Search

Due to consumers' concerns about broiler welfare, slow-growing broilers (SGB) have also been used in production. Fast-growing broilers (FGB) reach slaughter weight earlier the slow growing. This study was aimed to determine the sex-related changes in fattening performance, dermatitis, intestinal histomorphology, and serum IgG level of SGB and FGB under the intensive system during the 10 weeks. A total of 336 one-day-old broilers were distributed into four equal groups (FGB-female, FGB-male, SGB-female, and SGB-male) consisting of a 2 × 2 factorial design. The main factors were genotype (FGB and SGB) and sex (female and male). Each treatment had 6 duplicates consisting of 14 broilers. They were placed on the litter pens. The experiment lasted 10 weeks. The body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed-to-gain ratio were determined weekly during the experiment. One broiler close to the average body weight from each pen (6 broilers in the group) has been slaughtered each week and intestinal histomorphology was determined. Additionally, IgG levels in the blood and dermatitis were determined. While the period in which the body weight gain was the highest in the FGB was up to 6 week of age, this period lasted until the 7 week of age in the SGB (P 0.001). It has been determined that FGB have the best feed efficiency ability during both 6 weeks of fattening period and 10 weeks of fattening period (P 0.001). The difference between the sex in terms of the feed efficiency appeared after the age of 4 weeks and this difference continued until the age of 9 weeks (P 0.01). It was determined that villus height, crypt depth, and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth in the jejunum region were higher in FGB from the age of 1 week than in SGB (P 0.05). It was observed that the incidence of dermatitis increased in the FGB (P 0.001). It has been determined that the genotype (P 0.01) and period (P 0.001) were effective according to the IgG level. These results indicate that 7 and 8 weeks can be considered important periods in terms of economic efficiency in SGB and FGB reared for 10 weeks under the same management systems and it was observed that both genotypes would be more susceptible to diseases at the age of 6 weeks.

Hybrids with different morphological and yield characteristics are used in the table egg production. There is no change in the cage systems according to the different hybrids in the regulation. This study aimed to investigate the effects of genotype (brown laying hybrids (BLH) and white laying hybrids (WLH)) and cage type (conventional and enriched cages) on behaviours of hens at the 90% egg production level. Behavioural data were recorded with video cameras during the 4 days. Data were analysed in 6 time periods as 05.00-08.00 am, 09.00-12.00 am, 01.00-04.00 pm, 05.00-08.00 pm, 09.00-12.00 pm and 01.00-04.00 am. Behaviour inspection each hour was divided into 4 quarters and the first 3 min of each quarter were evaluated. Behaviours were represented as the proportion of the total behaviour performed in the time period by a given hen. There was no interaction between hens' behaviour and the genotype at the same egg production level. The frequency of feeding behaviour was found to be significantly lower (P 0.01), but comfort behaviour was higher (P 0.05) in hens that were reared in the enriched cages. Only preening was seen as a comfort behaviour due to the cage size. The feeding, drinking, pecking hen, comforting, walking, sitting, resting and perching behaviours changed during the day (P 0.01). Especially, the transition from light to dark influenced the perching behaviour negatively. No interactions were detected amongst genotype, cage type and time period. Feeding behaviour decreased and the comfort behaviour increased in the hens that were reared in the enriched cages because there were materials that would exhibit different behaviours. Hens in the enriched cage could not suddenly adapt to the dark and light period. For this reason, transitions to light and dark periods in poultry houses should be provided gradually, as in natural life.

Waste management is the protection of the environment and the health of the population. Paper waste sludge is produced during paper production and sepiolite is a natural clay mineral. The aim of the study was to investigate the usability of sepiolite-added paper waste sludge as a bedding material in the broiler production. Two hundred eighty-eight 1-day old male broiler chicks were divided into the 6 bedding material groups (wood shavings (control), paper waste sludge, sepiolite, mix of 25% paper waste sludge and 75% sepiolite, mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite, and mix of 75% paper waste sludge and 25% sepiolite) with 6 replicate pens per group. Litter quality, performance, and some welfare parameters of broilers were assessed during the 6 weeks' period. Body weight at 42 days of age and body weight gain from 0 to 42 days of broilers reared on the wood shavings and mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite were found higher than those of the sepiolite and paper waste sludge groups. Feed consumption and feed to gain ratio from 0 to 42 days, yields of carcass and carcass parts, percentages of organs and abdominal fat, IgG, percentage of bursa Fabricius, burns of foot pad and breast, litter pH and meat properties of broilers reared on the wood shavings, paper waste sludge, and sepiolite litter groups were not found to be statistically different. Litter moisture was found higher in the paper waste sludge group than that in the sepiolite group at the 42 days of rearing. As a conclusion, usage of mix of 50% paper waste sludge and 50% sepiolite as a litter does not have any negative effects on performance, welfare, and litter quality. This result is important in terms of utilizing a waste product.

The welfare of broilers is strongly dependent on the litter material because they spend their life in contact with it. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of alternative litter materials on broiler behaviour. Two hundred eighty-eight 1-day old male broiler chicks were used. Chicks were placed in pens each having different litter material (Wood shavings (WS), paper waste sludge (PWS), sepiolite (S), the mix of 25% paper waste sludge75% sepiolite (25PWS+75 S), the mix of 50% paper waste sludge50% sepiolite (50PWS+50 S) and the mix of 75% paper waste sludge25% sepiolite (75PWS+25 S)). Broilers in the pens were recorded with a camera on the same day in a week during 6 weeks' trial. When total behaviour was assessed from 1 to 41 days of age, the percentage of sitting behaviour was the highest in the WS group and the percentage of resting behaviour was the lowest in the groups of S and WS. It can be suggested that PWS, which is a waste product, does not have a negative effect on natural behaviour and welfare of broilers and it can be used alone or mixed with S as a litter material.

Bu çalışmanın amacı kahverengi yumurtacı tavuklarda yaş ve yumurtlama zamanının yumurta ağırlığı ve kabuk özellikleri üzerine etkilerini incelemektir. Bu amaçla elli dört kahverengi yumurtacı ticari tavuklardan (Hyline Brown) 36 ve 46 haftalık yaşlarda ard arda 3 gün boyunca yumurtlanan yumurtalar saat 09.00’da ve saat 15.00’ de olmak üzere günde 2 kez toplanmıştır. Bu yumurtalarda yumurta ağırlığı, kırılma mukavemeti, kabuk oranı ve kabuk kalınlığı belirlenmiştir. Sonuç olarak, tavuklarda yaş ve yumurtlama zamanı yumurta ağırlığı ve kabuk özelliklerini etkilemektedir. Saat 09.00’da toplanan yumurtaların saat 15.00’de toplanan yumurtalara göre yumurta ağırlığı daha fazla iken kabuk kalitesinin bozulduğu belirlenmiştir. İncelenen özellikler bakımından yaş ve yumurtlama zamanı arasında herhangi bir etkileşim görülmemiştir., The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of age and oviposition time on egg weight and egg shell quality of brown layers. During the experiment, eggs were sampled according to the collection time which was at 09.00 and 15.00 h at the 36 and 46 weeks of age during the 3 days obtained from the fifty four brown layers. Egg weight, breaking strength, shell percentage and shell thickness were determined in these eggs. As a result, age and oviposition time affected the egg weight and egg shell quality. Eggs collected at 09.00 were heavier but shell quality was worse than those of eggs collected at 15.00. There was no interaction between age and oviposition time.