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Effects Of Environmental Enrichment Strategies On Behavior And Production Performance Of Broiler Breeder Chickens Reared At Elevated Temperatures, Oluwatoyin Bukunmi Adeniji

Masters Theses

Enriched housing systems are embraced as better alternatives to bare housing systems for table egg laying hens. However, attention is presently turning to the meat type (broiler breeder) laying hens. Hence, this experiment investigated the effects of perch structures and sharp sand on behavior, physiology, and production performance of broiler breeder chickens reared under elevated temperatures.

Two hundred and eighty eight broiler breeder females and 48 males (Cobb 500) at 21-weeks-old were assigned to their respective treatments in two different rooms. One room was maintained at 23°C to mimic a thermoneutral environment while the second room cycled between 23°C and …

Effect Of Double Interspiking On Fertility, Behavior, And Blood Parameters In Broiler Breeder Males Reared Under Heat Stress Conditions, Karianne Mei-Ying Chung

Masters Theses

Broiler breeders experience a natural decline in fertility levels as a flock ages. A male management practice such as double interspiking could be applied to counteract this decline. Our objective was to investigate the effects of double interspiking on flock fertility, testosterone concentrations, stress responses, and behavioral responses of broiler breeders in heat stressed environments. Two hundred and eighty-eight broiler breeder pullets and thirty-six broiler breeder roosters (Ross 708) were assigned to three groups at 21 weeks of age (WOA). All three groups were housed in slatted floor pens in which room temperature cycled from 23.8 to 30 C to …