IRANIAN JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL SCIENCE
Year:2014 | Volume:4 | Issue:4|Papers Count:30

Since the use of antibiotics in animal feeds has been banned, researches on alternative natural products that modulate ruminal fermentation have been intensified. Natural compounds such as plant extracts have been considered to be replaced antibiotics as safe and sustainable alternatives. Plant extracts especially essential oils and saponins have strong antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal and anti-inflammatory properties. These natural compounds have been modulated the ruminal fermentation to improve nutrient utilization in ruminants. Therefore, the purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature surrounding use of herbal plants as feed additives in ruminant nutrition.

The study was carried out on 120 crossbred Holstein´Shahiwal dairy cows for a period of 150 days to quantify the influence of dietary energy and protein intake on yield and composition of milk. Total 12 dairy farms having similar housing systems and holding at least 20 dairy cows in between mid to late lactation were selected for study purposes. The farms were located in the peri-urban and urban areas of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Milk samples were collected from individual cow. Milk from cows having same body condition scoring (BCS) were mixed together to make a composite sample. Chemical analyses of the samples were carried out in triplicate for fat, protein, lactose, total solids (TS), solids not fat (SNF) and ash. Dietary metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) intake were measured by analyzing the amount of total mixed ration ingested by the individual cow. Results indicated that, ME intake (MJ/d) significantly (P<0.01) influenced milk yield, milk fat and TS content of milk in crossbred Holstein Friesian dairy cows. Similar to ME, CP intake (g/d) also influenced (P<0.01) milk yield, fat, protein, lactose, TS and ash content of milk. Correlation coefficient matrix indicated that, milk yield was positively correlated with ME and CP intake. However, there was a negative association between ME or CP intake and milk protein, lactose, TS and SNF of milk even though the strength of association was variable. It could therefore be inferred that, adequate dietary ME and CP intake is important to optimize milk yield and milk composition in crossbred Holstein ´ Shahiwal dairy cows reared under intensive farming systems in tropical regions.

Twenty four primiparous and multiparous Holstein cows on early lactation, beginning five weeks postpartum, were used for four weeks to investigate the effects of supplemention of rumen-protected choline (RPC) or vitamin E on milk yield, milk composition, dry matter intake, body condition score and body weight. The cows were randomly assigned to one of the following treatments: I) no supple-ment (control), II) 90 g/d of RPC and III) 4400 IU/d of vitamin E. In this study, dry matter intake, body weight, body condition score, milk yield and the contents and yields of all milk constituents, except the content of solid non fat (SNF) for RPC group, were not affected by choline or vitamin E supplementation (P>0.05). The RPC increased (P<0.05) the content of SNF compared with the control and vitamin E groups. The results showed that RPC or vitamin E supplementation into the diets of early lactating dairy cows did not affect dry matter intake, milk yield, milk composition, body condition score and body weight.

This study highlights the costs and benefits of indigenous beef cattle fattening schemes in Shinyanga Urban and Kishapu Districts in Tanzania. Specifically, in this study the net profit (NP) for fatteners between beef cattle fattening schemes has been determined. The schemes were divided into two main categories, scheme 1 in which the animals were fed on cottonseed hulls (CSHL) based diets and scheme 2 on cottonseed cake (CSC) based diets. The survey was carried out using a sample of 144 respondents. The tools for data collection were structured questionnaire, interview, personal observation, communication, documentary reviews (e.g. from internet, libraries) and key informants. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and quantitative statistics and standard procedure of the association of official analytical chemists. Results show that the positive net profit was relatively higher in scheme 2 (Tanzanian shilling (TAS) 119512.87 / USD 76.03 per fed animal per quarter a year) than that in scheme 1 (TAS 92993, 90 / USD 59.17 per fed animal per quarter a year). This implies that the fattening business is more feasible, profitable and efficient for sustainable implementation in scheme 2. Furthermore, the average daily gains (ADG) of 1.5, 1.3 and 1.0 for Tan-zania Short Horn Zebu (TSHZ) males, steers and females were higher than the 1.2, 1.0 and 0.9 for TSHZ males, steers and females in scheme 1, respectively. Additionally, the feed conversion ratios (FCRs) of about 5.0, 5.5, 6.3 for TSHZ males, steers and females in scheme 2 were lower than 7.2, 8.6, 8.6 for TSHZ males, steers and females in scheme 1. Therefore, scheme 2 was economically feasible, profitable and therefore is recommended for implementation and monetary support for im-proved income, livelihoods, poverty reduction and commercialisation of the beef industry.

The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic parameters and genetic trends of somatic cell score (SCS) in the first 3 lactations of Iranian Holstein cows by random regression (RR) animal model by using Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) method. The data set used in this analysis included observations of 340318 test-day records of 41526 cows in 288 herds; 89969 test-day of 11750 cows in 127 herds and 20010 test-day of 2461 cows in 60 herds in the first-, second- and third-parity, respectively, during the period from 2002 to 2010. Fixed effects considered were: year of calving, age-season of calving (by applying a fixed regression for each subclass of this effect) and herd-test date. Estimates of additive genetic variances for all parities, with only small changes, show a similar trend. Heritability estimates for first parity (0.03 to 0.07) were lower than those for second (0.07 to 0.11) and third (0.08 to 0.17) parities. Genetic correlations between daily SCS within parity were high for adjacent tests and low between the beginning and the end of lactation and decreased with increase parity number. Genetic correlations between parities were higher than 0.70 but environmental correlations between parities were in range of 0.22 to 0.51. Genetic correlations between parity demonstrate that genes that control SCS in parities are same and selection animal for SCS in first parity would have affected SCS in other parity. The genetic trend for SCS was favorable until 1995 and unfavorable since then. The relatively high level of SCS and positive genetic trends (0.431 to 0.701 cells/mL/year) would suggest that genetic improvement of SCS is at unacceptable level in Iran.

Evaluation of the blood and milk biochemical parameters always is considered as effective key factor for animal health and dairy products. In order to assess the association of kappa-casein (K-CN) genetic variants with blood biochemical indicators, blood samples were randomly and individually collected from 126 Iranian Guilan native cattle. Blood plasma was used to measure blood glucose, urea, cholesterol, triglycerides and thyroxine concentrations. The genomic DNA was extracted from the whole blood by the modified Salting Out method. The 350 bp fragment of kappa-casein gene was amplified using polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and a pair of specific primers was digested by HinfI restriction enzyme. In general, two alleles of A and B with the frequencies of 0.726 and 0.274 and two genotypes of AA and AB with frequencies of 0.452 and 0.548 were detected, respectively. The chi-square test result showed that the studied population was not in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. Results of statistical analysis revealed that there was significant difference between glucose, cholesterol and thyroxin levels in both sexes which are associated with the greater levels of testosterone and thyroid hormones in bulls than cows. However, there was no significant difference between males and females for urea and triglyceride levels (P>0.05). There was no significant difference between AA and AB genotypes of kappa-casein (K-CN) gene in Guilan native cattle for the blood parameters measured (P>0.05). According to the current results, kappa casein gene singly cannot be an appropriate marker to study the blood parameters in native cattle of Guilan.

The present study describes the radiation-induced effects on nutritional quality and on anti-nutritional factors of sorghum grain: effects of electron beam (ER) and gamma irradiation (GR) at doses of 10, 20 and 30 kGy and infrared irradiation (IR) at 60, 90 and 120 s on the chemical composition, mineral content and bioavailability, in vitro protein and starch digestibility, total phenolic compound, phytate and tannins contents of sorghum grain, were investigated. The results showed that chemical composition were unchanged (P>0.05) by the irradiations. GR, ER and IR resulted in an increase in the digestibility of starch by 3.8, 5.4 and 6.8%, respectively. In vitro protein digestibility was reduced by 23% in IR, where as GR and ER increased crude protein digestibility of sorghum grain by 6.6 and 5%, respectively (P>0.05). The levels of phytic acid and tannins were significantly reduced by irradiations while the total phenols were increased relative to unprocessed control samples. The results indicated no substantial change in mineral content and bioavailability amongst the sample, with exception of significant (P>0.05) increase in extractable calcium, phosphorus, zinc and iron.

The nutritive values of non- processed and processed grape pomace with Neurospora sitophila were evaluated. The chemical compositions and physical characteristics of samples were evaluated by laboratory analysis. An in vitro digestibility experiment was done to determine digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter and also digestible organic matter in dry matter (DOMD) to estimate the metabolizable energy (ME) content of grape pomace samples. In addition, dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) disappearance of samples were determined by an in situ method by using 9 bags for each sample at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after incubation and their kinetics were described using the equation P= a + b (1-e-ct). The nutritive value index (NVI) of samples was calculated using the equation; NVI= a + 0.4b + 200c. The collected data were analyzed in a completely randomized design. The average total phenolic compounds and extractable tannins, NDF, water holding capacity, soluble dry matter and digestion coefficients of DM, OM and DOMD were decreased (P<0.05) by processing of grape pomace, but percentage of CP, ash, acid detergent lignin, functional specific gravity, bulk density; effective degradability and NVI of DM, OM, CP were increased (P<0.05). After processing, water-soluble portion (a) for DM, OM and CP were increased, but the slow degradation rate and degradation rate of b were decreased (P<0.05). It can be concluded that, processing of this by product with Neurospora sitophila, increased protein content and de-creased its tannins and phenols and therefore will improve the efficiency of using grape pomace in animals nutrition.

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of feeding rapeseed (27%, DM basis) and sunflower biodiesel by-products as protein supplements on fatty acid composition (FA), profile (ratios and indices), enzyme activities from the carcass in lambs fed cereal-based diets. Simultaneously, it was examined the relationship between ingested FA and carcass FA. Samples were obtained from male fattened lambs (n=10, Bulgarian synthetic dairy population, 146-d aged, final body weight FBW=36.95±0.91 kg) involved at two iso-caloric, iso-nitrogenous and equal in calcium: phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio dietary treatments: control-with sunflower meal (SFD) and experimental–with rapeseed meal (RSD). Lipids, extracted from carcass were analyzed for FA profile. Animals feeding RSD had significantly higher (P<0.01) performance (FBW=38.80 vs. 35.1 kg) and meat yield (5.26 vs. 4.67 kg). RSD increased C18:3 (P<0.01) and C18:3 / CLA (P<0.05), but decreased (P<0.01) C18:2 / C18:3 ratio compared with SFD. Deduced relationships between ingested dietary FA and carcass FA shows good parity and high correlation (R>0.55). In conclusion, animals feeding RSD, as a method to modify carcass FAs, decreased the amount of saturated and polyunsaturated FA, and increased monounsaturated, total unsaturated and desirable FAs of carcass.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the reproductive efficiency of short and long term treatment with progestagens in addition to pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) in Arabian ewes during the non-breeding season. A total of 56 ewes were divided into three groups: in group I vaginal sponges (60 mg medroxy progesterone acetate; MAP) were applied and removed after 6 days; in group II, vaginal MAP sponges were removed 14 days following insertion while group III served as control group. The first two groups were intramuscularly injected with of 600 IU PMSG, following sponge removal. Parameters such as estrus response rate, duration of estrus, pregnancy rate and fecundity were evaluated. There were no significant differences in estrus response rate and fecundity rate between groups I and II (P>0.05). However, differences were significant when these two treatment groups were coMAPred with control group. In group I, duration of estrus was significantly higher than group II (P<0.05). In addition, pregnancy rate in group I was significantly higher than group II (P<0.05). It was concluded that short-term sponge treatment (6 days) had better performance when coMAPred with long-term sponge treatment (14 days) in Arabian ewes.

The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of slaughter and carcass weight, age at slaughter and sex on the fatty acid profile of the Greek Boutsiko sheep breed. Twenty lambs (ten females and ten males) were examined. The lambs were slaughtered at the age of 48 days. Carcasses were chopped in nine specific cuts and a random sample of 100 g was taken from each cut, with a total of 180 samples. From every ground sample a quantity of 2 g was taken for lipid extraction and preparation of fatty acid methyl esters. To predict the relationship of age, sex and weight on saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) a path analysis was adopted which tests all regression equations simultaneously. Age at slaughter was assumed to have an indirect impact via slaughter weight and carcass weight. Findings suggest that the model which uses slaughter weight instead of carcass weight, predicts better the fatty acid composition of Boutsiko breed lambs. As to the nutritional quality of the meat, the PUFA / SFA ratio was found relatively low while the ratio ω-6/ω-3 PUFA, was acceptable for human healthy nutrition. The best fatty acid composition was found for leg, shoulder and racks. It was concluded that producers may increase the age of slaughter, but that should be combined with their engagement in low cost diet modifications so as to improve production and cost efficiency and at the same time retain the quality of lamb meat.

Ninety Red Sokoto bucks were used to assess the relationship between body, testicular and epididymal measurements in three age groups (group 1: 7-12 months; group 2: between 1 and 2 years and group 3: older than 2 years). The effect of age on body and testicular / epididymal measurements was analyzed. A predictive model was developed for each of the testicular / epididymal measurements using live body measurements. Age of the buck had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the body weight, paunch girth, scrotal circumference, testicular and epididymal measurements (testicular volume, testicular weight, caput weight and caudal weight). Higher correlation coefficients were recorded between testicular volume and testicular weight and between caput weight and epididymal weight in all groups (group 1: r=0.99 and r=0.95; group 2: r=0.97 and r=0.95; group3: r=0.97 and r=0.93, respectively). Scrotal circumference was found to be independently related to some testicular and / or epididymal measurements in groups 1 and 2. In the multivariate linear regression model, all body parameters used were found to be related to some of the testicular and epididymal measurements. The results indicated that selection for replacement breeding bucks could be done for bulks up to two years of age using data on scrotal circumference.

Litter size is one of the most important economical traits in sheep breeding industry. In addition to minor genes, litter size is under the influence of major genes. Bone morphogenetic protein 15 (BMP-15), a member of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-b) superfamily, which is specifically expressed in oocytes, plays a dramatic role in sheep prolificacy. Reported mutations in this gene cause increased ovulation rate and infertility in a dosage-sensitive manner. Six different point mutations have been indicated in the BMP-15 gene of sheep, each having a major effect on prolificacy. The aim of the current study was to investigate the Lacaune (FecXL) mutation in the prolificacy of the Iranian Baluchi sheep breed. Blood samples were collected in ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) coated tubes from jugular vein and genomic DNA was extracted from whole blood samples. Single nucleotide polymorphism of FecXL loci in BMP-15 gene were determined using polymerase chain reaction single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) technique. No evidence of mutation in FecXL was observed, all of which were monomorphic for exon 2 BMP-15 gene.

Four Saudi Arabian indigenous sheep populations including Najdi, Hbsi, Arb, and Naemi were geno-typed for 16 microsatellite markers recommended by the food and agriculture organization (FAO). This study aims to provide information on the genetic structure of the breeds analyzed and give indications and proposals for the cross breeding program. All loci were polymorphic in all populations and locus combinations were at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium except ILSTS044, ILSTS005, MAF209, HUJ616, OARFCB226 and SRCRSP09 (P<0.05). There was substantial genetic variability within sheep populations, with average heterozygosity range of 0.759-0.811 based on expected hetrozygosity. It was observed that the four sheep populations showing the lowest level of inbreeding on the basis of heterozygote deficiency. The lowest genetic distance (0.013) was obtained between Hbsi and Najdi and the highest genetic distance (0.146) between Arb and Hbsi. Estimates of inbreeding coefficient (FIS) were significant for three breeds, except for Arb breeds (P<0.05). The sequence results of the 16 microsatellite markers were sequenced and then phylogenetic tree based on unbiased distances was drawn using MEGA 4. To study the genetic relationships among sheep populations, a principal coordinate analysis (PCA) based on Nei standard distances was performed which indicated a conservation program is needed in these sheep population since most of them are in danger of inbreeding.

The fecundity in sheep has been much interested for producers due to its economical importance. Growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9) is an autosomal gene with over dominance effect for two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), which resulted in sterility in homozygote mutant ewes and additive effect for three SNPs, without showing sterility event. In the present study, DNA was extracted from whole blood of 19 Iranian Afshari and 8 Shal sheep breeds. The extracted DNA was multiplied several folds for G1, G4 and G8 sites in GDF9 gene through polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique and was sent for sequencing. Results showed that G1-GDF9 mutation (arginine to histidine shift) was detected in Afshari breed, while G4-GDF9 mutation (glutamic acid to lysine shift) was detected in both Afshari and Shal breeds. The observed SNPs were recorded with very low frequency (<8%) in fertile ewes with twining birth, while infertile ewe did not carry the mutant allele. This might indicate an association between these mutations and twin-births in Iranian breeds. Fur-thermore, these mutations could not be the reason for ewe infertility. In consistent with the rare frequency of infertility in Iranian sheep, the investigated population lacked the G8 or Thoka mutations, which are the most effective mutations in GDF9 gene. This may be due to lack or rare fre-quency of this SNP in Iranian sheep flocks. In conclusion, G1- and G4-GDF9 SNPs are segregating with very low frequency in Iranian sheep flocks, so that no homozygous ewe for these SNPs was detected in the current study. The same phenomenon could be the case for other important mutations and the sample size should be very large to rule out presence of such mutations in Iranian sheep breeds.

The present study was performed to evaluate the on-station growth performance of local and Dorper ´ local crossbred sheep in eastern Amhara region, Ethiopia. Data on 302 lambs collected over a 4-year period (2009 to 2012) on local and Dorper ´ local crossbred sheep at Sirinka breeding, evaluation and distribution site were used in this study. Fixed effects considered were breed, lamb sex, birth season, birth type and birth year. Results revealed that breed was a significant source of variation that crossbred lambs consistently weighed more than the local sheep lambs at all ages. The mean birth weights of local and crossbred lambs were 2.36 ± 0.05 and 3.24 ± 0.04 kg, respectively. Sex was an important source of variation at weaning, six months and yearling of ages in which male lambs were superior over their female contemporaries. Lambs born in dry season were heavier than lambs born in wet season at six months (20.51±0.34 kg vs. 16.74±0.59 kg) and at yearling (31.12±0.38 kg vs. 27.72±0.82 kg). Single-born lambs were heavier (P<0.0001) than their multiple-born contemporaries. There was also significant (P<0.0001) difference on average daily gain of lambs between the crossbred (129.97±2.23 g/day) and local sheep (67.78±1.60 g/day) lambs from birth to weaning age. Males had higher pre-weaning average daily gain than females (125.83±3.38 vs. 116.93±3.13 g/day, P<0.05). Single-born lambs grew faster than their multiple contemporaries between birth to 30 days (179.85±3.15 vs. 127.27±6.82 g/day, P<0.0001) and birth to weaning (123.96±2.55 vs. 107.49±5.04 g/day, P<0.0001) of age. The crossbred lambs also gained higher (64.69±1.74 g/day) than the local sheep lambs (37.94±1.19 g/day) after weaning. Breed was found to have significant (P<0.0001) effect on overall growth rate, where crossbred lambs had higher growth rate than the local sheep lambs. There were generally crossbred lambs had better growth performance and higher growth rates than the local sheep lambs.

Clostridium perfringens is an important pathogen that provokes numerous different diseases. This bacterium is classified into five various types, each of which capable of causing a distinct disease. There are various methods for the bacterial identification, many are labor-intensive, time-consuming, expensive and also show low sensitivity and specificity. The aim of this research was to identify the unlike types of Clostridium perfringens using PCR method. In this study, 120 ostrich-dung samples were randomly collected from areas around the city of Kerman, southeastern Iran. After processing and culturing of samples, the produced colonies were morphologically studied, gram stain test was also carried out and the genera of these bacteria were identified through biochemical tests. DNA extracted from isolated bacteria for genotyping was tested by multiplex PCR with specific primers. Based on length of synthesized fragments by PCR, toxin types and bacterial strains were detected. Clostridium perfringens isolated types were divided as follows: 100% type A, 0% type B, 0% type C and 0% type D. It should be emphasized that, up to now, Clostridium perfringens type A has not been reported in Iran.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of supplementation different levels of pomegran-ate seed pulp (PSP) on performance and blood parameters in laying hens. A total of 96 layers hens (Hy-line W-36) at 24 week of age were randomly assigned into 4 treatments including 0 (control), 5, 10 and 15% of PSP, with 4 replicates containing 6 layers in each. Results showed no significant effect of PSP levels on feed intake, egg mass, egg weight, feed conversion ratio and body weight gain. Supplementation of PSP at 5% increased egg production and is significantly different (P<0.05) to 15% PSP but not in control group, suggesting negative effect of high level PSP in layers diet. Haugh unit, yolk and albumen indexes as well as eggshell weight, eggshell ratio and breaking strength were not significantly affected by dietary PSP. There was no significant effect of PSP on serum triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein and total antioxidant. In contrast, the serum malondialdehyde was significantly (P<0.05) increased using 5% PSP in diet, with cholesterol level significantly (P<0.05) increased in all inclusion level of PSP compared to the control. The results shown that supplementation of PSP up to 15% improve egg production but higher concentration has detrimental effects on laying performance. Supplementation of PSP increased (P<0.05) cholesterol in the layers blood.

Citric acid has been reported to increase utilization efficiency of dietary phytate-bound phosphorus and protein. Objective of this study was to determine the effects of citric acid on growth performance and nutrient retention of broiler chickens fed diets having two levels of non-phytate phosphorus and rice bran. Giving a completely randomize design in 2 ´ 2 ´ 2 factorial arrangement, 144 broiler chicks in 48 pens received one of the eight experimental diets containing two levels of dietary rice bran (20% or 30%), citric acid (0% or 2%) and non-phytate phosphorus (0.25% or 0.35%) ad libitum from day 21 to 42. Retention of nitrogen, phosphorus, mineral and dry matter was determined using a total collection trial. Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and weights of feather, liver, gizzard and pancreas were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by the levels of dietary rice bran, citric acid, or non-phytate phosphorus levels. Retention of nitrogen, phosphorus or dry matter were not significantly affected (P>0.05) by the levels of dietary rice bran, citric acid, non-phytate phosphorus or their interactions. 2% citric acid improved the retention of mineral with 30% rice bran compared to diets with 20% of rice bran. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) in tibia ash when diet contained 20% or 30% rice bran. A significantly (P<0.05) higher tibia ash content was observed when diets had 2% of citric acid with 0.35% of non-phytate phosphorus. It is concluded that 30% rice bran had no adverse effects on growth performance of broiler chicken from day 21 to 42. 2% citric acid produces no beneficial effects at dietary rice bran levels of 20 or 30% or non-phytate phosphorus levels of 0.25 or 0.35%.

This research project was conducted to evaluate bioavailability and chemical properties of different zinc sources in broiler chickens when fed by practical diets. For that, 312 day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were fed from 8-28 day to estimate the biological availability of four zinc sources. Chicks were allocated randomly to 13 experimental diets in a 3 ´ 4 factorial design. Diets included an unsupplemented corn-soybean meal basal diet, or the basal diet supplemented with 100, 150 or 200 mg/kg of DM as either zinc sources. Supplementation of basal diets by different zinc levels and sources had no effects on feed intake and body weight gain of chicks during the first and the second weeks of experimental periods, but feed conversion ratio in the first and the second week, feed intake, body weight gain, feed conversion ratio in the third week and the total experimental periods were significant (P<0.05) affected by supplementary levels of zinc sources. Tibia and liver zinc content was increased linearly by adding different levels of zinc sources except zinc oxide A in the basal diet (P<0.05). The highest zinc concentration in the pancreas was observed only in the basal diet supplemented with 200 mg zinc oxide B per kg of diet in compare to basal diet (P<0.05). Using the slope ratio methods from the regression of zinc concentration in the tibia, liver and pancreas on zinc intake from different supplementary zinc levels showed that the highest relative bioavailability value based on tibia bone zinc concentration was estimated when used 150 mg different zinc sources in kg of basal diet, but relative bioavailability value was also estimated based on pancreas zinc content showing a linear increase by increasing different level of zinc sources. In conclusion Bioplex Zn in the same level was more bioavailabe than others.

Six hundred day old unsexed broiler chicks were used in a 35-day trial to compare the effects of soybean oil, palm oil and fish oil supplementation on the performance of broilers in terms of feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion. The chicks were randomly distributed following a completely randomized design in four groups having three replications per treatment. Each treatment had 150 birds with 50 birds per replicate. Four diets were formulated using locally available ingredients as diet without oil, diet containing 3.0% soybean oil, 3.0% palm oil and 3.0% fish oil. Results indicated that supplementation of different types of oil did not affect (P>0.05) feed intake of broilers up to 2nd week except increased (P<0.05) at 3rd, 4th and 5th weeks. Live weight gain of broilers did not differ (P>0.05) among groups up to 3rd week of age except at 4th week. The highest live weight gain at 4th week was found in 3.0% fish oil supplemented group. The palm oil group showed the least feed conversion value that differed only from fish oil group. Feed cost per broiler receiving fish oil was higher than that of without oil, palm oil and soybean oil groups. Total cost per broiler also differed (P<0.01) among the groups. Net profit expressed in US$ per kg live weight of broilers did not differ (P>0.05) between treatments. Maximum net profit was obtained from birds fed diet containing palm oil and minimum from broilers fed diet containing soybean oil. It was concluded that supplementation of fish oil at 3.0% level gave slightly higher live weight gain and feed conversion than those of the same level of soybean and palm oil. However, net profit as well as price per kg live broiler was comparatively higher in palm oil supplementation than in soybean oil and fish oil.

Comparative effects of extrusion cooking and conventional processing methods (cooking and auto-claving) on anti-nutritional factors and subsequent effects on in vitro and in vivo digestibility of Vicia ervilia in broilers were investigated. Treatments had significant effect (P<0.05) on chemical compositions so that decreased moisture, starch, crude protein, ether extract and crude fiber contents. Treatments of seeds resulted in significant reduction of total phenols, tannins, condensed tannins, canavanine and trypsin inhibitor activity (P<0.05). Treatments improved (P<0.05) in vivo digestibilities of dry matter, crude protein, true protein, starch and gross energy. Extrusion was the most effective method to reduction of anti-nutritional factors without modifying protein content. Furthermore, this thermal treatment was the most effective in improving protein and starch digestibilities when compared with soaking, cooking and autoclaving.

Previous results indicated that performance of chicks fed a high level (10%) of poultry by-product meal (PBM) was lower than performance of chicks fed a corn-soybean meal (SBM) diet. The latter difference was hypothesized to be due to variation in digestible amino acid (AA) levels among the diets. This study evaluated diets containing PBM formulated on equivalent total AA basis vs. an equivalent digestible AA basis compared to a corn-SBM diet. In this study, 7 days old male chicks were fed from 8 to 21 and 21 to 42 days of age with a corn-SBM diet or diets containing 5 or 10% PBM formulated to be equal in total or digestible AA to the corn-SBM diet. From 8 to 21 days post hatch, chicks fed 10% PBM diet formulated on a total AA basis had significantly lower (P<0.05) feed efficiency than chicks consuming the corn-SBM diet. However, formulating diets containing 5 or 10% PBM on a digestible AA basis yielded growth performance equivalent to chicks fed the corn-SBM diet. From 21 to 42 days of age, chicks fed diets containing 5 or 10% PBM formulated on a total AA had significantly lower (P<0.05) weight gain and feed efficiency than chicks consuming the corn-SBM diet. Diets containing PBM formulated on a digestible AA yielded growth performance equivalent to chicks fed the corn-SBM diet. The results of this study indicated that formulation of diets containing PBM on a digestible AA basis is superior to formulation on a total AA basis and that 10% inclusion of PBM in chick diets had no detrimental effects on performance if the diets were formulated to contain adequate levels of digestible AA.

This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition and metabolizable energy of poultry by-product meal (PBPM) from two slaughterhouses in Iran. Samples were analyzed for dry matter, crude protein, ash, ether extract and gross energy. The amounts of calcium, phosphorus, sodium, potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Manganese, copper and Zinc were determined. The apparent metabolizable energy (kcal/kg) (AME), apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (kcal/kg) (AMEn), true metaboliz-able energy (kcal/kg) (TME) and true metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (kcal/kg) (TMEn) were determined based on sibbald’s procedure. For this purpose, twelve 230-day old New Hampshire males were used. There was no significant difference (P<0.05) between kinds of metabolizable energies in samples. The standardized digestible amino acid content also determined. The highest and lowest amount belongs to leucine and tryptophan. Results from this study showed there is different between two samples of PBPM.

The logistic, Gompertz, Richards and asymmetric logistic growth curve models were fitted to body weight data of local Ghanaian chickens and French SASSO T44 chickens. All four growth models provided good fit for each sex by genotype growth data with R2 values ranging from 86.7% to 96.7%. The rate constant parameter, k, ranged between 0.137 and 0.271 and were significantly different from zero for all genotype by sex groups. Predicted mature weight from the four models ranged from 2840 g to 3020 g for SASSO T44 female, 3225 g to 3448 g for SASSO T44 male, 1170 g to 1332 g for Ghanaian female and 1607 g to 1777 g for Ghanaian male chickens. For the Richards and asymmetric logistic functions, the shape parameter (n) which influences the point of inflection ranged from -0.126 to 0.713, indicating that the shape of each of the genotype by sex sigmoid function is negatively asymmetric. Between the two simpler models, with fixed inflection point, the logistic function was characterised by a younger age at start of the growth acceleration phase, older age at the point of inflection, younger age at the end of the growth deceleration phase and lower mature body weights relative to the Gompertz function. Based on the Bayesian information criterion (BIC), the Gompertz function was preferred to the logistic function. The R2, BIC values and predicted body weights for the asymmetric logistic function were similar to those of the Richards function. These complex models with flexible inflection point provided better goodness of fit relative to the Gompertz model. Therefore it is concluded that, where data structure and availability of adequate computing power permit, models with flexible inflection point such as the Richards function can be used to provide accurate parameter estimates for the characterization of growth of indigenous chickens.

The objectives of this study were to determine the interactions between two hepatic enzymes and some minerals in the liver of broiler chickens. The study was performed with male and female from 1 to 56 days of age of broiler chickens. Malic acid was added to the water and offered to chickens freely from the start to the end of the experiment with constant concentration. The treatments consisted on zero (as a control), 0.05, 0.10 and 0.15% of malic acid which dissolved in water and given to them in waterer pan. The chicks were slaughter on 56 days old and liver enzymes including malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) were measured on liver extract along with some mineral in dried liver. No significant difference (P>0.05) was observed between treatments for weight gain. Liver MDH activity did not show any significant difference, but IDH activity was increased (P<0.05) by malic acid consumption. Male chicks showed a 28% higher IDH-NADP activity in their liver compared to female chicks (P<0.05). Zinc and iron showed significant correlation with MDH and IDH, respectively. No significant negative correlation (P>0.05) was observed among mineral concentration in the chick liver and selenium concentration in the liver. However, it was found a significant positive correlation with concentration of lead, magnesium, nick-el, manganese, mercury and cobalt in the chicken liver (P<0.05). In conclusion, malic acid administra-tion to the water of chickens resulted in a linear accumulation of iron into the liver of them, but there was not found other mineral accumulation in this organ.

Rapid exploratory field survey, to identify indigenous chicken ecotypes was conducted in north Gondar zone of Ethiopia. Chicken ecotypes including Necked neck, Gasgie and Gugut from Quara, Alefa and Tache Armacheho districts were identified, respectively. Morphological variations among the three study populations and nine measurable traits were evaluated. General linear model, canonical discriminate and stepwise analyses were applied for assessing variability among the study populations. Necked neck and Gasgie ecotypes were heavier and had wider linear traits than the rest, while most of the study traits for the Gugut ecotype were the lowest. The most important variables for discriminating between the three populations were shank length, keel length, wingspan and beak length with canonical discriminant function score of 0.897, 0.752, 0.449 and 0.433, respectively. The greatest distance value was between Gasgie and Necked neck ecotype while the least one was between Gugut and Necked neck. The discriminate analysis therefore classified the three populations to be distinct clusters. The morphological traits studied have proved to be useful in genetic characterization of indigenous chickens and can thus be useful in developing strategies for conservation of the genetic diversity.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of sesame meal (SM) on performance and carcass characteristics of Japanese quail. One hundred sixty day-old Japanese quail chick were equally distributed into 16 cage pens and reared form 10 to 42 days of age. The treatments consisted of SM0, SM50, SM100 and SM150. The diet for SM0 treatment had no SM (control), while those for treatments SM50, SM100 and SM150 included 50, 100 and 150 g/kg of SM, respectively. Each dietary treatment was fed ad libitum to four replicate groups of 10 birds at the beginning of experimental period. Chicks and feed were weighed on days 10, 24 and 42 and carcass characteristics were measured on day 42. Results indicated that daily weight gain, feed intake and feed efficiency were not significantly affected by experimental treatments. However, diet containing 150 g/kg SM improved the weight gain and feed conversion ratio of Japanese quail, numerically. The highest carcass weight was recorded for quails fed SM50. As well as, diets containing SM increased more the weight of gizzard and intestinal than control diet (P<0.05). Thus, SM can be used as an alternative feedstuff in Japanese quail diets, at inclusion levels up to 150 g/kg without negative effects on performance and carcass traits.

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of mineral and vitamin premix on performance and egg traits of laying hens from 37 to 49 weeks of age. Two hundred and forty laying hens (Hy-Line W-36 strain) were randomly assigned to 5 dietary treatments of four replicates each with 12 hens per replicate). The levels of mineral and vitamin premixes in the experiment were 0, 0.15, 0.25 (as recommended by manufacturer), 0.35 and 0.45% of diets and fed to laying hens for 12 weeks. The results showed that the supplementation of different concentration of mineral and vitamin premix improved (P>0.05) the performance of laying hens. The highest percentage of egg production (83.48), the highest amount of egg mass (47.89 g), the best feed conversion (ratio 2.09 g:g) and the lowest price for production per kilogram of (6760 Rials) were observed in group fed: 0.45% of mineral and vitamin premix. Different levels of dietary mineral and vitamin premix did not affect the eggs weight, the amount of daily feed intake and egg traits of laying hens. The overall results of the present study indicate that during the first phase of egg production in laying hens, increasing the levels of dietary mineral and vitamin premix up to 0.45% can improve the performance and reduce the feed cost of egg production.

The families of TGF-b proteins are the most important growth factors in the ovary for growth and differentiation of early ovarian follicles. Three related oocyte-derived members of the transforming growth factor- b superfamily namely growth differentiation factor 9 (GDF9), BMP15 and BMPR-IB have been shown to be essential for follicular growth and ovulation. Different mutations in the GDF9 gene cause increased ovulation rate and infertility in a dosage-sensitive manner in sheep. In this study, blood samples were collected from 150 Moghani sheep breed using venojects treated with the anti-clot substance (EDTA) and subsequently their DNA content were salted out and extracted. The quantity and quality of extracted DNA was examined using spectrophotometery and gel electrophoresis, respectively. With using a pair of specific primers, the DNA fragment was amplified from exon 1 of GDF9 (462 bp). Digested PCR products with HhaI enzyme showed a G to A substiuation in GDF9 locus. The wild type allele of this gene (G/+) with two restriction site resulted DNA fragments of 156, 52 and 254 bp while the mutant allele (G/-) with one restriction site resulted two DNA fragments with the size of 52 and 410 bp. Genotype frequencies for G (+/+), G (+/-) and G (-/-) were 0.66, 0.24 and 0.1, respectively. From studied luci, GDF9 was polymorphic in Iranian Moghani sheep breed.