Nutritional value, performance, carcass quality, visceral organ size, and blood clinical chemistry of broiler chicks fed 30% tannin-free fava bean diets.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the chemical and nutritional values of 5 tannin-free fava bean (FB) cultivars (FB9, FB10, FB13, FB17, and FB24) on growth, visceral organ size, and blood clinical chemistry of broiler chicks fed a corn-soybean meal 48 (SBM48) diet containing 30% tannin-free FB. In the first experiment, 49 Hy-line roosters, 55 wk of age, were individually precision-fed 30 g of each FB cultivar and soybean meal 44 (SBM44). Protein, methionine, and lysine contents of the FB seeds (0.005% tannin) were 27.7, 0.23, and 1.98% of DM, respectively. The AMEn of all FB cultivars was 2,839 kcal/kg and higher (P < 0.05) than SBM44. The true lysine digestibility of FB10 (94.1) was higher (P < 0.05) than FB9 (89.0%) and FB24 (89.2%), but comparable with the other fava beans. The FB cultivar's true methionine digestibilities were similar among each other and to SBM44. In a battery feeding trial, 6 corn-SBM48 diets containing 0 (control) or 30% of FB9, FB10, FB13, FB17, or FB24 seeds were each fed to Ross 308 1-wk-old male broiler chicks for 14 d. The determined FB nutrient values were used in formulating FB-containing diets. Birds fed FB-containing diets had better (P < 0.05) weight gain and feed conversion than those of the control. When compared with the control birds, relative weights of abdominal fat pad and liver were reduced (P < 0.05) by 30% inclusion of all dietary FB varieties, except for FB17 and FB13, respectively. Broiler chicks fed the FB13 diet had plasma thrombocyte and white blood cell (WBC) differential counts higher (P < 0.05) than those fed the FB10 diet and WBC count higher (P < 0.05) than the birds fed the FB17 diet. In conclusion, tannin-free FB was lower in protein, methionine, and lysine, but higher in AMEn, compared with SBM44. Moreover, FB seeds, especially FB10, can be included in a broiler chick diet with no adverse effects on performance, but FB13 increased WBC count.

Metabolizable energy and amino acid digestibility of decorticated extruded safflower meal.

An experiment was conducted to determine TME and amino acid digestibility of several dehulled extruded safflower meals. Finely ground partially dehulled extruded (ESM), partially dehulled solvent-extracted (SESM), extensively cleaned dehulled and extruded safflower meal (CSM), or soybean meal 44 (SBM 44) was intubated to 9 fasted mature roosters with 40 g per rooster and total excreta was collected.The concentrations of all essential amino acids in CSM were higher than those in ESM and SESM. Also, compared with SBM 44, CSM was deficient in lysine, slightly higher in TSAA and tryptophan, but much higher in arginine. The AME(n) and TME(n) of CSM were 2,413 and 2,832 kcal/kg, respectively, and were higher than those of SBM 44 (P < 0.01). The true lysine digestibilities of CSM and SBM 44 were similar but were higher than those of ESM and SESM (P < 0.05). However, ESM, SESM, and CSM had similar true tryptophan and threonine digestibilities that were lower than that of SBM 44 (P < 0.05). With respect to TSAA, all feed ingredients under investigation had similar apparent and true digestibilities. In conclusion, extensive hull removal of safflower seeds followed by cold extrusion produced a low-fiber CSM rich in both energy and protein that makes it a promising feed ingredient for poultry.

Avian influenza outbreak in poultry in the Lebanon and transmission to neighbouring farmers and swine.

Twenty-four poultry farms in four major provinces of the Lebanon were investigated to verify the first emergence of avian influenza (AI). Both the meat chicken breeders and commercial chicken layers presented a significant average drop in egg production equivalent to 46% and 47.3%, respectively. However, the average drop in egg production in the free-range layers was only 11.1%. Flocks were confirmed as positive for AI by ELISA, clinical signs and pathological lesions. The pathogenicity, including case fatality in affected chickens, was different depending of the types of chicken and farming conditions. The average fatality rates among breeders, commercial layers, free-range layers and broilers were 2%, 2%, 1% and 35%, respectively. The majority of the randomly selected ELISA-positive serum samples collected from different farms showed H9-specific haemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibodies. The direct immunoflorescent antibody test also revealed the presence of H9 antigen in congested brains and in tracheal lesions of broilers. The virus isolated from the brains of broilers was subtype H9N2. Pigs fed with carcasses of affected chickens showed H9-specific HI antibodies at 100%. Farmers (32.3%) serving the affected chickens also revealed these antibodies in their sera.

Effects of added dietary fat and phosphorus on the performance and egg quality of laying hens subjected to a constant high environmental temperature.

Two experiments were conducted to study the combined effect of nonphytate P (NPP), fat, and temperature on the performance and egg quality of hens pre- and postpeak. In Experiment 1, 192 Single Comb White Leghorn layers, aged 22 wk, were individually housed in cages under ambient (AT) and constant high temperature (CHT) of 33 +/- 1 C. In Experiment 2, 28-wk-old birds were used with a CHT of 35 +/- 1 C. Diets contained 0 and 4% added vegetable fat with four dietary NPP levels, ranging from 0.20 to 0.50% in Experiment 1 and from 0.15 to 0.45% in Experiment 2, at increments of 0.1%. These diets were fed to hens for 84 d. Performance and egg quality criteria were measured in both experiments, whereas serum and tibia Ca and P were determined in Experiment 2. Results showed that there was no significant interaction among NPP, fat, and temperature, for any criteria measured. The CHT significantly reduced BW, feed intake, egg production, egg weight, egg mass, and shell thickness. Moreover, it decreased (P < 0.05) serum Ca, P, tibia ash, and tibia P. The lowest NPP levels resulted in the greatest shell thickness (P < 0.05), which decreased with increasing NPP levels in both trials. In the postpeak experiment, the feed intake was significantly reduced by 0.15 and 0.25% NPP. Moreover, 0.15% NPP significantly reduced egg production as compared to 0.35 and 0.45% NPP diets. Levels between 0.25 and 0.45% significantly improved the serum phosphorus content as compared to 0.15%. Added fat improved only serum P level (P < 0.05). The beneficial effect of supplemental fat on hen performance was evident in Experiment 1 but not in Experiment 2, indicating that nutrients were oriented more toward supporting egg production rather than maintaining the BW at the postpeak stage.

Phosphorus requirements of laying hens fed on wheat-based diets.

1. Three experiments were carried out to determine the phosphorus (P) requirements of laying hens aged 34 to 58 weeks (experiment 1), 59 to 70 weeks (experiment 2) and 22 to 50 weeks (experiment 3) given diets containing wheat, sorghum and soyabean meals as the main ingredients. Dietary total P (Pt) varied between 3.2 and 7.3 g/kg (experiment 1), 3.2 and 4.6 g/kg (experiment 2) and 3.0 and 6.6 g/kg (experiment 3). Hens were housed at either 18 degrees or 30 degrees C (experiments 1 and 2) and uncontrolled temperature (experiment 3), and in experiment 2 diets were fed without or with a phytase supplement of 500 units/g. 2. Dietary Pt had no significant effect on production measures in any experiment. Increases in dietary Pt adversely influenced egg shell quality although uterine calcium (Ca), ATPase and carbonic anhydrase activities were unaffected. 3. A 3-d-feeding trial in experiment 1 gave maximum Pt retentions of 228 mg/d at 18 degrees C and 204 mg/d at 30 degrees C. These were obtained with diets containing, respectively, 4.6 and 6.0 g Pt/kg. 4. Plasma inorganic P (Pi) increased consistently with increases in dietary Pt at all temperatures but plasma total Ca, and tibia Ca and P, were unaffected. 5. The inclusion of the phytase supplement in diets containing 3.2 and 4.6 g Pt/kg had an adverse effect on egg production at both temperatures in experiment 2. 6. A dietary Pt concentration of 3.2 g/kg, providing a calculated 1.2 g available P (Pav)/kg, with a dietary phytase activity of less than 200 units/kg, satisfied the P requirements of the hens used in these studies. However, the data from experiment 3 suggest that the Pt requirement of some flocks fed on wheat-based diets may be lower than 3.2 g/kg.