme supplementation significantly improved growth in 2 out of 3 experiments, and when all 3 experiments were analysed together. Enzyme supplementation seemed to have a more marked effect on body weight gains than the variety used. Differences in growth response to different varieties and to enzyme supplementation were closely related to differences in food consumption.     

Effect of early stages of fungal development on the nutritional value of diets for broiler chicks

During 65 d of storage a gradual increase in fungal activity (evaluated by CO2 production) was observed in a diet with its moisture content elevated to 136 g/kg. This activity was inhibited by supplementation of the wetted diets with either calcium propionate (3 g/kg) or Agrosil (2 g/kg). The fat content of the wetted untreated diet decreased between the 18th and the 45th d of storage from 38 to 29 g/kg. This change was prevented by the addition of either of the two fungistats. The weight gains of 7-d-old female broiler chicks fed on the wetted diets with or without the fungistats from the 18th d after their preparation for 27 d, did not differ significantly (P greater than 0.05) from those of birds fed on the unwetted diet. However, the food:gain ratio of chicks fed on the unwetted diet was significantly (P less than 0.05) better than that of chicks fed on the fungistat-free wetted diet. The results from birds fed on the fungistat-supplemented wetted diets were intermediate. It is concluded that the early stages of fungal activity (characterised by increased CO2 production, without changes or with only a slight decrease in fat content) have only a minor effect on the nutritional value of diets.     

Influence of growing season,tannin content and autoclave treatment on the nutritive value of near-isogenic lines of faba beans (Vicia faba L.) when fed to leghorn chicks

1. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of heat-treatment (autoclaving) on the utilisation by chicks of near-isogenic lines of faba beans that were either tannin-free (Winter-white or Spring-white) or had tannins in the seed coat (Winter-coloured or Spring-coloured). The effect of heat treatment on a common tannin-containing cultivar, Diana, was also studied. 2. The nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolisable energy (AMEn) values of diets containing 600 g faba beans/kg diet were affected by tannin content and autoclave treatment of faba beans, with 59% of total variance in AMEn being attributable to the effect of autoclaving. The AMEn values were 9% higher for chicks fed on the autoclaved compared with those fed on diets containing the raw faba beans, 5% higher for the near-isogenic faba beans with no tannins compared with those with tannins, and 4% higher for the Winter compared with the Spring cultivars. 3. The above study was carried out on droppings obtained by total collection. Similar but not identical trends were obtained when AME was calculated using the chromic oxide index method ( r = 0.91). 4. Both autoclaving and the use of tannin-free faba beans improved the apparent protein digestibility (APD) of the diets by similar amounts (4% as determined by the total collection method and 6% as determined by the chromic oxide index method). 5. The digestibility of most amino acids either alone or together was affected by a culti- var X tannin X processing interaction. The cultivar by tannin interaction demonstrated that autoclaving increased the digestibility of amino acids to a greater degree when the tannin-containing (for example, 9% for lysine) than when the tannin-free faba beans (4% for lysine) were used in the diets. 6. The improvements in AMEn , APD and total amino acid digestibilities of faba beans following heat treatments ranged from 18% to 33%, 5% to 16% and 5% to 11%, respectively. The results demonstrate that the method of analysis can affect the values obtained but that they do not change the overall pattern of results. The results also suggest that, in most cases, more than half of the response to heat treatment is associated with the inactivation of tannins while the balance of the response is attributable to an effect of heat treatment on the non-tannin-containing factors. In summary, heat treatment can improve the utilisation of faba bean by chickens especially when they contain tannins. 7. Chicks, unlike rats, do not seem to adapt to tannins as the excretion of 3 amino acids that are the main constituents of a proline-rich protein were not affected by dietary tannins.     

Effects of dietary protein concentration on the response of growing chicks to methionine.

1. Experiments were conducted independently at two stations to measure the requirement for methionine in chick diets with crude protein (CP) varying in 8 steps from 140 to 280 g/kg diet (experiment 1) or from 90 to 300 g/kg (experiment 2). 2. Protein composition was the same at all protein concentrations within a trial. The diet was designed to be first-limiting in methionine and DL-methionine was added to provide 5 ratios of methionine to CP at each protein concentration. 3. Methionine required for maximum growth rate or maximum efficiency of food utilisation was estimated at each protein concentration by fitting a quadratic regression equation to the relevant data. The requirement was also estimated by fitting the Reading model to data for growth rate and methionine intake. 4. In both trials and by all three methods of estimation, the methionine requirement (g/kg diet) for maximum performance increased as a linear function of dietary CP concentration and nearly in direct proportion to CP. 5. It is concluded that diets which contain surplus protein, beyond that needed to maximise growth rate or food efficiency, need supplementation with methionine beyond that required when dietary protein is just adequate. A suitable rule for practical formulation is that methionine concentration in chick diets should be not less than 0.025 times the dietary CP concentration.     

Efficacy of condensed tannins against larval Hymenolepis diminuta (Cestoda) in vitro and in the intermediate host Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera) in vivo

Natural anti-parasitic compounds in plants such as condensed tannins (CT) have anthelmintic properties against a range of gastrointestinal nematodes, but for other helminths such effects are unexplored. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of CT from three different plant extracts in a model system employing the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, in its intermediate host, Tenebrio molitor. An in vitro study examined infectivity of H. diminuta cysticercoids (excystation success) isolated from infected beetles exposed to different concentrations of CT extracts from pine bark (PB) (Pinus sps), hazelnut pericarp (HN) (Corylus avellana) or white clover flowers (WC) (Trifolium repens), in comparison with the anthelmintic drug praziquantel (positive control). In the in vitro study, praziquantel and CT from all three plant extracts had dose-dependent inhibitory effects on cysticercoid excystation. The HN extract was most effective at inhibiting excystation, followed by PB and WC. An in vivo study was carried out on infected beetles (measured as cysticercoid establishment) fed different doses of PB, HN and praziquantel. There was a highly significant inhibitory effect of HN on cysticercoid development (p = 0.0002). Overall, CT showed a promising anti-cestodal effect against the metacestode stage of H. diminuta.     

Use of a post-production fractionation process improves the nutritional value of wheat distillers grains with solubles for young broiler chicks

Background： Post-production fractionation of wheat distillers grains with solubles（DDGS） increases their crude protein content and reduces their fiber content.This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of fractionation of wheat DDGS on apparent total tract digestibility（ATTD） and performance when fed to broiler chicks（0–21 d）.Methods： A total of 150,day-old,male broiler chicks（Ross-308 line;Lilydale Hatchery,Wynyard,Saskatchewan） weighing an average of 49.6 ± 0.8 g were assigned to one of five dietary treatments in a completely randomized design.The control diet was based on wheat and soybean meal and contained 20% regular wheat DDGS.The experimental diets contained 5,10,15 or 20% fractionated wheat DDGS added at the expense of regular wheat DDGS.Results： The ATTD of dry matter and gross energy were linearly increased（P 0.01） as the level of fractionated wheat DDGS in the diet increased.Nitrogen retention was unaffected by level of fractionated wheat DDGS（P 0.05）.Weight gain increased linearly（P = 0.05） as the level of fractionated wheat DDGS in the diet increased.Feed intake,feed conversion and mortality were unaffected by level of fractionated wheat DDGS in the diet（P 0.05）.Conclusions： Post-production fractionation of wheat DDGS improves their nutritional value by lowering their fiber content and increasing their content of crude protein and energy.These changes in chemical composition supported increased weight gain of broilers fed wheat DDGS.     

Histological alterations to the pancreas and the intestinal tract produced by raw faba bean (Vicia faba L. minor) diets in growing chicks

1. Inclusion of raw faba bean (Vicia faba L., minor) in the diet of growing chickens was shown to affect the performance of the birds and to produce a significant increase in the relative weight of the pancreas. This was attributable to dietary trypsin inhibitors. 2. Trypsin inhibitors also produced degenerative changes in pancreatic acinar cells. These were observed by light and electron microscopy. 3. Progressive cytopathological changes were observed in the intestinal tract. The duodenum, jejunum and ileum were altered, with extensive erosion, shortening and atrophy of microvilli. 4. The results endorsed previous findings obtained using different legume seed lines (Phaseolus spp). Faba bean produced similar local reactions in the pancreas and the intestine. This may be caused by the presence of lectins in the seeds.     

Influence of the calcium content of the diet offered to leopard tortoises (Geochelone pardalis)

Twenty-four juvenile leopard tortoises were divided into four groups of six; one group was fed a basic low-calcium feed for six months, and the other three groups were fed the same basic diet supplemented with one, three and nine times the amount of calcium recommended as a supplement to the diet of reptiles. The animals' bone mineral content and bone mineral density were estimated by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and blood samples were taken at the start and at the conclusion of the study. One tortoise from each group was examined postmortem. There was a clear depletion of calcium in the body of the tortoises receiving no calcium supplement, and the shell of the tortoises receiving the recommended calcium supplement did not calcify to the extent expected. The tortoises that received three times the recommended calcium supplementation had the highest growth rate and were thriving. However, metastatic calcifications were observed postmortem in the two groups that were given the highest doses of calcium.     

Susceptibility of chicks to infectious bursal disease (IBD) following vaccination of their parents with live IBD vaccine.

Vaccination of parent chickens with a commercial live infectious bursal disease (IBD) vaccine under field conditions at varying ages and by different routes resulted in variable susceptibility to the disease in their chicks. There was little correlation between the methods of vaccination and the levels of immunity in the chicks. There was some evidence that levels of transferred immunity decreased with the age of the parents. Of five flocks examined, the onset of susceptibility to IBD occurred at two days of age in two flocks and about one week of age in the other three. Four flocks were completely susceptible by the 27th day, the other at 31 days. Precipitins were demonstrated at day old in 100 per cent of chicks in three flocks and in 80 per cent in the other two. The precipitins had disappeared in all flocks by 17 days of age.     

Effects of raw and heat-treated bambara groundnut (Vigna subterranea) on the performance and body composition of growing broiler chicks.

Bambara groundnut (Vigna subterannea)--a leguminous root nut, which grows in the tropics and subtropics--was used in an experiment to test its effect on the performance of growing broiler chicks. Performance was measured by monitoring growth, measuring nutrients and energy balances and also by determining nutrient accretion. Twelve-day old broiler chicks, kept in individual metabolic cages, were used in an experiment in which birds were equally allotted (n = 10) into a control (fed high performance diet made up principally of wheat and soybean meal) and 6 test groups fed diets containing 19, 76 and 95% raw or autoclaved bambara groundnuts. All diets were similar in energy, nitrogen and total lipid contents. Diets were also balanced for amino acids, vitamins and minerals in accordance to the specific requirements of the birds. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Growth performance was monitored over 15 days. Nutrient and energy balances were measured by use of TiO2 as marker. The comparative slaughter technique was implored for the determination of energy and nutrient accretion. The results showed that the level of raw or autoclaved bambara had no significant influence on feed intake. Increasing the bambara level in the diets caused a general linear drop in the performance of the broilers. However, with up to 95% bambara in the diet, the general performance was still above 75% compared to the control. Increasing levels of bambara groundnut caused a decrease in the metabolizability of energy and efficiency of utilisation of ME for BWG. The animals retained more water with increasing levels of raw bambara in the diets while autoclaving increased their DM content to levels comparable to the control. The protein composition of gain was comparable at all levels of inclusion. In general autoclaving improved the performance of bambara.     

Effects of fungal (Aspergillus niger or Ceriporiopsis subvermispora) fermentation on the nutritive value of shea nut (Vitellaria paradoxa) meal for broiler chicks

1. Shea nut (Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn.) meal was fermented for 8 d with either Aspergillus niger, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora or a mixture of the two organisms. The fermentation was completed using two methods, an opened container or a closed container. 2. Each of the 6 samples was dried and incorporated into basal broiler diets at 90 g/kg. 3. In addition, the unfermented shea nut meal was incorporated in the diet at 90 g/kg and the basal diet (maize and soybean meal based) was also provided as an eighth dietary treatment to individually caged broiler chickens. 4. All fermented fungi-treated shea nut meals had similar proximate nutrient compositions to the unfermented shea nut meal, but there were substantial decreases in their hydrolysable tannins and saponin contents. Both fermentation methods gave similar reductions in the concentrations of tannins and saponins. 5. Shea nut meal fermented with individual or both fungal organisms gave greater (P < 0.001) growth performance than that of unfermented shea nut meal. However, all shea nut meals including the unfermented meal gave lower (P < 0.001) growth variables than those for the maize-soybean meal control. 6. The nutritional improvement of shea nut meal achieved in this study still falls far short of what is expected for it to become valuable for the poultry feed industry. These fermentation methods using A. niger or C. subvermispora require further improvements to provide satisfactory feed products.     

Some attempts to improve the nutritive value of urea for dairy cows. II. Its administration in a slightly soluble form: isobutylidene diurea (IBDU)

Isobutylidene diurea (IBDU) was tested against urea with regard to the ammonia release in the rumen, the amount and composition of the nitrogen fraction reaching the intestine, the nitrogen and energy balances and the performance of lactating cows. Maize silage was the basal feed in all experiments. The ammonia concentration in the rumen liquor was measured in two dry cows fitted with a permanent rumen cannula. The ammonia release was clearly restrained when IBDU was substituted for urea, and the peak values were of the same order as those found with soybean meal. Two dry cows fitted with a re-entrant cannula at 10 cm from the pylorus were fed with maize silage supplemented with increasing amounts of either urea or IBDU. The duodenal flow levelled off with urea, but it continued to rise with IBDU even when high amounts were added to the silage. However, a large fraction of this increase was in the form of ammonia, corresponding to 60% of the dietary nitrogen supplied by IBDU. The amount of non-ammonia nitrogen was also higher with IBDU. The nitrogen balance of lactating cows was not noticeably affected when IBDU instead of urea was added to the maize silage. In the same manner, the digestibility of the rations and their metabolizable energy supply were not significantly modified, and the milk productions were quite similar with the two N compounds, apart from the tendency to lower milk fat and milk protein productions.     

在生长公猪的饲料中添加水合硅铝酸钠钙盐(脱霉素)以防止黄曲霉毒素中毒的研究

本研究通过向生长公猪日粮中添加一种用在复合饲料当中作为抗结块剂的化合物——水合硅铝酸钠钙盐(HSCAS,脱霉素)来评估其缓解黄曲霉毒素中毒症临床症状的潜在功能。本试验设计方案主要由6个处理组构成,每组5头公猪。6个处理组分别是:无脱霉素和元黄曲霉毒素(AF)/kg的对照组,添加5g脱霉素/kg的日粮处理组(0.5%),添加20g脱霉素/kg的日粮处理组(2%),含有3mg黄曲霉毒素AF/kg的日粮处理组,添加5g脱霉素(0.5%)+3mgAF/kg的日粮处理组,添加20g脱霉素(2%)+3mgAF/kg的日粮处理组。公猪饲喂在室内水泥地板上可以自由采食和饮水。整个试验期是28d(从第7周到11周)。公猪饲喂2次/d,每周进行称重。同时每周进行采血,分析血液学和血清生物学指标。在试验结束时,对公猪进行安乐死和尸体解剖。本试验发现饲喂有3mgAF/kg的公猪体重增长明显降低(P0.5%),但是那些饲喂有脱霉素或脱霉素+AF的公猪的体重增长与对照组差异不显著。饲喂有3mgAF/kg的公猪,发现它们的碱性磷酸酶和γ-谷氨酰转运酶等血清酶活性及激活凝血酶原的时间增加很大,但在喂有脱霉素或脱霉素+AF的公猪上没有发现这些变化。黄曲霉毒素可降低血清中的尿氮、清蛋白、总蛋白、钙、磷、胆固醇和葡萄糖的浓度以及血清中结合铁的能力,但是喂有脱霉素或脱霉素+AF的公猪不会产生这些影响。与对照组相比,喂有AF的公猪的肝重量有明显增加。作为肝损伤标记的胆管增生,肝小叶边缘脂肪沉积,以及伴随的肝小叶内部的纤维化在喂有AF的公猪中特征明显。喂有脱霉素(0.5%)或脱霉素(2.0%)的公猪中没有发现这些肝损伤变化。这些发现表明脱霉素能够调控黄曲霉毒素在生长公猪上的毒性(可能是通过隔离黄曲霉毒素和降低毒素在体内的生物利用率),因此脱霉素可作为一种新的方法来预防黄曲霉毒素对动物的危害。