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The biological and economic efficiencies of Ronozyme ™ p as a substitute for bone meal in female Turkey poults was investigated. A total of eighty local female poults were brooded and fed commercial broiler starter diet containing 23% CP and 2800kcal/kg ME from day-old to four weeks of age. Sixty (60) female poults were thereafter randomly selected and allotted to each of the four experimental groups of fifteen (15) birds each. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of five poults for 8 weeks in a completely randomized design. A total of four isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets containing 25 CP and 2932kcal/kg ME were formulated. Each of the diets was supplemented with Ronozyme TM P while inclusion level of bone meal was varied from diet 1 to 4 respectively. Of all the production and economic parameters considered only the mean daily feed intake was significantly (P < 0.05) influenced. Diet 2 proved to be the best, by having the best feed to gain ratio (2.55), and higher gross margin (₦1,356.35). The difference in the mean total body weight gain for the two diets (2, 323.33 (D2) and 2,380.00g (D3)). It was concluded that 2% level of bone meal inclusion in poults diets proved better than diets having 3%, 1% and 0% respectively, especially when supplemented with 30g of Ronozyme TM P as recommended. This will cut-down cost and also probably improve calcium and phosphorous availability and absorption. Keywords: Bioefficacy, Ronozyme TM P, bone meal, turkey poult ration

Salmonella and Campylobacter are considered major public health burdens worldwide, and poultry are known to be one of the main reservoirs for these zoonotic pathogens. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a commercial probiotic or direct-fed microbial (DFM) Calsporin (CSP), and prebiotic or mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) (IMW50) on ultrastructural changes and the villous integrity of intestinal mucosa in turkey poults challenged with Salmonella and Campylobacter. A 21-day battery cage study was conducted using 4 dietary treatments including a basal diet (corn and soybean–based) nonsupplemented and uninfected as a negative control (NC); basal diet supplemented with 0.05% DFM (CSP); basal diet supplemented with 0.05% MOS (IMW50); and basal diet supplemented with 0.05% mixture of DFM and MOS at equal proportions. Female large white turkey poults aged 336 days were obtained from a local commercial hatchery and randomly distributed in electrically heated battery cages with 12 treatments of 4 replicates per treatment containing 7 poults per pen. The first 16 pens were not infected with bacteria, poults in pens 17-32 were orally challenged at day 7 with 105 cfu Salmonella Heidelberg, and the poults in pens 33-48 were orally challenged at day 7 with 105 cfu Campylobacter jejuni. Feed and water were provided ad libitum throughout the study. At day 21, ileal tissue samples from 1 bird per cage were collected for intestinal integrity and ultrastructural examination by scanning and electron microscopy. DFM and MOS supplementation was effective in both challenged and nonchallenged (not infected with Salmonella and Campylobacter) birds. Goblet cells and mucus were increased, with the presence of large numbers of segmented filamentous bacteria in DFM- and MOS-supplemented groups compared with birds in control treatments. The number and size of villi were reduced in poults exposed to Salmonella and Campylobacter. Results show that CSP and IMW50 provide protection of ileal mucosal integrity in poults exposed to Salmonella or Campylobacter.

This study aimed to determine the effects of infrared beak treatment on the behavior and welfare of male and female turkeys reared to 12 wk of age. To do this, poults (236 males and 324 females) were assigned to one of 2 beak treatments: infrared beak treated on day of hatch (IR) or sham untreated control (C). Data collected included heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio, pecking force, feather cover, behavioral expression, and beak histology. Data were analyzed as a 2 × 2 factorial of beak treatment and gender, in a completely randomized design and analyzed using PROC MIXED (SAS 9.4). H/L ratio (indicative of a stress response) did not differ between treated and control poults during early life, except at 20 d of age when H/L ratio was higher for C poults than IR poults. Pecking force, measured as a method of monitoring pain, was different only at 1 wk of age, when IR poults pecked with more force than C poults. Feather cover was better in IR poults at 12 wk of age. Differences in behavior between treatments were minor over the 12-wk period. Overall, infrared beak treatment of commercial turkeys had minimal negative impacts on behavior and welfare. The results suggest that stress may be reduced in flocks that are beak treated and that the procedure itself does not cause a pain response.

Background Microbiota development is a critical aspect of turkey poult maturation, and the succession of microbes in the turkey gut has been shown to correlate with poult performance. The purpose of this study was to determine the fate of the microbiota in turkey poults after movement of birds first raised in an isolated hatch brood system into a more traditional commercial brood facility with pre-existing birds. Turkey poults were first divided into groups raised in conventional brood pens from day-of-hatch and those raised in an experimental hatch brood system. After 11 days of growth, hatch brood birds were moved into pens within the conventional brood barn and monitored for an additional 18 days. Sampling of both hatch brood and conventional pen birds was performed at multiple timepoints throughout the study, and cecal content was used to analyze the bacterial microbiota using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. Results Alpha diversity tended to be higher in samples from conventional pen birds compared to those from hatch brood birds prior to the day 11 move, but the difference between systems was not observed post-move. Using beta diversity metrics, bacterial community succession appeared delayed in the hatch brood system birds pre-move, but post-move community composition quickly converged with that of the conventional pen birds. This was validated through assessment of significantly different genera between hatch brood system and conventional pen birds, where numbers of significantly different taxa quickly decreased following the move. Some key taxa previously associated with poult performance were delayed in their appearance and relative abundance in hatch brood birds. Conclusions Overall, this study demonstrates that the use of isolated hatch brood systems has an impact on the poult gut microbiota, but its impact is resolved quickly once the birds are introduced into a conventional brood environment. Therefore, the benefits of pathogen reduction with hatch brood systems may outweigh negative microbiota impacts due to isolation.

This study was conducted to test the effects of dietary supplementation of feed grade L-Met on growth performance and redox status of turkey poults compared with the use of conventional DL-Met. Three hundred and eighty five newly hatched turkey poults were weighed and allotted to 5 treatments in a completely randomized design and the birds were fed dietary treatments for 28 d, including a basal diet (BD), the BD + 0.17 or 0.33% DL-Met or L-Met (representing 60, 75, and 90% of the requirement by National Research Council (NRC) for S containing AA, respectively). Increasing Met supplementation from 0 to 0.33% increased (P

The effect of Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic candidates on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) colonization was evaluated in two separate experiments. In each experiment, sixty-one day-of-hatch female turkey poults were obtained from a local hatchery. In both experiments, poults were challenged via oral gavage with 104 cfu/poult of SE and randomly allocated to one of two groups (n = 30 poults): (1) the positive control group and (2) the probiotic treated group. Heated brooder batteries were used for housing each group separately and poults were allowed ad libitum access to water and unmedicated turkey starter feed. 1 h following the SE challenge, poults were treated with 106 cfu/poult of probiotic culture via oral gavage or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to control groups. A total of 24 h post-treatment, poults were euthanized and the ceca and cecal tonsils from twenty poults were collected aseptically for SE recovery. In both trials, a significant reduction in the incidence and log10 cfu/g of SE were observed in poults treated with the probiotic when compared with control poults (p ≤ 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that the administration of this lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB)-based probiotic 1 h after an SE challenge can be useful in reducing the cecal colonization of this pathogen in neonatal poults.

Simple Summary Salmonella spp. continues to be one of the most important foodborne bacterial pathogens. S. enterica serotype Enteritidis (SE) that emerged as an important human illness during the 1980s is currently one of the most common non-typhoidal Salmonella serotypes worldwide. Poultry and their products (eggs and meat) are considered as one of the most important source of SE infection in humans. Due to restrictions in the addition of antibiotics in the feed of animals intended for human consumption, alternatives to these antibiotics have been sought. Probiotics have shown to reduce infection in turkey poults. However, studies are lacking to show how these probiotics influence the intestinal microbiome as well as how this microbiome is related to a lower infection by Salmonella. In the present study the effect of a Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic on SE colonization was evaluated in two separate experiments. In both trials, a significant reduction in the incidence and log10 cfu/g of SE were observed in poults treated with the probiotic when compared with control poults (p ≤ 0.05). Results showed that the application of this probiotic culture could reduce SE cecal colonization in day-of-hatch turkey poults, although further research is needed to elucidate the mechanism of this response. Abstract The effect of Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic candidates on Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) colonization was evaluated in two separate experiments. In each experiment, sixty-one day-of-hatch female turkey poults were obtained from a local hatchery. In both experiments, poults were challenged via oral gavage with 104 cfu/poult of SE and randomly allocated to one of two groups (n = 30 poults): (1) the positive control group and (2) the probiotic treated group. Heated brooder batteries were used for housing each group separately and poults were allowed ad libitum access to water and unmedicated turkey starter feed. 1 h following the SE challenge, poults were treated with 106 cfu/poult of probiotic culture via oral gavage or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) to control groups. A total of 24 h post-treatment, poults were euthanized and the ceca and cecal tonsils from twenty poults were collected aseptically for SE recovery. In both trials, a significant reduction in the incidence and log10 cfu/g of SE were observed in poults treated with the probiotic when compared with control poults (p ≤ 0.05). The results of the present study suggest that the administration of this lactic acid-producing bacteria (LAB)-based probiotic 1 h after an SE challenge can be useful in reducing the cecal colonization of this pathogen in neonatal poults.

Turkey poults are susceptible to early mortality and poor initial feeding behavior for reasons that are not well-understood. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between the development of turkey poult feeding behavior and early mortality, with a focus on the effect of biological age and diet. We hypothesized that increasing biological age would increase mortality, and that poults that had earlier feeding behavior would have decreased mortality. Nine hundred and sixty female turkey poults were randomly assigned to 24 pens (40 poults per pen). The study was conducted as a completely randomized block design with a factorial arrangement of two ages (early and standard hatch) and three diets (control, modified A, and modified Ca/P B, differing primarily in the Ca/P ratio and percent fines). The behavior during the first 24 h after placement of newly placed poults was examined. Growth performance and mortality throughout the first week of life was also measured to determine if early behavior had any impact on these variables over time. Behavior during the first 24 h was similar between the age treatments; both spent ~2.5% of the time drinking, 7% of the time feeding, 12% of the time active and 80% of the time inactive/resting. There was no effect of diet or age treatment on latency to feed or drink. Growth variables were not affected by biological age. However, there was a significant diet and biological age effect on bodyweight and mortality. Standard hatch poults fed a control diet were lighter than other poults at 7 d, while standard hatch poults fed the diet with the lowest Ca:P had the highest mortality. For all treatments, early mortality was primarily due to yolk sac infection, although >1% of placed poults died due to starvation. Findings of the present study indicate that, regardless of biological age or diet, poults established feeding behavior within the first 24 h and the majority of early poult mortality under these experimental conditions was due to factors other than starvation.

Appropriate ventilation of poultry facilities is critical for achieving optimum performance. Ventilation promotes good air exchange to remove harmful gases, excessive heat, moisture, and particulate matter. In a turkey brooder barn, carbon dioxide (CO2) may be present at higher levels during the winter due to reduced ventilation rates to maintain high temperatures. This higher CO2 may negatively affect turkey poult performance. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of subjecting tom turkey poults (commercial Large White Hybrid Converters) to different constant levels of atmospheric CO2 on their growth performance and behavior. In three consecutive replicate trials, a total of 552 poults were weighed post-hatch and randomly placed in 3 environmental control chambers, with 60 (Trial 1) and 62 (Trials 2 and 3) poults housed per chamber. They were reared with standard temperature and humidity levels for 3 wks. The poults were exposed to 3 different fixed CO2 concentrations of 2,000, 4,000, and 6,000 ppm throughout each trial. Following each trial (replicate), the CO2 treatments were switched and assigned to a different chamber in order to expose each treatment to each chamber. At the end of each trial, all poults were sent to a local turkey producer to finish growout. For each trial, individual body weight and group feed intake were measured, and mortality and behavioral movement were recorded. Wk 3 and cumulative body weight gain of poults housed at 2,000 ppm CO2 was greater (P < 0.05) than those exposed to 4,000 and 6,000 ppm CO2. Feed intake and feed conversion were unaffected by the different CO2 concentrations. No significant difference in poult mortality was found between treatments. In addition, no effect of CO2 treatments was evident in the incidence of spontaneous turkey cardiomyopathy for turkeys processed at 19 wk of age. Poults housed at the lower CO2 level (2,000 ppm) demonstrated reduced movement compared with those exposed to the 2 higher CO2 concentrations.

A study was conducted to determine 1) the effect of a dietary direct-fed microbial (DFM) on turkey poult performance, 2) the effect of a DFM on a Salmonella challenge, and 3) the effect of feed processing on the efficacy of the dietary DFM. Day-of-hatch Large White female poults were placed in 2 rooms in 2 Petersime batteries per room. Twelve pens of 7 birds each were used in each battery (24 pens per room, 336 birds total). One of 4 dietary feed treatments was assigned to each pen (6 pens per room for each diet). One room housed non-Salmonella-challenged poults, and the other room housed poults challenged with a 1-mL oral gavage of Salmonella (1010 cfu/mL). A single batch of starter ration was split into 4 parts and used to provide 4 dietary treatments: 1) mash feed with no DFM (M), 2) mash feed with DFM (Primalac; 0.9 kg/tonne of feed, MD), 3) pelleted (20-s steam conditioning at 80°C) and crumbled feed with no DFM (C), and 4) pelleted and crumbled feed with DFM (CD). Feed and deionized, distilled water were provided ad libitum. Data were collected and analyzed separately for each room. Mortality was recorded for each pen on a daily basis and totaled by week and for the 3-wk period. Individual BW and feed consumption, by pen, were measured weekly. Weekly and cumulative BW gains and feed to gain ratios (F:G) were calculated. Liver, spleen, total and lower intestinal tract weights, intestinal length, and most-probable-number Salmonella populations were determined for one randomly selected bird per pen. Feeding processed feed resulted in improved BW and F:G. Feeding the DFM improved 3-wk cumulative F:G in birds not gavaged and reduced relative intestinal weight in birds gavaged. Salmonella populations were reduced 1 log by feeding DFM. Dietary DFM improved bird performance, reduced Salmonella populations, and was not affected by feed processing.

The effect of a commercially available lactic acid bacteria probiotic (FM-B11) alone and supplemented with lactose as prebiotic was evaluated for effects on turkey BW during the brooding and growout phases under commercial conditions in 2 experiments. Tag-numbered turkey poults were given the probiotic in either drinking water or feed, and lactose was given in feed. Turkeys were reared in wire pens (4 per treatment) within the brooding house. Experiments were designed for a duration of 26 and 28 d. Only animals from experiment 1 were weighed again before slaughter. Results from both experiments indicate that groups treated with the combination of probiotic and lactose and lactose alone were heavier (P

SUMMARY To evaluate the effect of a probiotic culture in combination with dietary lactose as a prebiotic, 2 experiments were performed. Treated poults (Lactobacillus spp.-based probiotic culture) received dietary lactose (0.1%) continuously in the feed and probiotic culture (∼10 6 cfu/mL) in the drinking water. Controls received no treatments. Three hundred twenty selected female poults were tagged and randomly divided in 2 treatments with 4 replicates each (n = 40). In experiment 1, poults were challenged with ∼10 4 cfu of Salmonella Enteritidis; however, in experiment 2, no challenge was provided to poults. Body weight was evaluated on d 1, 7, and 14 (experiment 1, trial 1 and 2, experiment 2, trial 3) and on d 1, 8, and 18 (experiment 2, trial 4). Body weight and FCR were significantly (P 0.05) in either BW or FCR. These data suggest that dietary lactose with appropriate probiotic organisms may enhance performance of poults following a mild pathogenic challenge.

Ileal endogenous amino acid (IEAA) flow in turkey poults was determined at 2 experimental locations on d 5, 15, and 21 posthatch using 3 methods, namely a N-free diet (NFD), a highly digestible protein (casein), and the regression method, obtained by regressing IEAA flow against dietary casein levels. The diets were semipurified and contained 0, 50, 100, or 150 g of casein/kg of diet as the sole source of dietary protein. Each diet was fed for 5 d to 6 replicate cages of 30 (d 5), 10 (d 15), or 8 (d 21) birds per cage. There was no interaction between locations and age or locations and diet, so the data from both locations were pooled. Ileal endogenous amino acid flow on d 5 (NFD method) was higher (P0.05) than on d 15 or 21. Ileal endogenous amino acid flow estimated from the NFD and the regression methods was different on d 5 (P0.05), but there were no differences in IEAA flow for most of the amino acids on d 15 and 21. Increasing the level of casein resulted in a linear (P0.05) increase in IEAA flow. The amino acids with the lowest flow were Trp and Met, whereas Glu had the greatest flow. The results obtained from this study indicate that data generated across laboratories were repeatable. The results also suggest that about twice as much amino acids of endogenous origin are found in the digesta of poults on d 5 relative to d 21. Also, as poults age, there is a decrease in IEAA flow from d 5 to 15, but flows from d 15 to 21 are not different. These observations suggest that apparent digestibility coefficients for poults on d 5 and d 15 or 21 could be significantly influenced by the level of endogenous amino acids, more so on d 5.

The macrolide gamithromycin (GAM) has the ability to accumulate in tissues of the respiratory tract. Consequently, GAM might be a suitable antibiotic to treat bacterial respiratory infections in poultry, such as Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale. As O. rhinotracheale infections are common in turkey flocks, the aim of this study was to determine the pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters of GAM in plasma, lung tissue, and pulmonary epithelial lining fluid (PELF) of turkeys and to correlate them with pharmacodynamic (PD) characteristics (PK/PD). The animal experiment was performed with 64 turkeys, which received either a subcutaneous (SC, n = 32) or an oral (PO, n = 32) bolus of 6 mg GAM/kg body weight (BW). GAM concentrations in plasma, lung tissue, and PELF were measured at different time points post administration (p.a.), and PK characteristics were determined using non-compartmental modeling. The maximum plasma concentration after PO administration was ten-fold lower than after SC injection (0.087 and 0.89 mu g/mL, respectively), whereas there was no difference in lung concentrations between both routes of administration. However, lung concentrations at day 1 p.a. were significantly higher than plasma levels for both routes of administration (2.22 and 3.66 mu g/g for PO and SC, respectively). Consequently, lung/plasma ratios were high, up to 50 and 80 after PO and SC administration, respectively. GAM could not be detected in PELF, although this might be attributed to the collection method of PELF in birds. The GAM minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined for 38 O. rhinotracheale strains; MIC50 and MIC90 were 2 and >32 mu g/mL, respectively. PK/PD correlation for lung tissue demonstrated that the time above the MIC90 of the susceptible population (2 mu g/mL) was 1 day after PO bolus and 3.5 days after SC administration. The area under the curve (AUClast)/MIC ratios for lung tissue after SC and PO administration were 233 and 90, respectively. To conclude, GAM is highly distributed to lung tissue in turkey poults, suggesting that it has the potential to be used to treat respiratory infections such as O. rhinotracheale.

Turkey poults were randomly placed in batteries and fed one of four dietary treatments: control (C); control plus 4ppm diacetoxyscirpenol (DAS); control plus 300ppm Fusaric Acid (FA); and control plus 4ppm DAS and 300ppm FA (FD). There were 10 poults per pen with 6 replicate pens per treatment. Individual BW, BW gains (BWG) and feed consumption by pen were determined at d6, d12, and d18. Period and cumulative feed to gain were calculated. Mouth lesions were scored for treatments at d18. On d18 poults were euthanized for determination of organ weights and jejunal histomorphometrics. FA had no effect on BW or BWG at any period compared to C. Poults fed FD had reduced BW and BWG compared to C, while poults fed DAS had lower BW than all treatments at every period. Poults fed FA or C had better feed to gain (P

Villus growth, enterocyte migration and proliferation were measured in the small intestine of poults (Meleagridis gallopavo) to determine if hen age and/or egg size influences these characteristics during the first week after hatching. At hatching, distal jejunal villi were 22.8 microns longer in poults from the older (48 weeks) versus the younger (34 weeks) hens (P < 0.05). Similarly, labeled enterocytes in distal jejunal sections from poults from the older hens had migrated 28 microns (10%) farther along the crypt-villus axis at hatching, as compared to poults from the younger hens (P < 0.05). Villus growth differences and enterocyte migration were not consistently affected by hen age or egg weight class in poults from 1 to 7 days old. These results suggest that even though intestinal villi may be more advanced developmentally at hatch in poults from the older hens, however post-hatch growth of the intestine or the poult is not affected by hen age or egg weight class.

Three experiments were conducted to determine if turkey (Meleagridis gallopavo) hen age and egg weight affect poult intestinal development and glucose tolerance during the first week after hatching. Differences in glucose tolerance were not consistent across the experiments. In experiment 1, 4-day-old poults from the younger hens and lightest egg weight class had significantly greater fasting plasma glucose concentrations (P

Harms, R.H., Neuman, S.L., Molt, M.A. and Russell, G.B. 1999. Evaluation of a potential cystine response by the turkey poult. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 15: 121–130. An experiment was conducted to determine whether the turkey poult would respond to Cystine (Cys) supplementation of a corn-soybean meal diet. A 3 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments was used for the first 4 weeks (.41, .44 and .47% Met) and (.43, .45, .47 and .49% Cys). A 2 x 4 factorial arrangement of treatments was used during weeks 5 to 8 (.39 and .43% Met) and (.38, .40, .42 and .44% Cys). The poults day-old to 4 wks of age responded to supplemental Cys when the ratio of Met:Cys was between 48.8:51.2 and 52.2 to 47.8%. The response to Cys was not large enough to assay the poults Cys requirement. A numerical response was obtained from Cys supplementation from 5 to 8 wk to a diet containing .44% Met and .43% Cys and a Met:Cys ratio of 50.5 to 49.5. Neither feed intake nor feed efficiency was influenced by the addition of either Met o...

SummaryThe presence and role of indigenous turkeys in Oaxaca and Quintana Roo, Mexico, were investigated by means of on-site assessment and an orally administered questionnaire. Questions included breed characteristics, uses, management conditions, advantages and limitations of the breed. An indigenous breed of turkey in Oaxaca and Quintana Roo was described. A strong interest in the raising and commerce of turkeys in Oaxaca was noted, however in Quintana Roo substantial reductions in numbers of turkeys have occurred over the last two decades. Mortalities of turkey poults ranging from 50–100% due to a disease with symptoms compatible with Histomonas meleagridis infection were reported. This appears to be the most significant limiting factor to raising turkeys in a back-yard type of system in Oaxaca and Quintana Roo. Raising turkeys separately from chickens is probably the most effective strategy for decreasing indigenous turkey poult mortality of this type.

In this study, 2 experiments determined the effects of increasing dietary concentrations of de- oxynivalenol (DON) on performance, intestinal mor- phology, and measures of innate immunity in broilers and turkeys. For experiment 1, the 3-wk study used 5 concentrations of DON (up to 18 or 10 mg of DON/kg of feed in broilers or turkeys, respectively) from natu- rally contaminated corn. The BW gains were cubically or quadratically affected by the increasing dietary con- centrations of DON for broilers and turkeys, respective- ly; however, feed consumption was not affected. For ex- periment 2, the birds were subsequently injected or not injected with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 24 h before tis- sue and blood sample collection. Dietary DON had no effect on intestinal crypt depth, but linearly increased the mid-ileal villus height in broilers (P = 0.04). An in- teraction was observed between the LPS challenge and the dietary DON with regards to heterophil to lympho- cyte ratio (P < 0.05) in broilers, but not in turkeys. The cecal tonsil cell phagocytosis of microbeads was not affected by the dietary concentration of DON either with or without the subsequent LPS challenge for both broilers and turkeys. Conversely, the phagocytic capac- ity of cecal tonsil cells to engulf killed Staphylococcus aureus was significantly reduced (over 2.5-fold) when broilers were fed the highest concentration of dietary DON (non-LPS-challenged; P < 0.05). However, diets containing DON showed no effects on broilers when they were challenged with LPS. Antibody-dependent phagocytosis (S. aureus) was not affected in turkeys fed DON. Overall, corn naturally contaminated with up to 18 or 10 mg/kg of DON (broiler or turkey, respectively) reduced bird BW gain at 21 d of age, reduced antibody- dependent phagocytosis of previously killed S. aureus by cecal tonsil cells in non-LPS-challenged broilers, and greatly decreased heterophil to lymphocyte ratios in LPS-challenged broilers.

This work was undertaken to evaluate the effect of three agro-industrial by-products on the carcass characteristics of indigenous turkey poults. Sixty indigenous poults were brooded and fed broiler starter feed for the first 4 weeks of life. At the end of 4 weeks, forty-eight poults were randomly selected and distributed into four treatment diets. Each dietary treatment had twelve poults with six poults per replicate. The experiment lasted ten weeks. The result showed that poults fed palm kernel meal had significantly (P0.05) difference and followed no definite pattern. The replacement of 40% of maize with palm kernel meal in turkey poult's grower ration proved more advantageous than replacement with wheat offal, rice husk and the control diet. Key words: Turkey poults, carcass characteristics and agro-industrial by-products

In this study, the supplementary heat required when brooding turkey poults in winter and summer in the Kahramanmaras region of Turkey was determined using a heat and humidity balance method for a naturally ventilated house with a capacity of 6500 tom turkey poults. In the calculation of heat and humidity balance, temperature values, sensible heat and moisture production of tom turkey poults were taken from the American Society of Agricultural Engineers (ASAE) standards for corresponding turkey poult weights, and outside long term (1980 - 2005) monthly average temperatures were obtained from a local climate station. The coldest and warmest crucial months were determined as January (6.5 °C) and August (29.2 °C), respectively. When brooding was initiated in the first week of January, supplementary heat was needed for the subsequent five weeks, being 32937, 27028, 21721, 9476 and 5400 W per week, respectively. When brooding started in the first week of August, poults needed only 5544 W supplementary heat. However, tom turkey poults would nevertheless benefit from supplementary heat during this period because they are not yet fully feathered and the digestive system has not yet fully developed.

Ileal endogenous amino acid (IEAA) and total amino acid (TAA) flow (mg/kg of DM intake) in turkey poults and broiler chicks at 3 ages (5, 15, and 21 d) were compared by feeding a N-free diet (NFD) or graded levels of casein (highly digestible protein, HDP). The semipurified diets contained 0 (NFD), 50, 100, or 150 g of casein/kg of diet as the only source of amino acids. Each diet was fed to 6 replicate cages containing 30 (5 d), 10 (15 d), or 8 (21 d) birds per cage for 5 d prior to the collection of ileal digesta. At d 5, IEAA and TAA flow in poults fed the NFD, 50, and 100 g of casein/kg of diet was higher (P0.05) than in chicks. The IEAA flows within and between both species on d 15 and 21 were not different. Similar trends were observed for the HDP diets (50, 100, or 150 g of casein/kg of diet). An interaction (P0.05) between species and age was observed for most of the amino acids for all treatments. The results from this study suggest that at d 5, poults have significantly higher concentration of IEAA and TAA output relative to chicks. However, by d 15 and 21, there were no species differences in IEAA or TAA flow. These results also showed that IEAA flow is species and age dependent. The increased IEAA flow observed at d 5 should be taken into consideration when formulating starter diets on a digestible amino acid basis.

The present study examines whether Salmonella typhimurium colonization of the crop of young turkeys influences nitrite concentration in the component tissues of the crop. Nitric oxide (NO) is the principal compound in biological samples that is converted into nitrites and NO is known to be a component of the early host response to infection. Challenge with S. typhimurium increased the concentration of nitrite in the crop wall of 3-wk-old turkey poults. The magnitude of the response was reduced at 8 h and absent at 48 h after challenge. As would be expected, S. typhimurium concentrations in the crop were markedly increased following challenge, and were nondetectable in control poults.

Turkey poults and Pekin ducklings hatch from eggs of similar weights and have the same incubation periods and body weights at hatch. The male Pekin duckling, however, can attain a market weight of 3.2 kg in approximately 6 wk, whereas at the same age, male turkeys only weigh approximately 2.1 kg. For this study, fertile turkey eggs (n = 400, mean weight: 87.2 g, range: 85 to 89.9 g) and Pekin duck eggs (n = 565, mean weight: 88.6 g, range: 85 to 92.0 g) were weighed and incubated. Embryos and hatchlings were sampled during the last week of incubation, at hatch, and through 7 d of age. Yolk-free BW of poults were 2.7 g heavier than ducklings at hatch. Yolk-free BW of ducklings, however, were greater than poults at 1 d of age (P > or = 0.06), and by 7 d of age ducklings were 140 g heavier (P < or = 0.01). Yolk sac weight was similar at 21 and 25 d of incubation, yet was significantly lower in ducks at hatch, 1, and 2 d of age (P < or = 0.05). In the duckling, jejunum and ileum weights (3.7x heavier), length (1.6x longer), and density (g/cm; 2.3x more dense) were consistently heavier than in the turkey from hatch through 7 d (P < or = 0.01). Histological sections of the distal jejunum revealed more rapid villus growth in the duck from 0 to 3 d of age. The combination of increased intestinal growth (weight and length) and maturation (villus length) allowed ducks to achieve an additional 143 g of BW gain during the critical hatch through 7 d of growth.

The biologic and economic effects of including three agro-industrial by-products as ingredients in turkey poult diets were investigated using 48 turkey poults in a completely randomised design experiment. Diets were formulated to contain the three by-products – wheat offal, rice husk and palm kernel meal, each at 20% level of inclusion and designated Treatment 2, 3 and 4, respectively. These were compared with a control diet (Treatment 1) that did not contain any of these by-products. Treatment 4 encouraged better performance (P 0.05) as for birds on control treatment in all the three biologic parameters investigated. These results were better than performance of birds on Treatment 2. The economic parameters (cost per kg feed, cost per kg weight gain and gross margin) followed similar pattern as the growth parameters above. The poults on Treatment 2 had higher (P [Niger Agric. J. 34 (2003): 138-142]

The effect was studied of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25-(OH)2 D3] at various levels of vitamin D3, with adequate or inadequate dietary calcium, on performance and bone development in turkey poults. Two experiments were conducted. Experiment 1 lasted 16 days and was a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement using a low calcium diet (.7%), with dietary levels of vitamin D3 of 450, 900, 1,800, and 3,600 ICU/kg of diet and with or without 10 μg of dietary l,25-(OH)2 D3. Experiment 2 lasted 14 wk and was a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with vitamin D3 levels of 900 or 2,700 ICU/kg of diet, calcium levels at 58 or 100% of the National Research Council requirement (which varies with age), and with or without 10 μg/kg of dietary l,25-(OH)2 D3. In Experiment 1, increasing levels of vitamin D3 and l,25-(OH)2 D3 supplementation significantly increased bone ash. Pairwise contrasts at specific vitamin D3 levels indicated that this effect of l,25-(OH)2 D3 was greater at lower levels of vitamin D3. In Experiment 2, the 2,700-ICU level of vitamin D3 decreased the incidence of rickets at 3 wk and partially ameliorated a calcium deficiency, as indicated by an increase in growth at the 2,700-ICU level of vitamin D3 in calcium-deficient diets from 8 to 14 wk. Vitamin D3 by calcium interactions on rickets at 14 wk of age and bone ash at 3 and 14 wk were similar and indicated also that vitamin D3 partially ameliorated a calcium deficiency. In general, the addition to the diet of 1,25-(OH)2 D3 increased bone ash and decreased the incidence of rickets in diets deficient in calcium but high in vitamin D3. There is very little evidence in the present study that indicates that 1,25-(OH)2 D3 has any effect on tibial dyschondroplasia.

SUMMARY. This study included a complete factorial arrangement of three dietary levels of bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) (0, 50, and 200 g/ton) and two health conditions (none and stunting syndrome [SS]). One-day-old turkeys were dosed per os with tryptose phosphate broth or a supernatant derived from gastrointestinal tracts of poults with SS. Body weight, feed intake, feed efficiency, water intake, and hydration efficiency were determined at 5, 9, 13, 21, and 27 days of age. BMD at 200 g/ton in the feed significantly improved body weight (P < 0.005) of poults with SS at all ages, and it improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05) from 1 to 9 days of age. BMD at 50 and 200 g/ton improved hydration efficiency (P < 0.05) of poults with SS during the first 9 days of life. RESUMEN. Efecto del disalicilato metilenico de bacitracina sobre el rendimiento de pavos en presencia y ausencia del sindrome del enanismo. Este es un estudio factorial completo de tres niveles dieteticos de disalicilato metilenico de bacitracina (0, 50 y 200 g/ton), y dos condiciones de salud (aves normales y aves enanas). Pavitos de un dia de edad fueron tratados por la via oral con caldo triptosa fosfatado o con un sobrenadante obtenido del tracto gastrointestinal de pavitos con el sindrome del enanismo. A los 5, 9, 13, 21 y 27 dias de edad se determin6 el peso corporal, consumo de alimento y de agua, eficiencia del alimento y del agua. El disalicilato metilenico de bacitracina a la dosis de 200 g/ton en el alimento mejor6 significantemente el peso corporal (P < 0.005) de los pavitos con el sindrome a todas las edades, y la eficiencia alimenticia (P < 0.05) desde el primero al noveno dia de edad. El disalicilato metilenico de bacitracina a dosis de 50 y 200 g/ton mejor6 la eficiencia de agua (P < 0.05) de los pavitos durante los primeros nueve dias de edad.

Six mouse monoclonal antibodies raised against PMV-3/turkey/England/ MPH/81 were used to assess relationships between PMV-3 viruses isolated from exotic birds and from domestic turkeys. Twelve PMV-3 isolates from birds held in quarantine in Great Britain and nine isolates from exotic birds in Netherlands, USA, Belgium, France and F.R. Germany were inhibited by only one monoclonal antibody, 50/1412, in haemagglutination inhibition tests. In contrast PMV-3 isolates from turkeys in England and France were inhibited to high titres by all six monoclonal antibodies. Two isolates from North American turkeys and one from a turkey poult in the Federal Republic of Germany were inhibited only by monoclonal antibody 50/1412 and, to low titres, by one other monoclonal antibody. Monoclonal antibody, 50/1412, showed no inhibition of 12 varied PMV-1 strains or representatives of other avian paramyxovirus sero-types and may be useful in the differential diagnosis of PMV-3 viruses.

A study was undertaken to assess the role of sex and age on the adrenal cortical response of turkey poults during the time period associated with idiopathic poult mortality. Three and 14-day-old tom and hen turkey poults were subjected to the following treatments: saline injection (control), cool water immersion (20 C) for 1 min, cold water immersion (5 C) for 1 min, and 1 IU/kg adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) injection. Blood was collected 1 and 4 h posttreatment for plasma corticosterone (CS) assay. Temperature treatments did not affect plasma CS in either age or sex. Plasma CS was increased by ACTH after 4 h postinjection in both sexes and at both ages. The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal cortical axis of the turkey poult was functional but appeared to be insensitive to temperature stress.

Duplicate groups of Strain-Cross White Leghorn chicks, White Rock Cross broiler chicks, and Large White Turkey poults were fed from 0 to 800 ppm fluoride as NaF for 1 day to 6 weeks. Based on growth rate, the dietary fluoride tolerances were at least 400 ppm for Leghorn chicks, 300 ppm for broiler chicks, and 200 ppm for turkey poults. Fluoride ingestion did not affect bone morphology or breaking strength. Increases in fluoride content of bone ash, plasma, and other soft tissues were related to dietary fluoride level but not to type of bird. Bone ash fluoride content was relatively constant at a given fluoride intake level over exposure periods of from 2 to 6 weeks.

Feed taken from a commercial turkey farm where poults had refused to eat the feed and high mortality had occurred was analyzed and found to contain .81 mg/kg vomitoxin and 2.2 mg/kg salinomycin. The present four experiments investigated the effects of diets containing salinomycin at 0, 2.2, 5.5, 11, and 22 mg/kg and vomitoxin at 0, 2.2, and 4.4 mg/kg. A factorial design with vomitoxin at 0 and 4.4 mg/kg and salinomycin at 0 and 22 mg/kg was used in Experiment 4. Poults fed the suspect commercial diet had significantly lower feed consumption and higher motality than poults fed a control diet (P

1. Animal models of drug-induced cardiomyopathy relevant to clinical medicine have been difficult to produce. 2. Animal species commonly used to study cardiomyopathies include the rabbit, rat, and mouse of which none are completely satisfactory. 3. Recently, the turkey poult has been proposed as an attractive animal model for investigation of drug-induced cardiomyopathy

One of the most important factors determining hatchability of avian eggs is their proper water budget during incubation. We show here that water budget changes of turkey eggs effect not only hatchability but also poult quality. In addition to an increase in hatchability of 3.3%, poult quality was increased by 7.3%. This was achieved by sorting eggs into low (less than 18.5), medium (18.5 to 22.0) and high (greater than 22.0) eggshell mass-specific water vapour, conductance categories and incubating them in matching incubation humidities of 21.8, 26.6 and 31.4 Torr, corresponding to relative humidities of 45, 55 and 65% at 37.5 degrees C, respectively. A total diffusive water loss of 11.5% (range 10 to 14%) of the initial egg mass in 25 d of incubation yielded maximal hatchability and poult quality.

Ground rice hulls (GRH), whole rice hulls (WRH), or an equal mixture of whole rice hulls and wood shavings (WRH + WS) were compared with wood shavings (WS) as a suitable litter material for turkey poults. Body weights, feed consumption, and the incidence of leg abnormalities, breast blisters, and foot pad lesions of the birds reared on the different litter material were assessed at 3, 5, 7, and 8 weeks of age. Composite samples of litter materials were examined quantitatively at 4, 6, 7, and 8 weeks of age for percent moisture and bacterial and fungal populations. Poults were fed a starter ration supplemented with either 0 or 3% fat for 3 weeks, after which a grower diet containing 3% added fat was fed to all birds. Rice hull products produced no adverse effects upon poult performance (mortality, body weights, feed conversion, breast blisters, leg abnormalities, or foot pad lesions). However, the physical characteristics of GRH caused clumps to adhere to the toes of the poults. Approximately 2% of the 180 poults reared on GRH were affected. The condition disappeared once the birds started to scratch in the litter, which tended to break-up the thin layer of excreta on the surface of the GRH. The moisture content of the litter treatments did not differ significantly for the periods sampled. Bacterial and fungal populations were not significantly influenced by dietary treatment or litter type. These results indicate that rice hull products (WRH or WRH + WS) are a suitable litter for turkey poults. Supplementing 3% fat to the starter diet significantly increased growth at 3, 4, and 8 weeks of age. Turkey poults apparently have the capacity to utilize moderate levels of dietary fat during the early growing stage.

Lysine availability in blood meal as affected by processing method was studied using 53 samples representing 10 manufacturing processes. Each sample was analyzed for total lysine and chemically available lysine using the fluorodinitrobenzene technique (FDNB-lysine). Bioavailable lysine was determined by turkey poult growth assay. The bioavailability was calculated using the slope ratio method where gain was regressed on dietary lysine content (Method A) or on lysine consumption (Method B). Vat-dried blood meal, representing harsh processing conditions, contained significantly less total lysine, FDNB-lysine, and bioavailable lysine when compared to spray, DeLaval-Anderson, ring, and flash-dried blood meal. Content of FDNB-lysine was more correlated with bioavailable lysine than was total lysine. Available lysine as measured by the FDNB-lysine technique overestimated bioavailable lysine in vat-dried samples. Bioavailable lysine contents as estimated by Method B were greater and more variable than those determined by Method A.

1. 1. Serum glucose, serum lipid, feed consumption and yolk weights of developing turkey poults were measured daily and associated with early poult mortality. 2. 2. The first peak in poult mortality at 4–5 days followed nadirs in feed consumption, yolk weights and serum lipids. 3. 3. The second peak in mortality at days 8–10 followed a decrease in serum glucose levels. 4. 4. These observations suggest that neonatal mortality is associated with metabolic changes which exacerbate morbidity in weaker poults.

SummaryAttempts to produce the generalized Shwartzman phenomenon in the turkey poult were unsuccessful. Large (1,000-15,000 μg) single doses of endotoxin, administered intravenously, failed to produce vascular collapse or other clinical signs in the poult. Attempts to reproduce a syndrome with lesions similar to aortic dissecting aneurysm as it occurs under field conditions, by use of endotoxin alone, or in combination with adrenalin, were unsuccessful. These experiments cast some doubt on the likelihood of Gram-negative organisms or sensitization by them being responsible for the naturally-occurring syndrome of dissecting aneurysm.

IN THEIR studies with methionine-deficient broiler diets which contained 20 to 22% protein, Baldini and Rosenberg (1955) observed that the methionine requirement, expressed as percent of diet, increased as the energy content of the diet increased. It was predicted that this principle of the energy-dependence of amino acid needs would apply to all essential amino acids and for most animals. In the meantime this has been shown to be true for the lysine requirement of rats (Rosenberg and Culik, 1955) and for the methionine requirement of the turkey poult (unpublished). In view of the realization that the energy content of the diet has such a pronounced effect on amino acid requirements it became desirable to reinvestigate several other phases of amino acid utilization. In this communication we report some results of our studies on the effect which a change in protein level may have on the methionine requirement of broilers.

INTRODUCTION FOUR down anomalies have been reported in the turkey poult: the shortened down condition associated with faded Bronze plumage (Keeler et al., 1949), hairy (Smyth, 1954), naked (Poole and Marsden, 1961), and late feathering (Asmundson and Abbott, 1961). In the spring of 1959 a new abnormal down condition was observed in both hatched and late-dead (25–28 days incubation) Black turkey poults from the Experiment Station Flock. The condition was characterized as a general shortening of the down plus a buckling of individual plumules within the sheath forming a club-like bulge. Juvenile and adult feathers were not affected. Because of the similarity to a condition in chickens known as “clubbed down” (Lepkovsky et al., 1938) the same descriptive term has been applied to the turkey poult. Kabystina and Petrov (1935) reported that a shortened down condition in chickens was always associated with black down-color. Hutt (1951), found a similar …

The effects of including soybean oil, sunflower oil, rapeseed oil, or animal tallow in turkey poult starting rations were studied. Male, broad-breasted Bronze poults were used and the fat sources were tested at 5% and 10% of the ration.The inclusion of soybean oil, sunflower oil, or animal tallow in the starting rations stimulated weight gain from 1 day to 6 weeks of age and improved efficiency of feed utilization. However, the addition of rapeseed oil to the ration depressed weight gain as compared to the basal (low-fat) ration. The magnitude of growth depression was directly related to the rapeseed oil content of the ration. The comparative ration metabolizable energy data indicate that dietary energy supplied by rapeseed oil was as available to poults as energy supplied by other fat sources. Poults consuming rations containing 5% or 10% rapeseed oil consumed less feed than did poults consuming all other rations. Decreased feed consumption was apparently responsible for the depressed weight gains of the rapeseed oil-fed birds.

THE effects of fiber content and physical form of turkey diets have been studied as separate experimental entities. Only a few reports have appeared in the literature on the effect of dietary energy level on the performance of turkeys. The present paper is the first of a series that will consider the energy requirement of turkeys of different ages and factors that affect this requirement. A review of the literature on turkey poult nutrition reveals that Goff (1932/34) reported the average weight of 16-week-old Bronze poults fed diets containing from 3.77 to 11.62 percent fiber increased as the fiber level decreased. Goodeal and Moore (1941) were among the first to study the influence of physical form of the diet on the performance of poults. They found that mash and pellet-fed poults made similar weight gains to 8 weeks of age. Berg and Bearse (1947) reported that turkey poults fed a …

UNIDENTIFIED growth factors for the turkey poult have been reported to be present in fish meal, fish solubles, distillers dried solubles, liver preparations, dried brewer’s yeast, dried skimmed milk, dried whey, whey products, and grass and alfalfa juices (German et al., 1948; Atkinson and Couch, 1951a, b, 1953; Couch et al., 1954; Patrick, 1951a, b; Scott, 1951a, b, 1952; Menge et al., 1952; McGinnis et al., 1952; Atkinson et al., 1953; Halbrook et al., 1953; Combs et al., 1954; Hixson and Rosner, 1954). The carry-over of riboflavin from the hen through the egg to the chick has been reported by Clandinin (1946), and the transmission of vitamin B12 in a similar manner by Halick et al. (1953). The carryover of unidentified growth factors to chicks has been reported by Johnson (1955); Menge et al. (1952); Csonka et al. (1954); Patterson and McGinnis (1954); Patterson and Blaylock (1953); and Waibel et …

THE results of Callenback and Hiller (1933) and of Norris, Elmore, Ringrose, and Bump (1936) on the protein requirements of Ringnecked pheasants showed that the young of this species require a level of protein in the diet of about 28 to 30 percent, which indicates that the nutritional requirements of the pheasant resemble those of the turkey poult (Scott, Heuser, and Norris, 1948) more than they do those of the domestic chick. Therefore, in an attempt to establish the nutritional needs of the pheasant for rapid, efficient, uniform growth and feathering, and for optimum bone formation, it was decided to begin with a basal diet which had been shown to give excellent results with turkey poults. By making systematic changes in this basic formula it was hoped that the nutritional needs of the pheasant could be determined, within limits, and information could be obtained which would aid in the formulation . . .

LLOYD (1918) reported that rough rice, when fed not to exceed one-third of the grain (in a mash-grain system of feeding) for hens, was a nourishing feed and caused no injurious effects. Smith (1929 Smith (1930) fed broilers a diet containing relatively large amounts of brewers’ rice, rice bran, and rice polish and found that the growth rate was comparable to that obtained with a control ration. Upp (1933) fed laying pullets various rice products, (rice bran, rice polish, rough rice and brewers’ rice) individually and in combinations, in amounts up to 74.4 percent of the ration. Winter egg yield, yearly egg yield, hatchability, egg size, egg quality, body weight and livability of the birds were used as criteria of measurement for dietary adequacy and none of these found to be affected. Smith (1946 Smith (1948) incorporated rice products in the diet of hens fed both mash and grain. He suggested that …

Wheat and corn respectively were used as the principal cereal in turkey poult starting rations. The results of three experiments indicate that advantage may be taken of the relatively high protein content of wheat. By using wheat and taking into consideration the additional protein thus provided, a saving may be effected in the amount of supplementary protein required. Turkey poults grew at similar rates when fed starting rations of similar content whether the main cereal constituent of the rations was wheat or corn.

THE nutrient requirements of animals are ordinarily expressed as percent of diet. Baldini and Rosenberg (1955) reported that the methionine requirement of the chick expressed in this manner was not a constant but varied with the energy content of the diet. They postulated that such a relationship probably existed with other animals and other nutrients. Such was found to be the case with the lysine requirement of the rat (Rosenberg and Culik, 1955). The experiments reported in this paper were conducted to determine whether or not a similar relation existed for the turkey poult. EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE This report summarizes the results of nine battery experiments, each of which employed ten treatments applied to duplicate groups of twelve day-old tom poults. Jersey Buffs were used in four experiments and Broad Breasted Bronze were used in five experiments. The length of each experiment was six weeks during which time weekly measurements of . . .

The life cycle and pathogenicity of a strain of Eimeria isolated in Great Britain from turkey poults by single cell inoculation are described and, using the criteria laid down by Tyzzer, the species is identified as E. adenoeides.The life cycle is of the same general pattern as in other Eimeria species, consisting of two asexual and one sexual generations.The organism is highly pathogenic for young poults, a dose of 200,000 oocysts producing 100 % mortality in 3-week-old birds and smaller doses causing reduced weight gain. Birds 11 weeks old resisted a dose of 3 million oocysts.The gross and microscopic pathology of the infection is described. No changes were found in the blood picture.

IN 1944, the turkey poult's protein requirement was set at 24% of the diet by the National Research Council (NRC). In 1950, the NRC increased the suggested requirement to 28%. Fritz, Halpin and Hooper (1947) reported that protein levels above 26% were required for maximum early poult growth. Scott, Heuser and Norris (1948) demonstrated that 24% protein was adequate with a low energy ration, whereas 28–30% protein was required when a ration higher in energy was employed. Calculations by the author of the productive energy content (Fraps, 1946) of these diets indicated values of about 700 and 830 Calories per pound, respectively. Considerable information is available showing increased growth due to methionine supplementation (Bird et al., 1948; Atkinson et al., 1953; Ferguson et al., 1956, 1957; Pepper and Slinger, 1955; and others); however, factors regulating the methionine requirement require further elucidation. The work of Ferguson et al. (1957) using …