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An experiment was conducted involving 448 broiler chicks to evaluate the effects on performance of including Gentian Violet (GV Eleven) in starter and finisher diets. GV Eleven was added at the rate of 125, 250, or 500 g per 1000 kg of diet and compared with a control dietary regiment containing no GV. These treatments had no adverse effects on mortality, body weights, or feed conversion. Postmortem examination performed at 44 days (slaughter age) did not reveal any abnormalities.

The use of the pellet binder "Lingnosol FG" in broiler diets at three levels plus a control group revealed differences in the consistency, quantity and color of the caecal contents between the treated and untreated groups. By week 4, post-mortem examinations revealed that birds receiving Lignosol FG had enlarged caeca and the caecal contents were dark brown, shiny, tenacious and gelatinous which continued to slaughter age (7 weeks). The use of the pellet binder had little effect on general performance although there was an indication that it had the effect of increasing feed consumption and body weights but with a slight increase in feed conversion (feed/gain).

Field trials were conducted to establish the effect of the use of an inactivated oil emulsion vaccine against Infectious Bursal Disease (IBD OEV) in broiler breeder hens, and its effects on their progeny. The performance of 18 broiler flocks, which were the progeny of the IBD OEV vaccinated breeder hens, but which were not vaccinated with a live vaccine against IBD, was equal to that of broiler flocks which were vaccinated with a live IBD vaccine and originated from parent stock that had been vaccinated only against IBD with a live vaccine. In none of the 18 flocks, progeny of IBD OEV vaccinated parents, was IBD diagnosed. In a second stage, 15 broiler flocks were included in the trial: these were derived partly from IBD OEV vaccinated parents, and partly from parents that received only live IBD vaccine at 8-10 days of age. No cases of IBD occurred and all flocks were positive for IBD precipitins at slaughter age. Vaccination with a live vaccine against IBD at the age of 8-10 days had no influence on NCD antibody development after a NCD vaccination at 7 days. No immunosuppressive effect from this type of live live IBD vaccine could be determined under field conditions.

The study was carried out on 13 muscles (Table 1) of water buffalo (Italian) and bovine (Italian Fviesian) calves raised under the same micro- environmental conditions and slaughtered at 20, 28 and 36 weeks of age (Table 2). The rheological (hardness, chewiness and water holding capacity, (WHO), chemical, (dry matter, protein, fat and ash) and colour variables (brightness and spectrophotometric curves) have been evaluated on raw meat. The more significant results were: 1) The muscle confirms its marked individuality by determining independently from age and species all the studied variables. 2) Age is determinant in varying the organoleptic characteristics — at 36 weeks the meat is harder, darker, fatter (positive variation in relation to palatability), requires more chewing energy and has more WHC (positive variation) than at 20 and 28 weeks. 3) The organoleptic characteristics of the meat of the two species vary in a similar way according to the slaughter age. 4) Within the age and considering the qualitative variables all together, the buffalo calves seem superior to the bovine and provide more uniform carcasses. 5) At this stage it seems opportune to integrate these results with breeding, slaughtering and cutting data, and to complete the slaughtering ages at 44 and 52 weeks. 6) The results confirm the usefulness of techniques employed for evaluation of organoleptic characteristics of meat in view of its technology, marketing and genetic improvement.

Thirty-two kid goats of the Granadina breed were used in four trials of three factors: milk type (goat milk and milk replacer), intake level (1·86 and 2·48 maintenance) and slaughter age (15, 30, 45 and 60 days). Weaning was carried out between the 31st and 45th days. The composition of the carcass and its different cuts and the development of the stomach compartments were studied. Both the high intake level and use of goat milk produced a statistically greater fat proportion in the carcass. At 30 days of age in kids given goat milk at the high intake level the fat proportion of the carcass was 130 g/kg. The variations in bone proportions were inverse to those for fat. The muscle proportions were affected by age, overall. The tissue composition of the different cuts showed similar responses to those in the carcass. The stomach compartments were affected most by age. The results show that kids of the Granadina breed have a good fattening capacity. The feeding and weaning system used here produced kids by 60 days of age with stomach compartments similar in proportion to those of adult goats.

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the influence of intermittent light on broiler performance and on patterns of food intake. Two separate trials were conducted to investigate the effect of lighting patterns of 1L:2D and 1L:3D from one week of age till seven weeks, both in comparison to continuous lighting on female broiler weight gain, feed efficiency, abdominal fat pad weight, and on daily feeding patterns. In the first trial, female broilers kept under 1L:2D manifested the same growth rate as birds under 23.5L:0.5D, but consumed significantly less food and consequently had a better efficiency of feed utilization. Abdominal fat pad weight was significantly reduced under this intermittent lighting regime. As food consumption was not affected by lighting treatment, 1L:3D broilers had a better efficiency of feed utilization. Abdominal fat pad weight at slaughter age of the broilers exposed to 1L:3D was statistically heavier in comparison to the control birds but this difference disappeared when expressed as a proportion of slaughter weight. As 1L:3D broilers reached a heavier live body weight at slaughter age and abdominal fat pad weight increases proportionally faster than live body weight, this means, in fact, a reduction in abdominal fat content for broilers exposed to the intermittent lighting regime.

Investigations were carried out on 2325 bacon pigs evaluated as to their carcass characteristics at the Pig Progeny Testing Stations. The following features were taken into consideration: (1) weight of lean in primary cuts, (2) weight of lean in ham, (3) back-fat thickness, mean from 5 measurements, (4) mean daily gain in weight (during fat-tenning from 50 to 80 kg live weight), (5) length of carcass, (6) slaughter age, (7) area of loin “eye”.

Minimizing the clinical signs of Enterococcus cecorum infections causing enterococcal spondylitis in broiler herds is successful when initiated as metaphylaxis in the first week of life. Mechanistically, either the Enterococcus species present at that time are reduced by antibiotic treatment or antibiotic treatment might induce changes in intestinal microbiota composition with an indirect and subsequent influence. The aim of the present study was to examine the cecal microbiota of chickens after administering lincospectin or different additives to evaluate whether these additives have lincospectin-like effects on microbiota. Therefore, 157,400 broiler chickens were reared in four chicken houses (~40,000 birds each) on a broiler farm with history of enterococcal spondylitis. Each flock was treated either with lincospectin or water soluble esterified butyrins, Bacillus (B.) licheniformis or palm oil was added via drinking water during the first days of life. Ten birds per house were dissected at days 11, 20 and 33 of life and cecal microbiota were analyzed (16S rRNA gene sequencing). Lincospectin treatment elicited significant changes in the cecal microbiota composition until slaughter age. Among the tested additives, effects of B. licheniformis on cecal microbiota composition were most similar to those seen after the treatment with lincospectin at day 11.

The aim of this study was to estimate heritability of beef quality traits in Piemontese cattle. A total of 804 young bulls, progeny of 109 AI sires, were sampled from 124 fattening farms (FF) and slaughtered in different days at the same commercial abattoir. At slaughter, bulls were 523±73 d old and average carcasses weight (CW) was 417±45 kg. Carcasses were scored for fleshiness (EUS) and fatness. An individual beef sample was collected from Longissimus Thoracis 24 h after slaughter and held refrigerated at 4 °C for 8 d. Measured traits were pH at ageing (pH8d), beef colour (L*, a*, b*, Hue and Chroma), shear force (SF), drip (DL) and cooking loss (CL). A REML linear animal model including the fixed effects of FF, slaughter age and CW class and the random effect of the bull was used. The estimated heritability for EUS, SF, DL, Hue, L* and a* was of intermediate magnitude (from 0.22 to 0.49) whereas heritabilities for all other traits were low (from 0.04 to 0.16).

Onbasilar, Ebru/0000-0002-1321-0280; ERISIR, Zeki/0000-0003-0420-023X; OKSUZTEPE, Gulsum/0000-0003-3267-6841 WOS: 000268160300037 The aim of this study was to determine the effects of different housing systems, swimming pool and slaughter age on performance, carcass and meat characteristics of ducks. A total of 420 (212 male, 208 female) one day old ducklings (Star 52-Grimaud Freres) were obtained from a commercial hatchery. The ducklings were randomly divided into four treatment groups; two Intensive Systems (IS) (one without pool and the other with swimming pool) and two intensive systems with outside activity (IOS) (one with swimming pool and the other without pool). Each group included 105 (53 male and 52 female) ducklings. European Efficiency Factor (EEF), feed efficiency and livability rate were affected by the housing system, swimming pool and age. Housing system and slaughter age significantly affected the slaughter weight and cold carcass yield. Breast, legs and wings percentages were significantly affected by slaughter age. PH(24), cooking loss, ash, protein and lipid contents of leg muscle were significantly altered by age. PH(24), ash, protein and lipid contents increased while, the cooking loss decreased with age. Housing system had no effect on the carcass chemical composition. From the point of EEF the market age of Pekin ducks at 6 weeks is more beneficial due to the better feed efficiency, lower feed intake and lower feed cost. Open sided area and swimming pool enhanced the EEF. FUBAP (Management Office of Scientific Research Projects of Firat University)Firat University [1333] This study was partially supported with a grant by FUBAP (Management Office of Scientific Research Projects of Firat University) (Project No: 1333; Project coordinator: Dr. Z. Erisir). We are grateful to FUVEM (Research and Practice Directorship of Farm of Firat University) for their cooperation.

Peri- and postpubertal boars accumulate substances (e.g., androstenone and skatole) in their fatty tissue that are responsible for boar taint in pork. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a GnRH vaccine, Improvac, in eliminating boar taint. Three hundred male (200 intact boars, 100 barrows) crossbred (Large White x Landrace) pigs were used in a 2 x 3 factorially arranged experiment. The respective factors were sex group (barrows, boars treated with placebo, or boars treated with Improvac) and slaughter age (23 or 26 wk). Vaccines were administered 8 and 4 wk before slaughter. All Improvac-treated pigs exhibited anti-GnRH titers. Testes and bulbo-urethral gland weights in treated pigs were reduced by approximately 50% (P0.001) and serum testosterone levels were below 2 ng/mL in the majority of treated boars (94 and 92% across both age groups at 2 and 4 wk, respectively). Boar taint, as assessed by the concentration of androstenone and skatole in s.c. fat, was suppressed to low or undetectable levels in 100% of Improvac-treated boars. No Improvac-treated pigs had significant concentrations of either androstenone (1.0 microg/g) or skatole (0.20 microg/g). In contrast, 49.5% of placebo-treated controls had significant androstenone and 10.8% had significant skatole levels, resulting in 10% of the control boars with high concentrations of both compounds. The mean concentrations of taint compounds in the Improvac-treated pigs were not significantly different from those in barrows. Improvac-treated boars grew more rapidly (P = 0.051 and0.001 for pigs slaughtered at 23 and 26 wk of age, respectively) than control boars over the 4 wk after the secondary vaccination, possibly because of reduced sexual and aggressive activities. Compared with barrows, Improvac-treated boars were leaner and had superior feed conversion efficiency. The vaccine was well tolerated by the pigs, and no observable site reactions could be detected at the time of slaughter. Vaccination of boars with Improvac allows production of heavy boars with improved meat quality through prevention and control of boar taint.

The study compared the growth performance and carcass traits of 41 rabbits of both sexes derived from 3 genetic origins (GO): sire Vienna Blue (B), sire Burgundy Fawn (F) and hybrid rabbits (H). From weaning they were reared indoor in bicellular cages and fed ad libitum the same pelleted diet until a fixed slaughter weight (2.8±0.11kg). The rabbits of the 3 GO differed in slaughter age (88 vs 109 vs 122d for H, B and F-GO, respectively; P

The objective of this study was to investigate the physicochemical and microbial quality of loin (m. longissimus dorsi) and top round (m. Semimembranosus) in Holstein veal produced from two slaughter age groups (5 and 8 months of age). A total of 20 Holstein calves were randomly selected from a local cattle farm. The slaughtered cold carcasses were vacuum-packaged. The samples were analyzed for proximate composition and physicochemical analyses and stored for 1, 7, 10, 20 and 30 days for microbiological analyses. Fat and protein contents of loin for the 8 month group were higher than those for the 5 month groups (p

The usage of automatic feeding systems (AFS) in cattle offers multiple advantages, mostly due to the possibility of an increased feeding frequency. While it is gaining more and more importance in dairy farming, there is still a lack of experience and scientific knowledge regarding its use in fattening cattle. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior of 56 Simmental bulls fed with an AFS six times daily a total mixed ration. The animals arrived at the farm with an average age of 148 ± 11 days. They were housed in four straw-bedded pens in groups of 14 animals each. Their average slaughter age was 558 ± 20 days. Behavioral observations were made during three observation periods (OP) at an average of 11, 14, and 16 months of age. Using scan sampling, feeding, and lying behavior of all animals and the order of bulls feeding after feed delivery were recorded. Furthermore, body condition and health status were monitored and complemented with the carcass weights. Body condition, health status, and carcass weights of the bulls were found to be satisfactory: Mean body condition score increased from 2.8 ± 0.3 in OP1 to 3.0 ± 0.1 in OP3 and mean carcass weight was 432.71 ± 40.82 kg. No severe health problems occurred. The feeding activity of the bulls was spread out over the course of the day with peaks in the afternoon and evening. Percentages of bulls feeding per pen never exceeded 20%, animals feeding mostly alone (during 28.04 ± 2.15% of total observation time) or in groups of two to three (16.61 ± 2.00% and 6.74 ± 1.90%). The order of bulls feeding after feed delivery varied indicating that all animals had similar access to fresh feed. These results emphasize the importance of constant feed availability and quality at any time of the day, thus indicating the ability of an AFS with six daily feedings to ensure such a consistency.

The objective of this work was the evaluation of the meat production and laying performances, and the meat and egg quality of two breeds of Vietnamese broiler chickens, Ho and Dong Tao, fed on a commercial diet. In a survey, we continuously recorded for 28 weeks, the data on the production performance and meat quality of 250 chicks from each breed. We investigated egg laying and egg quality using 36 Ho and 32 Dong Tao hens during 52 weeks of laying. The growth patterns were similar for the two breeds. Feed conversion ratios were also similar, and demonstrated the low efficiency of these two breeds when compared to commercial broilers. Slaughter age proved to affect several carcass yield characteristics, showing that slaughtering between 16 and 20 weeks might be better than at the usual age of 28 weeks. Yield, carcass composition and meat quality differed between the two studied breeds. The eggs production and number of embryonated eggs were low for the two breeds when compared to other breeds, with a lower hatching performance in Ho than in Dong Tao. In summary, the production performances of Ho and Dong Tao chickens were low, even when birds were fed a commercial diet. The study demonstrates the need to find ways to improve the production and reproduction performances of these animals, in order to contribute to the program of conservation and exploitation of these two breeds.