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Call number: LD2668 .T4 1936 S21

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

Abstract Agriculture has a significant part in environmental pollution. Gass emissions from breeding livestock have a great impact on the environment as well as exhaust emissions. However, the most negative environmental impact from the emissions of gases is ammonia. For this reason, this diploma thesis focuses on the evaluation of the production specific ammonia emission from the selected breed. Furthermore the diploma thesis focus on the evaluation of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide emissions in the selected agricultural operation. The measurements have been done in a state enterprise: International Poultry Testing, located in Ústrašice.

This item was digitized as part of the Million Books Project led by Carnegie Mellon University and supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Cornell University coordinated the participation of land-grant and agricultural libraries in providing historical agricultural information for the digitization project; the University of Arizona Libraries, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the Office of Arid Lands Studies collaborated in the selection and provision of material for the digitization project.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the role of the turkey hen’s immune system in the so-called seasonal decline in fertility. Results from Experiment I demonstrated that trauma to the oviduct induced either at the time of the initial artificial insemination, or during subsequent inseminations had no effect upon hen fertility, or serum anti-sperm antibody titers. No differences in fertility were found between hens showing a positive or negative anti-sperm antibody response. Experiment II demonstrated that only relatively infertile turkey hens had antibody positive cells within the uterovaginal sperm storage gland epithelium (UVSG), while fertile turkey hens had no such cells. Antibody positive amorphous material was found within the lumen of the UVSG of relatively infertile, but not fertile turkey hens. Blood serum from relatively infertile hens showed minimal anti-sperm antibody titers. It was concluded that the seasonal decline in fertility in turkey hens is a local not due to a humoral immune response against spermatozoa. However, immune response against spermatozoa appears to exist in the uterovaginal sperm storage glands of the turkey hen, which has a detrimental effect upon fertility / Master of Science

The expression of photorefractoriness, a feature of seasonal breeding in birds, is important in production species, where egg production and fertility are affected by the photoperiod. Years of selection in meat-type birds have reduced the potential reproductive function, and the environmental manipulation of such genotypes is essential to maximise productivity. While it is known that egg-type pullets no longer exhibit photorefractoriness, and that female broiler breeders do, there is not much information about the response of male broiler breeders to photoperiod. Such information is important when designing lighting programmes for breeding stock, and this study aimed to gain more insight into the male response to photoperiod. A series of experiments was designed in order to achieve this. In the first the response of male broiler breeders to rearing on constant photoperiods was measured, and in the second the effects of age at photostimulation on age at sexual maturity were assessed. The response to an increase in photoperiod during the production cycle was investigated in the third trial. Evidence of photorefractoriness in males was observed, but this was not the case in all birds, possibly due to high variation in some of the fertility traits measured. It seems possible that males do not respond to photoperiod to the same extent as females. Unexpected observations of a response in some birds to early photostimulation, and the high variation observed prompted another experiment in which the heritability of the response to early photostimulation was measured as a potentially revolutionary method of selection, whilst checking that this response is not negatively linked to broiler growth rates. Left and right testis weight data, collected in the above experiments, were analysed for asymmetry. There was no consistent response in testes asymmetry to photoperiod, or evidence that asymmetry in testis weights is as a result of the imposition of genetic or environmental stress. The strong correlation found between testes dimensions and weight suggests that predictions of testis weights could be made through ultrasonics or laparoscopy. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

There are negative influences of selection for broiler growth on the reproductive ability of broiler breeder parents. This is mostly due to problems related to excessive body weight, such as an inability to achieve successful cloacal contact during natural mating. There is also an age-related decline in fertility of broiler breeders. In attempts to prolong the fertile period of the breeders, various forms of management techniques have been employed. These include tools such as feed restriction, photoperiod management, spiking, and possibly even using artificial insemination. The first objective of this thesis was to investigate the possible benefits of feeding broiler breeder males diets containing lower crude protein levels, than given to the females, as a means of possibly tempering growth rate or improving semen quality and fertility. There was a definite improvement in the ability of the spermatozoa of the males on a lower crude protein diet to survive in the female reproductive tract. Males that received higher levels of crude protein were at a disadvantage in that fewer males yielded semen in response to abdominal massage. The second objective of this thesis was to assess the possible benefits in semen quality and fertility, when supplementing the male diets with additional vitamin E or Se in the form of Sel-Plex®. No significant effect of treatment was observed on egg fertility or semen quality. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

Thesis (M. Tech.) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2007 / Four different South African indigenous (Naked Neck (NN), Ovambo (OVB), Venda (VD) and Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) chicken breeds were used in this study. From each of the four breeds of chicken, 40 hens and 8 cocks were selected randomly. Two groups each of sixteen cocks were subsequently formed: high performing (HP) and low performing (LP) groups to determine the relationships between cock semen viability and the fertility of artificially inseminated South African indigenous layer breeds. Semen was collected following five minutes of sexual massage (5SM) and evaluated for semen volume (ml), sperm motility (%), live sperm (%) and total sperm (x109/ml). Semen from each cock was then used to inseminate five hens per breed, in each treatment. Each hen was inseminated twice a week throughout the duration of the trial. During the experimental period, each hen was inseminated with 0.05 ml diluted semen. The artificially inseminated hens were examined for average egg weight (g), fertility (%), hatchability of set eggs (%), live chicks (%), normal chicks (%) and chick weight (g). A total of 1600 eggs, i.e. 400 eggs from each breed were collected in three batches following artificial insemination from individually caged hens and were hatched to compare hatching parameters among breeds. The hatchability traits of hens of the four breeds (NN, OVB, PK and VD) were compared. Hatching egg weight had significant (P < 0.05) difference among the four breeds. The results of this study indicate that semen viability exemplified by ejaculate volume, sperm motility; live sperm and total sperm per ejaculate were significantly (P < 0.01) superior in the HP cocks compared to the LP cocks. Hens inseminated with semen from the HP cocks in each experimental group resulted in higher egg weight (g), fertility (%), hatchability of set eggs (%), live chicks (%), normal chicks (%) and chick weight (g). Significant positive relationships existed between semen volume and sperm motility (P < 0.05), semen volume and live sperm cells (P < 0.01), semen volume and total sperm (P < 0.01) in NN, OVB and VD, with negative correlations in PK. Some positive correlations were found between sperm motility and live spermatozoa (P < 0.01), sperm motility and total sperm (P < 0.01), live sperm and total sperm (P< 0.01) in NN, OVB, PK and VND. Fertility was the highest in the HP group. Fertility was also the highest in PK, intermediate and similar in OVB and NN and lowest in VD (P<0.05). Breed had a significant effect on hatchability of fertile eggs (P<0.05). Hatchability of total eggs set was highest in PK and NN, intermediate in OVB and lowest in VD (P<0.05). Breed had a significant effect on live, normal chicks and chick weight (P<0.05). Live chick was the highest in NN, whereas at day-old, normal chick and chick weight at hatching were the highest (23.50 ± 0.11) (P<0.05) in PK (98.14 ± 0.67 vs. 37.90 ± 0.28 g), intermediate and similar in NN (87.90 ± 0.63 vs. 23.50 ± 0.11) and OVB (87.75 ± 0.45 vs. 32.81 ± 0.49 g) and the lowest but with an acceptable value in VD (76.85 ± 0.46 vs. 26.90 ± 0.36 g). There were some correlations among different hatchability traits depending on breed. The correlations were more profound among PK. It was clear that chick weight as percent of egg weight was not just a function of egg weight, and that genotype also played an important role favouring the heavier breeds. The results obtained in this study on the relationships between cock semen viability and the fertility of artificially inseminated South African indigenous layer breeds elucidate that the use of high performing (HP) cocks following five minutes of sexual massage, prior to semen collection and artificial insemination of layers is a practical method for optimising sperm viability and subsequent fertility of hens. The results of this study suggest that the Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) cocks and hens are superior to the Naked Necks (NN), Ovambo (OVB) and Venda (VD). The Ovambo and Naked Neck cocks ranked second in donating quality semen as well as in improving the fertility and hatchability traits of the indigenous chicken breeds. Thus selection of high performing cocks through five minutes sexual massage prior to semen collection and use is recommended for poultry AI breeding programmes.