• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.866-871
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• 2002

An experiment was conducted at the experimental duck farm of Cantho University to determine the effects of feeding duckweed (Lemna minor) that replaced commercial protein supplements in diets for local and Cherry Valley breeding ducks. The experiment included a total of 180 ducks, with five treatments and three replicates and six breeding ducks (one male plus five females together) per replicate, for both local and exotic Cherry Valley ducks. The five diets were fed ad libitum and were based on rice byproducts supplemented with roasted soya bean meal plus dried fishmeal at levels of 100% (SF100, control), 75 (SF75), 50 (SF50), 25 (SF25) or zero (SF0) % of the protein in the control diet, corresponding to 18, 15, 13, 10 and 8% CP in the diets for both breeds, respectively. Fresh duckweed was supplied ad libitum for all treatments. These diets were fed to local breeding ducks from 7 to 12 months of age, and to exotic breeding ducks (Cherry Valley) from 8 to 13 months of age. Total mean daily dry matter (DM) intakes were 183, 178, 176, 177 and 174 g (p<0.05) for the local ducks, and 221, 208, 215, 219 and 210 g (p<0.01) for the exotic ducks for the SF100 (control), SF75, SF50, SF25 and SF0 diets, respectively. Laying rates of the local ducks were 66.5, 65.2, 62.9, 63.1 and 62.3%, and of the Cherry Valley ducks 61.9, 58.4, 58.9, 59.1 and 53.5% (p<0.001) for the control (SF100), SF75, SF50, SF25 and SF0 treatments, respectively. Fertile egg rates were 95.6, 95.6, 97.8, 97.8 and 92.2%, and hatchabilities 89.4, 80.6, 87.2, 88.6 and 77.8% (p<0.05) for the local breed, and 97.8, 97.8, 91.1, 92.2 and 90.0% (p<0.05) and 72.8, 74.7, 75.0, 74.3 and 76.7% for the Cherry Valley ducks for diets SF100, SF75, SF50, SF25 and SF0, respectively. Corresponding feed conversion ratios (dry matter basis) were 3.83, 3.82, 3.89, 4.01 and 3.96 kg feed per kg egg mass for the local ducks and 4.52, 4.56, 4.58, 4.73 and 5.02 kg feed per kg egg mass for the Cherry Valley ducks for the SF100, SF75, SF50, SF25 and SF0 treatments, respectively. Replacement of 100% of the protein supplement by fresh duckweed in the diets of the local laying ducks decreased the feed costs by 25% compared to the control diet.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.203-210
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• 2023

Breeding ducks are susceptible to fungal infections due to being bred in confined spaces for long periods. The objective of this study was to show the real state of the clinical fungal contamination of 22 duck breeding farms in Chungcheongbuk-do, South Korea. Out of the 430 carcasses obtained from the 22 duck breeding farms, 80 were diagnosed with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA). Aspergillus spp. were detected as the causative agents, including 26 cases of A. fumigatus, 35 cases of A. flavus, and 19 cases of A. terreus. The clinical lesions in the breeding ducks had circumscribed cream-and-yellow-colored plaques and/or white-to-greenish mycelium. Septate hyphae with parallel walls and dichotomous branching were observed in the histopathological lesions. AGMAg ELISA was performed to determine the overall positive rate of Aspergillus spp. in duck breeding farms. These results showed a positive rate of 58.97% for Aspergillus spp. Additionally, the positive rate increased with the age of the host.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.206-210
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• 2017

Objective: A study was conducted to test six threonine (Thr) levels (0.39%, 0.44%, 0.49%, 0.54%, 0.59%, and 0.64%) to estimate the optimal dietary Thr requirements for Longyan laying ducks from 17 to 45 wk of age. Methods: Nine hundred Longyan ducks aged 17 wk were assigned randomly to the six dietary treatments, where each treatment comprised six replicate pens with 25 ducks per pen. Results: Increasing the Thr level enhanced egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) (linearly or quadratically; p<0.05). The Haugh unit score, yolk color, albumen height, and the weight, percentage, thickness, and breaking strength of the eggshell did not response to increases in the Thr levels, but the albumen weight and its proportion increased significantly (p<0.05), whereas the yolk weight and its proportion decreased significantly as the Thr levels increased. Conclusion: According to a regression model, the optimal Thr requirement for egg production, egg mass, and FCR in Longyan ducks is 0.57%, while 0.58% is the optimal level for egg weight from 17 to 45 wk of age.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.1345-1354
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• 2024

Objective: The objective of this study was to identify candidate genes that play important roles in skeletal muscle development in ducks. Methods: In this study, we investigated the transcriptional sequencing of embryonic pectoral muscles from two specialized lines: Liancheng white ducks (female) and Cherry valley ducks (male) hybrid Line A (LCA) and Line C (LCC) ducks. In addition, prediction of target genes for the differentially expressed mRNAs was conducted and the enriched gene ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes signaling pathways were further analyzed. Finally, a protein-to-protein interaction network was analyzed by using the target genes to gain insights into their potential functional association. Results: A total of 1,428 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) with 762 being up-regulated genes and 666 being down-regulated genes in pectoral muscle of LCA and LCC ducks identified by RNA-seq (p<0.05). Meanwhile, 23 GO terms in the down-regulated genes and 75 GO terms in up-regulated genes were significantly enriched (p<0.05). Furthermore, the top 5 most enriched pathways were ECM-receptor interaction, fatty acid degradation, pyruvate degradation, PPAR signaling pathway, and glycolysis/gluconeogenesis. Finally, the candidate genes including integrin b3 (Itgb3), pyruvate kinase M1/2 (Pkm), insulin-like growth factor 1 (Igf1), glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (Gpi), GABA type A receptor-associated protein-like 1 (Gabarapl1), and thyroid hormone receptor beta (Thrb) showed the most expression difference, and then were selected to verification by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). The result of qRT-PCR was consistent with that of transcriptome sequencing. Conclusion: This study provided information of molecular mechanisms underlying the developmental differences in skeletal muscles between specialized duck lines.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.224-235
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• 2022

Objective: Cage rearing has critical implications for the laying duck industry because it is convenient for feeding and management. However, caging stress is a type of chronic stress that induces maladaptation. Environmental stress responses have been extensively studied, but no detailed information is available about the comprehensive changes in plasma metabolites at different stages of caging stress in ducks. We designed this experiment to analyze the effects of caging stress on performance parameters and oxidative stress indexes in ducks. Methods: Liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS) was used to determine the changes in metabolites in duck plasma at 5 (CR5), 10 (CR10), and 15 (CR15) days after cage rearing and traditional breeding (TB). The associated pathways of differentially altered metabolites were analyzed using Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) database. Results: The results of this study indicate that caging stress decreased performance parameters, and the plasma total superoxide dismutase levels were increased in the CR10 group compared with the other groups. In addition, 1,431 metabolites were detected. Compared with the TB group, 134, 381, and 190 differentially produced metabolites were identified in the CR5, CR10, and CR15 groups, respectively. The results of principal component analysis (PCA) show that the selected components sufficiently distinguish the TB group and CR10 group. KEGG analysis results revealed that the differentially altered metabolites in duck plasma from the CR5 and TB groups were mainly associated with ovarian steroidogenesis, biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids, and phenylalanine metabolism. Conclusion: In this study, the production performance, blood indexes, number of metabolites and PCA were compared to determine effect of the caging stress stage on ducks. We inferred from the experimental results that caging-stressed ducks were in the sensitive phase in the first 5 days after caging, caging for approximately 10 days was an important transition phase, and then the duck continually adapted.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.416-423
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• 2020

Objective: This study examined the effects of divergence in residual feed intake (RFI) on expression profiles of key genes related to lipid transport in the liver and duodenal epithelium and their associations with feed efficiency traits in meat-type ducks. Methods: A total of 1,000 male ducks with similar body weight (1,042.1±87.2 g) were used in this study, and their individual RFI was calculated from 21 to 42 d of age. Finally, the 10 highest RFI (HRFI) and 10 lowest RFI (LRFI) ducks were chosen for examining the expression of key genes related to lipid transport in the liver and duodenal epithelium using quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results: In the liver, expression levels of albumin (ALB), CD36 molecule (CD36), fatty acid hydroxylase domain containing 2 (FAXDC2), and choline kinase alpha (CHKA) were significantly higher in LRFI ducks than in HRFI ducks (p<0.01); negative correlations (p<0.05) between expression levels of ALB, CD36, FAXDC2, and CHKA and RFI were detected in the liver. Additionally, ALB expression was strongly positively correlated (p<0.05) with CD36, FAXDC2, CHKA, and apolipoprotein H (APOH) expression in the liver. In duodenal epithelium, we found that mRNA levels of ALB, CD36, FAXDC2, and APOH were significantly higher in LRFI ducks than in HRFI ducks (p<0.01); RFI was strongly negatively correlated (p<0.05) with ALB, FAXDC2, and APOH expression, while ALB expression was strongly positively correlated with APOH expression (p<0.01) in duodenal epithelium. Furthermore, expression levels of both ALB and FAXDC2 genes were significantly associated with feed conversion ratio and RFI in both liver and duodenal epithelium (p<0.05). Conclusion: Our findings therefore suggest that ALB and FAXDC2 genes might be used as potential gene markers designed to improve feed efficiency in future meat-type duck breeding programs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.1753-1762
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• 2019

Objective: The study was aimed to compare carcass traits, physicochemical and textural properties of meat in two different genotypes of Pekin ducks with regard to sex effect. Methods: The study involved 120 Pekin ducks: 30 males and 30 females of strain P33 (Polish native Pekin ducks) and 30 males and 30 females of Star 53 HY (commercial hybrid Pekin ducks). At 49 d of age, 48 birds (12 males and 12 females of each genotype) were selected for dissection. After the dissection, meat samples were collected to determine meat quality traits. Results: The studied Pekin ducks of different genotype showed significant differences in body weight, carcass weight, dressing percentage, as well as percentages of breast muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, neck, and remainders of eviscerated carcass with neck. Duck genotype influenced the content of crude protein, crude fat, Na, K, P, Zn, $pH_{24}$, electric conductivity ($EC_{24}$), cooking loss, $L^{\star}$, $a^{\star}$, most textural traits of breast muscle, and also Na, Mg and Fe content, $EC_{24}$, drip loss, cooking loss and $L^{\star}$, $a^{\star}$, and $b^{\star}$ colour coordinates of leg muscles. Regardless of genetic origin, males exhibited higher BW, carcass weight and carcass neck percentage, as well as lower redness, hardness, chewiness and gumminess of breast muscle compared to females. The genotype${\times}$sex interaction was significant for the crude fat content and cooking loss of breast muscle, and for the yellowness of leg muscle. Conclusion: Star 53 HY ducks are more suited for broiler production due to their higher body weight and dressing percentage. Their breast and leg meat are characterized by more beneficial chemical composition but has poorer sensory and textural properties compared to the meat of P33 ducks.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.471-478
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• 2016

Native duck populations have lower productivity, and have not been developed as much as commercials duck breeds. However, native ducks have more importance in terms of genetic diversity and potentially valuable economic traits. For this reason, population discriminable genetic markers are needed for conservation and development of native ducks. In this study, 24 highly polymorphic microsatellite (MS) markers were investigated using commercial ducks and native East and South Asian ducks. The average polymorphic information content (PIC) value for all MS markers was 0.584, indicating high discrimination power. All populations were discriminated using 14 highly polymorphic MS markers by genetic distance and phylogenetic analysis. The results indicated that there were close genetic relationships among populations. In the structure analysis, East Asian ducks shared more haplotypes with commercial ducks than South Asian ducks, and they had more independent haplotypes than others did. These results will provide useful information for genetic diversity studies in ducks and for the development of duck traceability systems in the market.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.192-195
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• 1997

Thirty adults Desi and Khaki Campbell ducks were distributed to 6 farmers of Chakcharpur village of Mymensingh district. These ducks were subjected 3 types of mating e.g. Desi ${\times}$ Desi, Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Khaki Campbell and Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Desi-having 10 ducks (male : female = 1 : 4) in each mating group. Each mating group was then divided into two having 5 ducks(male : female = 1 : 4) and distributed to 2 farmers. After collecting eggs from each mating category, these were hatched by broody hens from which a total of 90 day old ducklings, 30 from each genotype were raised from birth to 90 days after the onest of laying. Although the weight of the day old chicks were similar in all genotypes (40-43 g), body weight was the highest (p <0.01) for Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Desi (1,543) before the onset of laying followed by Khaki Campbell (1,552 g) and Desi (1,448 g) ducks. Khaki Campbell attained maturity at an earlier (p < 0.01) age (147 days) followed by Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Desi, (154 days) and Desi (161 days) ducks. Khaki Campbell laid maximum (p < 0.01) number of eggs (46) compared to Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Desi, (30) and Desi (18) ducks 90 days after the onset of laying. However, eggs were heavier (p < 0.01) in Desi (61.9) ducks compared to other genotypes. Fertility and hatchability were also higher in Desi ducks than the other two genotypes. Mortality was also lover in Desi ducks (3.33%) followed by Khaki Campbell ${\times}$ Desi (6.66%) and Khaki Campbell (16.66%) ducks. The results presented here indicated the superiority of Desi ducks over the other two genotypes with respect to egg weight, fertility, hatchability and mortality under village condition. Pure and crossbreds, on the other hand, were heavier at sexual maturity at relatively younger age and laid more eggs.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.7
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• pp.1193-1201
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• 2021

Objective: According to market demand, meat duck breeding mainly includes 2 breeding directions: lean Pekin duck (LPD) and fat Pekin duck (FPD). The aim of the present study was to compare carcass and meat quality traits between 2 strains, and to provide basic data for guidelines of processing and meat quality improvement. Methods: A total of 62 female Pekin ducks (32 LPDs and 30 FPDs) were slaughtered at the age of 42 days. The live body weight and carcass traits were measured and calculated. Physical properties of breast muscle were determined by texture analyzer and muscle fibers were measured by paraffin sections. The content of inosine monophosphate (IMP), intramuscular fat (IMF) and fatty acids composition were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography, Soxhlet extraction method and automated gas chromatography respectively. Results: The results showed that the bodyweight of LPDs was higher than that of FPDs. FPDs were significantly higher than LPDs in subcutaneous fat thickness, subcutaneous fat weight, subcutaneous fat percentage, abdominal fat percentage and abdominal fat shear force (p<0.01). LPDs were significantly higher than FPDs in breast muscle thickness, breast muscle weight, breast muscle rate and breast muscle shear force (p<0.01). The muscle fiber average area and fiber diameter of LPDs were significantly higher than those of FPDs (p<0.01). The muscle fiber density of LPDs was significantly lower than that of FPDs (p<0.01). The IMF of LPDs in the breast muscle was significantly higher than that in the FPDs (p<0.01). There was no significant difference between the 2 strains in IMP content (p>0.05). The polyunsaturated fatty acid content of LPDs was significantly higher than that of FPDs (p<0.01), and FPDs had higher saturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid levels (p<0.05). Conclusion: Long-term breeding work resulted in vast differences between the two strains Pekin ducks. This study provides a reference for differences between LPD and FPD that manifest as a result of long-term selection.