• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.227-233
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of chromium (Cr) on the growth performance, bone trait, serum traits, and immune responses in broilers. The broilers were fed corn-soybean meal basal diet supplemented with Cr at level of 0(control), 200, 400, or 800 ppb in the form of chromium picolinate (CrPic). The broilers were fed treated diets for 6 weeks in Exp. 1, but the Cr supplement was removed for the last 3 weeks in Exp. 2. Exp. 1 showed that dietary supplement of Cr did not affect growth performance of the broiler, though improved feed efficiency (p<0.05) was observed during 0 to 3 weeks. Moreover, serum total (p<0.05) and HDL cholesterols (p<0.06) were significantly higher in pooled Cr added group at 6 weeks of age, however, the difference was not significant in Exp. 2. The pooled Cr added group in Exp.1 had significantly lower (p<0.05) alkaline phosphatase activity and higher (p<0.09) calcium at 3 weeks. Significantly lower phosphorus was also observed in Exp. 2. With continued supplement of Cr as in Exp. 1, the alkaline phosphatase activity maintained higher at 6 weeks, as opposed to significantly lower in Exp. 2, which had no further Cr supplement. Higher bone breaking strength was observed in 400 ppb Cr supplemented in Exp. 1, though not significantly different. Serum glucose and triglyceride were not affected by Cr supplement. Antibody against Infectious Bronchitis (IB) was significantly (p<0.05) higher with 400 ppb Cr supplemented, and anti-Newcastle disease (ND) antibody also tended to be higher (p<0.06) in pooled Cr added group at 6 weeks of age in Exp. 1. Peripheral blood blastogenesis activity was not different among the treatments. The results suggest that diet supplemented with 400 ppb CrPic may be beneficial to the broiler.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.11
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• pp.1623-1628
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• 2011

The effects of dietary lysine (Lys) at a fixed ratio to crude protein (CP) and essential amino acids (EAA) on early growth response of broilers were studied. Four diets were formulated to contain similar metabolizable energy (ME, 2,950 kcal/kg) but contained graded levels of incremental Lys (1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4%) while also increasing the dietary CP and EAA (methionine, methionine+ cystine, threonine and tryptophan) to maintain a constant ratio with Lys. Each diet was fed at random to 10 replicates of 6 chicks each throughout the experimental period (1-21 d). At the lowest concentration of Lys of 1.1% (19.04% CP), body weight gain (BWG) was lowest and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was poorest. The BWG increased and FCR decreased linearly as dietary Lys increased upto 1.3% (22.5% CP). Lowest feed consumption was observed in the dietary group that contained 1.1% Lys (19.04% CP) in the diet. Increasing the concentration of Lys to 1.2% (20.77% CP), significantly increased the feed consumption. The concentrations of protein, calcium, phosphorus and cholesterol in serum were not influenced by the variation in Lys contents in the diet. The humoral immune response as measured by antibody titre in response to SRBC inoculation was significantly lower in the diets containing 1.1% Lys compared to 1.4%. It is concluded that the Lys requirement of broilers is 1.3% (22.5% CP) during 0 to 21 days of age for eliciting optimum performance when a fixed ratio of Lys to CP (1:17.31) and essential AA is maintained (1:0.47 Met; 1:0.56 Thr; 1:0.17 Try).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.899-904
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• 2018

Objective: This experiment studied the effects of first feed intake time post-hatch on growth performance, nutrient apparent metabolic rate and intestinal digestive enzyme activities in broilers. Methods: Two thousand five hundred and twenty LingNan Yellow broilers were randomly allotted to seven treatments with six replicates of 60 each. The only experimental factor was the first feed intake time which was 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 48, and 54 hours after hatching. The whole experiment lasted for 21 days. Results: During the whole period, the 30 h treatment had the best body weight and average daily gain (p<0.05), followed by the 24 h group performance optimization. Also, the 30 h group was observed to have the best apparent metabolic rate for ether extract (p<0.05) and crude protein (p<0.05) and the highest activities of amylase, lipase and trypsin in small intestine. And the 24 h group was second only to the 30 h group in terms of the above two measures. Conclusion: These results indicated that the appropriate first feeding time of LingNan Yellow broilers was 24 to 30 hours after hatching.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.9
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• pp.1303-1313
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• 2017

Objective: This study evaluated the change and function of the pancreas, and small intestine in relation to growth performance of broilers on diets supplemented with raw soybean meal (RSBM) and protease. Samples of test ingredients and diets, after mixing and prior to being used were also assessed on contents of anti-nutritional factors. Methods: A $3{\times}3$ factorial study was used, with three levels of RSBM (commercial soybean meal [SBM] was replaced by RSBM at 0, 10%, or 20%) and protease (0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 g/kg). Each treatment was replicated six times with nine birds per replicate. Birds were housed in cages, in climate-controlled room and fed starter, grower and finisher diets. Results: Levels of trypsin inhibitors in the diets, containing varying levels of RSBM ranged between 1,730.5 and 9,913.2 trypsin inhibitor units/g DM. Neither RSBM nor protease supplementation in diets significantly affected (p>0.05) the body weight of broilers in the entire periods (0 to 35-d). Increasing the level of RSBM in diets increased the weight of the pancreas at d 10 (p<0.000), d 24 (p<0.001), and d 35 (p<0.05). Increasing levels of RSBM in the diets reduced the apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein (CP), and amino acid (AA) at d 24. Increasing level of RSBM in the diets decreased (p<0.01) pancreatic protein content, but this was increased (p<0.05) when protease was added to the diets (0 to 10-d). Increasing the level of protease improved the pancreatic digestive enzymes, including trypsin (p<0.05), chymotrypsin (p<0.01), and general proteolytic enzymes (p<0.05). Conclusion: The commercial SBM could be replaced at up to 20% by RSBM for broilers. Although protease supplementation slightly improved the digestive enzymes, and the ileal digestibilities of CP and AA, the CP and AA were negatively affected by increasing RSBM.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.42-48
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• 1999

Three experiments were conducted to develop and test equations for predicting carcass composition. In the first study using 52 d-old Cobb ${\times}$ Cobb male broilers, twenty four carcasses were selected from 325 processed birds based upon visual appraisal for abdominal fat (low, medium, high) and assayed for specific gravity (SG), dry matter (DM), fat, protein, and ash. In experiment 2, 120 birds were fed rations containing 2 caloric densities (2,880 and $3,200kcal\;ME_n/kg$ diet) and assayed as described above on weeks 2,3,4,5, and 6. Carcass fat was elevated (p < 0.05) with increased caloric density. In both studies predictive variables were significantly correlated with chemically determined carcass fat, protein, and ash contents. Pooled across the 2 studies, data were used to form SG, DM, and or age based equations for predicting carcass composition. Results were tested in experiment 3, where 576 birds reared to 49-d consumed either 2,880, 3,200, or $3,574kcal\;ME_n/kg$ diet while exposed to constant $24^{\circ}C$ or cycling 24 to $35^{\circ}C$ ambient temperatures. Both dietary and environmental effects impacted (p < 0.05) carcass composition. The fat content analyzed chemically was enhanced from 12.4 to 15.7%, and predicted fat was also elevated from 13.4 to 14.8% with increasing caloric density. Heat distress reduced (p < 0.05) analyzed carcass protein (18.9 vs 18.3%) and predicted protein (18.2 vs 17.5%). Predicted equation values for carcass fat, protein, ash, and energy were correlated with the chemically analyzed values at r=0.96, 0.77, 0.86, and 0.79, respectively. Results suggest that prediction equations based on DM and SG may be used to estimate carcass fat, protein, ash, and energy contents of broilers consuming diets that differ in caloric density (2,800 to $3,574kcal\;ME_n/kg$) and for broilers exposed to either constant ($24^{\circ}C$) or cycling high (24 to $35^{\circ}C$) ambient temperatures during 49-d rearing period tested in the present study.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.411-418
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• 2018

A total of 576 seven-day-old male Ross 308 broilers with an average initial BW of $180{\pm}1g$ were used in a 4 week feeding experiment which included a starter phase (7 to 21 d) and a grower phase (22 to 35 d). Birds were randomly allocated into 1 of 3 treatments with 12 replicates per treatment and 16 birds per pen. The treatments consisted of the following: T1, Control; T2, T1 + 0.1% Creamer (Dongsuh Foods Corporation, Incheon, Korea), and T3, T1 + 0.5% Creamer. The broilers were weighed by pen and feed intake (FI) and the number of living broiler chickens were recorded on d 7, 21, and 35. These information were used to calculate the body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR). As results of this experiment, there were no significant differences in the BWG, FCR and nutrient digestibility among the treatments. With regards to meat quality, no adverse effects were observed among the treatments. However, a higher score in redness was observed in T3 than in T1. In addition, the relative weight of breast muscle was reduced in T3 compared with T1. Regardless of the nondairy creamer (NDC) inclusion levels, no negative effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility were observed. In conclusion, non-dairy creamer could be a kind of fat sources additive in broiler diets, further studies are needed to test the optimum levels of the NDC to be supplemented in broilers diet.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.223-230
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• 2015

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary coconut oil as a medium-chain fatty acid (MCFA) source on performance, carcass composition and serum lipids in male broilers. A total of 540, one-day-old, male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatments with each treatment being applied to 6 replicates of 18 chicks. The basal diet (i.e., R0) was based on corn and soybean meal and was supplemented with 1.5% soybean oil during the starter phase (d 0 to 21) and 3.0% soybean oil during the grower phase (d 22 to 42). Four experimental diets were formulated by replacing 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of the soybean oil with coconut oil (i.e., R25, R50, R75, and R100). Soybean oil and coconut oil were used as sources of long-chain fatty acid and MCFA, respectively. The feeding trial showed that dietary coconut oil had no effect on weight gain, feed intake or feed conversion. On d 42, serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein/high-density lipoprotein cholesterol were linearly decreased as the coconut oil level increased (p<0.01). Lipoprotein lipase, hepatic lipase, and total lipase activities were linearly increased as the coconut oil level increased (p<0.01). Abdominal fat weight/eviscerated weight (p = 0.05), intermuscular fat width (p<0.01) and subcutaneous fat thickness (p<0.01) showed a significant quadratic relationship, with the lowest value at R75. These results indicated that replacement of 75% of the soybean oil in diets with coconut oil is the optimum level to reduce fat deposition and favorably affect lipid profiles without impairing performance in broilers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1194-1201
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• 2015

This study investigated the effect of oxidized soybean oil in the diet of young chickens on growth performance and intestinal oxidative stress, and indices of intestinal immune function. Corn-soybean-based diets containing 2% mixtures of fresh and oxidized soybean oil provided 6 levels (0.15, 1.01, 3.14, 4.95, 7.05, and $8.97meqO_2/kg$) of peroxide value (POV) in the diets. Each dietary treatment, fed for 22 d, had 6 replicates, each containing 30 birds (n = 1,080). Increasing POV levels reduced average daily feed intake (ADFI) of the broilers during d 1 to 10, body weight and average daily gain at d 22 but did not affect overall ADFI. Concentrations of malondialdehyde (MDA) increased in plasma and jejunum as POV increased but total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC) declined in plasma and jejunum. Catalase (CAT) activity declined in plasma and jejunum as did plasma glutathione S-transferase (GST). Effects were apparent at POV exceeding $3.14meqO_2/kg$ for early ADFI and MDA in jejunum, and POV exceeding $1.01meqO_2/kg$ for CAT in plasma and jejunum, GST in plasma and T-AOC in jejunum. Relative jejunal abundance of nuclear factor kappa B ($NF-{\kappa}B$) P50 and $NF-{\kappa}B$ P65 increased as dietary POV increased. Increasing POV levels reduced the jejunal concentrations of secretory immunoglobulin A and cluster of differentiation (CD) 4 and CD8 molecules with differences from controls apparent at dietary POV of 3.14 to $4.95meqO_2/kg$. These findings indicated that growth performance, feed intake, and the local immune system of the small intestine were compromised by oxidative stress when young broilers were fed moderately oxidized soybean oil.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.92-97
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• 2012

The trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of sea buckthorn leaves (SBL) on meat flavor in broilers during heat stress. A total 360 one-day-old Arbor Acre (AA) broilers (male) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 6 replicates pens pretreatment and 15 birds per pen. The control group was fed a basal diet, the experimental group I, II and III were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.25%, 0.5%, 1% SBL, respectively. During the 4th week, broilers were exposed to heat stress conditions ($36{\pm}2^{\circ}C$), after which, muscle and liver samples were collected. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was performed to measure the content of inosine monophosphate (IMP); Real-Time PCR was performed to determine the expression of the ADSL gene. The results showed that the content of breast muscle IMP of group I, II and III was significantly increased 68%, 102% and 103% (p<0.01) compared with the control, respectively; the content of thigh muscle IMP of group II and III was significantly increased 56% and 58% (p<0.01), respectively. Additionally, ADSL mRNA expression in group I, II and III was increased significantly 80%, 65% and 49% (p<0.01) compared with the control, respectively. The content of IMP and expression of ADSL mRNA were increased by basal diet supplemented with SBL, therefore, the decrease of meat flavor caused by heat stress was relieved.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.465-479
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• 2020

Objective: This study performed a meta-analysis of published trials to determine the effects of zinc on the immune response and production performance of broilers. Methods: A database was built from published literature regarding the addition of zinc forms or doses and their relation to the immune response and production performance of broilers. Different doses or forms of zinc were identified in the database. The recorded parameters were related to the immune response and production performance. The database contained a total of 323 data points from 41 studies that met the criteria. Then, the data were processed for a meta-analysis using a mixed model methodology. The doses or different forms of zinc were considered fixed effects, different studies were treated as random effects, and p-values were used as the model statistics. Results: An increase in zinc dose increased (p<0.05) pancreas metallothionein (MT) and zinc concentrations in the plasma, tibia and meat, all in quadratic patterns, but linearly decreased (p<0.05) the heterophil/lymphocyte (H/L) ratio. Regarding the different zinc forms, both inorganic and organic zinc increased (p<0.05) the zinc concentrations in the plasma and tibia, the calcium and phosphorus contents in the tibia, and the antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase in meat as compared to control. An increase in zinc dose increased average daily gain (ADG) and decreased feed conversion ratio (FCR) following a quadratic pattern (p<0.05). Inorganic and organic zinc decreased (p<0.05) FCR and H/L ratio than that of control, but these two forms were similar for these parameters. Conclusion: Zinc addition has a positive impact on immunity and broiler production. Zinc can suppress stress and inhibit the occurrence of lipid peroxidation in broilers, and it can also improve ADG, FCR, and the quality of broiler carcasses.