Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

Analyzing The Longevity Of Sperm Within The Female Japanese Quail By Assessing Sperm Penetration Of The Perivitelline Layer Under Optimal And Suboptimal Conditions., Garret G. Ashabranner, Joey L. Bray

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

After mating, birds have the ability to store semen within the female reproductive tract. The sperm storage tubules will store and subsequently release semen to travel up the oviduct. Sperm cells that make the trek up the oviduct have a chance to fertilize the ovum. These sperm cells will bind to the perivitelline layer of the ovum and hydrolyze a hole in the perivitelline layer, where it has the possibility to fertilize the female sex cell. Analyzing the number of penetration points on the perivitelline layer is an effective way to analyze reproductive efficiency. Many environmental factor has its effect …

Greater Sage-Grouse Survival, Breeding Ecology, Resource Selection, And West Nile Virus Prevalence On The Eastern Fringe Of Their Range, Lindsey Anne Parsons

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) obligate species that has experienced population declines over the past several decades. Sage-grouse are a species of conservation concern throughout the Intermountain West and are considered a species of greatest conservation need in South Dakota. Numerous studies have documented drivers of demographic performance at the core of their distribution; however, relatively few studies have examined sage-grouse inhabiting the eastern extent of their range, in South Dakota. We sought to examine sage-grouse space use in multiple seasons, estimate survival, and determine factors affecting nest success in South Dakota …

Effect Of Protease Supplementation In Broiler Feed On Growth Performance, Carcass Yield And Total Nitrogen Retention In Fecal Matter And Litter, Jawad Al-Juboori

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of protease supplementation on commercial broiler performance, carcass yield, and nitrogen retention in fecal matter and litter. Total of 4,800 female (Ross 708) birds split into 96 floor pens, and randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups. Birds were placed within 96, 5’x10’ floor pens in a randomized-block design at the SFASU Poultry Research Center. Birds were randomly divided among the pens at a stocking density of 1.00 ft2/bird (50 birds/pen*24 pens/treatment=1200 birds/treatment), and reared for 49 days on used pine shavings. The target average weight for the …

Evaluation Of Different Probiotic Strains Supplemented In Commercial Broiler Rations And Their Influences On Performance, Yield, And Intestinal Microbiota., Justin M. Glasscock

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus licheniformis, and Bacillus subtilis, as probiotic strains compared to Bacitracin Methylene Disalicylate (BMD) 50 as the antibiotic growth promotor, supplemented in commercial broiler rations and their influences on performance, yield, and intestinal microbiota. This trial was completed as a randomized-block design with 4,800 birds split into 96, 5’x10’ pens, and randomly assigned to one of eight treatment groups. The birds were placed at a stocking density of 1.00 ft²/bird, (50 birds/pen), and reared on used pine shaving for 55 days. Throughout the study, bird …

Evaluation Of A Bioprocessed Soybean Meal On Nursery Pig Immune Status And Disease Resistance, Jacob R. Koepke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Weaning is a stressful time in a piglet’s life that can have negative impacts on performance and health if not managed properly. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of a bioprocessed SBM alone or in combination with spray-dried plasma (SDP) or fishmeal (FM) on immune response at weaning with no imminent disease threat and during a porcine reproductive and respiratory virus (PRRSV) challenge. In the first trial, 239 pigs (initial BW 6.56 ± 0.87 kg, 21 d of age) were used in a 35-d study and allotted to one of 4 dietary treatments (10 pens/trt) according …

The Long-Term Effects Of A Group-Selection Timber Harvest On The Bird Community Of An Oak-Pine Forest In Maine, Stephen P. Campbell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bird populations have been monitored at the Holt Research Forest in Arrowsic, Maine since 1983 as part of a long-term forest ecosystem study. In the winter of 1987-1988, 10 ha of the 40-ha study area were subjected to a group-selection timber harvest (i.e., a harvest that creates canopy gaps by removing small groups of trees). I analyzed the first 20 years of these data (5 years of pre-harvest data and 15 years of post-harvest data) for changes in abundance and spatial distribution of birds in response to the harvest. Although species’ responses to the group-selection harvest were idiosyncratic, two general …

Nest Success And Chick Survival Of Black Terns In Maine: Effects Of Predation On Breeding Productivity, Shane R. Heath

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nest predation is a prominent cause of reproductive failure in wetland-nesting birds, including black terns. As a result, predator avoidance should play an important role in nest site selection. I examined intraspecific variation in nest success to identify factors affecting nest predation of black tern colonies in central Maine. I measured variables related to proximity of wetland features and nest aggregation for 231 successful and 124 depredated black tern nests during the period 1998-2002. I defined candidate models based on logistic regression and selected models with Akaike's Information Criterion adjusted for small sample sizes (AIC_c) to determine the …

Modeling Bird Species Occurrence In Current And Future Landscapes, Stephen Nicholas Matthews

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With mounting evidence that global temperatures have increased significantly over the last century and the projections of greater changes in climate by the end of this century, understanding the potential consequences of these changes for species is essential to conservation efforts. Here I evaluate the potential response of birds to projected climate change by using regression tree analysis to create models of species distributions under current conditions from Breeding Bird Survey data and then project these models onto General Circulation Model (GCM) scenarios of global climate change. Before modeling species responses to climate change, I selected seventeen bird species to …

Effects Of Small-Gap Timber Harvests On Songbird Community Composition And Site-Fidelity, Mitschka John Hartley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I investigated effects of small-gap timber harvests on bird communities at nine sites (10 ha each) within the Penobscot Experimental Forest (PEF), grouped into three replicated "blocks" (three sites each). Blocks were randomly treated with three treatments: 10% harvest, 20% harvest, and no harvest (i.e., control). I examined how treatments affected breeding songbird abundance, richness, and site-fidelity over four consecutive summers, including 1-3 years before and after each site was harvested. Ability to detect treatment effects was limited by the small number of replicates, but power analyses indicated that given the experimental design and observed variability, there was a high …

Picturing Nature: Education, Ornithology And Photography In The Life Of Cordelia Stanwood: 1865-1958, Cynthia Watkins Richardson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The field of environmental history, with a few exceptions, has neglected gendered analysis; in addition, several women's histories have analyzed a few environmental issues, but disregard environmental scholarship. In the joining of women's and environmental history, this dissertation examines the life of one woman, Cordelia J. Stanwood of Ellsworth, Maine (1865-1958), to determine how a woman could use nature to transcend the social limits of domesticity in the early twentieth century. Research of her correspondence, published writing, photography and forty years of field notes reveals that like many other women, she took advantage of technology and evolving ideas about womanhood …

Variables Influencing Nest Success Of Eastern Wild Turkeys In Connecticut: Nesting Habitat, Home Range-Scale Fragmentation, And Nest Attentiveness, Shelley M. Spohr

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nest success is the most important demographic parameter influencing rates of population change of eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo si1vestris) and many variables operating at multiple spatial and temporal scales may influence whether a nest is successful. Most studies of nest success and survival of turkeys have occurred in forested or agricultural landscapes; variables influencing nest success have not been studied in suburban landscapes. My objectives were to: 1 ) quantify survival and reproductive parameters of eastern wild turkey hens in the suburban environment of southeastern Connecticut and compare results to studies conducted in other northeastern states; 2) …

The Foraging And Habitat Ecology Of Black Terns In Maine, Andrew Gilbert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The population of Black Terns in Maine is small and factors related to the ecology of this species’ foraging and habitat ecology might limit population growth and recovery. The objectives were to (1) determine if diet and provisioning rates are limiting chick growth, (2) identify and rank suitable habitat in Maine, and (3) determine if precipitation patterns and water level dynamics are limiting in Maine. I compared growth rates of chicks in 1998-2000 in Maine to rates from other studies, determined the influence of colony, year, and diet on growth rates and food deliveries and used an energetics model to …

Nutritional Factors Modifying Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome In Caged Laying Hens, Chandi C. Rakshit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three experiments each with two phases were conducted to study the effect of different levels of distillers dried grain (DDG), fat, oats and a mixture of oats and DDG on Fatty Liver Hemorrhagic Syndrome (FLHS) in caged laying hens. The second phase of each experiment was conducted by force-feeding the same diets used in the first phase at 120% of their normal intakes. This produces FLHS and thereby permits studying the effect of diets. During the force-feeding period of the third experiment, serum estradiol levels of hens from each treatment and each type of feeding were measured to study the …

Comparative Nutritive Value Of Soybean Meal, Sunflower Meal, And Meat And Bone Meal For Egg Production, Smart M. Oruseibio

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two experiments were conducted over a period of two years to evaluate the comparative nutritive value of soybean meal, sunflower meal, and meat and bone meal. Experiment 1 consisted of 864 Babcock--3OO pullets randomly distributed into twelve diet treatments. Each treatment was replicated six-times with twelve birds per unit. Layers diets were formulated at 16, 14, and 12% protein levels with and without amino acid supplementation. The 12% amino acid supplemented level served as the control in the experiment. Soybean meal, sum-lower meal, and eat_ and bone meal were utilized as major sources of protein supplement in yellow-corn based diets. …

Effects Of Strain On Response Of Laying Hens To Low Protein Diets And Amino Acid Supplements, Ali B. Kashani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corn is by far the most widely used cereal grain in the United States for poultry feeding. In addition to its high energy content, corn provides adequate amounts of the essential fatty acids for maximum rates of growth and egg production. Palatability and ample xanthophyll and provitamin A contents of fresh corn are some o the other contributing factors for its popularity in livestock feeding. The most serious limitation in the nutritional value of corn as well as other cereal grains lies in the fact that they are low in both quantity and quality of protein. It has been a …

Deterioration Of Eggshell Quality And Calcium Metabolism In Laying Hens, Chang Won Kang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was undertaken to: (1) develop a reliable method of measuring eggshell quality, (2) determine whether diet alterations that cause a somewhat reduced rate of egg production could influence shell quality, and (3) determine whether certain biochemical parameters involved in calcium metabolism are related to shell quality.

Fatty Liver-Hemorrhagic Syndrome (Flhs) In Caged Laying Hens, Richard A. Nelson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A series of eleven experiments was conducted with caged laying hens to study the effects of diet and strain on production and fat accumulation in the liver. In Experiments 1 to 4, a normal ad libitum feeding regime was used, while in Experiments 5 to 11, a force-feeding technique was used as a procedure to increase the incidence of FLHS. Four commercial hybrid strains and a straightbred SCWL (Regional Control) strain were utilized in this study. Choline supplementation at 1500 mg/kg of diet increased egg production from 1 to 11% while decreasing total liver lipid as much as 50%. Supplementation …

Amino Acid Additions To A Low Protein Corn-Soy Diet For Egg Production, Ali Baghaye Kashani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The present study was conducted to determine if the protein level of layer diets could be lowered from the: commonly used 16 percent to 12 percent by supplementation of some of the essential amino acids without reducing the performance of hens. The amino acids used were methionine, lysine, tryptophan and isoleucine. Egg production, egg shell thickness, interior egg quality, body weight, feed efficiency and free amino acid content of the albumen of eggs produced were criteria used to measure the (--) to treatment.

Effects Of Fungus-Fermented Soybeans On Broiler Growth And Life Cycle Performance Of Coturnix Quail, Cheong Choo Chah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite the extensive data that have accumulated on the detrimental effect of molds on the growth of farm animals, very little is known as to the beneficial role of fungi in animal feed. Recent studies at South Dakota State University research laboratories revealed, however, that only 164 of 392 strains of Aspergilli were found to be toxic. When the cultures were grown on sterile soybeans or wheat, some of the tested cultures exerted positive effects on growth of chicks and mice. Hence, the investigations reported herein were initiated to obtain further information on those cultures beneficial to chick performance and …

Effects Of Various Levels Of Dietary Selenium And Arsenic On Chickens, Richard L. Arnold

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Various levels of selenium and arsenic additions were made to several types of chicken diets to study their effects on growth and reproduction criteria. Three experiments were conducted. The first study involved day-old chicks and terminated at 64 weeks of age. These yearling hens were then used for the second experiments which terminated when the hens were 104 weeks old. The third study was initiated with 20 week old pullets and terminated when they were 52 weeks old. Feeding purified diets resulted in slower chick growth and lower mature body weights of hens. Selenium additions of 2.0 ppm resulted in …

Effects Of Various Factors On The Rachitogenic Activity Of Isolated Soy Protein, Donald James Arshem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The nature of the rachitogenic activity of isolated soy protein was investigated in fifteen studies. A RP-100-glucose purified diet was fed to day-old turkey poults housed in stainless steel batteries. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Corn, oat hulls, solvent-extracted soybean meal, full-fat extruded soybeans, C-1 protein, casein and texturized forms of soy protein were added to the basal diet at various levels. All feedstuffs were added at two particle sizes: natural form of the feedstuff (>250 u); and ground in a ball mill (<250 >u). The effects of autoclaving for 60 minutes at 120°C were also investigated. …

Comparative Metabolism Of Several Calcareous Minerals In Poultry Feeding, John T. Tripp

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In part one of this study it was found that chickens when given oyster shells, in addition to their regular diet, produced a greater number of eggs and eggs of greater shell strength than did the chickens that were given the other calcareous materials used in this experiment. Oyster shell was followed in the order of their effectiveness by clam shells, Black Hills limestone, Nenno chalk stone, and Wisconsin dolomitie limestone.

The Effect Of Potassium-Iodide On The Embryological Development Of The Chick With Special Reference To The Growth Of The Long Bones., David M. Polot 1904-1978

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.