Publications by authors named "P Soster"
Platforms have been shown to be a suitable environmental enrichment for broiler chickens, accommodating their motivation to roost and rest at an elevated position. In order to increase the animal welfare benefits, we designed prototype elevated platforms with additional functionalities: a local cooling system, a sheltered area underneath the platform and collection trays underneath the platform that prevent manure from falling on the litter. This study assessed the effects of these multifunctional platforms during thermoneutral and heat stress conditions on two key determinants of their commercial uptake potential, namely production performance, carcass and meat quality.
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- - This study examined how nutrient density and adding an enzyme (CAG) affect the growth and health of broiler chickens from 1 to 42 days old, using 1,800 male broilers across six different diet treatments.
- - The experiment involved three different diet formulations varying in metabolizable energy (ME) and amino acid (AA) density, with some groups receiving the enzyme supplement and others not.
- - Results showed that the enzyme improved feed efficiency, nutrient digestibility, and overall performance, particularly in birds fed lower nutrient diets, pointing to the benefits of CAG supplementation in poultry nutrition.
Information on the availability of Cu from plant feedstuffs for broilers in the presence of phytase is scarce. The present research has been conducted with the objective of evaluating the Cu requirements of broilers when fed corn-soy diets with or without phytase. A total of 640 one-day-old male Cobb x Cobb 500, allocated into 80 battery cages with 8 chicks in each, were fed a low Cu content diet (formulated with 8.
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- * Over 4,300 eggs from Ross 708 breeder flocks were analyzed, using a scoring system for translucency and a colorimeter for color lightness.
- * Results show that dark eggs have thicker shells, higher hatchability (+3.8%), and greater weight compared to light eggs, while eggs with low translucency (T score 1) have better hatchability (+6.9%) but thinner shells.
Two experiments (Exp.) were conducted to evaluate the effects of exogenous carbohydrases on nutrient and energy utilization of corn with different compositions by broilers. In Exp.
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