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Typescript (photocopy). / Digitized by Kansas Correctional Industries

Call number: LD2668 .T4 1985 R336 / Master of Science

Thesis (Bsc. (Animal production)) --University of Limpopo, 2009. / Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation at finisher stage on productivity and carcass characteristics of Ross 308 broiler chickens. Experiment 1 examined the effect of levels of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation of grower diet fed to Ross 308 broiler chickens at the finisher stage (30 – 42 days of age) on productivity and carcass characteristics in a 12 day experimental period. The experiment was a completely randomized design with a 2 (two sexes of chickens) x 6 (levels of Hoodia gordonii meal [0, 100, 200, 300, 400 or 500 mg]) factorial arrangement of treatments in which three hundred and sixty broiler chickens at finisher stage were randomly allocated to twelve treatments with three replicates of ten birds each. Level of Hoodia gordonii meal supplementation had no effect (P>0.05) on diet intake, intake as percentage of live weight, growth rate, feed conversion ratio, live weight at 42 days of age and mortality of broiler chickens at finisher stage. All carcass characteristics were not affected (P>0.05) by the treatments except fat pads. Chickens given a daily dose of 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal had lower (P<0.05) fat pad weights than unsupplemented ones. Male broiler chickens had higher (P<0.05) feed intake and heavier drum sticks than female broiler chickens. Experiment 2 examined the effect of Hoodia gordonii meal dose interval at finisher stage in a 2 (two sexes of chickens) x 3 (dosage intervals) factorial, complete randomized design that involved three hundred and sixty chickens that were randomly allocated to six treatments with six replicates of ten birds each. Broiler chickens were fed either a grower diet without Hoodia gordonii meal; grower diet with 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal/ bird supplemented everyday for 12 days; or grower diet with 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal/ bird supplemented twice, on 30th and 36th days of age. Hoodia gordonii meal dose interval had no effect (P>0.05) on dry matter feed intake, intake as percentage of live weight, growth rate, live weight at 42 days of age, feed conversion ratio, mortality and all carcass characteristics except fat pad of broiler chickens. Daily dosing with 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal/ bird reduced (P<0.05) fat pad weights of broiler chickens by 18 percentage points. Male broiler chickens had higher (P<0.05) feed intake, nitrogen digestibility, nitrogen retention and live weight than female broiler chickens. It is concluded that chickens given a daily supplement of 300 mg of Hoodia gordonii meal had lower fat pad weights than unsupplemented ones. This could not be explained in terms of differences in feed intake, digestibility, or growth rate.

Thesis (M.Sc. (Animal Production)) --University of Limpopo, 2010 / A study was conducted to determine the effect of vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens on egg production, hatchability and chick productivity. The first part of the study determined the effect of vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens on feed intake, number of eggs, egg weight, egg content, egg hatchability and chick hatch-weight. Supplementation levels of 0, 200, 400, 800 and 1000 mg of vitamin E per kg DM feed were used in a completely randomized design having five replications with two birds per replicate. Vitamin E supplementation did not have any effect (P<0.05) on number of eggs and feed intake of Venda hens. However, egg weight, egg content, hatchability and chick hatch-weight of Venda chickens improved (P<0.05) with vitamin E supplementation. Dietary vitamin E supplementation values for optimal egg white weight, egg yolk nitrogen content, egg white nitrogen content, egg hatchability and number of eggs were 476 (r2 = 0.756), 750 (r2 = 0.170), 750 (r2 = 0.182), 445 (r2 = 0.670) and 113 (r2=0.966) mg of vitamin E per kg DM feed, respectively. The second part of the study determined the effect of vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens on performance of their progenies between one and seven weeks old. A completely randomized design was used. All the chickens were fed the same commercial grower diet. Dietary vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens had no effect (P<0.05) on growth rate and mortality of their progenies between one and seven weeks. Feed intake, feed conversion ratio and live weight of progenies improved (P<0.05) with supplementation of vitamin E to the diets of Venda hens. Dietary vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens did not have any effect (P<0.05) on dry matter intake, dry matter digestibility, nitrogen retention and metabolisable energy of their progenies at seven weeks old. vi The third part of the study determined the effect of vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens on performance of their male progenies aged between eight and 13 weeks. A completely randomized design was used. All the chickens were fed the same commercial grower diet. Vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens did not improve (P<0.05) feed intake, growth rate, feed conversion ratio, live weight and mortality of their male progenies between eight and 13 weeks old. However, Venda hens supplemented with vitamin E produced male progenies with improved (P<0.05) dry matter intake, digestibility, nitrogen retention metabolisable energy, breast meat nitrogen content, gizzard weight, liver weight and heart weight at 13 weeks old. Carcass weight, breast meat yield, drum stick, thigh and wing weight of chickens at 13 weeks old were not affected (P>0.05) by vitamin E supplementation to the diets of the hens It is concluded that supplementation of vitamin E to the diets of indigenous Venda hens improved (P<0.05) egg weight, egg content and chick hatch-weight during the laying period. Vitamin E supplementation to the diets of Venda hens improved (P<0.05) feed intake, live weight, feed conversion ratio, gizzard and liver weight of their progenies. Production variables were optimized at different levels of vitamin E supplementation. Thus, this study provided new information on the effect of vitamin E supplementation to the diets of indigenous Venda hens on chick productivity and carcass characteristics of their progenies.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Titus O. Awokuse, Dept. of Food & Resource Economics. Includes bibliographical references.

No description available.

Chicken genomic DNA containing 5 kb of the 5$ sp prime$ end of the growth hormone (GH) receptor gene and 12 kb of the region up-stream was cloned and a restriction map was constructed. Using subcloned fragments as probes, a HindIII polymorphism was detected in both egg layer and in meat-type chickens. This polymorphic site was mapped at 7 kb up-stream of the coding region of the GH-receptor gene and a PCR assay for the polymorphism was developed to facilitate genotyping of large numbers of chickens. / Alleles of the GH-receptor gene and the GH gene were analyzed for association with traits in chicken strains of different genetic origins. In egg layers, association was significant for juvenile body weight, egg weight, feed consumption and feed efficiency for egg mass (P $<$ 0.05). In meat-type chickens, the GH-receptor allele associated with high juvenile body weight in egg layers was co-selected with leanness. A comparison of the genotype classes revealed that for several traits there was significant interaction between the GH and GH-receptor genotype. The results indicated that there are variants of the genes of the GH-axis which affect traits in White Leghorns and that the effect of a genetic variation in one gene may depend on the variation in another gene.

Ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) is the rate determining enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines which are essential for cell growth. In chickens, significantly higher bioactivity is reported in broiler than in egg layer strains of chickens (Bulfield et al., 1988). To characterize the genetic differences in growth rates and ODC levels in chickens, an ODC cDNA and genomic gene were cloned and sequenced. Sequencing of ODC cDNA revealed that this clone (pODZ3: 2,052 bp) was not a full length of ODC cDNA and contained 2 putative introns. The open reading frame (introns deleted) coded for a protein of 404 amino acids which had about 85% amino acid identity with human ODC. Sequencing of genomic ODC clone (pODG2-8: 5098 bp) represented the 3$ prime$ end of ODC gene from downstream of intron 7. Northern blotting of chicken RNA probed with the insert of pODZ3 revealed 2 hybridizable messages of 1.6 and 2.1 kb, respectively. In addition, analysis of MspI restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) using the 3$ prime$ end of ODC gene as a probe suggested that two MspI RFLPs present in the lean line of broiler chickens was related to selection of high lean body mass.

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