• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.1062-1068
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• 2019

Objective: For many generations, most species of farm animals have been subjected to intense and strictly targeted selection for improvement of their performance traits. This has led to substantial changes in animal anatomy and physiology, which resulted in considerable differences between the current animal breeds and their wild ancestors. The aim of the study was to determine whether there is breed-specific variability in behaviour as well as differences in emotional reactivity and preferences of laying hens. Methods: The investigations involved 50 Green-legged Partridge, 50 Polbar, and 50 Leghorn hens. All birds were kept in the same conditions, and the behavioural tests were carried out at 30 weeks of age. We used the tonic immobility test and a modified open-field test including such objects as water, commercial feed, feed enriched with cereal grains, finely cut straw, and insect larvae, a sandpit, a mirror, and a shelter imitating a hen nest. Results: The research results demonstrate that the birds of the analysed breeds differ not only in the excitability and emotional reactivity but, importantly, also in the preferences for environment-enriching elements. Ensuring hens' well-being should therefore be based on environmental modifications that will facilitate acquisition of essential elements of chickens' behaviour. The greatest emotional reactivity was found in the Leghorn breed, which may be a result of correlated selection aimed at an increase in chicken productivity. Conclusion: The differences in the behaviour of the birds from the analysed breeds indicate that laying hens cannot be regarded as one group of animals with the same environmental requirements.

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.91-99
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• 2023

This study aimed to develop a high-productivity breed of Korean native Samgye chicken. We evaluated the production performance of six Korean native chicken combinations (KNC-SCYC, SCYD, SDYC, SDYD, SYYC, SYYD) and GSP-Hanhyup Korean native chickens, with Baeksemi chickens used as a control group. The performance test was conducted from hatching to 7 weeks of age on 756 chickens, and we measured survival rate, body weight, shank length, feed utility, and carcass yield. The overall survival rate was nearly 100% for all strains. However, body weight showed significant differences between strains at all ages (P<0.01), with Baeksemi weighing 863.8±76.9 g, GSP-Hanhyup weighing 804.7±72.5 g, and KNC-combinations weighing 543.0±61.8 g at 5 weeks of age. The duration needed to reach 850 g was estimated to be 34.5 days for Baeksemi, 37.5 days for GSP-Hanhyup, and 45.8-48.8 days for KNC-combinations. Carcass yield percentage was highest for KNC-SYYD combination at 63.3%, followed by Baeksemi at 60.4%, and GSP-Hanhyup at 56.1%. Shank length at 850 g body weight was 7.6 cm for KNC-SYYD combination, 7.8 cm for Baeksemi, and 8.0 cm for GSP-Hanhyup. The feed conversion ratio at 850 g body weight was 1.81 for Baeksemi, 2.17 for GSP-Hanhyup, and 2.27 for KNC-SCYC combination. Our results suggest that the KNC-SYYD combination and GSP-Hanhyup breed have the potential to be used in Samgye production due to their moderate growth performance, higher carcass yield, and shorter shank length, despite their lower growth productivity and feed efficiency when compared to Baeksemi.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Service
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.43-55
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• 2008

Recently, the major viral diseases, Newcastle disease (ND), infectious bronchitis (IB), low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI), avian pneumovirus infection (APV), Marek's disease (MD) and infectious bursal disease (IBD), have led to huge economic losses in chicken industry of Korea. To evaluate prevalence of the major viral disease infections in broiler breeder and broiler farms, epidemiological survey has been conducted in Jeonbuk province from 2005 to 2007 by serological ELISA test for APV, PCR for MD, and RT-PCR for ND, IB, LPAI and IBD, respectively. A total of 424 cases was submitted to our laboratory for diagnosis of the major viral disease from broiler breeder and broiler farms in the above period. The diagnosed results were analysed for the detection rate of infections on basis of years, seasons and ages, respectively. This study was showed that the detection rates of ND and APV were considerably high for every years regardless of seasons and ages in both broiler breeder and commercial broiler. In comparison with detection rates of ND and APV, IB and LPAI were lower but detected around 10% for every years. Especially, detection rate of IB was significantly high in commercial broiler than in broiler breeder. Therefore, to minimize economic losses for broiler breeder and broiler farms, it will need for effective countermeasures to decrease detection rate of the viral respiratory diseases. Although the detection rates of MD and IBD were gradually decreased from 2005 to 2007 in both broiler breeder and commercial broiler, it will continually make an effort about disease control for increasing productivity in chicken industry.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.391-398
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding probiotics(gene modified yeast) on the egg quality in laying hens. The laboratory method of this study is as follow: In hens, 300, 36 weeks old ISA brown commercial layer, were employed in 13weeks feeding trial with a 7 days adjustment period. Dietary treatments are 1) control (basal diet) 2) Y0.3 (basal diet+0.3% probiotics), 3) Y0.5% (basal diet+0.5% probiotics), 4) PY0.3% (basal diet+0.3% plasmid modified probiotics), 5) PY0.5% (basal diet+0.5% plasmid modified probiotics). For overall period, hen-day egg production, egg weight (p<0.05) by dietary probiotic supplementation were recorded. Eggs were collected and weighed every day. Egg production number and egg production rate, egg weight, failure egg ratio and trouble egg ratio were recorded for 13weeks days. Diets PY0.3 and PY0.5 improved Egg production rate, egg production number and egg weight, compared to control diet (linear effect. p<0.05). And, diets PY0.3 and PY0.5 improved Egg production rate, egg production number, compared to Y0.3 and Y0.5 (linear effect. p<0.05). But, in Inferior egg and cracked egg, diets PY0.3 and PY0.5 did not tended to increase by dietary probiotic supplementation compared to control diet and Y group (0.3, 0.5) (linear effect. p<0.05). The productivity enhance on the egg quality in laying hens is considered from the effects of feeding probiotics(gene modified yeast).

• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.331-338
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• 2011

The study was conducted to evaluate the production and the performance test of egg-type commercial Korean Native Chickens. A total of 360 female layers were produced from CY${\times}$C (A), CL${\times}$C (B), CG${\times}$C (C) and CW${\times}$C (D) crossbreds kept at National Institute of Animal Science, Korea, and breed during 20~64 weeks to investigate the productivity and the performance. Layers were divided into 4 crossbreds (6 replications/crossbred, 15 heads/replication). Age and egg weight at first egg was no significantly different among crossbreds. Body weight (BW) at first egg of D crossbred was significantly lower compared to that of other crossbreds (P<0.05). Weekly BW of B crossbred was the highest at 20, 30 and 40 weeks of age, but BW of D crossbred was the lowest among crossbreds. Feed intake (FI) of B crossbred was significantly higher compared to the other crossbreds at 20~24, 32~44 and 52~60 weeks of age. FI of D crossbred was significantly lower compared to other crossbreds after the age of 44 weeks (P<0.05). Average egg weight of B crossbred was significantly higher than the other crossbreds at the age of 24~60 weeks (P<0.05). Egg production ratio (%) of C crossbred was significantly higher compared to the other crossbreds for whole test periods (P<0.05). Hen-housed egg production number at 64 weeks of age for A, B, C and D crossbreds resulted in 241.4, 235.6, 232.3 and 227.0, respectively. Feed conversion ratio of A and C crossbreds was lower compared to the other crossbreds at the age of 20~24 weeks and C crossbred was the lowest among the crossbreds at the age of 60~64 weeks. These results provide the basic data which will be helpful to develope the new strains of commercial Korean Native Chickens.