Influence of parent flock age on embryonic metabolism in modern turkey strains.

The metabolic response of some galliform embryos to embryonic heat production (EHP) and how incubation conditions have been adjusted to prevent overheating of embryos is well established in broiler breeders. However, the daily metabolic status of turkey embryos has not been studied or established in turkey embryos. The objectives of the current research were therefore to determine the respiratory (eggshell conductance, G) and metabolic status (EHP) of 2 modern turkey genetic strains [Hybrid (H) and Nicholas (N)] and 4 parent flock ages [young (Y, 30 wk), peak (P, 34 wk), mature (M, 55 wk), and old (O, 60 wk)] during incubation.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Three Cage Layer Housing Systems.

Agriculture accounts for 10 to 12% of the World's total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Manure management alone is responsible for 13% of GHG emissions from the agricultural sector. During the last decade, Québec's egg production systems have shifted from deep-pit housing systems to manure belt housing systems.

A prospective evaluation of air quality and workers' health in broiler and layer operations.

Objectives: In developed countries, poultry are raised in totally confined buildings in which workers are exposed to indoor airborne contaminants. A prospective study was conducted to investigate the relationship between workers' respiratory health and airborne contaminants during the life cycle of broiler and layer flocks.

Methods: Seventeen layer and 16 broiler operations were chosen within a 200 km radius of Edmonton.

Swine production impact on residential ambient air quality.

Numerous residents in agricultural areas are concerned about the impact that the swine industry may have on the ambient air quality. They assume there is a risk because there is limited information on the airborne contaminant that may originate from these facilities. The objective of the project was to assess the impact of swine production on ambient air quality related to public health in farming communities.

Bone mineral density and breaking strength of White Leghorns housed in conventional, modified, and commercially available colony battery cages.

Limited opportunity for movement and load-bearing exercise for conventionally caged laying hens leads to bone loss and increased susceptibility to osteoporosis, bone fractures, and cage layer fatigue, all of which compromise hen welfare and have negative consequences for production. The objective of this study was to compare bone mineral density (BMD) and strength measures of White Leghorns housed in conventional battery cages (CONV), cages modified to incorporate a nest box and perch (MOD), and commercially available, furnished colony cages with (CWDB) or without (CWODB) a raised dust bath. Hens reared on floor litter were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 cage systems at 19 wk of age.

Development of an integrated sensor to measure odors.

Odorous air samples collected from several sources were presented to an olfactometer, an electronic nose, a hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) detector and an ammonia (NH(3)) detector. The olfactometry measurements were used as the expected values while measurements from the other instrumentation values became input variables. Five hypotheses were established to relate the input variables and the expected values.

The effect of broiler breeder genetic strain and parent flock age on eggshell conductance and embryonic metabolism.

The effect of genetic strain (Ross 308; Cobb 500) and parent flock age [young (29 wk), peak (Ross = 34 wk; Cobb = 36 wk), postpeak (40 wk), mature (45 wk), old (55 wk), and very old (59 wk)] on eggshell conductance and embryonic metabolism were examined. At each flock age, eggs from each strain were incubated for 21.5 d in individual metabolic chambers to measure embryonic O(2) intake and CO(2) output.

Total dust and endotoxin in poultry operations: comparison between cage and floor housing and respiratory effects in workers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess respiratory outcomes and environmental exposure levels of workers in cage-housed and floor-housed poultry operations.

Methods: Poultry operations were evaluated for total dust, endotoxin, and ammonia, and respiratory symptoms and lung function tests of workers were conducted.

Results: Workers in floor-housed poultry operations had significantly greater exposures to total dust and ammonia, whereas workers from cage-housed poultry operations reported greater frequency of current and chronic symptoms overall and significantly greater current and chronic phlegm (39% vs 18% and 40% vs 11%, respectively).

Preliminary investigation of air bubbling and dietary sulfur reduction to mitigate hydrogen sulfide and odor from swine waste.

When livestock manure slurry is agitated, the sudden release of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) can raise concentrations to dangerous levels. Low-level air bubbling and dietary S reduction were evaluated as methods for reducing peak H(2)S emissions from swine (Sus scrofa) manure slurry samples. In a first experiment, 15-L slurry samples were stored in bench-scale digesters and continuously bubbled with air at 0 (control), 5, or 10 mL min(-1) for 28 d.

The design and use of the Personal Environmental Sampling Backpack (PESB II) for activity-specific exposure monitoring of career pig barn workers.

Career pig barn workers in large confinement barns are exposed to airborne contaminants that need to be quantified. Monitoring instrumentation had to be sanitized to satisfy the biosecurity entrance requirements for pig barns. We satisfied this requirement with the development of a portable Personal Environmental Sampling Backpack (PESB).

Influence of carbon and buffer amendment on ammonia volatilization in composting.

Laboratory-scale experiments were carried out to test a mathematical model of the nitrogen dynamics in a composting process. The main ingredients of composting materials were wheat straw and dairy manure. The influence of (a) two carbon amendments, i.

Investigating the eggshell conductance and embryonic metabolism of modern and unselected domestic avian genetic strains at two flock ages.

The objective of this study was to determine if broiler strain and breeder flock age affect eggshell conductance, fertility, and hatchability parameters; heart and hepatic glycogen concentrations at hatch; and embryonic metabolism throughout incubation. The 3 broiler strains investigated were HBY, a modern commercial broiler strain selected for high breast yield; WBM, a modern commercial broiler strain selected for the whole bird market; and UN78, a female broiler parent strain unselected since 1978. Fertility and hatchability parameters for each of the 3 strains were determined when the flocks were 32, 34, 37, and 38 wk of age.

Respiratory symptoms and lung function in poultry confinement workers in Western Canada.

Objective: To determine whether poultry production methods impact respiratory health, and whether poultry farmers have more respiratory symptoms and lower lung function than comparison control groups.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: Provinces of Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba during the winters of 1997 to 1999.

Broiler performance, body weight variance, feed and water intake, and carcass quality at different stocking densities.

The effects of four stocking and water nipple densities on broiler performance and carcass traits were measured in two trials. The stocking densities of 23.8, 17.

Odour emission rates from manure treatment/storage systems.

The effects of agitation, liquid-only manure, depth and time on odour emission rates were investigated. Manure storage tanks were filled to incremental depths every two weeks. At each depth odour samples were collected twice.

Effects of light intensity from photostimulation in four strains of commercial egg layers: 2. Egg production parameters.

The effects of light intensity (LI) from photostimulation to 45 wk of age on egg production parameters and egg size characteristics were examined in four layer strains. Floor housed pullets were raised in a light-tight facility from 1 d of age until housing in individually illuminated cages at 17 wk of age. At 17 wk of age, two white egg strains, ISA-White (ISA-W) and Shaver 2000 (S2000), and two brown egg strains, ISA-Brown (ISA-B) and Shaver 579 (S579), were assigned to a processing group [Group 1 was killed at sexual maturity (first oviposition); Group 2 was kept to 45 wk] and were photostimulated at 18 wk of age using a LI of 1, 5, 50, or 500 lx (4 x 4 factorial design).

Effects of photostimulatory light intensity on ovarian morphology and carcass traits at sexual maturity in modern and antique egg-type pullets.

The effects of light intensity during sexual maturation on ovarian and carcass morphology at first oviposition [sexual maturity (SM)] were examined in two Single Comb White Leghorn (SCWL) strains. A modern commercial layer strain (COMM; Shaver Starcross 288) and an antique randombred control strain (ANT) were used to compare the effects of changes in laying stock on their response to varying light intensities from photostimulation (PS) until SM. Two hundred pullets from each strain were reared following COMM breeder guidelines.

The effects of body weight and long ahemeral days on early production parameters and morphological characteristics of broiler breeder hens.

Shaver Starbro broiler breeder pullets were used to study the effect of day length (24 and 28 h) on egg production parameters and egg traits from 22 to 30 wk of age, and ovarian and morphological characteristics at 30 wk of age. Floor-housed pullets were raised in a light-tight facility from 1 d of age until housing in individually illuminated cages at time of photostimulation (22 wk). Cages were equipped with hardware to monitor egg laying time.

Growth, carcass characteristics, and incidence of ascites in broilers exposed to environmental fluctuations and oiled litter.

The effects of diurnal temperature fluctuations and removal of respirable dust, by application of canola oil to straw litter, on growth, carcass traits, and the degree of ascites was evaluated with 1,200 male broilers studied in two replicated 6-wk trials. Each trial used four pens of 150 birds. The temperature treatment consisted of a fluctuation of 3 C in temperature above the required temperature during the day (0600 to 1800 h) and 3 C below the required temperature at night (1800 to 0600 h) for a 6 C change in daily temperature.

Growth performance, carcass characteristics, and the incidence of ascites in broilers in response to feed restriction and litter oiling.

The effect of feed restriction and the application of canola oil to broiler straw litter to contain respirable dust on growth performance, carcass traits, and the incidence of ascites was evaluated with 800 male broilers studied in two 6-wk periods. Two pens of birds were feed restricted. Two pens of birds received feed ad libitum for the 6-wk trial.

Analysis of right ventricular areas to assess the severity of ascites syndrome in broiler chickens.

Ascites syndrome in broiler chickens is defined as a condition associated with pulmonary hypertension leading to right heart failure, increased central venous pressure, passive congestion of the liver, and accumulations of serous fluids in body cavities. The syndrome is currently seen in fast-growing broiler chickens associated with an increase in the weight, volume, and area of the right ventricle of the heart. The ratio of the right ventricle weight to the total heart mass has been used to assess the consequences of increased blood pressure.

The effects of nutrient dilution on the well-being and performance of female broiler breeders.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of nutrient dilution on plasma heterophil:lymphocyte ratios, behavior, and productivity of broiler breeder hens. Standard age-appropriate broiler breeder diets were fed either undiluted or diluted with 15 and 30% ground oat hulls from 0 to 56 wk of age. Feed was allocated daily so as to achieve the BW recommended by the breeder.

Growth, body composition, and plasma androgen concentration of male broiler chickens subjected to different regimens of photoperiod and light intensity.

Day-old male Hubbard broilers (960) were assigned to one of four treatments (two pens of 120 birds per treatment) to evaluate the effects of high (150 lx) versus low (5 lx) light intensity and constant 23 h light (L):1 h dark (D) versus increasing (6L:18D increasing 4 h/wk to 23L:1D) photoperiod in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Birds were raised to 8 wk on a typical commercial four-diet program. Low-intensity birds were heavier than high-intensity birds from 2 to 8 wk (3.