A Comparison of Methods for Organ-Weight Data Adjustment in Chicks

An experiment was conducted with 168 Arbor Acre X Peterson unsexed, crossbred broiler chicks to compare methods of expressing organ-weight data and to assess changes in organ weights and physiological parameters as body weight (97 to 791 g) and age (5 to 26 days) increased. Actual wet weight of liver, heart, intestine, spleen, and pancreas and percent bone ash increased (P less than .01) as age and body weight increased. Tibia length-to-width ratio decreased (P less than .01) as age and body weight increased. Blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, and plasma protein were not affected (P greater than .1) by age or by body weight. Liver, heart, and intestinal weight decreased (P less than .01) and spleen weight increased (P less than .01) as body weight and age increased when these tissue weights were expressed as percent of body weight. Liver weight adjusted for body weight by covariance analysis, however, remained constant; adjusted heart and intestinal weights decreased (P less than .01), and adjusted spleen weights increased (P less than .01) with increasing age and body weight. The covariate, body weight, was not significant (P greater than .1) for pancreas weight, tibia length-to-width ratio, and percent bone ash. Except for spleen, adjustment by covariance analysis more effectively reduced variation due to body weight than did expression as percent of body weight.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Eimeria acervulina Infection and the Zinc-Copper Interrelationship in the Chick

An experiment was conducted with young chicks to investigate the effect of duodenal coccidiosis caused by Eimeria acervulina infection on the interrelationship between dietary copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn). A corn-soybean meal diet (devoid of Zn fortification) was supplemented with Zn (50 mg/kg) or Cu (250 mg/kg), or both; these diets were fed to control or coccidiosis-infected chicks. The coccidial infection depressed rate and efficiency of weight gain. Excess dietary Cu had no effect on performance of control or infected chicks. Zinc supplementation did not affect performance of control chicks, but it improved both rate and efficiency of weight gain in E. acervulina-infected chicks. Liver Zn concentration was decreased by coccidiosis, increased by Zn supplementation, but unaffected by excess dietary Cu. Liver Cu concentration was increased by excess dietary Cu and by coccidiosis but decreased by Zn supplementation of the diet. These data indicate that coccidiosis impaired Zn utilization and precipitated Zn deficiency in the chick

The interactive effects of Eimeria acervulina infection and phytase for broiler chicks

An experiment was conducted to determine the interactive effects of Eimeria acervulina infection and phytase in male broiler chicks. Chicks were standardized from 0 to 4 d posthatching, and the assay period was 5 to 15 d. Treatments were replicated with 6 pens of 5 chicks each. The initial and final BW were 67 and 363 g. A corn-soybean meal diet formulated to provide 1.26% total Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg was used, and it was adequate in all other nutrients except Ca and nonphytate P (NPP) when appropriate. The treatments were in a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangement: adequate Ca and NPP (1.0% Ca and 0.45% NPP) or inadequate Ca and NPP (0.80% Ca and 0.25% NPP), 0 or 600 phytase units/kg of diet, and uninfected or infected with 400,000 E. acervulina oocysts on d 0, 3, and 6 of the experiment. Daily gain, average daily feed intake, and gain:feed (GF) were reduced (P \u3c 0.01) by the coccidial infection and the reduction in Ca and NPP. Phytase addition increased (P \u3c 0.02) average daily gain and average daily feed intake, regardless of the Ca and NPP contents of the diet or the presence of coccidiosis. The GF was increased by phytase but only in uninfected chicks (phytase x coccidiosis, P \u3c 0.02). Toe and tibia ash percentages were decreased (P \u3c 0.01) in chicks fed diets deficient in Ca and NPP, but tibia ash was decreased more by Ca and NPP in healthy chicks than in infected chicks (coccidiosis x Ca and NPP, P \u3c 0.02). Phytase increased (P \u3c 0.02) toe and tibia ash but only in diets deficient in Ca and NPP (phytase x Ca and NPP, P \u3c 0.01). Phytase increased toe ash percentage of healthy chicks fed diets deficient in Ca and NPP, but it had less of an effect in infected chicks fed diets deficient in Ca and NPP (coccidiosis x Ca and NPP x phytase, P \u3c 0.08). Also, phytase was less effective in increasing tibia ash percentage in coccidiosis-infected chicks than in uninfected chicks (phytase x coccidiosis, P \u3c 0.02). These data indicate that phytase is effective in the presence of a coccidial infection, but based on GF and tibia ash percentage, it may not be as effective as in uninfected chicks. Also, phytase increased average daily gain and average daily feed intake in uninfected chicks fed diets formulated to be adequate (or in excess) in all nutrients for male broiler chicks. ©2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc

Interactive Effects of Dietary Copper, Water Copper, and Eimeria spp. Infection on Growth, Water Intake, and Plasma and Liver Copper Concentrations of Poults

The effects of dietary Cu, water Cu, and coccidial infection on poult growth performance and selected tissue mineral concentrations were investigated in a 10-d experiment using 200 5-d-old Nicholas toms (five replicates of 5 poults each; initial weight = 85 g). Uninfected and coccidiosis-infected (Eimeria meleagrimitis, Eimeria dispersa, Eimeria adenoeides, and Eimeria gallopavonis; cocci) poults were assigned to two levels of dietary Cu [Basal (B) and B + 204 mg Cu/kg diet on Days 1 to 10] and two levels of water Cu (0 and 103 mg Cu/kg water on Days 6 to 10). Dietary Cu and water Cu (main effects) did not affect (P \u3e .10) gain, feed intake, gain:feed, water intake, hemoglobin, hematocrit, or liver Fe and Zn concentrations. Dietary Cu and water Cu increased (P \u3c .03) liver and plasma Cu concentrations. The combination of dietary Cu and water Cu increased plasma Cu more than the sum of the Cu additions (dietary Cu by water Cu, P \u3c .08). Coccidial infection reduced (P \u3c .07) gain, feed intake, gain:feed, water intake, and hemoglobin, and increased (P \u3c .02) liver Zn. Water Cu reduced water intake in uninfected poults but increased water intake in coccidiosis-infected poults (water Cu by cocci, P \u3c .07). Water Cu increased hemoglobin in uninfected poults but decreased hemoglobin in coccidiosis-infected poults (water Cu by cocci, P \u3c .07). Water Cu increased plasma Cu and liver Cu more in coccidiosis-infected poults than in uninfected poults (water Cu by cocci, P \u3c .02).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

A comparison of two sources of phytase in liquid and dry forms in broilers

ABSTRACT Research with corn-soybean meal diets was conducted to compare phytase sources in commercial broilers. A Ca to nonphytate P (nPP) ratio of 2.5:1 was maintained in all diets. Experiments 1 and 2 were con-ducted from d 4 to 13 (experiment 1) or d 9 to 23 post-hatching (experiment 2) in batteries. The 10 treatments used in both experiment were: Diets 1 to 4 = 0.20, 0.25, 0.30, or 0.35 % nPP; Diets 5 to 7 = diet 1 plus 100, 200, or 300 phytase units/kg of diet from Natuphos (NAT); and Diets 8 to 10 = diet 1 plus 100, 200, or 300 phytase units/ kg of diet from Ronozyme (RON). As nPP levels in-creased, daily gain (ADG), feed intake (ADFI), gain:feed, and toe and tibia ash percentage were linearly increased (P < 0.06) in experiments 1 and 2. Incremental addition of phytase, regardless of source, linearly increased (P &lt

Research Note: Interactive Effects of Sodium Zeolite A and Eimeria acervulina Infection on Growth and Tissue Minerals in Chicks

Two experiments were conducted to assess the interactive effects of dietary sodium zeolite A (SZA) and experimental Eimeria acervulina infection on growth and tissue mineral concentrations in chicks. The average initial weight of the chicks was 71.8 g, and the experimental periods were from 5 to 15 days posthatching. In both experiments, the corn-soybean meal basal diet was supplemented with 0 or .75% SZA and fed to uninfected chicks or to chicks infected with 4 x 10(5) sporulated E. acervulina oocysts on Days 0, 3, and 6 of the experiments. Both coccidial infection and SZA reduced (P \u3c .05) gain and feed intake; however, feed efficiency was reduced (P \u3c .01) only in the coccidiosis-infected chicks. Neither SZA nor the coccidial infection affected (P \u3e .10) plasma Ca or P, tibia P, liver Ca, Zn, Fe, or Mn, or pancreas Cu. Sodium zeolite A increased (P \u3c .05) plasma Zn but only in uninfected chicks (SZA by coccidiosis, P \u3c .10). The coccidial infection decreased (P \u3c .02) tibia ash percentage. Sodium zeolite A decreased tibia Ca in uninfected chicks but increased tibia Ca in coccidiosis-infected chicks (SZA by coccidiosis, P \u3c .10). The coccidial infection increased (P \u3c .05) tibia Mg, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, and Al concentrations. Dietary SZA also increased (P \u3c .02) tibia Zn, Mn, and Al concentrations. The coccidial infection decreased (P \u3c .02) tibia Zn concentration, and SZA decreased (P \u3c .05) tibia Mg and Fe. Sodium zeolite A by coccidiosis interactions (P \u3c .10) were evident in tibia Zn, Fe, Mn, and Al concentrations.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS

Interactive Effects of Sodium Zeolite A (Ethacal®) and Monensin in Uninfected and Eimeria acervulina-Infected Chicks

An experiment was conducted with 5- to 18-day-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks to evaluate the interaction of sodium zeolite A (NZA) and monensin in uninfected and in coccidiosis-infected chicks. Sodium zeolite A (0 and .75%) or monensin (0 and 121 ppm), or both, were fed to uninfected chicks or to chicks infected with 4 x 10(5) sporulated, Eimeria acervulina oocysts, resulting in a 2-by-2-by-2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Coccidial infection reduced (P less than .01) weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency, percentage of bone ash and of bone calcium; but the infection increased (P less than .05) bone Zn percentage. Monensin alleviated (or at least partially so) the adverse effects of the coccidial infection on weight gain, feed intake, feed efficiency and percentage of bone ash (coccidiosis by monensin, P less than .01). In addition, monensin increased the bone-calcium (P less than .06) and zinc content (P less than .02) in uninfected chicks and in those infected with coccidiosis. Sodium zeolite A tended to reduce feed intake by coccidiosis-infected chicks (coccidiosis by NZA, P less than .07), but increased (P less than .01) the bone zinc and decreased (P less than .01) serum inorganic phosphorus in uninfected chicks and in those infected with coccidiosis