Three hundred twenty Cobb 500 broiler breeder pullets at 21 wk of age were selected from a flock fed according to Cobb Breeder Management Guide specifications. One hundred sixty pullets at 21 wk of age were switched to ad libitum feeding, and the remaining 160 pullets continued to be control-fed. The pullets were photostimulated at 22 wk and maintained until 36.5 wk. Plasma samples were obtaine...

1. Pullets were given a control diet or a diet supplemented with a non-starch-polysaccharide hydrolysing enzyme preparation (NSP-enzyme) from weeks 6 to 14 of age to induce differences in the viscosity of the small intestinal ingesta. Half of each feeding group (n = 25) was infected with 250 embryonated Ascaridia galli eggs at an age of 6 weeks. 2. At 14 weeks of age, before the pullets were sl...

Two experiments were conducted using four strains of Leghorn pullets, namely Babcock, DeKalb, H & N, and Shaver. Pullets were grown on conventional or low protein diets fortified with additional amino acids. At 18 wk of age, 64 pullets from each strain and diet treatment were transferred to individual laying cages, using eight replicate groups of four adjacently caged birds. In a second experim...

Data on ammonia (NH3) emissions from pullets (hens <18 weeks of>age) are non-existent despite the large differences in nutritional and environmental conditions between raising pullets and laying hens. Different stocking densities (SDs) in housing the birds may be used according to certain industry guidelines on production; however, information concerning the impact of SD on properties of accumu...

This study consisted of; two strains of brown-egg pullets, the Hy-Line (HB) and H&N (BN) Brown were raised on three different dietary regimens resulting in a 2 x 3 factorial design. The three different regimens were a standard Step-down Protein Regimen (SDP) comprised of a 20% CP Starter, 0-6 week, 18% CP Grower 1, 7-12 week and 16% CP Grower 2, 13-18 week; a Step-up Protein Regimen (SUP9) comp...

Production performance and egg quality characteristics of pullets and spent layers were compared in this study. Forty birds, each from the flocks of pullets (24 weeks old) and spent layers (76 weeks old) were selected as experimental birds. The birds from each age group were divided into five replicates, each comprising of eight birds. All the experimental birds were fed a commercial layer rati...

1. Concentrations of retinal (vitamin A(1) aldehyde) in the plasma and liver of laying hens, mature cockerels, immature pullets and pullets undergoing sexual maturation have been measured. 2. The plasma of laying hens contained about 8mug. of retinal/100ml., about ten times that found in the plasma of mature cockerels and immature pullets. In laying hens that had received large doses of retinyl...

A trial was conducted to determine the effects of different feeding regimens on plasma hormone and metabolite levels in 16-wk-old broiler breeder pullets. A flock of 350 Cobb 500 breeder pullets was divided in 2 at 28 d of age and fed either every day (ED, 5 pens of 35 birds) or skip-a-day (SKIP, 5 pens of 35 birds) from 28 to 112 d of age. Total feed intake did not differ between the 2 groups....

Recently, deoxynivalenol-3-sulfate (DON-3-sulfate) was proposed as a major DON metabolite in poultry. In the present work, the first LC-MS/MS based method for determination of DON-3-sulfate, deepoxy-DON-3-sulfate (DOM-3-sulfate), DON, DOM, DON sulfonates 1, 2, 3, and DOM sulfonate 2 in excreta samples of chickens and turkeys was developed and validated. To this end, DOM-3-sulfate was chemically...

The effect of using varied levels of dietary protein with high energy levels in rearing diets on pullet development and on subsequent layer performance in hot climates, was studied using 160 Lohmann White Leghorn pullets. Five replicate groups of 16 pullets, 1 day of age were randomly assigned to each of two series of rearing diets. Pullets in both treatments were fed a 190 g crude protein (CP)...