Poultry or Avian Science Commons^™

Effects Of Light Wavelength On Broiler Performance, Blood Cell Profiles, Stress Levels, And Tibiotarsi Morphology, Angela Perretti, Victor J. Oyeniran, Jaelen M. Cherry, Rosemarry H. Whittle, Zachary Grider, Alexander H. Nelson, Seong W. Kang, Gisela F. Erf, Shawna L. Wiemer

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Lighting influences broiler production, health, and behavior. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of three light wavelengths (White [350-780 nm], Blue [450 nm], and Green [560 nm]) on broiler production, activity, fear, stress, blood cell profiles, and tibiotarsi (tibia) morphology. Day-of-hatch male broiler chicks (N = 600) were housed in pens (N = 12) with one lighting treatment for 42 days. Body weight and feed consumption were recorded on day (D) 0, 14, 28, and 42, and the feed conversion ratio was calculated. The Tonic Immobility test was used to assess the latency (seconds) to right …

Effect Of Dietary Tryptophan Supplementation And Heat Stress On Pasture Broiler Welfare And Performance, Jaelen Matthew Cherry

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pasture-raised broiler chickens face temperature extremes that can threaten welfare. In the study, we evaluated whether a 0.26 % tryptophan-supplemented diet (T) improved heat stress (HS) resilience in Ross-708 broilers raised on pasture. At D14, birds began the T or remained on the control diet (C) and were moved outdoors. On D20 and 41, half of each group underwent six-hour HS; the remainder stayed under thermoneutral (TN) conditions. Weekly body weight, feed intake on D20 and D41 were recorded, and fear was measured using the Tonic Immobility (TI) test. Neither diet nor HS affected body weight. However, tryptophan supplementation resulted …

Low Protein Diet Strategy, S. Y. Liu, P. V. Chrystal, M. T. Kidd, M. Toghyani, S. P. Macelline, P. H. Selle

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Reduced crude protein (CP) diets can lower nitrogen excretion and improve litter quality, but their effectiveness varies depending on the grain type, with wheat-based diets often showing poorer broiler performance compared to maize or sorghum. The digestive dynamics and synchrony between NBAA and protein-bound amino acids, along with starch-to-protein ratios, influence feed efficiency and fat deposition, which remains a challenge in reduced CP diets. Optimizing amino acid supplementation and exploring alternative protein-rich ingredients may help improve outcomes, especially in regions with limited access to soybean meal.

Utilization Of Golden Pennycress In Broiler Diets, Marley M. Knowles

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance in broiler chickens fed diets containing golden pennycress meal (GPCM), with and without a flavor additive. Golden pennycress (Thlaspi arvense) is a winter cover crop grown in the Midwest that is rising in popularity as a cash crop used for biofuel production. After oil is pressed out of the seeds, a meal remains that is usually discarded. Incorporation of this meal (23% protein, 15% fat) into feedstuffs for broilers would be an efficient way to make biofuel production more sustainable. In one study, Cornish Cross three-day-old chicks (n=12) were …

The Influence Of Feed Additives On Laying Hen Health, Welfare, And Egg Quality, Alexa Johnson

All Dissertations

Natural feed additives like oregano essential oil and synbiotic (prebiotic and probiotic) are options with great potential for increasing the health and welfare of laying hens. The first two studies explored the effects of dietary oregano essential oil (EOO) on performance, gastrointestinal traits (GIT), blood lipids, antioxidant capacity, and egg quality in laying hens from 0 to 40 weeks of age. The third study was conducted to examine dietary EOO on layers on the shelf life and fatty acid profile of eggs. The final study aimed to examine the effects of a dietary synbiotic on agonistic behavior, plasma and brain …

Understanding Functional Benefits Of Isoleucine And Arginine On Poultry Performance And Health., Roshan Adhikari, Jason T. Lee, Keith Haydon

Proceedings of the Arkansas Nutrition Conference

Poultry industry is rapidly moving towards utilizing the best ingredients to precisely feed the birds for better performance, welfare, health, and profitability. One of the practices that evolved over time with research is better optimization of amino acid utilization in the diets thus changing the crude protein landscape. Historically, if we compare the modern diets to diets from 1980, significant changes are visible in the use of unbound or crystalline amino acids leading to reduced levels of CP and reduced unutilized nitrogen in the diets. Multiple feed-grade amino acids are available in a cost-effective manner in poultry diets. Multiple research …

Effects Of The In Ovo Administration Of The Poulvac E. Coli Vaccine In Layer Hatching Eggs On Hatchability, Hatchling Characteristics, And Early Posthatch Chick Performance, Lauren L. Lindsey

Theses and Dissertations

Avian Pathogenic E. coli can lead to infections in laying hens and wide-spread economic problems in the table egg industry. A vaccine widely used to combat APEC is the Poulvac E. coli vaccine, which is normally applied via spray vaccination. Application of this vaccine via in ovo injection has not been examined. The purpose of this series of studies was to determine the effects of injecting 50 μL of different dosages of the PECV into Hy-Line W-36 layer hatching eggs on the hatchability and characteristics of the hatchlings, and on the livability and characteristics of the chicks through 21 d …

Effects Of Tannin-Free Grain Sorghum Varieties On The Metabolizable Energy, Performance, And Intestinal Health Of Poultry, Alissa Moritz

All Dissertations

The single largest cost of poultry production is the cost of feed, and it is favorable to seek more sustainable, alternative feed ingredients to reduce the competition between human, animal, and industrial users. Grain sorghum is a potential alternative feedstuff to minimize the dependence of corn by the poultry industry. Not only is it nutritionally similar to corn, but it is tolerant to dry, sandy soils, which allows it to grow successfully in arid climates. This is highly desirable because of its potential to alleviate the production pressure of growing other cereal grains like corn that are less tolerant to …

Microalgae And Zinc Source Supplementation Of Broiler Breeder Diets Affects Broiler Breeder Skeletal Development And Reproduction With Transgenerational Impacts On Offspring Performance And Skeletal Characteristics, Marquisha A. Paul

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Leg problems and disorders are of major concern for the poultry industry and animal welfare. Previous studies suggest that it may be possible to improve skeletal characteristics through nutrition. Omega-3 fatty acids, including Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential nutrients and are known to play an important role in bone tissue development. FORPLUS™ (Alltech, Inc.) is an unextracted, whole-cell microalgae (Aurantiochytrium limacinum CCAP 4087/2) that contains 64% fat and 16% DHA. Zinc (Zn) is a trace element and essential nutrient for growth and skeletal development. Bioplex^® Zn (Alltech, Inc.) is a Zn proteinate that has been shown to be …

Responsiveness Of Cobb Mv × 700 Broilers To Dietary Amino Acid And Energy Density, Craig William Maynard

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As new broiler crosses are introduced to the industry, it is of paramount importance to understand their nutritional digressions from previous and other modern broilers. In particular, amino acids (AA) and dietary energy have been identified as key drivers of live performance and carcass composition. In addition, increased nutrient density in broiler diets have been linked to an increase in breast muscle myopathies such as white striping and woody breast. Therefore, a series of trials were conducted to determine the responsiveness of live performance, carcass characteristics, and breast muscle myopathies of Cobb MV × 700 broilers to dietary AA and …

The Effects Of Actigen® And Threonine Supplementation On Growth Parameters, Immune Function, And Intestinal Health In Monogastrics, Lindsay Good

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objectives of these experiments were to evaluate the main effects and interactive effects between dietary supplementation of a mannan oligosaccharide based product, Actigen® (ACT), and different levels of threonine in monogastrics, as evidenced by growth parameters, immune function, and intestinal health characteristics.

In nursery piglets, ACT supplementation decreased average daily feed intake (P=0.04), but had no effect on body weight or feed conversion ratio. There were no noted differences between threonine levels on performance traits. There were no consistent differences in complete blood count or cytokine gene expression profiles in the blood. The highest level of threonine, …

Performance Comparison Between The Use And Nonuse Of An Enteric Health Medication Program Across Five Consecutive Commercial Broiler Flocks, Joey Lynn Bray, C. S. Taylor, T. E. Cherry, J. Carey

Faculty Publications

A study was conducted to examine broiler performance and carcass yield across 5 consecutive commercial broiler flocks after the removal of roxarsone (ROX) and growth-promoting antibiotics (GPA) from the feed. Over a 1-yr period, approximately 552,000 broilers were reared in 4 solid-walled, tunnel-ventilated houses, divided into 2 paired-house facilities, and were assigned 1 of 2 dietary treatments. The treated group received basal diets containing salinomycin, ROX, and GPA, whereas the control group received the same diets without ROX and GPA. Average BW were recorded for 200 sample birds/treatment per flock at 18, 35, and 48 d of age. Average BW, …