Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

Effect Of Cyclic Heat Stress On Feeding-Related Hypothalamic Neuropeptides Of Three Broiler Populations And Their Ancestor Jungle Fowl, Giorgio Brugaletta, Elizabeth S. Greene, Travis Tabler, Sara K. Orlowski, Federico Sirri, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Heat stress (HS) has been increasingly jeopardizing the sustainability of the poultry production. Moreover, modern high-performing chickens are far less able to withstand HS than their predecessors due to higher growth rate and metabolic rates. Performance losses caused by HS are mainly ascribed to decreases in feed consumption. Since feed intake is tightly controlled by the hypothalamic centers of hunger and satiety, we sought to determine the effect of chronic cyclic HS on the expression of feeding-related hypothalamic neuropeptides (FRHN) in unselected chickens (i.e., the ancestor junglefowl—JF) and three broiler lines from diverse stages of genetic selection (i.e., the slow …

Efficacy Of Spirulina (Arthrospira Platensis) Utilization In Broiler Diets, Garrett James Mullenix

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) is a cyanobacteria microalgae that has potential as an animal feed ingredient. Five experiments were conducted to further assess its ability to serve as a protein source in broiler diets. Experiment 1 consisted of an amino acid digestibility and apparent metabolizable energy assay. The results indicated that the standardized ileal amino acid levels of spirulina are comparable with typical soybean meal. Experiment 2 assessed the performance and processing parameters of broilers fed 10% spirulina in low crude protein diets, using published digestibility coefficients. Spirulina inclusion improved footpad quality and increased redness and yellowness of the breast, skin …

Divergent Selection For Water Conversion Ratio In Broiler Populations, Joseph Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Water scarcity is a global reality and with the anticipated population growth, freshwater resources will be further strained to meet both human needs and agriculture applications. To ensure a water sustainable and food secure future, all aspects of agriculture must become more efficient. Two strategies were explored. The potential of improving water efficiency in broilers was examined. The first strategy was to develop a more efficient and accurate method for measuring water consumption/inputs in agriculture. To date, water measuring technology has lacked the necessary sophistication to assure accuracy and repeatability of low flow water usage.

After establishing a low flow …

Evaluation Of Two Neonatal Challenge Models For Broiler Chickens And Their Effects On Early Performance Parameters, Callie Selby

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Formaldehyde fumigation in poultry hatch cabinets has been utilized for sanitation of hatching eggs for over a century. Formaldehyde is utilized to minimize pathogenic microbes on the surface of the egg as well as the microbial bloom during the hatching process. While formaldehyde is effective, its use is regulated in the United States and Europe due to its carcinogenic nature. Formaldehyde has been shown to damage the cuticle of the egg, cause embryonic death, and damage the epithelial lining of the respiratory tract of freshly hatched chicks, predisposing them for respiratory infection. Alternatives for formaldehyde fumigation must be identified and …

Genome-Wide Analyses Of Genomic Variation Regulating Differential Stress Responses In Japanese Quail, Steven Anthony Shumaker

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As consumer demands for poultry grow, producers work to improve bird productivity in both meat and egg production. This endeavor is multifaceted, as many different factors play a part in influencing the productivity of birds, including environmental conditions, overall health, and genetic potential. One aspect controlled for in all aspects of poultry production optimization is stress management. Mitigation of stress is of primary concern to producers, as improper stress management can have many deleterious effects on chickens. Stress management requires an understanding of poultry stress responses and their physiological mechanisms, which can be more deeply understood through genomic analysis. Chapter …

Development Of Aptamer Rolling Circle Amplification Platform As A Vaccine Adjuvant To Control Salmonella In Broiler Chickens, Abigeal Iyabode Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella has been a major source of concern in public health and food industry. It is the cause of gastrointestinal illness and fever called salmonellosis. Severe cases of salmonellosis have resulted in hospitalization and even death around the world. Salmonella can be found in the intestinal tract of animals including chickens and can be transmitted to human through contaminated food. Hence, it is highly important to find ways of reducing the transmission of Salmonella from chickens to humans. This work is focused on the control of Salmonella in broiler chicken through the development of novel vaccine adjuvant. Two different aptamer …

Investigation Of Histomoniasis Prevention In Poultry, Lesleigh Beer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Histomonas meleagridis is the etiological agent of histomoniasis, also commonly known as blackhead disease. This protozoal disease of poultry is detrimental to turkeys with flock mortalities often reaching 80-100%, although other gallinaceous birds are susceptible. Since the voluntary removal of nitarsone in 2015, the poultry industry is suffering with no approved prophylactics, therapeutics, or vaccines for this disease. The objectives of this dissertation were to evaluate multiple methods for prevention or control of histomoniasis, including dietary chemoprophylaxis and vaccination. Specifically, this research evaluated quinine as a chemoprophylactic candidate (Chapter 3) or live-attenuated H. meleagridis as vaccine candidates (Chapter 4) in …

Reducing Dietary Crude Protein: Characterization Of Branched-Chain Amino Acid Antagonism In Modern Broiler Chickens, Craig William Maynard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Reducing the crude protein content of broiler diets while maintaining performance has been a primary research area in nutrition. During the late 20th century, the bulk of this research has involved supplementing broiler diets with feed-grade amino acids and proving the economic benefits of their additions. To date, widespread adoption of feed-grade amino acids is limited to methionine, lysine, threonine, and to some extent valine. With valine and isoleucine gaining prevalence in commercial formulation, classic data on the antagonisms associated with the branched-chain amino acids has returned to the forefront of practical broiler nutrition research. Therefore, a series of 23 …

Review: Physiological Growth Trend Of Current Meat Broilers And Dietary Protein And Energy Management Approaches For Sustainable Broiler Production, P. Maharjan, D. A. Martinez, J. Weil, N. Suesuttajit, C. Umberson, G. Mullenix, K. M. Hilton, A. Beitia, C. N. Coon

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The food production system needs to be sustainable including poultry sector to feed the increasing global population. An accepted economical and environmental approach of broiler production is to produce larger broilers faster while using less feed. Broiler production is aimed at producing consumable meat and meat products. The global broiler meat market has evolved over the years with increasing selection pressure shifted toward attaining yield characteristics for increased cut-up parts such as breast and thighs. There is a shift toward a big bird market in the U.S. with approximately 70% of the broiler meat produced from large birds (>2.72 …

Local And Systemic Cytokine, Chemokine, And Fgf Profile In Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis (Bco)-Affected Broilers, Alison Ramser, Elizabeth Greene, Robert Wideman, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Complex disease states, like bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO), not only result in physiological symptoms, such as lameness, but also a complex systemic reaction involving immune and growth factor responses. For the modern broiler (meat-type) chickens, BCO is an animal welfare, production, and economic concern involving bacterial infection, inflammation, and bone attrition with a poorly defined etiology. It is, therefore, critical to define the key inflammatory and bone-related factors involved in BCO. In this study, the local bone and systemic blood profile of inflammatory modulators, cytokines, and chemokines was elucidated along with inflammasome and key FGF genes. BCO-affected bone showed …

Effects Of Herbal Adaptogen Feed-Additive On Growth Performance, Carcass Parameters, And Muscle Amino Acid Profile In Heat-Stressed Modern Broilers, Elizabeth S. Greene, Clay Maynard, Casey M. Owens, Jean-Francois Meullenet, Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Heat stress has strong adverse effects on poultry production and, thereby, threats its sustainability, which energized scientists to search for innovative and effective solutions. Here, we undertook this study to evaluate the effects of in-feed herbal adaptogen (stress response modifier) supplementation on growth performances, meat quality, and breast amino acid profile in chronic cyclic heat-stressed broilers. Day-old male Cobb 500 chicks (n = 720) were randomly assigned, in environmental chambers (n = 12, 24 pens), to three diet-treatments: a three-phase corn-soybean based diet fed as such (Control, C), or supplemented with the herbal adaptogen at 500 g/1000 kg …

Understanding Corn Variability, Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondón

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Corn is the most common feed ingredient used in poultry nutrition. Maize contributes with up to 65% of the metabolizable energy and 20% of crude protein in poultry diets (Gehring et al., 2013; Dei, 2017). Its average nutritional value is well-known, but it is accepted that the variability in its composition and energy value is a very common issue with great impact on poultry performance and health (Cowieson, 2005; Gehring et al., 2013; Latham et al., 2016; Montanhini-Neto et al., 2017). Corn variability affects growth, feed conversion, flock uniformity, digestibility, AMEn, digesta viscosity, gut microbiota composition, …

Assessing Dietary Branched-Chain Amino Acids To Achieve Linear Programming Goals Through Model Extrapolation And Empirical Research, Craig W. Maynard, Ed E. Gbur, Vinh-Loi Ly, Minh-Duc Le, Thi H. Ngan Le Jr, Justina Caldas, Michael T. Kidd

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Renewed interest, especially in the United States, has sparked in assessing branched-chain amino acid interactions in practical diets for broilers. Indeed, as L-valine enters formulation bird nitrogen excesses are reduced as diet protein falls to the new first limiting amino acid (e.g., isoleucine, arginine, or tryptophan). For a United States based example, the result is less oilseeds and more gains, which typically result in increased inclusions in corn or corn by-products, coupled with a concomitant increase in dietary leucine. The proceedings outline the foundations of the branched-chain amino acid early research, antagonism studies, and a meta-analysis conducted on publications with …

Sustaining Competitiveness In Times Of Uncertainty And Volatility: A Latin American Perspective, Antonio Kalinowski

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

The poultry industry has dominated the dynamic livestock sector in Latin America during the last decades, doubling production in the last 20 years (Williams and Anderson, 2019). In the future, poultry production in the region is expected to grow at almost twice the annual global rate: 2.5% and 4.0%, respectively. The rapid expansion of the industry has been fueled by the growing consumer demand for chicken meat and eggs, given its price competitiveness and culinary preference in most Latin American countries. Per capita chicken consumption is among the highest in the world (on average ca. 30 kg/person/year), and represents above …

Amino Acid Responses In Conventional And Slow Growing Broilers, Alex Corzo, Marcelo Silva

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Conventional and slow-growing broilers are both quite responsive to dietary amino acids. However, when reducing dietary balanced protein (BP), the change in rate of gain on the slower-growing broilers results in a growth curve that is not as steep as it would be if using the current conventional broiler. Amino acid supply and balance, in combination with manipulation of dietary energy density, could enable customers to achieve the desired rate of gain when using slow-growing broilers, depending on the Global Animal Partnership or other certification level the integrator is aiming for.

Heat Damage, Maillard Reactions, And Measurement Of Reactive Lysine In Feed Ingredients And Diets, Maryane S. F. Oliveira, Charmaine D. Espinosa, Hans H. Stein

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Feed cost represents 70% of the total cost of poultry and pork production (Patience et al., 2015); therefore, a number of processing techniques have been developed to maximize utilization of nutrients in feed ingredients and diets for optimum animal growth performance. Oilseed meals are commonly exposed to varying degrees of heat to remove solvents used during oil extraction, increase nutrient digestibility, improve storage life, and to reduce anti-nutritional factors (Liener, 1994; Rehman and Shah, 2005; Goebel and Stein, 2011). Heat is also applied in the production of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) from dry grind ethanol facilities …

Practical Pullet And Breeder Nutrition, David J. Burnham

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Modern meat chicken breeding stock have been selected for extremely efficient conversion of feed into protein and rapid growth. As a result, it has become increasingly more difficult to rear pullets and breeders to achieve the healthy chick numbers needed to supply the ever-expanding poultry meat market. There are many factors involved in producing a healthy pullet and breeder chicken. These include; housing, lighting, temperature and air control, health, animal husbandry, feed management and nutrition. This presentation is titled, Practical Pullet and Breeder Nutrition. Feed nutrient composition is important, but feed management is critical to make the nutrition effective. The …

Dietary Fiber From Crude To Refined: Unraveling Its Value On Animal Performance, Gilson Gomes, Tara York, Xavière Rousseau

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Fiber, although a simple five letter word, is like an onion. It is only once you begin to peel back the layers that you discover the complexity within. As nutritionists we are used to thinking in terms of ‘crude fiber’, but as we move into a world without antibiotics and the need to sometimes select alternative ingredients, we are now beginning to separate fiber into its chemical components and functional properties. To understand the functional properties, such as solubility and fermentability, we first need to ensure we can accurately measure the chemical composition of fiber for a wide variety of …

Free Fatty Acid Removal From Oil Using Magnetic Nanoparticles, Daniel Sabo

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Unprocessed crude oils consist of some amount of triglycerides as well as free fatty acids (FFAs). FFAs are virtually absent in oils from living tissue. They are formed by enzymatic action after the animal has been slaughtered. Hydrolysis of ester bonds in lipids, which results in the formation of FFA from the triglycerides, may be caused by enzymatic action, heat, or moisture. This release of short-chain fatty acids is the reason for rancid flavor and odor. Furthermore, the presence of FFAs can self-catalyze and release more FFAs from triglycerides. FFAs are susceptible to oxidation, which leads to oxidative rancidity. This …

Nutrition And Coccidiosis, Po-Yun Teng, Fernanda Castro, Woo Kyun Kim

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Coccidiosis is the most common parasitic disease caused by Eimeria spp., leading to over $14 billion economic loss worldwide annually. The most prevalent Eimeria spp. in poultry include E. tenella, E. maxima, E. acervulina, E. brunetti, E. necatrix, E. praecox, and E. mitis and have different level of pathogenicity and specific infection sites in the intestine. Eimeria spp. invade intestinal epithelial tissues and induce intestinal damage, causing inflammation, oxidative stress, hemorrhage, and diarrhea. Furthermore, coccidiosis causes reduction of growth performance, intestinal integrity, nutrient digestibility, and increase of mortality and mobility in poultry. Nutrition strategies have been evaluated to mitigate detrimental …

Every Part Of Yeast Is The Best Part, Matthieu Baulez, Bruno Bertaud, Lisa Saibi

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Yeasts are single-cell, eukaryotic microorganisms classified in the fungi kingdom. They are generally around 10μm in size, have a nuclear membrane, a cell wall, and a cytoplasmic content. Yeasts are characterized as heterotrophs, which means they rely on organic material as sources of energy and nutrients. Not all yeasts are equal. There are about 60 genera and about 1,500 species of yeasts. Only a few are used commercially. Thanks to its exceptional fermentative capacities and nutritional properties, Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the main yeast used in food, beverage and baking as well as in animal nutrition. The main types of yeasts …

Mineral Nutrition In Broilers: Where Are We At?, Rick Kleyn, Mariana Ciacciariello

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Mineral nutrition remains an essential consideration for broiler nutritionists. The complex interactions between different minerals sources, other ingredients, and the broiler itself, coupled with their relatively low costs, have led to the current status of elevated levels of minerals in broiler diets. New perspectives on sustainability have brought about a rethink of the way we formulate practical diets. There are considerable opportunities for reducing macro minerals such as calcium and phosphorus, particularly for older birds. Our understanding of attaining an ideal dietary cation-anion balance is confused by the lack of clarity in measuring the balance and the bird’s ability to …

Directed Genome Evolution To Identify Genes For Macrophage Survival By Staphylococcus Agnetis, Sonali Lakshika Anne Lenaduwe Lokuge

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) is a debilitating infection that negatively impacts animal welfare and costs the broiler industry billions of dollars annually. We have previously isolated Staphylococcus agnetis 908 from BCO samples obtained from broilers at the University of Arkansas research farm. This isolate can induce BCO lameness at greater than 50% in broilers exposed to the pathogen in drinking water. We found that S. agnetis 908 is capable of surviving and escaping macrophages compared to a closely related cattle isolate,1379. Through Directed Genome Evolution (DGE) we identified that this difference is at least partially associated with an alanine …

Nanomaterial-Based Biosensors For Detection Of Salmonella Typhimurium And Avian Influenza Virus H5n1 In Poultry, Xinge Xi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on developing biosensing method and biosensing device for rapid detection of pathogens in poultry: Salmonella Typhimurium and avian influenza virus H5N1. The first part of the dissertation reports an original research on the development of a portable biosensing device for Salmonella detection. The device was designed and constructed based on a previously developed optical biosensing method, using immuno-magnetic nanoparticles to specifically capture target bacteria, and immuno-quantum dot beads to label the target bacteria for fluorescence detection. All the actions of sample mixing, magnetic separation, and fluorescence detection were controlled automatically in a disposable microfluidic chip in the …

Influence Of Encapsulation Of Supplemental Amino Acids On Their Utilization In Broilers, Ethan A. Collins

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study was developed to assess whether microencapsulation of amino acids (AA) improves their absorption to increase broiler growth performance and reduce nitrogen excretion compared to standard feed-grade AA. Five hundred and sixty Ross 708 male broilers were randomly distributed to 70 battery cages and reared for 21 days. Reported data is grouped into periods: 0-7 days, 0-14 days, and 0-21 days. A total of 5 treatment diets were fed: an industry-based control and 4 diets with decreased levels of methionine, lysine, and threonine in either encapsulated or free forms, with or without a botanical feed additive. Encapsulated AA increased …

Effects Of A Low Crude Protein Diet With And Without Spirulina Platensis Inclusion On The Concentrations And Proportions Of Circulating Immune Cells In Broilers, Heather Glenn

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Immune system health is an important aspect of broiler production, especially with the reduction of the use of antibiotics. Nutritional aspects, like crude protein percentage, and natural alternatives to antibiotics are being investigated to see the effect they have on immunity. Spirulina is an alternative proteinaceous ingredient that producers are looking into, not only due to its high nutritional value, but also its immune boosting properties. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of a low crude protein diet (LCP) and a Spirulina-supplemented low crude protein (LCP-SP) diet on broiler blood cell measurements, including, concentrations and proportions …

Evaluation Of Weight Gain, Feed Intake, Feed Conversion And Oocyst Shedding Of Eimeria Maxima And Eimeria Acervulina In Broiler Chickens, Lauren Laverty

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the day and the time of sample collection of an

experimental challenge with Eimeria maxima (EM) and Eimeria acervulina (EA) in broiler chickens. One day old male Cobb-Vantress broiler chickens were randomly allocated to one of three groups with ten replicates (n=8 chickens/replicate). Chickens were placed in battery cages with a controlled age-appropriate environment: Group 1) Negative control (no challenge or treatment); 2) Challenge control (Eimeria challenge only); 3) Challenge + Salinomycin. Challenged chickens were orally gavaged with the mixed culture of EM/EA (10,000 sporulated EM containing 4% wild-type EA) …

“The Role Of Poultry On Food Insecurity In Mozambique”, Austin Heinisch

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hunger, poverty, and starvation in developing countries are some of the most prevalent challenges facing the world today but many people outside of these areas are not fully aware as to just how bad it is. In the country of Mozambique, where the following research took place, food insecurity levels are rampant, and many different groups/companies are trying to change that. Through a service-learning study abroad program in the summer of 2019, my group and I worked with the local company New Horizons to research ways in which poultry production for both the company and their rural out growers could …

The Effects Of Common Stressors On Poultry Production: A Case Study In Northern Mozambique, Grace Lehfeldt

Finance Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chicken is one of the main proteins that feeds the world. For centuries, the human race has relied on chickens to eat. Therefore, as food science becomes more relevant, the way that chickens are raised has become a science. However, this is not true in every part of the world. In Mozambique the process for raising chickens for consumption is not the same as it would be in America. This is a study of two specific “stressors” (feed and temperature) and how they impacted chicken growth and development on a live production poultry farm in Northern Mozambique. In addition, it …

Can Small-Scale Poultry Initiatives Alleviate Food Insecurity And Increase Empowerment For Women In Economically Disadvantaged Areas?, Patrick Daniels

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the summer of 2019, I, along with 8 other students from the University of Arkansas departed the United States for the Central American country of Belize. Despite our limited knowledge of what Belize held in store for us, we were enthusiastic about the coming months. While we had different projects, we all set out with the same universal question in mind. How can we use the knowledge we have gained through education to make a positive impact on the lives of people living in an impoverished town? Some of the members of our team worked alongside local businesses to …