Variations in Eastern bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus isaaci) feeding practices in UK zoological collections.

The feeding strategy of the Eastern bongo in the wild is unusual, poorly understood, and few captive feeding recommendations are currently available to zoos. To assess the current state of nutritional husbandry of this rare antelope, eight UK zoos were surveyed. A nutritional husbandry questionnaire was completed and bongos at each zoo were visually assessed by body condition scoring (BCS). Representative samples of the forage and browse consumed by bongos at each zoo were analyzed for nutrient composition using standard agricultural techniques. Significant differences in bongo body condition were found, indicating that zoo husbandry practices are sufficiently varied to have identifiable impacts on the physical condition of the animals. The results highlight a disparity in feeding regimes and diet quality, with significant differences found in forage and browse nutrient compositions and in vitro digestibility. Most forage samples were of a low nutritional quality. Browse provision was found to be largely opportunistic and limited in most zoos. The provision of energy-rich produce was also found to be unnecessary in maintaining a bongo herd at an ideal mean BCS. This survey provides baseline data which may be useful in establishing "good practice" standards for Eastern bongo captive nutrition and highlights several areas requiring further research.

Microbiological quality of chicken wings damaged on the farm or in the processing plant.

Selling of damaged chicken wings (those with bone protrusion) for human consumption is prohibited in the European Union on the grounds of possible risks to human health arising from microbial contamination. Standard food industry tests were used to assess different categories of chicken wings (undamaged, farm damaged and factory damaged; n = 264) for, coliforms, Enterobacteriaceae, total viable counts, Pseudomonas spp., Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella spp. No significant differences in bacterial numbers existed among wings belonging to the three categories. Only low numbers of bacteria were found throughout, and 97% of all results would pass the standards of a leading UK retailer. These results were strengthened by a longitudinal survey of wing breakage, which showed almost all wing puncturing occurred during the de-feathering process, limiting the likelihood of microbial contamination. Combined, these results indicate there is no increased health risk from consumption of damaged, compared to undamaged, chicken wings. The existing imposed regulations may therefore be an unnecessary burden on the poultry industry.

The effects of cadmium in feed, and its amelioration with zinc, on element balances in sheep.

The effects of feeding Cd to sheep at a level that is typical of polluted regions were investigated, as well as possible amelioration by adding Zn to the diet. Welsh Mountain ewes (n = 24) were fed herb-age and concentrate in metabolism crates, with four supplement treatments in a two-factor factorial design: no supplement, Cd supplement only, Zn supplement only, and a combination of both the Cd and Zn supplement. Cadmium (286 microg/kg of feed DMI) and Zn (8.6 mg/kg feed DMI) were added as sulfates. Food and water intakes and element balances were recorded over 20 d after 7 d dietary adaptation, and element concentrations were determined in wool samples. Neither metal affected DMI or digestibility (P > 0.15), but water intake (P = 0.001) and urine output (P = 0.03) were decreased when only the Zn supplement was added. Water retention was increased by the Cd supplement (P = 0.04). In wool, the Cd supplement greatly increased the K concentration if no Zn supplement was fed (P = 0.02), and the Zn supplement decreased Mn concentration (P = 0.02). Cadmium in feed increased the Cd balance and produced several mineral disturbances, in particular a decrease in Na balance that is typical of renal tubular disorders. Adding Zn as well as Cd to feed returned the Cd balance to a level similar to that of sheep receiving neither Cd nor Zn, which suggests that Zn status is critical in determining whether Cd in feed increases the Cd balance in sheep. Feeding Cd also increased urinary K, Fe, Mo, Cr, B, and Ca concentrations, even when supplementary Zn was fed. It is concluded that low levels of Cd in sheep feed can increase the Cd balance if adequate Zn is not provided, which can lead to subclinical mineral disturbances and changes in the mineral concentrations in wool.

The effect of a single or repeated period of high stocking density on the behavior and response to stimuli in broiler chickens.

Broiler chickens are normally housed at a fixed number per unit area throughout their life, which reduces their opportunity for movement during the later stages of rearing. An experiment is described that exposed broilers to a high stocking density either once or twice in the rearing period, and investigated the effects on the birds' behavior, and the response to other birds and humans after the second exposure to high or low stocking density. The stocking density was increased from a low level (1.7 kg/m2) to a high level (14 kg/m2) for the 2nd and/or 4th wk of rearing, or left unchanged at the low level. When stocked at the low rate, the birds spent more time walking and sitting and less time dozing and sleeping. They pecked more at inanimate objects and interacted more with other birds, but this did not include aggressive interaction. The effects of stocking density on behavior were greater in Week 4 than in Week 2, but there was no evidence that exposure to a high stocking density in Week 2 influenced the birds' behavioral response to a high stocking density in Week 4. Where stocking density did affect behavior in both Weeks 2 and 4, there was evidence of the response being cumulative. The activity of birds in the presence of another bird restrained in an open field arena was greatest when they had been stocked at the low density throughout the experiment. When a familiar person was in the arena, the birds that had been stocked at the high density in Week 2 were most active, but these birds showed the longest tonic immobility when inverted in a cradle. It is concluded that a high stocking density reduces activity in broiler chickens, and that birds stocked at a high density early in the rearing period are most active in the presence of people and show the longest tonic immobility in response to a fearful stimulus.