Evaluation of rabbit excreta as an ingredient in broiler diets

1. Dry rabbit excreta were found to contain 188.1 g crude protein, 6.6 g non‐protein nitrogen, 0.3 g ammonia, 89.8 g moisture, 8.0 g ether extractives, 135.2 g crude fibre, 266.9 g ash and 19.18 MJ gross energy/kg. Methionine and lysine contents were 3.95 and 4.29 g/100 g protein, respectively.

2. In one experiment, 0, 50, 100 or 200 g rabbit excreta/kg were substituted for maize in a broiler diet. Chickens receiving the diet containing 200 g rabbit excreta/kg gained significantly less weight to 8 weeks of age than those receiving other diets.

3. In a second experiment, 0, 100, 150 or 200 g rabbit excreta/kg were substituted primarily for maize in a broiler diet to provide equal energy and protein contents. Weight gains to 8 weeks of birds receiving these diets did not differ significantly. The uncorrected metabolisable energy content of the excreta was 9.15 MJ/kg.

4. There were no gross pathological changes in the birds fed on the experimental diets.     

Factors affecting the hatchability of eggs from broiler breeders

1. Four experiments were carried out on eggs from broiler breeding flocks between 26 and 60 weeks of age. The effects of storage and incubation conditions on hatchability were tested.

2. Collecting eggs hourly rather than five hours after lay slightly reduced hatchability (P<0.10). Pre‐storage fumigation of almost un‐contaminated eggs had no effect on hatchability even after storage for 8 d. Storing eggs in unsealed polythene bags did not affect hatchability of eggs stored for 5 or 8 d.

3. Eggs stored for 2 d hatched better when held at 18 °C than at 15 °C (P<0.05). Eggs stored for 8 d at 15 °C hatched better than eggs stored for 8 d at 18 °C (P< 0.01). Best hatchability was in eggs stored in unsealed polythene bags at a room temperature of 15 °C. When older eggs were allowed 30 to 40 min more in the setter for each day of storage, the decline in hatchability was 0.5 to 0.6 percentage units per day in storage as compared with a decline of 1.2 percentage units per day when eggs of different storage times, up to 8 d, were set simultaneously.

4. Those eggs which showed a weight loss during incubation of near average for their relative humidity (RH) treatment tended to hatch better than others except under conditions of very low RH (0.36), when best hatchability was associated with lower than average weight loss.

5. In eggs from a young flock (28 to 44 weeks of age) hatchability of fertile eggs was depressed by 1 percentage unit with an increase in RH of 0.17, and by 1 percentage unit with each decrease of 0.06 in RH from a control RH of 0.53. In eggs from the same flock between 48 and 60 weeks of age hatchability was depressed by 1 percentage unit with each 0.037 increase in RH from 0.44 to 0.70.

6. Eggs from a young flock (34–49 weeks) hatched significantly better when maintained at 0.82 rather than at 0.66 (P<0.05) or 0.95 (P<0.10) RH during the hatching period from 19 to 21 d of incubation. Eggs from an older flock (51–61 weeks) hatched better at 0.82 and at 0.‐92 than at 0.72 RH during the same period, but the differences were not significant.     

An age-related coagulation disorder associated with experimental infection with infectious bursal disease virus

Specific-pathogen-free White Leghorn chickens were inoculated with a field strain of infectious bursal disease virus. One group (A) was inoculated at 17 days after the chicks were hatched, and the other groups (C and E) were inoculated at posthatch day 42. Blood samples were obtained for determination of clotting times (whole blood recalcification, prothrombin, and activated partial thromboplastin times), virus-neutralizing antibody, and total hemolytic complement. There were significant increases in clotting times for groups C and E at 3 and 5 days after they were inoculated. There were no significant increases in clotting times at 3 days after inoculation in the group A chickens (inoculated at 17 days after hatching). There were no significant decreases in total complement activity in any of these chickens (groups A, C, and E). This study indicates that the mortality and clinical symptoms observed in chickens experimentally infected with infectious bursal disease virus may be associated with a clotting abnormality because it was noted only in chickens that developed severe clinical disease (inoculated at 42 days after hatching) and was not noted in chickens that remained clinically normal (inoculated at 17 days).     

Chronic renal failure in young dogs–possible renal dysplasia

The clinico-pathological findings are described in thirteen young dogs with advanced renal disease. All but three dogs were less than 2 years old. Some had signs of renal dysfunction since birth. Presenting signs were variable but anorexia, lethargy and weight loss were most frequent. All dogs had raised blood urea levels and most passed dilute urine; proteinuria and anaemia were variable findings. At necropsy all dogs had extra-renal lesions of renal failure and finely granular or lobulated, shrunken kidneys. The microscopical appearances of the kidneys were not those of amyloidosis, inflammatory or glomerular disease but were considered likely to be of developmental origin. The renal lesions were divided into three histologically distinct groups.

• 1 Predominantly cystic and connective tissue changes, characterized by striking dilatation of glomerular capsular spaces and cortical tubules.
• 2 Atypical connective tissue changes in which there were segmental bands of fibrous tissue containing primitive glomerular and tubular structures.
• 3 Predominantly glomerular and connective tissue changes, characterized by varying degrees of glomerulosclerosis and widespread calcification of glomeruli, tubules and blood vessels.

All groups had cortical and medullary interstitial fibrosis but minimal inflammatory cell infiltrates.     

Embryo transfer: a discussion on its potential for infectious disease control based on a review of studies on infection of gametes and early embryos by various agents

Studies on laboratory animals have shown that viruses vary as to whether or not they are transmissible by the gametes or are capable of passing through the zona pellucida and infecting the embryo.

Methods of studying early embryos for the presence of infectious agents include electron microscopy, immunocytochemistry and cell cultivation.

Determination that early bovine embryos do not become infected by certain agents might allow for easing of restrictions in the current import and export regulations for cattle embryos.

Embryo transfer could be used as a means of controlling or eliminating disease in a herd or flock if the causal agent does not infect the early embryo via the gametes or by penetrating the zona pellucida.

     

Field studies with convalescent serum and infectious bursal disease vaccine to control turkey coryza

Convalescent serum given to 1-day-old poults delayed clinical signs of turkey coryza by several days and reduced mortality on infected farms. Turkey breeders immunized with cell-culture-adapted infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) or turkey infectious bursal disease virus (TIBDV) had a marked increase in virus-neutralization (VN) antibody titers. The VN antibody titer was significantly higher in progeny poults than in poults from unimmunized breeders. Clinical turkey coryza and mortality was considerably less in poults from IBD- or TIBD-vaccinated breeders than in control poults. They also responded more favorably to hemorrhagic enteritis and fowl cholera vaccination.     

Preliminary investigation of a possible lung worm (Parafilaroides decorus), fish (Girella nigricans), and marine mammal (Callorhinus ursinus) cycle for San Miguel sea lion virus type 5

Colostrum-deprived neonatal Northern fur seal pups (Callorhinus ursinus) were exposed to San Miguel sea lion virus type 5 (SMSV-5) by feeding them fish (Girella nigricans) infected with virus or fish infected with both the sea lion lung worm larvae (Parafilaroides decorus) and virus. Virus infection was demonstrated in 8 of 9 pups, and 1 of these developed a vesicular lesion on the flipper. In this sequence, P decorus larvae exposed to SMSV-5 were fed to G nigricans held at 15 C in a salt water aquarium; 32 days later, these fish were killed, then fed to the fur seal pups. The vesicle developed 22 days subsequent to this and SMSV-5 was reisolated from the lesion. The SMSV-5 was shown to persist for at least 23 days in infected neonatal fur seals. Attempts to establish P decorus infection in Northern fur seal pups were apparently unsuccessful.     

Determination of extractable and non-extractable radioactivity from prairie soils treated with carboxyl- and ring-labelled [14C]2,4-D

Ring- and carboxyl-labelled [¹⁴C]2,4-D were incubated under laboratory conditions, at the 2 g/g level, in a heavy clay, sandy loam, and clay loam at 85% of field capacity and 20 1C. The soils were extracted at regular intervals for 35 days with aqaeous acidic acetonitrile, and analysed for [¹⁴C]2,4-D and possible radioactive degradation products. Following solvent extraction, a portion of the soil residues were combusted in oxygen to determine unextracted radioactivity as [¹⁴C]carbon dioxide. The remaining soil residues were then treated with aqueous sodium hydroxide, and the radioactivity associated with the fulvic and humic soil components determined. In all soils there was a rapid decrease in the amounts of extractable radioacitivity, with only 5% of that applied being recoverable after 35 days. All recoverable radioactivity was attributable to [¹⁴C]2,4-D, and no [¹⁴C]-containing degradation products were observed. This loss of extractable radioactivity was accompanied by an increase in non-extractable radioactivity. Approximately 15% of the applied radioactivity, derived from carboxyl-labelled [¹⁴C]2,4-D, and 30% from the ring-labelled [¹⁴C]2,4-D was associated with the soil in a non-extractable form, after 35 days of incubation. After 35 days, less than 5% of the radioactivity from the carboxyl-labelled herbicide, and less than 10% of the ringlabelled material, was associated with the fulvic components derived from the three soils. Less than 5% of the applied radioactivities were identifiable with any of the humic acid components. It was considered that during the incubation [¹⁴C]2,4-D did not become bound or conjugated to soil components, and that non-extractable radioactivity associated with the three soil types resulted from incorporation of radioactive degradation products, such as [¹⁴C]carbon dioxide, into soil organic matter.     

Translocation of 14C-glyphosate in johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense L. Pers.) as affected by growth stage and rhizome length

Studies were conducted in the green house on ¹⁴C-methyllabelled glyphosate translocation in johnsongrass as affected by rhizome length and growth stage. The amount of ¹⁴C measured by the liquid scintillation technique in the rhizomes (2-8%) increased with rhizome length (10, 20 or 30 cm) and tended to increase with growth stage (15-30 cm tall, 45-60 cm tall, or at seedhead), but the amount of ¹⁴C per g fresh rhizome weight was almost similar in all cases. Of the total amount applied per plant (0·2 μCi) about 1/3 or less remained on the treated leaf area, while another 1/3 was a absorbed into the treated leaves. Autoradiographs showed that the ¹⁴C label moved to all plant parts, basipetally and acropetally. Migration du glyphosate ¹⁴ C chez le sorgho d'Alep (Sorghum halepense L. Pers.) en relation avec le stage de croissance et la longueur du rhizome Des recherches ont été effectuées en serru sur la migration du glyphosate marqué au ¹⁴C sur le méthyle, chez le sorgho d'Alep, en relation avec la longueur du rhizome et le stade de croissance. La quantité de ¹⁴C mesurée par la technique de scintillation liquide dans les rhizomes (2 à 8%) s'est accrue avec la longueur du rhizome (10, 20 ou 30 cm) et elle a eu tendance à augmenter avec le stade de croissance (Hauteur 15-30 cm, hauteur 45-60 cm ou épiaison), mais la quantité de ¹⁴C par gramme de poids frais de rhizome est restée Presque identique dans tous les cas. Environ 1/3, ou moins, de la quantitéà la surface des feuilles traitées par plante (0,2 μCi), est restéà la surface des feuilles traitées cependant qu'un autre 1/3 a été absorbé dans less feuilles traitées Les autoradiographies ont montré que le ¹⁴C marqueur a migré dans toutes les parties de la plante, dans le sens basipète et dans le sens acropète. Translokation von ¹⁴C-Glyphosat in Johnsongras (Sorghum halepense L. Pers.) in Abhängigkeit vom Wachstumsstadium der Pflanzen und der Rhizomlänge Im Gewächshaus wurden Versuche über die Translokation von ¹⁴C-Glyphosat in Johnsongras (Sorghum halepense L. Pers.) in Abhängigkeit vom Wachstumsstadium der Pflanzen und der Rhizomlänge durchgeführt. An den Rhizomen stieg der Gehalt von ¹⁴C(2–8%), gemessen mit der Flüssig-Szintillationstechnik, mit zunehmender Rhizomlänge (10, 20 oder 30 cm) an und nahm tendenziell auch mit fortschreitendem Pflanzenwachstum zu (15–30 cm und 45–60 cm Sprosslänge oder nach dem Rispenschieben); jedoch blieb die Menge pro g Rhizomfrischgewicht beinahe konstant. Von der insgesamt ausgebrachten Menge pro Pflanze (0.2 μCi) blieben bis zu 1/3 auf der behandelten Blättern absorbiert wurde. Die Autoradiographie zeigte, dass der ¹⁴C markierte Teil in alle Pflanzenteile sowohl basipetal wie auch akropetal transportiert wurde.