• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제20권12호
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• pp.1865-1873
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• 2007

An experiment was performed to evaluate the effects of dietary metabolizable energy (ME) and lysine on carcass characteristics and meat quality in Arbor Acres (AA) broilers from 1 to 56 days of age. A total of 2,970 1-d-old male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to nine dietary treatments (three ME levels in combination with three lysine levels), and dietary ME and lysine concentrations were formulated by varying corn, soybean meal, tallow, and L-lysine sulfate concentrations. Live body weight (BW), carcass weight (CW), dressing percent, breast muscle weight (BMW), yield of breast muscle, muscle color (CIE L*, a*, and b*), pH values 45 min and 24 h postmortem ($pH_{45}$, and $pH_{24}$), meat shear force value (SFV), and water loss rate (WLR) were evaluated. Results showed that live body weight and dressing percent increased (p<0.05) as dietary energy increased. Higher dietary lysine content improved breast muscle weight. Neither carcass weight nor yield of breast muscle was affected by dietary energy or lysine content. Higher ME increased the b* value (p = 0.067) and $pH_{24}$ value (p<0.05), whereas it decreased SFV (p<0.05) and WLR (p = 0.06). Only water loss rate was influenced (p<0.01) by dietary lysine, which was higher in broilers from the high lysine diet as compared to those from medium or low lysine diets. The $pH_{45}$ value and L* value of breast muscle were not affected by ME or lysine. Significant interaction of dietary ME and lysine was found on a* value of breast muscle. These results indicated that dietary ME and lysine had important effects on breast muscle growth and meat quality, however their effects were different. Different concentrations of dietary ME and lysine might be considered to improve meat quality.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권11호
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• pp.1829-1838
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• 2021

Objective: The effects of maternal dietary energy levels on breast muscle fibre development in offspring of broiler breeders were investigated. Methods: A total of 480 20-week-old Arbor Acres (AA) healthy female broiler breeders, with an average body weight of 2.33±0.01 kg, were randomly divided into 4 treatment groups with 6 replicates and 20 broiler breeders for each replicate and fed a corn and soybean meal diet with 100%, 80%, 70%, and 50% energy levels, respectively. Approximately 300 eggs per treatment were collected for incubation for 6 days. Then, 120 0-day-old female broilers at each energy level were randomly selected and divided into 6 replicates with 20 broilers for each replicate, with this experimental phase with the offspring lasting for 49 days. Results: Compared with the 100% energy group, the breast muscle fibre diameter at embryonic day 21 in the 80% energy group was significantly reduced (p<0.05). In the 80% energy group, the muscle fibre density of the breast increased significantly (p<0.05) at embryonic days 15 and 21. The breast muscle fibre diameter of the offspring in each group was significantly decreased (p<0.05) on the 1st day. The breast muscle sarcomere length of the embryos in the 80% energy group was significantly higher (p<0.05) than those in the 70% and 50% energy groups. Compared with the 100% energy group, the expression of the myostatin gene in the offspring was significantly decreased (p<0.05). Conclusion: In conclusion, the effects of a maternal dietary energy level of 80% in this study were found to be optimal for breast muscle fibre development in offspring, which indicated that the metabolic energy level of AA broilers of 9.36 MJ/kg for the mid-term diet for laying eggs has a more practical significance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.471-482
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• 2009

Nutrient availability may control muscle growth directly and indirectly through its influence on regulatory factors. We analyzed the effects of nutrient availability on the breast muscle insulin-like growth factor system. Real time RT-PCR was used to quantify the level of transcription in breast muscle from Langshan (LS) layer and Arbor Acres (AA) broiler chickens subjected to different feeding regimens during embryonic and postnatal development. The AA chickens were fed AA diet (AA, control group) while the LS chickens were either fed LS diet (LL) or AA diet (LA). According to our results, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-II (embryonic day 16 (E16) - postnatal day 42 (P42)), IGF-I receptor (IGF-IR, E18-P42), and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-2 (E18-P42), -5 (E16-P14), -7 (E12-P0), and -3 (E12-P0) were positively correlated with IGF-I, while IGFBP-3 (P0-P28) was negatively correlated with IGF-I. In comparison, IGF-IR (E18-P42), IGFBP-2 (E18-P42), IGFBP-5 (E14-P0), and IGFBP-3 (E16-P0) were positively correlated with IGF-II, while IGF-IR (E10-E16) and IGFBP-3 (P0-P28) were negatively correlated with IGF-II. Moreover, IGFBP-2 (E16-P42), -7 (E10-E16), and -3 (E10-E16) were positively correlated with IGF-IR, while IGFBP-3 (P0-P28) was negatively correlated with IGF-IR. Finally, IGFBP-7 (E12-P0) was positively correlated with IGFBP-3, while IGFBP-2 (P0-P28) and -7 (P0-P42) were negatively correlated with IGFBP-3. Overall, the AA chickens exhibited higher levels of IGF-I, IGF-IR, and IGFBP-2 mRNA expression than the LL chickens, while the opposite was true for IGFBP-7. No strain differences in IGF-I, IGF-IR, and IGFBP-7 mRNA expression were detected between LA and AA chickens; however, a strain difference was observed for IGFBP-2. LA chickens exhibited higher levels of IGFBP-2 than LL chickens, while the opposite was true for IGFBP-7. Our data show the first evidence that certain genes may be correlated during specific developmental periods and that strain differences in the expression of those genes in LS and AA chickens are due to differential responses to the same diet.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권5호
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• pp.698-710
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• 2022

Objective: The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different degrees of maternal dietary energy restriction on lipid deposition in embryonic tissues during the medium laying period (37 to 39 weeks) in Arbor Acres (AA) broiler breeders. Methods: A single factor design was adopted, and 400 AA broiler breeders (20 weeks of age) with a similar weight were randomly allocated into four groups. The birds in the control group were fed a corn-soybean meal based diet, and those in trial groups were fed diets with 80%, 70%, and 50% energy levels of the basal diet. Incubated eggs from the medium laying period were collected. Samples of developing embryos at various stages were prepared for composition analysis. Results: The embryo weight in the 80% energy group was higher than those of the other groups on embryonic day (E) 13, but at 21 E, they were significantly decreased with decreasing energy intake of the broiler breeders (p<0.05). Additionally, the levels of crude fat in tissues in the restriction groups were significantly decreased (p<0.05). The long axis and area of adipocytes in breast muscle, thigh muscle and the liver were significantly decreased (p<0.05) at 21 E in the 80%, 70%, and 50% energy groups. Conclusion: The effects of the 80% maternal dietary energy restriction energy affects egg production performance, egg quality, and nutrient deposition in egg weights, which then directly impacts on the developmental process of embryos, especially on fat utilization and deposition.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권7호
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• pp.1039-1047
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• 2022

Objective: The purpose of this study is to determine the optimal time of transportation of floor-feed and scatter-feed broilers. Methods: Eighty healthy Arbor Acres (AA) broilers (21-day-old, 624.4 g, male, standard error = 6.65) were selected and randomly divided into two experimental groups (floor-feed and scatter-feed), then fed for three weeks. The experiment comprised a 2×4 factorial design with 2 feed patterns (floor-feed and scatter-feed) and 4 transport periods (2, 3, 4, and 5 h), and 4 replicates of 5 broilers (54-day-old, 2243 g, standard error = 46.65) was used to compare weight loss, meat quality and behavior index of different groups. Results: It appeared that drip loss, meat color and resting behavior of experimental broilers changed as length of transportation (p<0.05), however, weight loss and pH were not significantly transformed (p>0.05). Compared with floor-feed group, broilers in scatter-feed group had lower pH at 24 hours (3 h) and different behavioral indicators (p<0.05). Especially indicators after 3 h transportation, there were obvious differences between the two feeding modes in the behavior reaction of stress events before slaughter with different transport duration (p<0.05). The fluctuation of data on resting behavior with scatter-feed was significantly higher than that of floor-feed broilers. There was no interaction between transport time and different feeding methods for index tested of our experiment (p>0.05). Conclusion: Comprehensive analysis showed that the maximum transport duration of floor-feed and scatter-feed broilers should not exceed 3 h, and scatter-feed broilers were more likely prone to fear.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제34권6호
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• pp.1070-1077
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• 2021

Objective: An experiment was conducted to determine the appropriate fasting time prior to slaughter for broilers in floor-feed and scatter-feed mode. Methods: On 21 d since hatching, 120 Arbor Acres broilers were divided into floor-feed and scatter-feed groups, chicks from each group were further assigned to feed withdrawal treatments for 0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h. Some resultant indicators such as carcass contamination, body weight loss, meat quality of 54-day-old broilers were measured. Results: It appears that longer feed withdrawal increased weight loss, lightness, drop loss of meat but reduced pH. A significant higher weight loss and lightness for both floor-feed and scatter-feed chicks coincided after 6 to 10 h feed withdrawal (p<0.05). pH for breast muscle at 45 min postmortem reduced when chicks of scatter-feed were fasted 6 and 10 h, while the reduction of floor-feed group occurred only in 10 h (p<0.05). A noticeable effect of feed withdrawal on drop loss occurred after 10 h fasting in scatter-feed of which drop loss were significantly higher than that for other groups including control (p<0.05). The change of contamination propensity revealed that 6 to 10 h fasting significantly reduced the likelihood of carcass contamination under both floor-feed and scatter-feed (p<0.05). Net weights of intestinal contents for gizzard were significantly reduced after feed deprived for 10 h in floor-feed and 6 and 10 h in scatter-feed (p<0.05). The decrease for whole intestine occurred after floor-feed broilers have been without feed for more than 4 h, scatter-feed broilers for more than 8 h (p<0.05). Conclusion: On the premise that poultry product properties and welfare were not significantly damaged, proper fasting time could reduce carcass contamination. Current data implied that 6 h fasting was recommendable for both floor and scatter feed pre-slaughter broilers.

• Animal Bioscience
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• 제35권11호
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• pp.1760-1770
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• 2022

Objective: It is crucial to accurately determine the net energy (NE) values of feed ingredients because the NE system is expected to be applied to the formulation of broilers feed. The NE values of 5 wheat and 5 wheat brans were determined in 12-to 14-day old Arbor Acres (AA) broilers with substitution method and indirect calorimetry method. Methods: A total of 12 diets, including 2 reference diets (REF) and 10 test diets (5 wheat diets and 5 wheat bran diets) containing 30% of test ingredients, were randomly fed to 864 male AA birds with 6 replicates of 12 birds per treatment. These birds were used to determine metabolizable energy (ME) (8 birds per replicate) in the chicken house and NE (4 birds per replicate) in the chamber respectively at the same time. After a 4-d dietary and environment adaptation period, growth performance, energy values, energy balance and energy utilization were measured during the following 3 d. Multiple linear regression analyses were further performed to generate prediction equations for NE values based on the chemical components and ME values. The NE prediction equation were also validated on another wheat diet and another wheat bran diet with high correlation (r = 0.98, r = 0.75). Results: The NE values of 5 wheat and 5 wheat bran samples are 9.34, 10.02, 10.27, 11.33, and 10.49 MJ/kg, and 5.37, 5.17, 4.87, 5.06, and 4.88 MJ/kg DM, respectively. The equation with the best fit were NE = 1.968AME-0.411×ADF-14.227 (for wheat) and NE = -0.382×CF-0.362×CP-0.244×ADF+20.870 (for wheat bran). Conclusion: The mean NE values of wheat and wheat bran are 10.29 and 5.07 MJ/kg DM in AA broilers. The NE values of ingredients could be predicted by their chemical composition and energy value with good fitness.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제30권6호
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• pp.849-856
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• 2017

Objective: The net energy requirement for the maintenance ($NE_m$) of broilers was determined using regression models by the indirect calorimetry method (ICM) or the comparative slaughter method (CSM). Methods: A $2{\times}4$ factorial arrangement of treatments including the evaluation method (ICM or CSM) and feed intake (25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of ad libitum recommended) was employed in this experiment. In the ICM, 96 male Arbor Acres (AA) birds aged d 15 were used with 4 birds per replicate and 6 replicates in each treatment. In the CSM, 116 male AA birds aged d 15 were used. Among these 116 birds, 20 were selected as for initial data and 96 were assigned to 4 treatments with 6 replicate cages and 4 birds each. The linear regression between retained energy (RE) and metabolizable energy intake (MEI) or the logarithmic regression between heat production (HP) and MEI were used to calculate the metabolizable or net energy requirement for maintenance ($ME_m$) or $NE_m$, respectively. Results: The evaluation method did not detect any differences in the metabolizable energy (ME), net energy (NE), and NE:ME of diet, and in the MEI, HP, and RE of broilers. The MEI, HP, and RE of broilers decreased (p<0.01) as the feed intake decreased. No evaluation method${\times}$feed intake interaction was observed on these parameters. The $ME_m$ and $NE_m$ estimated from the linear relationship were 594 and 386 kJ/kg of body weight $(BW)^{0.75}/d$ in the ICM, and 618 and 404 kJ/kg of $BW^{0.75}/d$ in the CSM, respectively. The $ME_m$ and $NE_m$ estimated by logarithmic regression were 607 and 448 kJ/kg of $BW^{0.75}/d$ in the ICM, and were 619 and 462 kJ/kg of $BW^{0.75}/d$ in the CSM, respectively. Conclusion: The NEm values obtained in this study provide references for estimating the NE values of broiler diets.