Meat quality and nutritional composition of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) reared in an extensive system

Abstract 1. Carcass cuts, chemical composition, colour, textural parameters, fatty acid and amino acid profiles, macro- and micromineral content and sensory properties of breast and drumstick meat from 10 month old common pheasant produced in an extensive rearing system were analysed.

2. Breast muscle was characterised by a high concentration of protein (254 g/kg), low content of intramuscular fat (1.3 g/kg), considerable amount of Fe-haeme (4.9 mg/kg) low shear force (1.96 kg/cm²) and hardness (4.07 kg/cm²).

3. The main drumstick characteristics were 222 g of protein/kg, 4.0 g of intramuscular fat/g and a significant higher cholesterol concentration compared to that of breast (7.7 vs. 2.9 g/kg).

4. Saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acid mean values for both muscle types were approximately 34.5%, 43.3% and 24.2% of total fatty acid methyl esters, respectively, and n-3 content in breast was significantly higher (3.21% vs. 1.65%). Significant differences were found between the three tissues (breast, drumstick and subcutaneous fat).

5. Large differences in the amino acid profile between breast and drumstick were detected, especially in the non-essential fraction. The main essential amino acids were lysine and leucine, whereas aspartic and glutamic acids were the most important non-essential amino acids.

6. There were significant differences between muscle types in the mineral content with regard to iron, magnesium, sodium and zinc. Pheasant meat is a good nutritional source of iron as 100 g of drumstick may provide 23.6% of the recommended daily amount.     

非合格种蛋孵化的商品肉鸡生产性能

集约化商品肉鸡生产企业的目标是每只入舍母鸡能够生产出最大数量的可孵化种蛋和最多的高质量雏鸡。在适当的饲养管理条件下,一只母鸡产蛋可超过180个,鸡肉产量达到270kg。这些生产数据在鸡只之间存在着非常大的差距,其原因可追溯至种蛋的收集标准、储存条件和孵化条件。在坚持种蛋选择与分级的基础上进行常规性的饲养管理,生产企业获得最大收益的目标不难实现。     

Relationship between the serum concentrations of serotonin and lipids and aggression in dogs

The serum concentrations of serotonin and lipids--triglycerides, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein and very low density lipoprotein--were determined in 18 normal dogs and 23 dogs diagnosed as aggressive on the basis of interviews with their owners and an assessment of their behaviour with reference to a canine overt aggression chart. The serum serotonin levels in the aggressive dogs were significantly lower than in the normal dogs (P<0.01), but the differences in serum lipids between the two groups were not statistically significant.     

Milk urea-nitrogen negatively affected first-service breeding success in commercial dairy cows in Prince Edward Island, Canada

Our objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between milk urea-nitrogen concentrations ([MUN]) and first-service breeding success (FSBS) in a large number of commercial dairy herds, using various timings on [MUN]. All commercial dairy herds in Prince Edward Island on monthly milk testing (n=198) formed the sampling frame. Milk components, [MUN], 24-h milk production, and breeding data for all cows from these farms were gathered electronically from a central database. A first service between 1 June 1999 and 31 May 2000 was classified successful (FSBS=1) if it was the cow's last service and she calved 270-290 d later. Mixed logistic-regression modeling was used to determine the association between FSBS (the outcome variable) and the [MUN] closest to first service, controlling for other possible confounders and clustering effects of cows within the study herds. The final dataset included 2787 successful and 3015 unsuccessful first services. A change in [MUN] on the test closest to first service from 10 to 20 mg/dL was associated with a 13.9% reduction in the odds of FSBS (controlled for parity, milk production and days in milk).     

Canine hyperplastic intraepidermal pustular and suprabasal acantholytic dermatosis with features of human pemphigus vegetans

Pemphigus vegetans is a rare autoimmune blistering acantholytic dermatosis of humans that combines unusually hyperplastic and verrucous pustular skin lesions and mucosal erosions. We report herein the clinical, histopathologic, and immunologic findings in a dog whose lesions resembled, but were not identical to, those of human pemphigus vegetans. A 4-year-old male Greater Swiss Mountain Dog presented with multifocal cutaneous verrucous and crusted papules and pustules, as well as skin and mucosal erosions and ulcers. Microscopic lesions consisted of exophytic papillated epidermal hyperplasia, superficial and deep intraepidermal acantholytic neutrophilic and eosinophilic pustules, and suprabasal epidermal clefts leaving rounded basal keratinocytes at the bottom of the vesicles. Direct and indirect immunofluorescence revealed antikeratinocyte IgG autoantibodies. Immunoprecipitation immunoblotting and immunoabsorption experiments with recombinant canine desmogleins confirmed that autoantibodies recognized desmoglein-1. In this dog, clinical and histopathologic features resembled those of human pemphigus vegetans, while circulating autoantibodies against canine desmoglein-1 were solely identified. This antigen target is different from that of the human disease in which antidesmoglein-3 autoantibodies are detected most commonly.     

Diagnostic ultrasonography in ruminants.

The use of diagnostic ultrasound equipment is becoming widespread within various sectors of veterinary practice. Ultrasonographic examination has several advantages over other imaging modalities and it can be applied in hospital and ambulatory settings. It has the potential for widespread use in the diagnosis of disorders of several body systems in food animal species. This article describes its application to gastrointestinal, hepatobiliary, cardiothoracic, urogenital, and umbilical disorders. Normal and abnormal findings are portrayed and discussed. Accurate and timely use of this diagnostic modality requires a modest amount of training and practice, but it allows for relatively rapid, inexpensive, and noninvasive acquisition of clinically relevant data.     

Evaluation of calving seasons and marketing strategies in Northern Great Plains beef enterprises: I. Cow-calf systems

A bioeconomic computer model was used to evaluate alternate calving seasons in a cow-calf enterprise under range conditions representative of the Northern Great Plains. The simulated ranch utilized a rotational breeding system based on Hereford and Angus and had a fixed forage base (4,500 animal unit months of native range, 520 t of grass hay, and 183 t of alfalfa hay). Calving seasons studied were spring (SP, beginning March 15), summer (SU, beginning May 15), and fall (FA, beginning August 15). Weaning dates were October 31, December 15, and February 1, for SP, SU, and FA. The SP system was also simulated with a 5% increase in calf mortality (SP-IM), and SU with early weaning on October 31 (SU-EW). Herd size for the fixed resource was 509, 523, 519, 560, and 609 cows exposed per year for SP, SP-IM, SU, SU-EW, and FA, respectively. Corresponding values for weight weaned per cow exposed were 206, 186, 193, 153, and 145 kg. Steer calves, nonreplacement heifer calves, and cull cows were sold at the time of weaning. Quarterly cattle and feed prices used were representative of the peak, descending, valley, and ascending phases of the 1990s cattle cycle adjusted for inflation. Estimates of ranch gross margin (gross returns minus variable costs) were greatest for SP, followed by SP-IM, SU, SU-EW, and FA, and the ranks were consistent across phases of the cattle cycle. Differences between ranch gross margin for SP-IM and SU were small. In beef enterprises representative of the Northern Great Plains, with a restricted grazing season, limited access to low-cost, high-quality grazeable forage, and with calves sold at weaning, switching from early spring to a summer or fall calving date is not expected to improve profitability. If delaying calving improves calf survival, then calving in early summer may be a competitive choice.     

Effect of previous locoweed (Astragalus and Oxytropis species) intoxication on conditioned taste aversions in horses and sheep

Locoweed species (Astragalus and Oxytropis spp.) are a serious toxic plant problem for grazing livestock. Horses and sheep have been conditioned to avoid eating locoweed using the aversive agent LiCl. The objective of this study was to determine if previous locoweed intoxication affects food aversion learning in horses and sheep. Horses and sheep were divided into 3 treatment groups: control (not fed locoweed and not averted to a novel feed); locoweed-novel feed averted (fed locoweed and averted to a novel feed); and averted (not fed locoweed and averted to a novel feed). Animals in the locoweed-novel feed averted groups were fed locoweed during 2 periods of 21 and 14 d, respectively, with each feeding period followed by a 14-d recovery period. Animals were averted to a novel test feed at the end of the first locoweed-feeding period, and periodically evaluated for the strength and persistence of the aversion. During the first recovery period, locoweed-novel feed averted horses ate less (9.5% of amount offered) of the test feed than did control horses (99.8%) and did not generally differ from averted horses (0%). During recovery period 2, locoweed-novel feed averted horses (4.3%) differed (P = 0.001) in consumption (% of offered) of the test feed from controls (100%) and the averted group (0%). Locoweed-novel feed averted sheep differed (P = 0.001) from controls (14.4 vs. 99.5%, respectively, during recovery period 1), whereas locoweed-novel feed averted sheep did not differ (P > 0.50) from averted sheep (0.6%). During the second recovery period, control sheep (100%) differed (P < 0.05) from averted (0%) and locoweed-novel feed averted (12.2%) groups. Two intoxicated sheep (locoweed-novel feed averted) partially extinguished the aversion during the first recovery period, but an additional dose of LiCl restored the aversion. Two of 3 intoxicated horses had strong aversions that persisted without extinction; 1 horse in the locoweed-novel feed averted group had a weaker aversion. These findings suggest that horses and sheep previously intoxicated by locoweeds can form strong and persistent aversions to a novel feed, but in some animals, those aversions may not be as strong as in animals that were never intoxicated.