conditions throughout the test. The hens were provided nutrients to meet the needs of all the hens based upon compilation of the breeder recommendations. The eggs from these strains were collected every 28 days from the previous 24 hrs production. Once collected the quality and compositional properties of the eggs such as pH, solids, whipping height, Haugh units and angel food cakes were evalua...

Testosterone profiles and semen characteristics were determined using yearling and adult captive wild-strain Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) drakes. Wild-strain Mallard hens were artificially inseminated by modifying a technique developed for domesticated poultry. In both adult and yearling drakes, there was a change in the concentration of circulating plasma testosterone during the reproductive s...

The calpains (E.C. 3.4.22.17) and calpastatin constitute an ubiquitous, intracellular, Ca2+dependent protease/inhibitor system. This system has been implicated as a principal regulator of myofibrillar protein degradation in both ante-mortem and postmortem muscle. Although proteolytic activity of the calpains is primarily controlled through interaction of calpain and calpastatin, evidence for an...

Fifty-five generations of chickens selected for low (LWS) and high (HWS) body weight at 8 weeks of age has resulted in a 10-fold differ­ ence in body weight at selection age. Some of the LWS are anorexic, while HWS are hyperphagic and obese. We hypothesized that differ­ ences in appetite regulatory factor mRNA between the lines would be accentuated by food withdrawal and measured mRNA abundance...

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) in poultry is a disorder of growth plate cartilage that fails to resorb and consequently prevents bone formation. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) contribute to the process of resorption through the degradation of extracellular matrices and facilitating vascularization, growth plate remodeling, and maturation. In order to understand the cause of the failure of cartil...