effect of rearing system and season on the performance and egg characteristics of ancona laying hens

Productive performance and egg characteristics of Ancona laying hens reared under three different rearing systems (conventional, organic and organic-plus) were compared during an experimental period of one year. Three-hundred-sixty Ancona female chicks at 28 days of age were divided in three groups and assigned to different rearing systems. The organic group had 4m2 pasture/hen according to the requirements imposed by the EC Regulation 1804/99, whereas the organic-plus group had a larger grass paddock (10m2/hen). The Control group was reared in cages under standard housing conditions. The following egg characteristics were recorded and analysed during the year-long cycle: egg weight and egg mass laid/d, weight of egg components, shell thickness, Haugh index and yolk colour. Egg quality was affected by the pasture available. The hens that ingested grass (organic-plus), produced eggs with higher shell weight and percentage, darker yolk colour and higher α-tocopherol, carotenoid and polyphenol contents. The other egg traits were not affected by rearing system

Comparison of two chicken genotypes organically reared: oxidative stability and other qualitative traits of the meat

The effect of genotype on the oxidative stability and other qualitative traits of chicken meat was studied. Two groups of 200 chicks (Ross 205 and Kabir) were reared according to the organic farming system. At 81 d of age 20 birds per group were slaughtered and after refrigeration (24 h at 4°C) of the carcasses, Pectoralis majormuscles were excised for anal- yses. Samples were analysed after 0, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of storage at 4°C under continuous fluorescent illumina- tion (2300 lux). The analyses concerned the chemical composition and the shear force (only at time 0) and the progress of several traits as pH, CIELAB values, Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS), panel test and fatty acid com- position (at 0 and after 96 h). Genotype greatly affected the physico-chemical characteristics and the sensory evalua- tion. The meat from Ross chickens showed high TBARS values, perhaps due to selection for growth rate that reduced their adaptability to greater space allowance and to poorer environmental conditions; these higher TBARS values were also negatively correlated to lightness and yellowness. The initial level of TBARS affected the oxidative stability of breast meat during storage. The amount of TBARS showed significantly negative relationship with the sensory evaluation; breast meat of Kabir had higher scores for liking when the level of malondialdehyde (MDA) was less than 2.5 mg kg-1

Serum level of hormone and metabolites in pregnant rabbit does

The aims of this study were to compare the hormones and metabolites serum levels and the reproductive performances of nulliparous (n=100) and primiparous pregnant does submitted to artificial insemination (AI) 11 days post-partum. On the day of AI, all the does were weighed and the sexual receptivity was evaluated. The kits were weaned at 26 day. Blood samples were collect by punc- ture of the marginal ear vein from one day before AI until few days before the kindling and assayed for hormones and metabolites. The higher sexual receptivity and the fertility in nulliparous than in primiparous does confirmed the negative effect of lactation. Nulliparous does showed higher blood con- centration of leptine than primiparous, and in both the groups such level lowered during pregnancy, probably reflecting the reduction of the fat reserve. The insuline level increased during pregnancy in either groups as a consequence of the growing of the foetuses. In nulliparous does the cortisol, NEFA and T3 concentrations were higher than primiparous does. The glucose levels were similar in both the groups probably due to the homeostatic mechanisms controlling the glycemia. Hormonal and metabo- lite analyses represent a good tool for understanding the physiological mechanisms required to meet higher reproductive performance

Origin and complete breed standard of Maltese black breed

This review is a first attempt to give a comprehensive historical account on the evolution of the Maltese Black chicken breed. The initiative consolidates available information to propose hypothesis on the origins of the breed, and to develop a comprehensive breed standard in conformity with the format of the American Breed Standard. The Maltese Black was established in 1950 as a rustic, dual purpose breed capable of producing adequate egg and chicken for consumption. In the 1960's, it was replaced with commercially available stock, marginalising the breed and restricting its existence to small dispersed populations. An initial attempt to have an in-situ conservation of the Maltese Black started in 1998 with a small flock of about 400 chickens that were later relocated to the Agricultural Research and Development Centre in Malta with the intention of maintaining a nucleus flock as a measure for a long term ex-situ conservation strategy. A recent survey highlights that the present population has drifted significantly away from standards first published in 1950. In efforts to consolidate the breed standard definition of the Maltese Black, the breed standards of related Mediterranean breeds, as confirmed by molecular markers, were consulted to translate and address the missing gaps in the previous breed standards. The updated breed standard presented will act as the bench mark against which all future breeding and selection programs are compared.peer-reviewe

Evaluation of intestinal bacterial flora of conventional and organic broilers using culture-based methods

The major bacteria colonizing the intestinal tract (ileum and caecum) of organic (O) and conventional (C) chickens were counted, isolated and identified by conventional methods. Chickens were obtained from 7 conventional and 7 organic chicken farms (n=203). Intestinal sampling was performed at different ages, every 10 days, starting at 20 days until 40 and from 20 days to 80 days of age, respectively, for conventional and organic birds. Statistical analysis was performed on two separate data sets (40 days of age and all ages).The comparison of C vs O systems was analyzed with univariate and multivariate procedures. There were large differences in bacterial counts in relation to the portion of intestine, the rearing system and the farms. In the ileum of conventional birds Enterobacteria were higher than in organic birds (7.03 vs 6.09 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05), whereas the contrary was observed for Lactobacilli (6.75 vs 7.07 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05). With respect to the other microflora, the effect of farm probably masked possible differences. The effect of rearing system was more visible in the caecum than in the ileum: Enterobacteria levels were higher in C than in O chickens (7.42 vs 7.05 CFUxlog/g; P<0.01), whereas Enterococci (7.65 vs 6.55 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05), Lactobacilli (7.85 vs 7.31 CFUxlog/g; P<0.05) and total aerobia (8.12 vs 7.66 CFUxlog/g; P<0.01) counts were higher in organic chickens. Multivariate analysis of caecum microflora showed the possibility of discriminating the rearing system. In the ileum of conventional birds Enterobacteria and total aerobia increased with age, while Lactobacilli decreased. In the O system, Enterobacteria, Lactobacilli and total anaerobia showed a similar trend, whereas total aerobia and Enterococci showed the opposite trend. A similar situation was observed in the caecum. Further investigations are necessary to better assess the role and effect of the enteric flora on the productive performance and on the health status of reared chickens

Investigation on intestinal bacterial flora and Salmonella spp. presence in organic and conventional chickens

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible differences in the intestinal microflora composition among the different rearing systems (conventional vs organic) and the Salmonella diffusion using bacteriological techniques. The results showed that the differences between the two groups at the same age, expressed by the bacterial count, are not conclusive in showing an influence of the rearing systems. Salmonella Hadar was isolated once in caeca of conventional and once in caeca of organic ones. Though the results are preliminary and referred to a well defined geographic area in Central Italy, Salmonella detection does not seem to be common in conventional and organic chicken farms

Nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno lake

The aim of this research was to investigate the nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno Lake. Four hundred big-scale sand smelts were caught with nets and analysed immediately. We created a total of 20 batches with 20 whole fish in each batch. Ten batches were analysed as raw samples, while the other 10 batches were analysed after being fried in sunflower oil at a temperature of 190 °C for 3 min (deep fat frying). The pH, proximate composition, fatty acid profile, oxidative stability and nutritional indexes of both groups were assessed. As expected, cooking strongly influenced the characteristics of the meat, mainly in terms of lipids, which were seven times greater in the fried product due to the oil. Frying also affected the fatty acid profile of the meat because oil absorption caused a significant increase in oleic and linoleic acids. Furthermore, we found a slight reduction in long chain n-3 fatty acids (eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids). Frying increased oxidative processes and decreased the nutritional value of sand smelt. The obtained results can be considered preliminary because the effects of the fishing season and different physiological phases of sand smelt require further analytical confirmation.Highlights The aim of the research was to investigate the nutritional composition of raw and fried big-scale sand smelt (Atherina boyeri) from Trasimeno Lake. The fried big-scale sand smelt had a meat lipids content 7-times greater than the control, due to the oil adsorbition. Frying increased oxidative processes and decreased the nutritional value of big-scale sand smelt

Effect of age and feeding area on meat quality of wild boars

The stomach content and samples of Longissimus dorsi muscle of 32 feral wild boars were collected in two different feeding areas (forest and farmland) of Umbria region (Italy). The animals from each feeding area were divided into two age classes: class 1 (12–24 months of age; 48 kg average weight) and class 2 (animals older than 2 years of age; 84 kg average weight). The major food categories consumed were hard mast and crops (89.02–75.98%). The L*(lightness) and a*(red to green colour) values of the meat were affected by the feeding area as well as the b*(yellow colour) value; the age significantly affected only the a* and the b* value of the meat. The α-tocopherol was the most abundant vitamin E homologue, ranged between 520.63 and 1881.33 ng/g and was higher in farmland areas. The index of lipid oxidation (TBARS) ranged from 0.093 and 0.140 mg MDA/kg and was higher in wild boars from farmland. The monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) ranged between 38.36 and 46.75% and were higher in wild boar of class 2. The total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) as well as PUFAn-6 were affected by age, while PUFAn-3 was only affected by feeding area and ranged from 0.91 and 1.99 in farmland and forest, respectively. The feeding area affects the intramuscular fat contents in terms of nutritional characteristics of the meat: the n-6/n-3 ratio that was lower in meat from animals hunted in the forest area (p ≤ .001), as well as the ARA/(EPA + DHA) ratio (p ≤ .01)