Effects of dietary inclusion of Moringa oleifera leaf meal on growth performance of Muscovy ducklings (Cairina moschata).

Objective: The current experiment was performed to investigate the influence of different dietary levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on productive performance, nutrient digestibility, blood parameters, immune response, caecal microbiota, and carcass characteristics of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) during 7 to 63 d of age.

Methods: A total of 240 unsexed 7-d-old ducklings were distributed into five (treatment) groups; each one contained six replicates with eight ducklings each. Birds of the first group were fed basal diet without MOLM and served as control, while the other four groups were fed basal diet with 0.

Composition of Slow-Growing Male Chicken's Meat and Bone Quality as Affected by Dietary Lam. Meal.

This study investigated the impact of Moringa oleifera Lam. meal (MOM) on meat nutritional properties and bone quality of slow-growing layer-type male chickens raised in semi-intensive conditions. A total of 198, 72-d-old Dominant Blue D 107 male chickens, with an average weight of 1093 ± 15.

The Effects of Providing Outdoor Access to Broilers in the Tropics on Their Behaviour and Stress Responses.

The effects of outdoor access, stocking density, and age on broiler behavior, stress, and health indicators in a tropical climate were assessed over two seasons, winter and summer. Two hundred and forty Cobb500 male chickens were allocated to one of four treatments, with six replicates of ten birds in each: low stocking density indoors with outdoor access (LO); high stocking density indoors with outdoor access (HO); low stocking density indoors without outdoor access (LI); and high stocking density indoors without outdoor access (HI). Scan sampling was used to record their behavior both indoors and outdoors.

Male Layer Chicken's Response to Dietary Meal in a Tropical Climate.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary amounts of meal (MOM), consisting of leaves and small edible green stems, on growth performance, carcass traits, and blood parameters of finisher male layer-type slow-growing chickens raised with outdoor access. A total of 198 Dominant Blue D 107, 72-day-old male chickens were randomly assigned to tree dietary treatments containing 0, 30, and 60 g/kg MOM that corresponded to T1 or control, T2, and T3, separately. Each treatment was divided into 6 replicates of 11 birds apiece, and all birds had access to the outdoors.

Metabolizable energy balance in hair sheep lambs artificially infected with Haemonchus contortus.

In sheep, infection with Haemonchus contortus may increase the need for energy, and this demand may vary according to the infection level. In this study, the energy intake, digestibility, and energy retention of lambs artificially infected with different levels of H. contortus were estimated.

Effect of stocking density on performance, infection by spp., intestinal lesions and foot pad injuries in broilers with outdoor access under tropical conditions.

1. The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of stocking density on performance, litter moisture, oocyst shedding, intestinal and foot lesions in broilers.2.

Impact of Dietary Condensed Tannins and Haemonchus contortus Infection in Growing Sheep: Effects on Nutrient Intake, Digestibility, and the Retention of Energy and Nitrogen.

Purpose: A controlled study evaluated the effect of condensed tannins (CT) from Gymnopodium floribundum leaf meal (GF), infection with Haemonchus contortus (I) and their interaction, on feed intake, diet digestibility and retention of N (NR) and energy (ER) in hair sheep lambs.

Methods: Thirty-six, worm-free hair sheep lambs (14.9 ± 1.

Nitrogen retention in hair sheep lambs with a gradient of Haemonchus contortus infection.

The impact of Haemonchus contortus infections on nitrogen retention (NR) of hair sheep lambs is unknown. This study estimated the feed intake, digestibility, NR, haematocrit (HT), and their relationship with the gradient of H. contortus infection in hair sheep lambs.

The effects of outdoor access and stocking density on the performance of broilers reared under tropical conditions.

1. The effects of housing system and stocking density on growth performance and carcase yield of a commercial strain of broiler chickens reared under tropical environmental conditions may differ from temperate conditions.2.

Udder Measurements and Their Relationship with Milk Yield in Pelibuey Ewes.

The study aimed to evaluate the relationship between udder measurements and milk yield (MY) in dairy Pelibuey ewes. Udder measurements were taken twice a week for eight weeks before (initial) and after (final) milking, including udder depth (UD), udder circumference (UC), udder width (UW), teat length (TL) and teat diameter (TD) in 38 multiparous ewes. Additionally, udder volume (UV) and the difference (VDF) between initial UV (UVi) and final (UVf) was calculated as VDF = UVi - UVf.

Effects of Outdoor Access and Indoor Stocking Density on Behaviour and Stress in Broilers in the Subhumid Tropics.

Studies investigating the welfare of commercial-line broiler chickens raised in houses with outdoor access in the tropics are scarce, and none have investigated whether responses vary according to indoor conditions. Hence, we assessed the effects of providing outdoor access at two indoor stocking densities on broiler chickens' growth, behaviour, stress responses and immunity in a tropical region of Mexico. One hundred and sixty chickens were assigned to one of four treatments in a factorial design: with or without outdoor access and low or high stocking density indoors.

Gymnopodium floribundum fodder as a model for the in vivo evaluation of nutraceutical value against Haemonchus contortus.

This study validated a protocol to identify the nutraceutical value of Gymnopodium floribundum (GF) foliage based on its effects on sheep nutrition, production and health and its impact on adult Haemonchus contortus. Thirty animals (17.8 ± 3.

Impact of gastrointestinal parasitism on dry matter intake and live weight gain of lambs: A meta-analysis to estimate the metabolic cost of gastrointestinal nematodes.

This study aimed to estimate the effect of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) on the productive performance assessed by the live-weight change (LWC) of lambs, and the metabolic cost associated with parasitism by means of a meta-analysis. Data used in the meta-analyses were obtained from twenty papers selected using the following criteria: (a) lambs with (I) and without (NI) GIN; (b) lambs fed ad libitum; (c) LWC data; (d) feed consumption data; and (e) chemical composition of diets. The effect of diet composition (crude protein [CP] and metabolizable energy [ME]) on dry matter intake (DMI), and the effect of composition and nutrient intake (DMI and CP intake [CPI]) and ME intake (MEI) on LWC was evaluated using respective regression analyses.

Utilization of Mucuna pruriens whole pods to feed lactating hair ewes.

Twenty nine Pelibuey × Katahdin hair ewes rearing single lamb were used during 42 days of lactation to evaluate the effect of including the Mucuna pruriens whole pods in the diets of lactating ewes on milk production and offspring performance. Animals were distributed at random into three experimental diets: a control diet without Mucuna (M0), and two more diets with the inclusion of 13 (M13) and 26% (M26), of milled pods of Mucuna pruriens, respectively. Dry matter intake, was not significantly different (P > 0.

Estimating Apparent Nutrient Digestibility of Diets Containing Leucaena leucocephala or Moringa oleifera Leaf Meals for Growing Rabbits by Two Methods.

This study aimed to evaluate the nutrient digestibility of growing rabbits fed diets with different levels of either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa oleifera (MOLM) leaf meals and also to compare total collection and TiO2 marker methods for estimating digestibility. A total of 30 California growing rabbits (1.81±0.

Determination of tropical forage preferences using two offering methods in rabbits.

Two methods of feed preference trials were compared to evaluate the acceptability of 5 fresh foliages: Leucaena leucocephala, Moringa oleifera, Portulaca oleracea, Guazuma ulmifolia, and Brosimum alicastrum that was included as control. The evaluation included chemical analyses and forage intake by rabbits. The first method was a cafeteria trial; 12 California growing rabbits aged 8 wk, allocated in individual cages, were offered the five forage plants at the same time inside the cage, while in the second trial 60 California growing rabbits aged 8 wk, allocated individually, were randomly distributed into 5 experimental groups (n = 12/group); for each group just one forage species was offered at a time.

Nutrient Digestibility and Metabolizable Energy Content of Mucuna pruriens Whole Pods Fed to Growing Pelibuey Lambs.

The nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and in vivo metabolizable energy supply of Mucuna pruriens whole pods fed to growing Pelibuey lambs was investigated. Eight Pelibuey sheep housed in metabolic crates were fed increasing levels of Mucuna pruriens pods: 0 (control), 100 (Mucuna100), 200 (Mucuna200) and 300 (Mucuna300) g/kg dry matter. A quadratic (p<0.

Effect of dietary inclusion of Leucaena leucocephala or Moringa oleifera leaf meal on performance of growing rabbits.

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of including either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) as tropical feed resources at two levels (30 or 40 %) on growth performance, carcass traits, and economical efficiency of growing rabbits. A total of 60 California growing rabbits were randomly distributed into five experimental groups, each consisting of 12 rabbits and were allocated individually; the groups were control, 30 % LLM, 40 % LLM, 30 % MOLM, and 40 % MOLM. The experimental period lasted from 6 to 12 weeks of age.

Effect of three protein levels and an enzyme blend on egg quality of laying hens.

One approach to enhance the Crude Protein (CP) value of laying hens diets it is the use of enzymes. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate different CP levels and an enzyme blend (Avizyme; AZ) in laying hens diets on egg quality. Two hundred and eighty eight ISA Babcock B-300 hens were used.

Egg production, egg quality and crop content of Rhode Island Red hens grazing on natural tropical vegetation.

The aim of this experiment was to study the suitability of the outdoor system for Rhode Island Red hens under the tropical conditions of southern Mexico. Twelve floor pens, each containing four birds, were divided randomly into two groups. The first group was raised indoors only, while each of the second group replicates had access to an outdoor area with natural-grown vegetation from 0800 to 1700 hours daily.

The nutritional effect of Moringa oleifera fresh leaves as feed supplement on Rhode Island Red hen egg production and quality.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Moringa oleifera fresh leaves (MOL) as feed supplement on the performance and egg quality of Rhode Island Red (RIR) hens under the tropical conditions of Yucatan, Mexico. Forty-eight RIR hens were allocated in 12 floor pen replicates each with four birds. Thereafter, the replicates were divided into three groups which were corresponded to ad libitum feed (control), ad libitum feed supplemented with MOL T1 (AL + MOL) and restricted feed amount (20% lower than control) with MOL T2 (RCD + MOL), respectively.

Egg production and quality under three housing systems in the tropics.

The aim of this study was to evaluate egg production and quality of Rhode Island Red (RIR) laying hens in an outdoor system in the subhumid tropic. Eighty RIR laying hens were measured in two periods and housed randomly under three treatments: outdoor (O), indoor (I) and in conventional cages (C). Egg weight (55.