Honey administration in laying pullets during hot-dry season does not alter lipids and vitamin A content of eggs

An experiment was carried out to determine the effect of honey on lipid profile and vitamin A content of eggs from laying pullets  during hot-dry season. One hundred and twenty laying pullets (aged 28 weeks) used were randomly assigned to 3 doses of honey: 0 (0H), 10 (10H) and 20ml honey  (20H) per litre water for 16 weeks. Each treatment group consists of 4 replicates with 10 birds per replicate. During a 16-week experimental period,  data on egg cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL and vitamin A were determined and subjected to one-way analysis of variance. Egg cholesterol, HDL, LDL, VLDL and vitamin A concentrations were not significantly (P>0.05) affected by dosage of honey in drinking water. Birds on 0H, 10H and 20H recorded 1163.8, 1154.7 and 1160.0 mg/dL respectively for egg cholesterol and 129.8, 151.0 and 123.3 IU vitamin A, respectively. In conclusion, administration of honey in drinking water of laying pullets to combat heat stress during hot-dry season may not affect egg lipids and vitamin A content. Keywords: anti-oxidants, fat, cholesterol, climate change, heat stres

Comparación de la termometría digital infrarroja y electrónica en pollos de engorde

Se utilizaron datos de la temperatura corporal (BT) obtenidos de 150 pollos de engorde no envejecidos de 28 d de edad para comparar la exactitud de los diferentes termómetros. Se utilizaron simultáneamente termómetros digitales electrónicos (ED) e infrarrojos (IR) para medir BT. La termometría de ED se realizó a través del recto (TEMPd) mientras que el termómetro IR se usó en la apertura del recto (TEMPiR), la frente (TEMPiH) y bajo las alas (TEMPiW). Los datos se sometieron a análisis de correlación de ANOVA y Pearson. Diagramas de dispersión se representaron para generar R2 para las relaciones entre las lecturas del termómetro. El tipo de termómetro tuvo un efecto significativo (P 0,001) a TEMPiW, pero el dúo fue significativamente mayor que TEMPiR y TEMPiH. TEMPiH no fue significativamente diferente de la de la apertura del recto. Existe correlación positiva entre TEMPd y TEMPiW (r = 0.327) mientras que la correlación entre TEMPd y TEMPiH es negativa (r = -0.250). TEMPiR no tuvo correlación significativa (P> 0,05) con TEMPd (r = 0,061). Regresión lineal de TEMPd con TEMPiR, TEMPiH y TEMPiW rindió R2 valores de 0,003, 0,062 y 0,106, respectivamente. Las desviaciones de TEMPd obtenidas fueron de 3,63, 3,79 y -0,12oC para TEMPiR, TEMPiH y TEMPiW, respectivamente. TEMPiR y TEMPiH en pollos de engorde no produjeron lecturas similares en comparación con los termómetros ED. La termometría con IR debajo de las alas dio una lectura más cercana con el termómetro ED. La precisión del termómetro IR en los pollos de engorde depende del punto en la superficie del cuerpo del que se toma la lectura. Las lecturas con IR debajo de las alas imitan la temperatura corporal central

Effects of method and length of storage on egg quality of giant african land snail (a. Marginata)

Seventy five giant African land snails were used to investigate the effect of method and length of storage on snail egg quality. Snail eggs were stored either in fridge (cold), in a container on a shelf (ambient) or in earthen pot (earthen) for 1, 2 3 and 4 weeks. Parameters measured were: external (egg length, egg weight, egg circum- ference, egg shape index, percentage egg weight loss, percentage egg volume loss) and internal (albumen weight, albumen height and egg pH). Storage method had no effect on external egg parameters measured but affected internal parameters (p<0.001). Length of storage had significant effect (p<0.01) on albumen height, and weight and volume percentage losses (internal parameters). Egg weight loss was highest in earthen pot and lowest in both cold and ambient for the first two weeks of storage, thereafter, it increases with length of storage. Egg volume loss was also found to be highest in earthen pot and lowest in cold storage. It can be concluded that room and cold storage can be used for snail egg (Archachatina marginata) between 1-2 weeks of storage for better egg quality.Setenta y cinco caracoles gigantes africanos fueron empleados para investigar el efecto del método y duración del almacenamiento sobre la calidad de sus huevos. Los métodos de almace- naje fueron: refrigerador (cold), contenedor en una estantería (ambient) y olla de barro (earthen) durante 1, 2, 3 y 4 semanas. Se midieron carac- terísticas externas (longitud, peso, circunferen- cia, forma y pérdidas de peso y volumen) e internas (peso y altura del albumen y pH del huevo). El método de almacenamiento no tuvo efecto sobre las características externas, pero afectó a las internas (p<0,001). La duración del almacenamiento influyó (p<0,01) sobre altura del albumen, y pérdida de peso y volumen. La mayor pérdida de peso del huevo durante las dos prime- ras semanas de almacenamiento se registró en la olla de barro y aumentó con la duración del alma- cenamiento. La pérdida de volumen también fue mayor en la olla de barro y menor en el almacena- miento en frío. Se concluye, que el almacenamien- to en frío o a temperatura ambiente de los huevos de (Archachatina marginata) durante 1-2 sema- nas permite mejor calidad

Comparative Egg Production, Quality and Hatchability in Three Chicken Genotypes under Humid Tropical Conditions

Comparative study on egg production and hatchability characteristics in Nigerian local (NL; n=24), FUNAAB-α (F-α; n=24) and Transylvanian naked neck (TNN; n=24) chickens aged 25 weeks old was carried out for 4 weeks. Three hundred and sixty hatchable eggs each were used for quality characteristics determination and for incubation. F-α had significantly (P&lt;0.001) higher egg production (90.3%) than TNN (76.9%) while TNN was higher than NL (58.3%). Egg weight (EWT), length, width and surface area, albumen height, weight, percentage and index, shell weight, color and internal quality unit (IQU) were significantly (P&lt;0.001) affected by genotype. These followed the pattern: NL&lt;F-α&lt;TNN. F-α and TNN had significantly (P&lt;0.001) higher values than NL in egg shape index, yolk weight, height and diameter. Yolk colour index was significantly (P&lt;0.01) higher in TNN than in F-α. Yolk percentage and yolk-albumen ratio followed the pattern: NL&gt;F-α&gt;TNN. NL had (P&lt;0.001) thicker and higher shell percentage (SP) than F-α and TNN. Higher Haugh unit (HU) was recorded in TNN than in NL and F-α. Fertility was significantly (P&lt;0.05) higher in F-α than in TNN. Hatchability was not (P&gt;0.05) affected by genotype. Chick weight and chick: egg ratio were significantly (P&lt;0.001) by genotype. TNN had higher chick weight and yield than F-α and NL chicks. In conclusion, F-α laid more eggs than others, exhibited higher fertility with longer chicks at hatch. TNN is superior in EWT, HU, IQU and chick yield. NL had higher SP than others. Keywords: Egg production, Egg quality, FUNAAB alpha chicken, Hatchability, Transylvanian naked neck chicken

Evaluation of cold water and vitamin c on broiler growth during hot-dry season in sw nigeria

A study to determine effects of cold water and vitamin C on growth performance in 216 Anak 2000 broiler chickens was carried out during hot- dry season in the SW Nigeria. The minimum, maximum and mean temperatures during the experiment were 19.4, 35.8 and 27.6oC respectively while the relative humidity was 72.6%. The broilers, Anak 2000 at d 28 were allotted to two groups offered either ordinary water (29.5oC) or chilled water (8.0oC) for four weeks. Each group was divided into two. Each half received either 0 or 500 mg vitamin C per litre in drinking water in 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. There were 3 replicates with 18 birds per replicate. Data on daily water intake (DWI), weekly feed intake (WFI), final liveweight (FLW), weekly weight gain (WWG), total weight gain (TWG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), percentage survival (SURV), and relative weights of breast meat, liver, spleen, gizzard, drumstick, thigh, heart and wing were subjected to analysis of variance. Water temperature had no significant effect on DWI, WFI, FCR and SURV. However, offering broiler chickens cold drinking water resulted in significantly higher WWG (p<0.001), TWG (p<0.001), FLW (p<0.001) and relative weight of spleen (p<0.001) compared to water at ambient temperature. Addition of 500 mg vitamin C per litre water increased significantly the relative weights of breast meat compared to 0 mg vitamin C. Other parameters were affected by vitamin C. There were not interaction between water temperature and addition of vitamin C on growth parameters examined in this study. It can therefore be concluded that offering cold water to broiler chickens during hot-dry season increases weight gain and spleen but reduced wing size. Though addition of vitamin C could not raised growth rate in broilers during hot-dry season, the breast meat yield was improved

Water restriction in goats during hot-dry season in the humid tropics: feed intake and weight gain.

Twelve non-pregnant female goats (West African Dwarf, WAD and Red Sokoto, RS) were used to investigate the effect of volumetric (0%, 33% and 67%) water restriction on feed intake and weight gain over a period of eight weeks. The goats are of 2 age groups: younger and older than 1 year. The experiment was arranged in a modified cross-over design with three treatment periods of 1 week each. In-between each treatment period was a 2-week wash-out period, when the effect of the previous was expected to have worn off. The average water intake (WI) was determined for the first 7 days of the experiment when all the animals were given water ad libitum. The 3 treatments were: (i) ad libitum supply of water every day; (ii) 33% reduction from average WI; and (iii) 67% reduction. Water drunk had positive and significant (p1 year old; r= 0.615). All the four classes of goats showed positive highly significant (pDoce cabras no preñadas (West African Dwarf, WAD y Red Sokoto, RS) fueron empleadas para investigar el efecto de la restricción volumétrica (0%, 33% and 67%) del suministro de agua sobre la ingestión de alimento y ganancia de peso durante ocho semanas. Los animales se agruparon por edad en menores y mayores de un año. El experimento se dispuso según un diseño cruzado, modificado con tres periodos de tratamiento de una semana cada uno. Entre cada periodo se intercaló uno de lavado de dos semanas durante el que se eliminaba el efecto del experimento precedente. La ingestión media de agua (WI) fue determinada para los siete primeros dias del experimento durante los cuales a todos los animales se suministraba agua ad libitum. Los tratamientos fueron: (i) suministro de agua ad libitum, (ii) reducción del 33% sobre la ingestión media y (iii) 67% de reducción. El agua bebida mostró correlación positiva (

Milk yield in West African dwarf goats as influenced by coat colour, liveweight, week of lactation and udder circumference

In this study the effect of coat colour, dam live weight, week of lactation and udder circumference on milk yield in West African Dwarf (WAD) goats&nbsp; was investigated. Twentyeight WAD does of different coat colour (black, brown, and combinations of black and white, brown and black, and brown and white) were further grouped on live weight basis into four: 13-15, 16-18, 19-21 and 22-24 kg. The animals were housed individually in well- ventilated pens with slatted floors following parturition. Kids were separated from dams at 5pm and dams were hand milked at 8am the following morning. Milk was collected once per day and thrice per week for 12 weeks. The 15-hour milk yield was converted to 24-hour. Udder circumference was measured before and after milking to determine changes in udder volume. Animals were fed a combination of grass and concentrate in ratio&nbsp; 50:50 at 5% body weight (dry matter basis) twice daily. Results showed that all parameters studied had significant (P&lt;0.05) effect on milk yield. Animals with combination of black and white coat colour had higher milk yield of 339.20 g/dam/day compared with others. Animals with live weight&nbsp; of 22- 24 kg produced higher milk yield of 396.06 g/dam/day followed by animals in 19-21 kg weight group. Milk yield was highest in first week of lactation and decline progressively. Positive and significant relationship was observed between milk yield and udder circumference.It is concluded that animals with combination of black and white coat colour with higher live weight be used for milk production and this can help&nbsp; when choosing for breeding stock. Keywords: Milk yield, coat colours, WAD goats, lactation

Comparison of infrared, electronic digital and mercury-inglass thermometers: 2. Red sokoto goats

Forty eight (male=8; female=40) adult Red Sokoto goats were used in an experiment to compare accuracy of different thermometers. Body temperature (BT) was concurrently measured with electronic digital (ED), mercury-in-glass (MG) and infrared (IR) thermometers. ED and MG thermometry was taken via the rectum (TEMPd and TEMPa respectively) while the IR thermometer was used on the opening of the rectum (TEMPiR) and forehead (TEMPiH). The data were subjected to analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis. Scatter diagrams were plotted to generate R squared for the relationships between the readings of the thermometers. Thermometer type had significant (P&lt;0.001) effect on BT in RS goats. TEMPd was similar (P&gt;0.05) to TEMPa, but the duo were significantly higher than TEMPiR and TEMPiH. BT from IR thermometer on the forehead was significantly lower than at the opening of the rectum. There was strong positive significant (P&lt;0.001) correlation between TEMPd and TEMPa (r=0.958). TEMPd and TEMPa had significant (P&lt;0.001) correlations with TEMPiR (r=0.519 and r=0.562 respectively), but not (P&gt;0.05) with TEMPiH. Linear regression of TEMPd with TEMPa, TEMPiR and TEMPiH yielded R2 of 0.918, 0.269 and 0.040 respectively. Deviations from TEMPd obtained were 0.23, 0.91 and 1.69oC for TEMPa, TEMPiR and TEMPiH respectively. The use IR thermometer on the forehead of RS did not yield similar reading compared to other thermometers. Temperature measurement with IR thermometer on the opening of the rectum of RS goats seems to be more accurate than on the forehead.Keywords: rectal temperature, heat stress, health, welfare, diagnosi

Comparison of infrared, electronic digital and mercury-in glass thermometers: 1. West African dwarf goats

Monitoring body temperature accurately is essential in livestock production. Data of body temperature measurements taken concurrently with electronic digital (ED), mercury-in-glass (MG) and infrared (IR) thermometers in 107 (male=38 and female=69) West African Dwarf (WAD) goats aged between 6 months and 3 years were compared to assess the accuracy. ED and MG thermometry was taken via the rectum (TEMPd and TEMPa respectively) while the IR thermometer was used on the opening of the rectum (TEMPiR) and forehead (TEMPiH). The data were subjected to analysis of variance and Pearson correlation analysis. Scatter diagrams were plotted to generate R-squared for the relationships between the readings of the thermometers. Thermometer type had significant (P&lt;0.001) effect on body temperature (BT) in WAD goats. The BT recorded was in the order: TEMPd &gt; TEMPa &gt; TEMPiR &gt; TEMPiH. There was strong positive significant (P&lt;0.001) correlation between TEMPd and TEMPa (r=0.896). The correlations between TEMPd and TEMPiR (r=0.237) and TEMPa and TEMPiR (r=0.222), though significant (P&lt;0.05), were weak. TEMPiH and TEMPiR had positive and significant (P&lt;0.001) correlation (r=0.503). TEMPiH had no significant (P&gt;0.05) correlation with TEMPd and TEMPa. Linear regression of TEMPd with TEMPa, TEMPiR and TEMPiH yielded R2 of 0.802, 0.056 and 0.00006 respectively. Deviations from TEMPd obtained were 0.34, 0.92 and 2.54oC for TEMPa, TEMPiR and TEMPiH respectively. Taking body temperature of WAD goats with IR thermometer on the forehead may not give correct measurement as with the traditional MG and ED thermometers. Temperature measurement with IR thermometer on the opening of the rectum of WAD goats seems to be more accurate than on the forehead.Keywords: rectal temperature, heat stress, health, welfare, diagnosi