Ad libitum Feeding of Gilt Developer Diets Differing in Standard Ileal Digestive Lysine Concentrations Affected Growth and Feed Efficiency but did not Affect Age at Puberty in Replacement Gilts

The effect of ad libitum feeding diets with three lysine concentrations to developing gilts housed in groups from 100 to 220 days of age on growth, body composition, feed efficiency and age at puberty was evaluated. Gilts were randomly allotted to three corn-soybean diets formulated to provide three standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine concentrations. Gilts received grower diets formulated to provide 0.68% (low), 0.79% (medium) or 0.90% (high) SID lysine from 100 days of age until approximately 90 kg BW. Then, gilts were fed finisher diets containing 0.52% (low), 0.60% (medium) or 0.68% (high) SID lysine until they were moved to the breeding barn at approximately 220 days of ageData on BW, bakfat thickness, loin area, feed and lysine intake and age at puberty was collected at different intervals during the study. Gilts fed the low lysine diet had lower average daily gain, body weight, backfat thickness and loin depth compared with gilts fed the high lysine diet. Overall, 34% of gilts displayed standing estrus before 220 days of age. The number of gilts that reached puberty was not different among dietary treatments; however, gilts fed the high and medium lysine diet reached puberty 10 days and 6 days before gilts fed the low lysine diet, respectively. Results from the present study suggest that growth rate can be successfully altered when feeding gilts ad libitum diets differing in SID lysine concentration without negatively affecting puberty attainment

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Production Before, During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the production of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal (FW) before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 792 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: FW, soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. The fine-Ca pre-molt treatment was more effective than the coarse-Ca pre-molt treatment at decreasing egg production during molt and increasing egg production after molt regardless of which molt diet was fed (P \u3c 0.05). The FW molt diet resulted in the most complete molt with a greater decrease in egg production during molt (P \u3c 0.05). The SH molt diet compared to the WM molt diet was more effective at inducing molt with lower egg production and ovary and oviduct weights during molt (P \u3c 0.05), however, the WM molt diet resulted in the highest egg production and body weight post-molt compared to the other 2 molt diets (P \u3c 0.05). In conclusion, a fine-Ca pre-molt treatment and a low-energy molt diet containing WM or SH can be useful alternatives to a FW molt

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Physiology

The objectives of this study were to compare stress measures and bone quality of laying hens when offered a Ca pre-molt treatment followed by low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed withdrawal before, during, and after an induced molt. A total of 189 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age, 1.7 ± 0.2 kg), housed 3 per cage, (413 cm 2 /hen) were used. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments (coarse and fine) and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed / hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were provided free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. During the 22 wk post-molt, hens were fed a laying hen diet and lighting was increased by 1 h each week to 16 h. None of the treatments resulted in an increased heterophil to lymphocyte ratio during or post-molt compared to baseline values, which would have suggested increased stress in the laying hen. Additionally, any changes reported during molt in bone quality returned to baseline values during the post-molt period. Therefore, these treatments are acceptable for inducing molt in the laying hen

Effects of a Pre-Molt Calcium and Low-Energy Molt Program on Laying Hen Behavior During and Post-Molt

The objectives of this study were to compare the behavior of the laying hen kept in a cage system when offered a pre-molt calcium treatment and low-energy molt diets versus a traditional feed-withdrawal during induced molt. A total of 144 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens (85 wk of age), weighing 1.7 ± 0.2 kg, were used. Laying hens were housed 3 per cage (30.5 cm wide × 40.6 cm deep × 44.5 cm high), providing 413 cm 2 per hen. Six treatments were compared in a 2 × 3 factorial design with 2 Ca (coarse and fine) pre-molt treatments and 3 molt diets: feed withdrawal (FW), soybean hulls (SH), and wheat middlings (WM). The Ca pre-molt treatment was defined as the period when the hens received either a combination of fine (0.14 mm in diameter) and coarse (2.27 mm in diameter) CaCO3 or an all-fine CaCO3 mixed into a commercial diet for 1 wk. Both diets were formulated to contain 4.6% Ca, such that only the particle size of the CaCO3 differed between the 2 treatments. Hens had free access to feed and water and had a 24-h photoperiod. The 3 molt diets were applied (FW, SH, or WM) for a total of 28 d. The hens assigned to the FW diet were deprived of feed for 7 d with free access to water followed by 21 d of skip-a-day feeding restricted to 60 g of feed/hen per feeding day. The hens fed the WM and SH molt diets were given free access to feed and water during the entire 28 d molt period. Lighting was reduced to 8 h for the first 3 wk and was then increased to 12 h at the start of the last week of molt. Behavior was recorded by camera once before molt, twice during molt, and twice post-molt for 2 h in the morning and 2 h at night. The acquisition of 2 postures and 5 behaviors were obtained by 2 experienced observers who viewed the recordings using 24 h mode onto the Observer software using a 1 min scan sampling technique. Postures and behaviors were not different among treatments during the baseline period. The Ca pre-molt treatment had no carryover effect during or post-molt. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time in active postures and feeding and drinking behaviors during molt compared to hens fed the other 2 molt diets. Post-molt, all hens, regardless of molt diet, spent the same amount of time in each of these behaviors. The hens assigned to the FW molt diet spent more time preening during molt compared to post-molt, whereas the hens fed the WM and SH molt diets did not differ between the 2 periods (Table 1). In conclusion, these low-energy molt diets did not adversely affect the postures and behaviors of the laying hen and are therefore acceptable dietary alternatives to FW for inducing molt

Optimal Dietary Energy and Protein for Gilt Development: Age at Puberty, Ovulation Rate, and Reproductive Tract Traits

The effect of feeding different lysine and metabolizable energy (ME) levels to 1221 crossbred Large White × Landrace developing gilts housed in groups from 100 d of age until slaughter (approximately 260 d of age) on age at puberty and reproductive tract measurements were evaluated. Gilts were randomly allotted to six corn-soybean diets formulated to provide two standardized ileal digestible lysine levels [100% (high, HL) and 85% (low, LL)] and threemetabolizable energy levels [ME, 90% (low, LME), 100% (medium, MME), 110% (high, HME). Average age at puberty was 193 d of age. There were no effects of the dietary treatments on age at puberty or any of the reproductive tract measurements. Despite significant differences in the lysine:energy ratio in the diets, the expected differences in reproductive traits were not observed. Other factors such as body weight (BW) and days of estrous cycle had a greater effect on the traits recorded than feed provided

Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Cluster Profiles Measured with the South Pole Telescope

We present Sunyaev-Zel'dovich measurements of 15 massive X-ray selected galaxy clusters obtained with the South Pole Telescope. The Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) cluster signals are measured at 150 GHz, and concurrent 220 GHz data are used to reduce astrophysical contamination. Radial profiles are computed using a technique that takes into account the effects of the beams and filtering. In several clusters, significant SZ decrements are detected out to a substantial fraction of the virial radius. The profiles are fit to the beta model and to a generalized NFW pressure profile, and are scaled and stacked to probe their average behavior. We find model parameters that are consistent with previous studies: beta=0.86 and r_core/r_500 = 0.20 for the beta model, and (alpha, beta, gamma, c_500)=(1.0,5.5,0.5,1.0) for the generalized NFW model. Both models fit the SPT data comparably well, and both are consistent with the average SZ profile out to the virial radius. The integrated Compton-y parameter Y_SZ is computed for each cluster using both model-dependent and model-independent techniques, and the results are compared to X-ray estimates of cluster parameters. We find that Y_SZ scales with Y_X and gas mass with low scatter. Since these observables have been found to scale with total mass, our results point to a tight mass-observable relation for the SPT cluster survey.Comment: 21 pages, 24 figures, updated to published versio

Extragalactic millimeter-wave point source catalog, number counts and statistics from 771 square degrees of the SPT-SZ Survey

We present a point source catalog from 771 square degrees of the South Pole Telescope Sunyaev Zel'dovich (SPT-SZ) survey at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. We detect 1545 sources above 4.5 sigma significance in at least one band. Based on their relative brightness between survey bands, we classify the sources into two populations, one dominated by synchrotron emission from active galactic nuclei, and one dominated by thermal emission from dust-enshrouded star-forming galaxies. We find 1238 synchrotron and 307 dusty sources. We cross-match all sources against external catalogs and find 189 unidentified synchrotron sources and 189 unidentified dusty sources. The dusty sources without counterparts are good candidates for high-redshift, strongly lensed submillimeter galaxies. We derive number counts for each population from 1 Jy down to roughly 9, 5, and 11 mJy at 95, 150, and 220 GHz. We compare these counts with galaxy population models and find that none of the models we consider for either population provide a good fit to the measured counts in all three bands. The disparities imply that these measurements will be an important input to the next generation of millimeter-wave extragalactic source population models.Comment: 23 pages, 8 figures, submitted to Ap

A Measurement of the Correlation of Galaxy Surveys with CMB Lensing Convergence Maps from the South Pole Telescope

We compare cosmic microwave background lensing convergence maps derived from South Pole Telescope (SPT) data with galaxy survey data from the Blanco Cosmology Survey, WISE, and a new large Spitzer/IRAC field designed to overlap with the SPT survey. Using optical and infrared catalogs covering between 17 and 68 deg^2 of sky, we detect a correlation between the SPT convergence maps and each of the galaxy density maps at >4σ, with zero correlation robustly ruled out in all cases. The amplitude and shape of the cross-power spectra are in good agreement with theoretical expectations and the measured galaxy bias is consistent with previous work. The detections reported here utilize a small fraction of the full 2500 deg^2 SPT survey data and serve as both a proof of principle of the technique and an illustration of the potential of this emerging cosmological probe

South Pole Telescope Detections of the Previously Unconfirmed Planck Early SZ Clusters in the Southern Hemisphere

We present South Pole Telescope (SPT) observations of the five galaxy cluster candidates in the southern hemisphere which were reported as unconfirmed in the Planck Early Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (ESZ) sample. One cluster candidate, PLCKESZ G255.62-46.16, is located in the 2500-square-degree SPT SZ survey region and was reported previously as SPT-CL J0411-4819. For the remaining four candidates, which are located outside of the SPT SZ survey region, we performed short, dedicated SPT observations. Each of these four candidates was strongly detected in maps made from these observations, with signal-to-noise ratios ranging from 6.3 to 13.8. We have observed these four candidates on the Magellan-Baade telescope and used these data to estimate cluster redshifts from the red sequence. Resulting redshifts range from 0.24 to 0.46. We report measurements of Y_0.75', the integrated Comptonization within a 0.75' radius, for all five candidates. We also report X-ray luminosities calculated from ROSAT All-Sky Survey catalog counts, as well as optical and improved SZ coordinates for each candidate. The combination of SPT SZ measurements, optical red-sequence measurements, and X-ray luminosity estimates demonstrates that these five Planck ESZ cluster candidates do indeed correspond to real galaxy clusters with redshifts and observable properties consistent with the rest of the ESZ sample.Comment: 7 emulateapj pages, 4 figures, 1 table. Revised to match published versio

Measurements of Secondary Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropies with the South Pole Telescope

We report cosmic microwave background (CMB) power spectrum measurements from the first 100 sq. deg. field observed by the South Pole Telescope (SPT) at 150 and 220 GHz. On angular scales where the primary CMB anisotropy is dominant, ell ~< 3000, the SPT power spectrum is consistent with the standard LambdaCDM cosmology. On smaller scales, we see strong evidence for a point source contribution, consistent with a population of dusty, star-forming galaxies. After we mask bright point sources, anisotropy power on angular scales of 3000 50 at both frequencies. We combine the 150 and 220 GHz data to remove the majority of the point source power, and use the point source subtracted spectrum to detect Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) power at 2.6 sigma. At ell=3000, the SZ power in the subtracted bandpowers is 4.2 +/- 1.5 uK^2, which is significantly lower than the power predicted by a fiducial model using WMAP5 cosmological parameters. This discrepancy may suggest that contemporary galaxy cluster models overestimate the thermal pressure of intracluster gas. Alternatively, this result can be interpreted as evidence for lower values of sigma8. When combined with an estimate of the kinetic SZ contribution, the measured SZ amplitude shifts sigma8 from the primary CMB anisotropy derived constraint of 0.794 +/- 0.028 down to 0.773 +/- 0.025. The uncertainty in the constraint on sigma8 from this analysis is dominated by uncertainties in the theoretical modeling required to predict the amplitude of the SZ power spectrum for a given set of cosmological parameters.Comment: 28 pages, 11 figures, submitted to Ap