• Journal of Animal Environmental Science
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.61-80
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• 2010

Poultry welfare has recently appeared as worldwide concern as well as Korea. The recent action plan for farm animal welfare introduced by the European Commission intends to expand the body of regulatory standards. In this context, many countries and/or organization are on the verge of establishing the most optimum poultry welfare standards. To establish the most optimum standards, comparative analysis of feeding regimen before and after welfare-bestowed environment need to be preceded. Most guidelines or standards for poultry welfare do not suggest the nutritional requirements and feeding system in detail, although it is deterimental especially for the farmer. This review intends to find scientific base to establish detailed welfare feeding guidelines. However, only limited research has been conducted in the view of actual poultry welfare. The results indicated the incidence of SDS, ascites, skeletal dysfunctions caused by fast growth rate in broiler, feather pecking and cannibalism in laying hen, and feed restriction in broiler breeder could be reduced by changing nutritional regimen and feeding strategies or both. The regimen and feeding strategies are certainly near to the direction that the poultry welfare ought to be in the right track. In this article, feeding and drinking guidelines in many standards as well as welfare feeding experiments have been reviewed and compared In the view of chicken productivity, welfare physiology and poultry health.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2013

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of the black soldier fly (bsf) larvae on growth performance, carcass rate, and fatty acid profile of chicken meat in broiler chicks. Four hundred eighty 1-d-old broilers (Ross 308) were distributed into 3 treatments with 4 pens at 30 birds per replicate. Treatments were corn-soybean meal based broiler diet (control) and the basal diet replaced with bsf at the level of 3 and 6% respectively. Viability was not different significantly. Body weight gain was higher in control than other treatments. Feed intake was not statistically different of treatments. Feed conversion ratio was lower in control than other treatments. Relative weight of breast meat was significantly increased in all treated groups than in control. But, another relative weights of chicken meat cuts (thigh, wing, neck, back) were not significantly different among the groups. In conclusion, it could be suggested that dietary supplementation of black soldier flylarvae could beneficially improved the performance on broiler.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.36 no.9
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• pp.1393-1402
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• 2023

Objective: In this study effects of three types of beddings on broiler leg health and bone biomechanics were evaluated. Methods: A total of 504 male chicks (Ross 308) were randomly placed on three beddings (4 replicates/group; 42 birds/pen), zeolite-added litter (ZL), plastic-grid flooring (PF), and wood shavings (WS). On day 42, chickens were weighed, slaughtered, and samples (bone, muscle, and drumstick) were collected. Bones were subjected to leg health tests, morphometric measurements, biomechanical testing, and ash analysis. Results: Broilers in PF and WS groups showed higher live weight than the ZL group (p<0.001), and the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) and varus valgus deformity due to distal bending was significantly higher in PF (p<0.001). Multinomial logistic regression showed that bedding has a significant (p = 0.038) contribution toward the development of TD. Tibial strength (p = 0.040), drumstick width (p = 0.001), and total femur and epiphyseal ash contents (p = 0.044, 0.016) were higher in the ZL group. Chicken live weight was correlated with tibial length and weight (r = 0.762, 0.725). Conclusion: Flooring and the type of bedding material directly affect broiler bone length, strength and leg health. Plastic bedding improves the slaughter weight of chickens on the expense of leg deformities, and zeolite litter improves leg health and bone strength.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.269-271
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• 2012

The chicken has been growing in Korea for more than a thousand years according to the history book and commercially rising for broiler meat only since 1960's. As income increased mainly due to improved economy, it changes the habit of eating especially chicken meat. The structure changes into a coordinated production and marketing system which forced the prevailed small and independent producers to become a contract farmer under the vertically controlled practices. This coordinated structure began in 1970's and evolved continually to occupy around 90 percent of the market in 2010 with some ten (10) private brands being advertising. The industrial organizations have also conducted the generic promotion by a farmer's check-off program. Over the past 20 years, chicken import steadily increased to meet about 25 percent of the domestic market while the export showed negligible growth. As a whole, the structure change and international trade devoted to increased chicken consumption from 2 kg with the independent operation to 11 kg currently under the coordinated system and import. It is predicted that chicken consumption will grow in years to come and the import will also increase in addition to local productions, considering the free trade agreement that has already been in practice with EU and US to open the market eventually from all sources of supply worldwide.

• Journal of the Korean Applied Science and Technology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.807-817
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• 2017

The present study was undertaken to investigate the effect of fermented earthworm cast feed prepared by using three probiotic mixture with Bacillus subtilis strain on meat quality and growth performance of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-day-old broiler chickens were randomly assigned to four treatments: 1) control, 2) 0.2% commercial product contain strain of Lactobacillus fermentum (CP), 3) 0.3% fermented earthworm cast feed (FECF3); and 4) 0.5% fermented earthworm cast feed (FECF5). Mean body weight gain, thymus, spleen, and F-bursal weight of birds fed with FECF were higher than those of birds fed with control or CP. Serum IgG levels were higher in birds fed with FECF than those in birds fed with CP or control. Cecal Lactobacillus counts were higher whereas Escherichia, Salmonella, Coliform bacteria, and total aerobic bacteria counts were lower in FECF groups than those in CP or control group. Water holding capacities in FECF groups were higher than those in CP or control group. Ratios of n-6/n-3 in chicken meat were lower in FECF groups compared to those in CP or control group.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.145-153
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• 1995

The root powder of Angelicae gigantis Radix (RPAGR) is known to he beneficial for liver and blood circulation. In a 6-wk broiler feeding trial, the RPAGR was added at levels of 0, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0%, respectively. The RPAGR was found to be palatable as birds consumed moreof the test diets than the control(0% RPAGR) diet. The BW gain of 1.0% RPAGR group was higher than the control group. The feed efficiency(F/G) was improved significantly(P<0.01) by feeding 1.0% RPAGR. The RPAGR also caused beneficial effects in various carcass characteristics, i.e., carcass weight, dressing percentage, breast muscle, and thigh meat production. There was no consistent trend in various organ weights by the addition of RPAGR. Also, no consistent trend was found in abdominal fat weight. The serum cholesterol level tended to decrease as the BW increased. No consistent trend was detected in serum triglyceride contents.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.752-762
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• 2022

Objective: Microencapsulation is a technique to improve stability, bioavailability, and controlled release of active ingredients at a target site. This experiment aimed to investigate the effects of microencapsulated basil oil (MBO) on growth performance, apparent ileal digestibility (AID), jejunal histomorphology, bacterial population as well as antioxidant capacity of broiler chickens in a tropical climate. Methods: A total of 288 one-day-old female broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 4 groups (6 replicates of 12 birds), based on a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments were as follows: i) basal diet (NC), ii) basal diet with avilamycin at 10 ppm (PC), iii) basal diet with free basil oil (FBO) at 500 ppm, and iv) basal diet with MBO at 500 ppm, respectively. Results: Dietary supplementation of MBO improved average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio of broilers throughout the 42-d trial period (p<0.05), whereas MBO did not affect average daily feed intake compared with NC group. The broilers fed MBO diet exhibited a greater AID of crude protein and gross energy compared with those in other groups (p<0.05). Lactobacillus spp. and Escherichia coli populations were not affected by feeding dietary treatments. Both FBO and MBO had positive effects on jejunal villus height (VH), villus height to crypt depth ratio (VH:CD) and villus surface area of broilers compared to NC and PC groups (p<0.05). Superoxide dismutase level in the duodenal mucosa of MBO group was significantly increased (p<0.01), whereas malondialdehyde level was significantly decreased (p<0.01). Conclusion: Microencapsulation could be considered as a promising driver of the basil oil efficiency, consequently MBO at 500 ppm could be potentially used as a feed additive for improvement of intestinal integrity and nutrient utilization, leading to better performance of broiler chickens.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.662-669
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• 2011

An experiment was conducted with broiler (Cobb 400) male chicks (n = 480) to determine the effect of betaine (Bet) supplementation (0 and 800 mg/kg) to diets containing five concentrations (15, 18, 20, 22 and 24 g/kg crude protein, CP) of methionine (Met) in a $2{\times}5$ factorial study for performance, carcass traits, immune responses, and serum parameters. Each diet was fed ad libitum from 1 to 42 d of age to 8 replicates of 6 chicks. Birds were housed in battery brooders placed in an open-sided poultry shed. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and slaughter variables were recorded at 21 and 42 d of age. Serum biochemical profile, antibody production against Newcastle disease (ND) and lymphocyte proliferation ratio (LPR) were analysed at 42 d of age. Supplementing Bet to diets containing sub-optimal concentrations of Met (15 g/kg) improved weight gain and breast yield at 21 d of age (p<0.01), and feed conversion efficiency at 42 d of age (p<0.05). Feed efficiency at 21 d of age, body weight gain at 42 d of age, slaughter variables except breast yield at 21 d of age and ND antibody titres were not affected (p>0.05) by the interaction. LPR increased (p<0.05) with Bet supplementation at 20 g Met/kg CP equal to those broilers fed 24 g Met without Bet. Bet supplementation enhanced the concentrations of protein, globulin and cholesterol in serum of broilers fed sub-optimal concentrations of Met. Results suggested that Bet supplementation (800 mg/kg diet) enhanced growth (21 d), feed conversion efficiency (42 d), breast yield and lymphocyte proliferation in broilers fed a diet containing 15 g Met/kg CP.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.1317-1326
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• 2015

This study investigated the metabolizable energy (ME) intake, net energy of production (NEp), heat production (HP), efficiencies of ME use for energy, lipid and protein retention as well as the performance of broiler chickens fed diets based on cassava chips or pellets with or without supplementation with an enzyme product containing xylanase, amylase, protease and phytase. The two products, cassava chips and pellets, were analysed for nutrient composition prior to feed formulation. The cassava chips and pellets contained 2.2% and 2.1% crude protein; 1.2% and 1.5% crude fat; and 75.1% and 67.8% starch, respectively. Lysine and methionine were 0.077%, 0.075%, and 0.017%, 0.020% protein material, respectively, while calculated ME was 12.6 and 11.7 MJ/kg, respectively. Feed intake to day 21 was lower (p<0.01) on the diet containing cassava chips compared to diets with cassava pellets. Enzyme supplementation increased (p<0.01) feed intake on all diets. Live weight at day 21 was significantly (p<0.01) reduced on the diet based on cassava chips compared to pellets, but an improvement (p<0.01) was noticed with the enzyme supplementation. Metabolizable energy intake was reduced (p<0.01) by both cassava chips and pellets, but was increased (p<0.01) on all diets by enzyme supplementation. The NEp was higher (p<0.01) in the maize-based diets than the diets containing cassava. Enzyme supplementation improved (p<0.01) NEp in all the diets. Heat production was highest (p<0.01) on diets containing cassava pellets than on cassava chips. It is possible to use cassava pellets in diets for broiler chickens at a level close to 50% of the diet to reduce cost of production, and the nutritive value of such diets can be improved through supplementation of enzyme products containing carbohydrases, protease, and phytase.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.1113-1125
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• 2020

Objective: This study was investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of Antrodia cinnamomea fermented product on modulation of antioxidation, anti-inflammation, and lipid metabolism in broilers. Methods: Functional compounds and in vitro antioxidant capacity were detected in wheat bran (WB) solid-state fermented by Antrodia cinnamomea for 16 days (FAC). In animal experiment, 400 d-old broiler chickens were allotted into 5 groups fed control diet, and control diet replaced with 5% WB, 10% WB, 5% FAC, and 10% FAC respectively. Growth performance, intestinal microflora, serum antioxidant enzymes and fatty acid profiles in pectoral superficial muscle were measured. Results: Pretreatment with hot water extracted fermented product significantly reduced chicken peripheral blood mononuclear cells death induced by lipopolysaccharide and 2,2'-Azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride. Birds received 5% and 10% FAC had higher weight gain than WB groups. Cecal coliform and lactic acid bacteria were diminished and increased respectively while diet replaced with FAC. For FAC supplemented groups, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased at 35 days only, with catalase elevated at 21 and 35 day. Regarding serum lipid parameters, 10% FAC replacement significantly reduced triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein level in chickens. For fatty acid composition in pectoral superficial muscle of 35-d-old chickens, 5% and 10% FAC inclusion had birds with significantly lower saturated fatty acids as compared with 10% WB group. Birds on the 5% FAC diet had a higher degree of unsaturation, followed by 10% FAC, control, 5% WB, and 10% WB. Conclusion: In conclusion, desirable intestinal microflora in chickens obtaining FAC may be attributed to the functional metabolites detected in final fermented product. Moreover, antioxidant effects observed in FAC were plausibly exerted in terms of improved antioxidant enzymes activities, increased unsaturated degree of fatty acids in chicken muscle and better weight gain in FAC inclusion groups, indicating that FAC possesses promising favorable mechanisms worthy to be developed.