• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.825-833
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• 2011

Forty-five Hisex commercial layers and forty-five local Saudi breed layers were used to determine the acceptable limit of short-term water restriction in the late phase of production, when the problem of high feed and water consumption is expected. The experiment was performed under hot and arid environmental conditions when the layers were at fifty weeks of age. Layers from each breed were randomly assigned in groups of five into nine floor pens. The average environmental temperature was 37.2-$38.6^{\circ}C$, and the relative humidity was between 20 to 37%. The trial was divided into 3 periods; control (1 week), water restriction (2 weeks) and rehydration (1 week). During the restriction period, layers from each breed were divided into three groups that received 20, 40, and 0% restriction of drinking water relative to their consumed water during the control period. During the study, feed and water consumption, body weight, changes in body weight, egg production, primary antibody response to SRBC, and rectal temperature were evaluated. Water restriction did not result in any clear effect on feed intake in either breed, however, commercial layers tended to consume less feed compared to the local breed. Body weight declined with water restriction during the first week of restriction in the commercial breed regardless of rate of restriction, but it was delayed until the second week in the local breed. Water restriction of 40% decreased egg production in both breeds but with a delay of 1 week in the local breed. Antibody level to SRBC was not affected by water restriction in the commercial line while it was highly affected in the local breed. A water restriction of 20% is considered to be an acceptable limit under the current experimental conditions without a negative effect on egg production in both breeds and considering the immune status of the local breed. Whereas, 40% restriction had a negative effect on egg production, and varied effects in the other traits in both breeds.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.951-955
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• 1999

The effects of restricting feed [60% of ad libitum (AL) intake] (FR) or water provided from 0900 h to 1600 h, daily) (WR) or both (FWR) from 14 to 42 days of age on heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) response and performance in broiler chickens under the hot humid tropical conditions were determined. Feed and/or water limitation retarded growth, but had no adverse effect on overall feed conversion ratio and survivability. The trend for total feed and water consumption was similar to body weight pattern with AL>WR>FR>FWR. The nutritional regimens had significant effect on overall water:feed ratios with FR>(AL=WR)>FWR. Restriction of feed and/or water resulted in marked elevation of H/L ratios. As measured by H/L ratios, the effect of adapting to FR dissipated between 16 to 21 days after the onset of feed restriction. The H/L ratios of WR and FWR birds remained elevated throughout the duration of the experiment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.7
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• pp.974-980
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• 2014

In semi-arid areas of Southern Africa, dehydration can compromise the performance and welfare of local chickens, particularly during the growing period when confinement is curtailed and birds are left to scavenge for feed and water. The effect of water restriction on the growth performance was compared in Naked Neck (NNK) and Ovambo (OVB) chickens that are predominant in Southern Africa. A total of 54 eight-wk-old pullets each of NNK and OVB chickens with an initial average weight of $641{\pm}10g/bird$ were randomly assigned to three water intake treatments, each having six birds for 8 wk. The water restriction treatments were ad libitum, 70% of ad libitum and 40% of ad libitum intake. Nine experimental pens with a floor space of $3.3m^2$ per strain were used. The pens were housed in an open-sided house with cement floor deep littered with a 20 cm layer of untreated wood shavings. Feed was provided ad libitum. Average daily water intake (ADWI), BW at 16 weeks of age (FBW), ADG, ADFI, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and water to feed ratios (WFR) were determined. Ovambo chickens had superior (p<0.05) FBW, ADG and ADWI than NNK chickens. Body weight of birds at 16 weeks of age, ADG, ADFI, ADWI, and WFR declined progressively (p<0.05) with increasing severity of water restriction while FCR values increased (p<0.05) as the severity of water restriction increased. Naked Neck chickens had better FCR at the 40% of ad libitum water intake level than Ovambo chickens. The dressing percentage per bird was higher in water restricted birds than those on ad libitum water consumption, irrespective of strain. Heart weight was significantly lower in birds on 40% of ad libitum water intake than those on ad libitum and 70% of ad libitum water intake, respectively. In conclusion, NNK chickens performed better than OVB chickens under conditions of water restriction and would be ideal to raise for meat and egg production in locations where water shortages are a major challenge.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.430-437
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• 2012

The effects of low temperature and starvation on the physiochemical characteristics of the muscle of the olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, were examined. Fish were deprived of feed for 28 days at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, and $20^{\circ}C$ in order to establish suitable conditions for live fish transportation. Throughout most of the 4 weeks of feed restriction, the physiochemical characteristics of the muscle of olive flounder were found to be dependent on the acclimation temperature. The breaking strength of muscle did not show a significant reduction during feed restriction at 2 and $4^{\circ}C$. With increasing temperatures, however, the breaking strength of muscle differed significantly according to the individual and feed restriction period (P<0.05). The moisture content in muscle acclimated at 10, 12, and $20^{\circ}C$ increased steadily over the feed-restriction period, while the crude lipid content decreased during the same period (P<0.05). At water temperatures above $2-8^{\circ}C$, no significant differences were shown during the same period. After it reached 6, 8, 10, 12, and $20^{\circ}C$, the muscle had an accumulation of lactate, and a loss of ATP. There was no change in the lactate or ATP content during the feed restriction period at 2 and $4^{\circ}C$, although there were differences among the water temperature groups. These results clearly show that temperature can have an important influence on the of muscle of physiochemical characteristics of muscle during live fish transportation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1545-1549
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• 2003

Broiler chickens were subjected to (i) pre-treatment for 24 h with 1,200 ppm L-ascorbic acid in their drinking water on day 42 (AA), (ii) 60% feed restriction on days 4, 5 and 6 (FR), (iii) combination of AA and FR (AAFR), or (iv) neither treatment (control). On day 43, the birds were crated and transported in an open truck for either 60 min or 120 min. Heterophil/lymphocyte ratios (HLR) were determined prior to ($T_0$) and 20 h following the 60 min ($T_60$) and 120 min ($T_120$) journeys. Prior to transportation, all treatment groups had similar HLR. Following $T_60$, the AAFR chicks had smaller increase in HLR than their control, AA and FR counterparts. The AA, FR and AAFR birds exhibited lower HLR than controls following $T_120$. The means HLR of AA, FR and AAFR did not differ significantly. Irrespective of journey time, AA and AAFR birds had shorter tonic immobility duration than their FR and control counterparts. The tonic immobility duration of all birds increased with journey duration.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.152-158
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• 2019

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of water restriction (WR) on physiological and blood parameters in lactating dairy cows reared under Mediterranean climate. Methods: The trial lasted 16 days preceded by two weeks of adaptation to the experimental condition in spring 2014 on 6 dairy cows in mid-lactation. These cows were allowed water ad libitum for 4 days (W100) (hydration period), then split into 2 groups, one group has received 25% and the other 50% of water compared to their mean water consumption during the hydration period; then rehydrated for 4 days. Feed intake and physiological parameters: respiratory rate (RR), heart rate (HR), and rectal temperature (RT) were recorded twice a day. Blood was collected once a day and analyzed for serum concentration of glucose (Glc), triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (Chol), urea (Ur), creatinine (Crea), and total protein (TP) by enzymatic colorimetric method and cortisol (Cort) by radioimmunoassay. Results: Total dry matter intake (TDMI) was affected by WR. A decrease in TDMI was observed in WR groups compared to W100 group (effect, group, period, day, $group{\times}day$, $period{\times}day$: p<0.001). Also, WR resulted in a significant increase in RR, HR, RT in WR groups than in W100 group (effect, group: p<0.001). In addition, an increase in the serum concentration of Glc, TG, Chol, Ur, Crea, TP, and Cort was noted in WR groups (effect, group, period, day: p<0.001). Conclusion: This study has shown the ability of cows raised in a Mediterranean climate to cope with different levels of WR and thus reach a new equilibrium. As result, elucidates the important role of water as a limiting factor for livestock in environments with low water availability.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.217-223
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• 2019

Objective: An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of feed intake restriction during late pregnancy on the function, anti-oxidation capability and acute phase protein synthesis of ovine liver. Methods: Eighteen time-mated ewes with singleton fetuses were allocated to three groups: restricted group 1 (RG1, 0.18 MJ ME/kg $W^{0.75}$ d, n = 6), restricted group 2 (RG2, 0.33 MJ ME/kg $W^{0.75}$ d), n = 6) and a control group (CG, ad libitum, 0.67 MJ ME/kg $W^{0.75}$ d, n = 6). The feed restriction period was from 90 days to 140 days of pregnancy. Results: The ewe's body weight, liver weights, water, and protein content of liver in the restricted groups were reduced compared with the CG group (p<0.05), but the liver fat contents in the RG1 group were higher than those of the CG group (p<0.05). The increased hepatic collagen fibers and reticular fibers were observed in the restricted groups with the reduction of energy intake. The concentrations of nonesterified free fatty acids in the RG1 and RG2 groups were higher than those of the CG group with the reduction of energy intake (p<0.05), but there were decreased concentrations of lipoprotein lipase and hepatic lipase in both restricted groups compared with the CG group (p<0.05). In addition, the increased concentrations of ${\beta}$-hydroxybutyric acid, triglycerides, malondialdehyde, total antioxidant capacity and activities of superoxide dismutase activity and catalase were found in the RG1 group, and the concentrations of cholinesterase in the RG1 group were reduced compared with the CG group (p<0.05). For the concentrations of acute phase proteins, the C-reactive protein (CRP) in the RG1 group were reduced compared with the CG group, but there were no differences in haptoglobin relative to the controls (p>0.05). Conclusion: The fat accumulation, increased hepatic fibrosis, antioxidant imbalance and modified synthesis of acute phase proteins were induced in ewe's liver by maternal malnutrition during late pregnancy, which were detrimental for liver function to accommodate pregnancy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1009-1014
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• 2012

Environmental stress boosts the levels of stress hormones and accelerates energy expenditure which subsequently imbalance the body's homeostasis. L-ascorbic acid (L-AA) has been recognized to mitigate the negative impact of environmental stress on production performances in birds. The present investigation was carried out to elucidate the effect of different dietary levels of L-AA on production performance, egg quality traits and fertility in Japanese quail at low ambient temperature. Sixty matured females (15 wks) were equally divided into three groups (20/group) based on the different dietary levels of L-AA (0, 250 and 500 ppm) and coupled with an equal number of males (1:1) obtained from the same hatch. They were managed in uniform husbandry conditions without restriction of feed and water at 14 h photo-schedule. Except for feed efficiency, body weight change, feed consumption and hen-day egg production were recorded highest in 500 ppm L-AA supplemented groups. Among the all egg quality traits studied, only specific gravity, shell weight and thickness differed significantly (p<0.05) in the present study. Fertility was improved significantly ($p{\leq}0.01$) to a dose dependent manner of L-AA. The findings of the present study concluded that dietary L-AA can be a caring management practice at least in part to alleviate the adverse effect of cold induced stress on production performance in Japanese quail.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.655-658
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• 2004

Heat stress is known to affect physiological systems in goats. This study investigated changes in nutrient digestibility, behavior and growth hormone secretion among goats in a hot environment (H; 35${\pm}$ 1.2$^{\circ}C$, [RH] 80${\pm}$7.2%, 13 d), and in a thermoneutral environment (T; 20${\pm}$0.6$^{\circ}C$, [RH] 80${\pm}$3.4%, 20 d), and accompanied by the same restricted diet as provided in the hot environment. The following results were obtained: rectal temperature and water intake were higher in the H treatment than in the T treatment or TR treatment, while hay consumption was lower. CP, NDF and ADF digestibility was highest in H treatment. Time spent eating in the H treatment was also the highest, followed in order by T treatment and TR treatment. Ruminating time was lower in H treatment than in T treatment or TR treatment, and reposing time was highest in the TR treatment. Growth hormone concentrations in T increased 4.5 h after feeding. In H, growth hormone concentrations increased 0.5 h after feeding. However, growth hormone concentrations were not changed following TR feeding. In conclusion, heat exposure in goats decreased feed intake, but increased digestibility. However, when goats in a thermoneutral environment received the same restricted feeding as they received in the hot environment, digestibility increased. Between the H treatment and TR treatment, the changes in digestibility were accomplished by coordinate changes in hormone secretion in order to maintain body homeostasis. To maintain energy balance under a hot temperature or a restricted feeding condition, goats may control their metabolism by changing growth hormone release.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.12
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• pp.1727-1734
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• 2005

The fermentation characteristics and mono- and di-saccharides compositions during the early stage of ensiling were studied with a temperate grass, Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and a tropical grass, guineagrass (Panicum maximum Jacq.). The laboratory silos were kept in the room set at 25$^{\circ}C$, and then were opened on 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 days (14 days in Italian ryegrass) after ensiling, respectively. The Italian ryegrass silage showed a fast and large pH decrease caused by a fast and large production of lactic acid during the first 5 days of ensiling and succeeded to achieve lactic acid type fermentation; high lactic acid/acetic acid and lactic acid content at the end of ensiling (14 days), low values of pH (3.74), acetic acid, ethanol and ammonia-N/total nitrogen, none or only small amounts of Butyric acid, valeric acid and propionic acid. The guineagrass silage showed a slow decrease in pH and a slow increase in lactic acid content during the full ensiling period, causing a high final pH value, low contents of lactic acid, acetic acid, total volatile fatty acids and total organic acids. In Italian ryegrass silage, mono- and di-saccharides compositions decreased largely within the initial 0.5 day (12 h) of ensiling. Sucrose disappeared rapidly within the initial 0.5 day of ensiling, but fructose and glucose contents showed an initial rise by the activity of enzymes in plant tissues, and then decreased gradually. On the other hand, the contents of monoand di-saccharides in guineagrass showed the largest decreases due mainly to plant respiration within the initial 0.5 day of ensiling, and no initial rises in fructose and glucose contents during the early stage of ensiling because of the absence of fructans which are hydrolyzed into fructose and glucose in temperate grasses. In both silages, the rate of reduction in mono- and di-saccharides compositions within the initial 5 days of ensiling was ranked in the order of glucose>fructose>sucrose, suggesting that glucose and fructose might be more favorably utilized than sucrose by microorganisms and glucose is the first fermentation substrate. It was concluded that the silage made from Italian ryegrass with high moisture content had a good fermentation quality owing to the dominance of lactic acid bacteria and active lactic acid fermentation during the initial stage of ensiling. These results can be explained by rapid plant sap liberation and the high activity of plant enzyme hydrolyzed fructans into fructose and glucose within the initial 2 days of ensiling, which stimulate the homofermentative lactic acid bacteria growth. In ensiling a temperate grass, the physical characteristics may ensure the rapid onset of fermentation phase, which results from the smaller losses of water-soluble carbohydrates during the initial stage of ensiling and providing sufficient water-soluble carbohydrates for lactic acid bacteria. The silage made from guineagrass with intermediate dry matter and high initial mono- and di-saccharides content was stable silage. This could be explained by the higher incorporation of air during the very early stage of ensiling and the restriction of cell breakdown and juice release due to the properties of a tropical grass with coarse porosity and stemmy structures. These physical characteristics delayed the onset of lactic acid bacteria fermentation phase by extending the phases of respiration and aerobic microorganisms activity, causing the higher loss of water-soluble carbohydrates and the shortage of lactic acid bacteria fermentation substrates.