• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.159-167
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• 2020

This study investigated the effect of different light sources in the poultry house on performance, meat quality, and blood composition of finishing broilers. Two hundred and forty male broilers (1-day-old, 42.2±0.1 g) were divided into three groups and subjected to different light source treatments (incandescent, LED, and fluorescent lamps) from 3 weeks of age (four replications/treatment, 20 birds/replication). After breeding for 6 weeks, the carcass yield and meat quality of broilers with similar body weight (BW; 3.4±0.07 kg) were investigated, and blood components were analyzed. Corn-soybean meal-based feed was provided as starter (CP 22.5%, ME 3,020 kcal/kg), early (CP 18.5%, ME 3,050 kcal/kg), and finishing (CP 18%, ME 3,100 kcal/kg). Performance, carcass yield, meat quality, and blood components were evaluated. BW, BW gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio did not show any significant differences among treatments. There was no significant difference on live weight and carcass yield among treatments. There was no significant difference on meat color, shear force, and water holding capacity; however, cooking loss at 17.2% was the highest in the LED treatment (P<0.05). There was no significant difference on blood components except for glucose (blood biochemistry component) among treatments. Glucose was 234.5 mg/dL, 256.9 mg/dL, and 250.1 mg/dL in the three treatments, respectively, with a significant difference between incandescent and LED treatments (P<0.05). These results are used useful as basic data for investigating the effect of lighting in broilers production.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.43-51
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the style of livestock house, concentration of malodorous substances of livestock feces and livestock houses in Daejeon area. Among the livestock houses investigated, as most of cow pens(94.5%) have sawdust or chaff on the bottom, there was no leakage of feces out of pen. Most pig pens adopted slury style, but some of them currently use buffering material on the bottom. It is thought that there will be no possible contamination leakage. When it comes to hen house, all the broiler house use litters on the bottom and all the layer house use scrapper. It is also thought that there will be no possible contamination leakage. 3 out of 12 deer pens used buffering material on the bottom, 10 places were maintained in a traditional method, and 7 places left possibility of contamination leakage considering whether the roof was installed or not. The contents of ammonia, amine and volatile fatty acid in fresh feces were lower compared to rotten feces, but the concentration of sulfur-containing matter - hydrogen sulfide, methylmercapthan and ethylmercapthan were higher compared to rotten feces. In the case of malodorous ingredient in livestock houses, only small amount of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide were detected in pig pen and hen house, and other ingredients were not detectable. And those who are engaged in animal husbandry reacted negatively to the use of feed additives for decreasing malodor. In conclusion, it is not worrisome that contamination can be leaked out of animal raising facilities. But if we take into consideration that the point of investigation time is wintry season, there should be more considerate attitude. And feed additives for decreasing malodor need establishing criteria in the manufacturing process.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.505-511
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• 2008

The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary mugwort on the proximate composition, volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) and fatty acid in chicken meats. One hundred sixty broiler chicks (1 d old) were assigned to one or four dietary groups: Control; commercial feed supplemented with 1% mugwort (T1); commercial feed with 3% mugwort (T2) and commercial feed with 5% mugwort (T3). After 42 d, broilers from each group were slaughtered and meat samples were vacuum packaged and stored at $4{\pm}1^{\circ}C$ over a period of 0, 1,2,3, and 4 wk. Chicken breast was not influenced by all treatments in moisture, crude protein and crude fiber, while crude fat was lowered (p<0.05) in chickens fed with the T2 and T3 diets compared to the control and T1 diets. All treatments with mugwort diets tended to have decreased VBN values for chicken breast and thigh compared to control. As storage time increased, VBN was increased for all chickens (p<0.05). No significant differences in TBARS were observed among all treatments at 0 wk. TBARS values were reduced with the T2 and T3 diets and initially increased from 0 through 3 wk, then abruptly decreased at 4 wk. Dietary mugwort supplementation resulted in increased stearic acid (excepted T2) and oleic acid and decreased linoleic acid. Stearic acid in thigh meat was decreased in the T1, T2 and T3, however linoleic acid levels tended to increase with mugwort powder supplementation. It is concluded that dietary mugwort has a positive effect on increasing unsaturated fatty acid contents and decreasing saturated fatty acids.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.287-295
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• 2021

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the impact of different feed withdrawal periods (2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h) on Salmonella contamination in the crop, intestinal weight, and blood parameters of broilers before harvesting. A total of 100 broilers (initial live weight 1.906±0.06 kg) were randomly assigned to the same five treatment groups and broilers had access to water but no feed before catching. Feed withdrawal times were 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 h prior to slaughter. Measurements included live weight, pre-slaughter weight, carcass weight, weight of gastrointestinal tract. In addition, Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination in the crop, serum biochemical profiles, counts of leukocytes, erythrocytes, and platelets, and meat quality were assessed. The results demonstrate that carcass weight, blood corticosterone, meat pH, meat color, and water holding capacity did not differ based on the feed withdrawal time. Carcass yield increased as the withdrawal time increased, but the weights of the crop, proventriculus, jejunum, ileum, and rectum were significantly reduced by 6 h (P<0.05). Salmonella counts were the lowest in the crops subjected to 6 h of feed withdrawal (P<0.05). Shear force was highest in chicken breast meat after 6 h of feed withdrawal (P<0.05). However, when the feed was withdrawn after 6 h, the shear force increased, but it did not affect the sensory characteristics in consumers, and the Salmonella count also decreased and had a reduction effect on contamination during slaughter. These findings can serve as reference data for setting the feed withdrawal time.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.227-238
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• 2021

This study investigates the effect of perch type and height on the growth performance, footpad dermatitis (FPD), blood parameters, behavioral characteristics, and meat quality of broilers. A total of 912 one-day-old male Ross 308 broilers (48.23±0.264 g) were subjected to a three x two factorial design of three types of perch (wood, steel, plastic) and two levels of perch height (10→30 cm change, 10 cm fixed) over a five-week experiment. Growth performance, perch availability, litter quality, FPD incidence, serum biochemical parameters, and meat quality of the broilers were evaluated. There were no significant differences in the body weight, feed conversion ratio, and biochemical parameters (except for aspartate aminotransferase), pH, color, and water holding capacity. The incidence of FPD was significantly higher in the plastic perch group than in the wood and steel perch groups (P<0.05) at five weeks of age. Perch use was high in the order of wood, steel, and plastic groups in the daytime and nighttime at one, three, and five weeks of age (P<0.05). Perch use was higher in the 10 cm fixed group than the 10→30 cm group (P<0.05). The shear force of the breast significantly increased in the order of wood, steel, and plastic groups (P<0.05). In conclusion, the group with a fixed perch height of 10 cm had high perch usage. Additionally, the use of wooden perches was higher than that of other materials, and it lowered the incidence of FPD in broilers.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.199-210
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• 2022

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of the type and number of enrichments on growth performance, blood characteristics, footpad dermatitis (FPD) incidence, and litter moisture in broilers. A total of 1,140 1-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were assigned to a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement based on the type of enrichment (cabbage, alfalfa block, and angle sawdust) and the number of enrichments (one or two per 38 broilers). The growth performance, blood characteristics, FPD incidence, and litter moisture of the broilers were evaluated. Body weight and feed conversion rate were significantly improved (P<0.05) in the alfalfa block and sawdust group compared to the cabbage group, but there was no interaction effect between the type and number of enrichments. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, a stress index, was significantly decreased (P<0.05) in the alfalfa block and sawdust groups compared with the cabbage group. The incidence of FPD was significantly decreased in the order of cabbage (3.78), alfalfa block (3.06), and sawdust (1.43) groups at 5 weeks of age. Moreover, there was a significant decrease in the incidence of FPD (P<0.05) in the one-enrichment group compared with the two-enrichment group. Litter moisture at 5 weeks of age was significantly reduced in the sawdust group compared to the cabbage and alfalfa groups, but there was no significant difference in the interaction between the type and number of enrichments. It was concluded that sawdust enrichment positively influenced both growth performance and the animal welfare of broilers. In addition, it is expected that sawdust can be used to regulate litter moisture.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 2023

The study was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary combined supplementation of antioxidants as catechin and vitamin C on growth performance, meat quality, blood profiles and stress responses of broilers exposed to high temperature. For this experiment, a total of 360 21-day-old male Ross 308 broilers were used. Treatments were assigned with 6 replicates per treatment and 10 birds per replicate in a 2 × 3 factorial design with vitamin C (0, 250 mg/kg) and catechin (0, 600, 1,200 mg/kg). The heat stress environment was maintained at temperature 32±1℃ and relative humidity 60±5% for 24 hours until the end of the experiment. The supplemented antioxidants had no significant difference in weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05). The content of total cholesterol in blood had no interaction, but decrease (P<0.01) in the supplemented catechin group. Also, the supplementation with catechin showed increase in the SOD activity of blood, and lower corticosterone and IgM levels of broilers. The contents of HSP70 and MDA in liver decrease (P<0.05) with the supplementation of antioxidants, and HSP70 showed an interaction between groups. DPPH radical scavenging ability in breast meat increased (P<0.01) in catechin, but meat quality did not show difference according to treatments. Respiratory rate decreased (P<0.05) in catechin, but no interaction with vitamin C. In conclusion, the combination of vitamin C and catechin can alleviate stress under high temperature, such as HSP70 and MDA, but further study on the optimal supplemental level is needed.

• Journal of Practical Agriculture & Fisheries Research
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.93-103
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• 2014

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different fat source feeding on growth performance, visceral organ weight, meat color, excreta microflora and blood profiles in broilers. A total of 768 1-d-old ROSS 308 broilers (mixed gender) with an initial average body weight of 39.68 ± 0.14 g were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 12 replicate pens per treatment and 16 broilers per pen for 32 days. Dietary treatments were: 1) SBO, basal diet + 5% soybean oil, 2) PF, basal diet + 5% poultry fat, 3) TAL, basal diet + 5% tallow, and 4) LARD, basal diet + 5% lard. During d 1 to 14, broilers fed TAL diet had a higher (P<0.05) body weight gain (BWG) than broilers fed with PF and LARD diets, moreover, broilers fed TAL diet had a higher (P<0.05) feed intake than broilers fed SBO, PF and LARD diets. Overall (d 0-32), BWG in SBO and TAL treatments was greater (P<0.05) than that in LARD treatment. The meat color a^* (redness) of broilers fed with LARD diet was increased (P<0.05) compared with broilers fed with PF and TAL diets. No difference was observed in visceral organ weight of liver, spleen, bursa of Fabricius, breast muscle, abdominal fat, gizzard and excreta concentrations of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli. The blood LDL cholesterol concentration in TAL treatment was higher (P<0.05) than that in LARD treatment. In conclusion, broilers supplementation with tallow could improve not only the body weight gain and feed intake but also blood LDL cholesterol concentration. Moreover, broiler fed lard could increase a^* (radness) of meat color, while the soybean oil supplementation improve body weight gain in broilers.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.293-301
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• 2023

This study aimed to investigate the effects of seasonal differences and crating densities on the behavior, surface temperature, and respiration rate of broilers during transportation. A total of 600 broilers aged 35 days were divided into 10 treatment groups based on five crating densities (10.3, 11.5, 12.8, 14.1, 15.4 birds/m²) with two seasons (i.e. summer and winter) to give six replicates. Broilers were allocated to the crates (1.00 m × 0.78 m × 0.26 m) in a randomized design. The transportation distance was 20 km for 40 minutes (average 30-50 km/h) during the early morning. The results revealed that standing behavior of broilers during transportation was shown more frequently (P<0.05) in winter. Moreover, sitting behavior was significantly shown (P<0.05) more at densities of 14.1 birds/m² and 15.4 birds/m² compared to other treatments. Standing behavior was significantly shown more (P<0.05) in winter and lower crating density. Changes in broilers surface temperature after transportation were higher (P<0.05) in summer. However, surface temperature after transportation was not affected (P>0.05) by crating density, and interaction between seasonal differences and crating density. Respiration rate was higher (P<0.05) in summer. But there were no effects (P>0.05) on respiration rate based on crating density, and interaction between seasonal differences and crating density. Based on the results of the present study, broilers transportation is recommended in winter rather than summer to minimize the climatic stress, but further research is required to identify proper crating densities to improve the broilers welfare during transportation.