• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.7
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• pp.1067-1074
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• 2023

Objective: Better feed efficiency can be achieved by selecting rabbit genotypes with lower residual feed intake (RFI) under high ambient temperatures. Methods: Two genotypes of rabbits (Jabali, Saudi local breed and imported, Spanish V-line) were used to derive RFI and to investigate the relationship between RFI and productive traits. In total, 250 animals (125 each) were housed in individual wire mesh cages in a semi-closed rabbitry. Growth performance, feed criteria, carcass evaluation, biochemical blood analysis, and immune responses were determined. Results: Superiority in growth performance, feed efficiency, carcass characteristics, and cellular immunity was recorded in the Jabali breed compared to the V-line genotype. According to regression analysis, a significant effect of daily body weight gain was found, upon computing the expected feed intake in both genotypes. Moreover, mid-body weight^0.75 had a significant effect only in the Jabali breed. Positive correlation coefficients between RFI and dry matter feed intake or feed conversion ratio were found. The same trend in this relationship between RFI and productive traits was observed in some cases for both genotypes. An opposite trend in correlations was observed in the studied genotypes for some traits. Conclusion: The results suggest that the relationship between RFI and productive traits must be taken into consideration in rabbit breeding programs under the prevailing environment. However, further studies are required to investigate the effect of rabbit genotype and environmental factors on computing RFI.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.532-537
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• 2005

Increasing of body weight has been one of the important economic factors in the poultry industry. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I is a polypeptide that serves to regulate muscle development and body growth. Moreover, IGF-I is related to feed efficiency. However, there are few studies regarding the regulatory roles of chicken IGF-I/-II compared with that of mammals. Especially, the Korean Native Ogol Chicken (KNOC) has a lean body growth and its body weight is generally lighter than the broiler chicken. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate associations among serum IGF-I/-II concentration, feed efficiency, and body growth in KNOC. The body weight and feed intake of KNOC were recorded from 20 to 36 weeks at 2 weeks intervals, and blood was taken every 2 weeks. Serum IGF-I/-II were measured by RIA. Chickens were divided into two groups, high and low serum IGF-I concentration. Generally, feed efficiency and growth performance (body weight and weight gain) in the high serum IGF-I group were higher than those of the low group during the experimental period. In particular, the body weight of the IGF-I high group were significantly different from those of the IGF-I low group at 34 and 36 weeks, respectively (p<0.05). Moreover, body weight, weight gain, and feed efficiency had a significant correlation with serum IGF-I at several weeks (p<0.05 and p<0.01). These results show that IGF-I plays an important role in body growth and suggests a possibility that serum IGF-I could be used as a selection marker for body growth in KNOC.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.674-680
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to investigate antimicrobial activity, during the storage period, of animal feed and any effects on in vitro rumen digestion by supplementing different levels (5.55, 11.1, and 22.2 g/kg) of freeze dried citrus peel (FDCP) to the feed compared to untreated feed and feed treated with an antifungal agent (AA) at 0.05 g/kg. In a preservation test, feed supplemented with FDCP showed no deterioration over 21 days. Untreated feed and AA-treated feed, however, showed signs of deterioration after 16 days storage. Yellow colour and red colour, measured by spectro chromameter, decreased in the untreated and AA-treated feeds, but not in feed supplemented with FDCP. Aflatoxin was detected in untreated and AA-treated feeds at 16 days (8 ppb and 2 ppb) and 21 days (8 ppb and 4 ppb), but aflatoxin was not detected in the feed supplemented with FDCP. In a second experiment, fermentation by rumen microorganisms of FDCP (22.2 g/kg) and AA (0.05 g/kg) supplemented feeds was studied in vitro. Feeds were incubated with buffered rumen fluid for 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) were affected by treatment, but ammonia-N, total, and individual volatile fatty acids (VFA) were not adversely affected by treatment. In conclusion, the results indicated that FDCP might be useful for inhibiting microbial growth of animal feed during storage without disrupting rumen fermentation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1742-1747
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• 2016

A $2{\times}5$ factorial experiment, using 2 dietary methionine levels (0.28% and 0.48%) and 5 dietary choline levels (0, 394, 823, 1,239, and 1,743 mg/kg), was conducted to study the effects of dietary methionine status on choline requirements of starter white Pekin ducks from 7 to 28 days of age. Four hundred eighty 7-d-old male White Pekin ducks were randomly allotted to ten dietary treatments, each containing 6 replicate pens with 8 birds per pen. At 28 d of age, weight gain, feed intake, and feed/gain were measured and the legs of all ducks from each pen were examined for incidence of perosis. Perosis and growth depression were observed in choline-deficient ducks and supplementation of choline reduced perosis and significantly increased weight gain and feed intake regardless of dietary methionine levels (p<0.05). In addition, significant positive effects of dietary methionine supplementation on weight gain, feed intake, and feed/gain were observed at any choline level (p<0.05). Supplementation of 1,743 mg/kg choline in diets alleviated the depression of weight gain and feed intake caused by methionine deficiency at 0.28% methionine level. The interaction between choline and methionine influenced weight gain and feed intake of ducks (p<0.05). At 0.28% methionine level, 1,743 mg/kg choline group caused 4.92% and 3.23% amount of improvement in weight gain and feed intake compared with 1,239 mg/kg choline group, respectively. According to the broken-line regression, the choline requirements of starter Pekin ducks for weight gain and feed intake were 1,472 and 1,424 mg/kg at 0.28% methionine level and 946 and 907 mg/kg at 0.48% methionine level, respectively. It suggested the choline recommendations of starter Pekin ducks on a semi-purified diet were 1448 mg/kg at 0.28% methionine level and 927 mg/kg at 0.48% methionine level, respectively. Compared with the adequate methionine level, menthionine deficiency markedly increased the choline requirements of ducks.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.879-890
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• 2023

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the use of Megasphaera elsdenii (M. elsdenii) as a probiotic on rumen fermentation, production performance, carcass traits and health of ruminants by integrating data from various related studies using meta-analysis. Methods: A total of 32 studies (consisted of 136 data points) were obtained and integrated into a database. The parameters integrated were fermentation products, rumen microbes, production performance, carcass quality, animal health, blood and urine metabolites. Statistical analysis of the compiled database used a mixed model methodology. Different studies were considered random effects, while M. elsdenii supplementation doses were considered fixed effects. p-values and the Akaike information criterion were employed as model statistics. The model was deemed significant at p<0.05 or had a tendency to be significant when p-value between 0.05<p<0.10. Results: Supplementation with M. elsdenii increased (p<0.05) some proportion of fermented rumen products such as propionate, butyrate, isobutyrate, and valerate, and significantly reduced (p<0.05) lactic acid concentration, acetate proportion, total bacterial population and methane emission. Furthermore, the probiotic supplementation enhanced (p<0.05) livestock production performance, especially in the average daily gain and body condition score. Regarding the carcass quality, hot carcass weight and carcass gain were elevated (p< 0.05) due to the M. elsdenii supplementation. Animal health also showed improvement as indicated by the lower (p<0.05) diarrhoea and bloat incidences as well as the liver abscess. However, M. elsdenii supplementation had negligible effects on blood and urine metabolites of ruminants. Conclusion: Supplementation of M. elsdenii is capable of decreasing ruminal lactic acid concentration, enhancing rumen health, elevating some favourable rumen fermentation products, and in turn, increasing production performance of ruminants.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.4 no.3
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• pp.263-274
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• 1991

Digestibilities of nutrients and energy are among the most important parameters to be determined in feed evaluation research. The apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of protein, total carbohydrate (TCHO), fat, energy and amino acids were determined for 14 common feed ingredients using chromic oxide as external indicator with Israeli carp (Cyprinus carpio). The ingredients tested were; corn, corn starch, gelatinized starch, wheat middling, wheat grade inferior, corn gluten meal, rapeseed meal (solvent extracted), soybean meal (solvent extracted), blood meal (drum dried), feather meal(hydrolyzed), file fish meal (flame dried), sardine fish meal (steam dried), sardine fish meal (flame dried) and brewers yeast (dehydrated). The overall ADC values were high in Israeli carp showing high capacity to digest their feed ingredients irrespective of plant or animal sources. In addition the ADC of plant protein was high enough to support the successful supplementation of fish meal with other plant proteins.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.739-745
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• 1998

Sixteen periparturient Holstein cows calving during summer and autumn were fed to meet maintenance plus last 2 month of gestation level of TDN (MP) and 1.2 time of MP level (HMP). Dry matter intake of cows fed at HMP level during summer and autumn decreased by 1 and 2% of the offered feed in 1 week prepartum, respectively, and cows fed at MP level consumed all of the offered feed. Rectal temperatures at 08 : 30 h of cows fed at HMP level were higher than those of cows fed at MP level. Blood hematocrit and hemoglobin of cows increased during summer and were higher for cows fed at HMP level. Plasma total protein and glucose of cows during summer were higher than those during autumn, and the increased feed intake elevated plasma total protein and glucose. Plasma urea-N of cows fed at MP level was higher than that of cows fed at HMP level during autumn. The increased feed intake decreased plasma nonesterified fatty acid of cows during summer and autumn. These results suggest that blood components of periparturient cows are altered by calving season and feeding level.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.12
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• pp.1661-1666
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• 2009

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of Se-enriched bean sprout, Se-enriched yeast and sodium selenite on productivity, egg quality and egg Se concentrations in laying hens. Using a Completely Randomized Design, 144 Rohman laying hens at 71 weeks of age were divided into four groups. Each group consisted of four replicates and each replicate contained nine hens. The dietary treatments were T1: control diet, T2: control diet plus 0.3 mg Se/kg from sodium selenite, T3: control diet plus 0.3 mg Se/kg from Se-enriched yeast, T4: control diet plus 0.3 mg Se/kg from Se-enriched bean sprout. The results showed that there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in feed intake, egg production and egg quality among treatments. Selenium supplementation from Seenriched yeast and Se-enriched bean sprout markedly increased (p<0.05) egg Se concentration as compared to the control and sodium selenite groups. The results indicated that Se-enriched bean sprout could be used as an alternative Se source in diets of laying hens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.359-362
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• 1996

A study was conducted to assess the influence of copper on the total sulphur amino acid requirements of broiler chickens reared under two growing periods. The TSAA levels used were 0.73, 0.83, 0.93% with copper levels of 0, 125, 250 and 375 mg/kg for the starter period and the TSAA levels of 0.72, 0.79 and 0.86% with copper levels of 0, 125, 250 and 375 mg/kg for the grower period. Total feed consumption, body weight gain and feed L gain ratio were used as the parameters for the assessment. The results showed that adding copper at 250 mg/kg to the diets improved feed : gain ratio of the starter broilers and resulted in small improvement of body weight gain and feed : gain ratio of the grower broilers. Growth was depressed in relation to the reduction of feed intake on the chicks fed diet containing 375 mg/kg copper. There was a significant interaction between dietary TSAA and copper levels for feed intake, hence, indicating that the supplementation of copper at the level of 375 mg/kg increased the TSAA requirement of the starter broilers, although no interference with the requirement of grower broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.864-872
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• 2018

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the effect of weaning age on intake, performance, nutrition metabolism and serum parameters of beef calves. Methods: Sixty Droughtmaster crossbred calves were assigned to 5 groups with 12 calves in each group. The calves in control group remained with the dams till the 22-week age, while the calves weaned at 28 d (4 wk), 42 d (6 wk), 56 d (8 wk), and 70 d (10 wk) of age were sent to group 4 wk, group 6 wk, group 8 wk, and group 10 wk, respectively, and then were fed on milk replacer till the 22-week age. Feed intake and body weight and size were record and blood metabolites were measured. And 24 calves of them (6 in each group) were picked randomly for digestion and metabolism trail. Feed, feces and urine sample were taken and measured. Results: Dry matter intake of calves in group 4 wk was significantly lower than those in the remaining groups from wk 17 to 22 (p<0.05). Feed efficiency of the calves was higher in groups 4 wk and 6 wk than those in groups 8 wk and 10 wk from 11 to 13 wk (p<0.05), and calves had higher feed efficiency in group 4 wk, group 6 wk, and group 8 wk than those in group 10 wk from wk 14 to wk 22. Calves in group 4 wk and 6 wk had lower body weight than group 8 wk and group 10 wk and control group at 10-week age (p<0.05) and 13-week age (p<0.05), and calves in group 6 wk had no significant difference in body weight with control group, group 8 wk and 10 wk (p>0.05) but was higher than that of group 4 wk (p<0.05). Calves in group 6 wk had higher final body weight and total gain than group 4 wk, but no difference of total gain with that of groups 8 wk, 10 wk, and control group. And weaning calves at 6-week age brought higher feed efficiency and average daily gain from wk 14 to wk 22, and higher dry matter and organic matter digestibility at 21 wk. Conclusion: It is concluded that the weaning of calves at 6 weeks of age gave positive results.