Browsing by Subject "Chicken"

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Bestimmung des Verknöcherungsverlaufs des Brustbeins von schnell und langsam wachsenden Masthühnern
(2007) Schmid, Britta Ariane; Grashorn, Michael
According to EU marketing regulations for poultry chicken carcasses have to be marketed either as ?young chicken with a flexible breastbone processus? or as ?chickens with a rigid breastbone processus? due to their age at slaughter. Market prices of meat form young chickens are manifold higher than for old ones. Meanwhile, extensive (especially organic) broiler meat production has increased. As in these production systems age at slaughter has to be at least 81 days the question arises whether the breastbone processus is yet not ossified. Up to now the knowledge on the development of the breast bone in chicken is limited. More extended information is only available for bones of extremities. The objective of the present study was, therefore, to investigate the ossification process of breastbones in fast and slow growing broiler strains between first weeks of life and sexual maturity. Visual assessment and assistant characteristics (metric measurements, computerized tomography, chemical composition) of the breastbone and the Os coracoideum, should be applied to analyze the course of ossification. In total, 1000 fast growing broilers of the breed Ross 308 and 1000 slow growing broilers of the breed Isa S 457 were reared for this experiment under standard conditions in a temperature controlled poultry house. Finally, 480 chickens of each breed were used for determination of the breastbone characteristics. Starting with week 4, 12 cocks and 12 hens of each breed were slaughtered weekly until week 23 of life. Life weight and weight of breast meat were recorded besides breastbone characteristics. The breastbone was completely removed and its weight, as well as numerous measures of the breastbone were recorded: Breastbone weight (BBG), Breastbone length (L), Width between the Proc. craniolaterali (BPC), Width between the Trab. intermediae (BTI), Width between the Trab. lateralis (BTL), Length of the Trab. intermedia (LTI), Length of the Trab. lateralis (LTL), Length and width of the Inc. medialis (LIM and BIM), Length and width of the Inc. lateralis (LIL and BIL), Height at Rostrum (HR), Heigth of breastbone keel at 50% of total length (HK), Cartilage length of the Trab. mediana (LC), Relationship between LC and L, Weight of cartilage of the Trab. mediana (GK) and Relationship between GK and BBG. Furthermore, the Os coracoides were removed as bones of reference. Computerized tomography (pQCT) scans were taken at special reference points from 10 randomly sampled breastbones and their Os coracoids of each genotype and gender. The reference points of the breastbone were located at 33% and 66% of total length, whereas, the reference points of the Os coracoides were located at 50% of total length. Total area, Total density, Cortical area, Cortical density as well as SSI were measured by pQCT. Furthermore, photos were taken of characteristic breastbones from each gender and breed and 6 breastbones of each breed and gender were analyzed for contents of dry matter, ash, calcium and phosphorus. Fast growing broilers reached higher life weights and breast muscle weights than slow growing broilers. While weight differences between cocks and hens of the fast growing strain diminished at the end of the experiment, slow growing broilers still showed distinct weight differences between genders in week 23. The breastbone dimensions reached their final values at different times. Determination of breastbone characteristics by metric measurements of dimensions, by computerized tomography and by chemical analyses showed clearly that the ossification process of breastbones of hens is faster than for cocks. This was also reflected by the relations Cartilage length of the Trab. mediana (LC) / breastbone length (L) and Weight of cartilage of the Trab. mediana (GK)/ breastbone weight (BBG). Both indices were higher in males than in females. Breastbones of Ross 308 hens are ossified faster than of Isa S 457 hens. In general, most breastbone parameters differed between breeds. The development of the dry matter content of the breastbone was not finished till the end of week 23. The storage of inorganic material (ash, calcium and phosphorus) showed breed specific differences at the beginning of the experiment, but during the experiment the increase of inorganic material in breastbones was higher for hens than for cocks. The breastbone of a newly hatched chicken consists completely of cartilage and ossification started immediately after hatch from a central ossification centre to caudal and to cranial. Further ossification centres existed at the lateral Trabeculae. The ossification of the lateral Trabeculae progressed independently of the ossification of the breastbone processus. In the present investigation the direction of ossification to the caudal end of the breastbone processus was of special interest. The central ossification centre showed up in the front keel range of the breastbone. With the sprouting of blood vessels and increased metabolic activity the colour of the centre turned to deep red and spread to cranial and caudal. During the proceeding ossification process due to pneumatisation the deeply red coloured areas turned to bright and finally transparent, especially in the front of the breastbone. The results from computerized tomography of breastbones confirmed the visual observations of the ossification of the breastbone processus. Obviously, the ossification process of the breastbone needs a large time frame and ossification seems to be a multilayered process. The increase in breastbone dimensions is paralleled by an increased storage of inorganic material. The weight of the breastbones was decreasing with increasing age due to the reduction of the water content during the process of pneumatisation. The breastbone processus was not completely ossified in fast and slow growing broilers up to the end of the experiment (week 23 of life). The results on the ossification process in fast and slow growing broiler breeds clearly revealed that a prolongation of the fattening process does not affect marketing of broiler meat from extensive production. The breastbone processus is not fully ossified at the normal slaughter age of 81 to 84 days. But, the results also indicated that a more clear definition of the term ?ossified breastbone processus? is necessary as the breastbone is still not fully ossified on start of laying in hens.
Development of high quality niche products from local chicken and pig genetic resources
(2016) Muth, Philipp; Valle Zárate, Anne
This thesis indicates that the application of non-conventional and/or slow-growing pig and chicken genotypes alone does not guarantee a superior and/or distinctive meat color and quality of the products. It appears that the valorization of monogastric meat products through niche marketing is critically dependent on matching the respective genotype with appropriate production methods, thus, for instance, highlighting the need for producers to be discerning in regard to the choice of slaughter age and feeding strategy. In the case that these premises are implemented, a distinguished positioning of meat products derived from local pig and chicken genetic resources can be realized, and, expanded by standards that also take the social and economic dimensions of food value chains into account, translated into a common pool resource as a basis for an alternative food network. Efforts should then be directed toward the elaboration of stable distribution channels and effective governance structures in the respective food network.
Impact of housing environment and rearing condition on the immune system and welfare of laying hens
(2021) Hofmann, Tanja Melanie; Stefanski, Volker
In recent years, consumers’ interest in modern farm animal husbandry and, above all, criticism of intensive production systems that can impair animal welfare, have increased sharply. From hatch, chickens are confronted by a wide range of environmental and social stressors that may confound homeostasis and impair their health and welfare. Not being able to deal with the environment can lead to an activation of the stress system, resulting in a release of neuroendocrine signals like glucocorticoids. These have the potential to modify the immune system and alter species-specific behavior with possible detrimental impacts on animals’ health and welfare. In this context, early-life conditions play a special role as they were shown to have long-term consequences for physiology and behavior in the later life. High stocking densities which activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis are said to be one of the largest welfare concerns in the poultry industry. Previous research has primarily focused on the effects of stocking density on broilers and adult laying hens, but few studies have focused explicitly on layer pullets, and none of them investigated long-term effects on the immune system. The understanding of short- and long-term consequences of environmental conditions during rearing on the immune system and behavior of layer pullets is essential for shaping an environment that avoids allostatic overload, thus promoting animal health and welfare. This doctoral thesis aimed to identify and evaluate potential immunomodulating factors in the housing environment of chickens. In order to achieve this, it summarizes and reviews important aspects of housing environments for the immune system in chickens. Furthermore, an existing flow cytometric method for the enumeration of leukocytes and discrimination of lymphocyte subsets in blood was adapted to lymphatic tissues. Moreover, short- and longterm consequences of stocking density during rearing on the immune system, stress hormone level and behavior in layer pullets were evaluated. The results are described in detail in three peer-reviewed manuscripts published in international journals. The literature analysis identified several housing conditions as immunomodulating factors. Light management was marked as an effective tool to modulate the immune response in chickens, as long light phases were demonstrated to lower adaptive cellular and humoral immune responses while certain light colors, especially of shorter wavelengths, promote some immune functions. Moreover, particularly high ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations pose a threat to chickens’ health by dampening the adaptive immune response and promoting inflammation. However, the interaction between housing environment and management is complex. Depending on the type of housing form, chickens are confronted with different social and environmental challenges, which in turn can have an impact on the immune and stress system. An understanding of immunosuppressive risk factors is essential for successful poultry management aiming to optimize health, welfare and economic efficiency. To broaden the assessment of immune status for scientific purposes, new staining- and gating strategies for avian lymphatic tissues were adapted to an existing flow cytometric method for blood. The adaptation process showed that the application of already established protocols to other tissues is possible, but has to be examined carefully as tissue-specific effects or cell-preparative procedures might lead to differences in possible combinations of antibody-fluorochrome conjugates. The results of the experimental study within this doctoral thesis demonstrate for the first time that stocking density during rearing has not only short- but also long-term impacts on the immune system in laying hens. Pullets reared at high stocking densities showed stress-related alterations in immune cell numbers and higher incidences of feather pecking that manifest in the laying period. This highlights the significance of early-life conditions for immunocompetence throughout the whole production cycle. Of particular interest is that the number of gamma-delta T cells was lower in the high-density group, which has not been investigated in any stress-related studies with chickens before. The present doctoral thesis provides a significant contribution to the improvement of health and welfare in poultry farming and forms a basis for further research about long-lasting consequences of rearing conditions on the immune system, especially in laying hens.
Modulation of hepatic insulin and glucagon signaling by nutritional factors in broiler chicken
(2022) Petrilla, Janka; Mátis, Gábor; Mackei, Máté; Kulcsár, Anna; Sebők, Csilla; Papp, Márton; Gálfi, Péter; Fébel, Hedvig; Huber, Korinna; Neogrády, Zsuzsanna
Influencing the endocrine metabolic regulation of chickens by nutritional factors might provide novel possibilities for improving animal health and productivity. This study was designed to evaluate the impact of dietary cereal type (wheat-based (WB) vs. maize-based (MB) diets), crude protein level (normal (NP) vs. lowered (LP)), and sodium (n-)butyrate (1.5 g/kg diet) supplementation (vs. no butyrate) on the responsiveness of hepatic glucagon receptor (GCGR), insulin receptor beta (IRβ) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) in the phase of intensive growth of chickens. Liver samples of Ross 308 broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) were collected on day 21 for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analyses. Hepatic GCGR and mTOR gene expressions were up-regulated by WB and LP diet. GCGR and IRβ protein level decreased in groups with butyrate supplementation; however, the quantity of IRβ and mTOR protein increased in WB groups. Based on these data, the applied dietary strategies may be useful tools to modulate hepatic insulin and glucagon signaling of chickens in the period of intensive growth. The obtained results might contribute to the better understanding of glycemic control of birds and increase the opportunity of ameliorating insulin sensitivity, hence, improving the production parameters and the welfare of broilers.
Novel bacterial species from the chicken gastrointestinal tract and their functional diversity
(2023) Rios Galicia, Bibiana; Seifert, Jana
The digestive system of chicken presents different physicochemical conditions along the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), shaping an individual microbial profile along sections with different metabolic capacities and divergence on the adaptations to the environment. Efforts to obtain cultivable bacteria originating from the upper region of chicken GIT enrich the reference genome database and provide information about the site- specific adaptations of bacteria colonizing such GIT sections allowing to understand the metabolic profile and adaptive strategies to the environment. However, the lack of sufficient reference genomes limits the interpretation of sequencing data and restrain the study of complex functions. In this study, 43 strains obtained from crop, jejunum and ileum of chicken were isolated, characterised and genome analysed to observe their metabolic profiles, adaptive strategies and to serve as future references. Eight isolates represent new species that colonise the upper gut intestinal tract and present consistent adaptations that enable us to predict their ecological role, expanding our knowledge on the adaptative functions. Strains of Limosilactobacillus were found to be more abundant in the crop, while Ligilactobacillus dominated the ileal digesta. Isolates from crop encode a high number of glycosidases specialised in complex polysaccharides compared to strains isolated from jejunum and ileum. While isolates from jejunum and ileum encode a higher number of genes that interact with the host such as collagenases and hyaluronidases, indicating preferential persistence and adaptations along the GIT. These results represent the first repository of bacteria obtained from the crop and small intestine of chicken using culturomics, improving the potential handling of chicken microbiome with biotechnological applications