Availability of P in wheat, barley, milo and corn was studied by comparing responses of 3-week-old meat-type male chicks fed them for 4 weeks with those fed diets containing var-ious levels of Ca and P. The left tibia was collected for histopathological examination. Weight, length, width, and strength of the right tibia were measured. Width of the pro-liferating and hypertrophic zones of the epiphyseal cartilage was scored under microscope.
Though changes found were not rachitic, typical finding observed by feeding the diet deficient in Ca was enlargement of the proliferating zone, which was suspected as a prodro-mal symptom of the rickets. Typical finding observed by feeding the diet deficient in P was enlargement of the hypertrophic zone.
The cereals could be grouped into 2, subgroup of wheat and berley and that of milo and corn. Higher availability of P in the former than that in the latter was indicated.

View full abstract

Ninety Hisex laying hens were used to examine the laying patterns under the 28-hour ahemeral light dark cycle. They were divided into three groups and all of them were exposed to 14L:1OD cycle for two weeks of pre-experimental period.
Each of the three groups was then, exposed to the normal 14L:1OD, the ahemeral 18L:1OD and the ahemeral 14L:14D cycles, respectively for one week of shifting period follow-ed by three weeks of experimental period. The oviposition time was automatically recorded at ten minute intervals.
The oviposition time in the ahemeral groups changed after exposure to the ahemeral cy-cles as compared to 14.3 hrs after the onset of the dark period in the normal 14L: 10D cy-cle, and differed in two ahemeral groups, namely, 6.1 hrs in 18L:1OD and 7.6hrs in 14L:14D cycles, in experimental period. Increased uniformity in time of oviposition was observed in ahemeral cycles. The intra-cluch oviposition intervals were 24.7 hrs in 14L:10D, 28.0 hrs in 18L:1OD and 28.0 hrs in 14L:14D cycles.
The egg production in the experimental period calculated in terms of hen-day was sig-nificantly lower in the ahemeral groups than in the normal 14L:1OD group. This, on the other hand, when calculated in terms of hen-cycle was significantly higher in the ahemeral groups than in the normal 14L:1OD group.
The egg weight in the experimental period was significantly higher in the ahemeral groups than in the normal 14L:1OD group, and also the significant difference was found between the ahemeral groups.

View full abstract

It is well known that the water intake is more in the colostomized chicken than in normal one. In the present experiment with single comb White Leghorn cockerels, water balance was measured to obtain a detailed data in the changes of water intake with the lapse of days after colostomy at the ages of 6 and 12 months.
As a result, water intake and excretion were about to times higher in the colostomized chickens than in normal one at a month after operation, and thereafter, the difference between colostomized and normal birds decreased gradually. At 6 or more months after operation, however, water intake was still about 30% higher in the colostomized chickens than in normal chickens.

View full abstract

Two lines of Japanese quail (line I and line III) selected for the erythrocyte antigens and a nonselected control line (line IV) were compared for the weights of lymphoid organs, antibody productions and serum IgG concentrations.
Line III had smaller bursa of Fabricius than that of other lines. It was inferred that bursa of Fabricius and thymus of line III might regress earlier than those of the other lines.
Line I showed lower humoral immune responses to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and Brucella abortus (B. a.) than the other lines, although its serum IgG concentration was significantly higher than that of line III.

View full abstract

In order to evaluate the intermittent lighting (IL) system, the light and dark ratio, the length of cycle and the age of starting the IL treatment were studied.
In experiment 1, three levels of light periods (1, 3/4, 1/2hr) of 4hr cycle were com-pared. In experiment 2, three levels of cycle lengh (2, 4, 6hr) with the light-dark ratio of 1 to 3 were compared. In experiment 3, three levels of starting time (1, 2, 3 weeks of age) of 1L:3D were compared.
Broilers subjected to the 1L:3D starting at 3 weeks of age showed a heavier body weight at 9 weeks of age, and the rate of feed conversion was better than the birds subject-ed to the other ratios of the IL programs.
Broilers reared under 2 or 4hr cycles of IL were heavier by 79-101g at 9 weeks of age and the feed conversion ratio was better than those under 6hr cycle. The 1L:3D initated at 2 weeks of age had a superior body weight and a superior feed conversion ratio.
From the economical point of view, IL system was more profitable becouse of lowered power cost as compared with continuous light.
Among the IL programs, 1L:3D starting at 2 weeks of age is recommendable for the lighting system of broiler raising.

View full abstract

Experiments were conducted to estimate effect of concentrations of disinfectant solutions on reduction of bacteria contaminating on the chicken houses. Each volume of 1.5l/m² of diluted disinfectant solutions were sprayed in the chicken houses. The solutions of invert soap diluted 1:10, 1:100 and 1:1000, and iodophor diluted 1:100, 1:500 and 1:1000 were used.
The concentrations of the solutions diluted 1:10 of the invert soap and diluted 1:100 of the iodophor were extremly high. They were diluted routinely for disinfectaon of the chicken houses more than 1:100 (invert soap) or 1:500 (iodophor). The higher concen-tration of the solution reduced the more number of bacteria. Bacteria contaminating on the floor of the house were reduced significantly by spraying solutions except ones diluted 1:1000 of invert soap and of iodophor. Significant reductions also were observed in bacterial counts on the wall of the house by spraying, except solution diluted 1:1000 of the invert soap, and 1:500 and 1:1000 of the iodophor.
Effect of the concentration of the disinfectant solutions was not clear on reduction rate of bacteria calculated from a number of bacteria contaminated after spraying divided by ones before spraying.

View full abstract

The Thai broiler industry has expanded recently, and 90% of the exports is directed to the Japanese market. The purpose of this study is to describe the characteristics of the Thai broiler industry as compared with the industry in Japan and to analyze the characteris-tics of the integration which is combination of the production, processing and marketing of the industry.
In order to do this, six broiler companies out of the seven were visited and surveyed in 1983 and 1985 and described in this study.
The main characteristics of the Thai industry are as follows (i) The grain for broiler feed is produced in Thailand while the grain is importing in Japan. (ii) The price of the former is lower than that of the latter. (iii) However, the former fluctuates more than in the latter. (iv) The broiler meat colour is more dark in Thailand than in Japan because of the dark colored feed grain, especially maize or corn.(v) The price of broiler baby chicks is low, but fluctuates more than in Japan. (vi) More than half of the production in Thailand is integrated by feed companies. The body weight of the birds is mostly less than 1.8kg. (vii) The workers in the processing plants are younger and well qualified, but the wage level is low compared with that in Japan.(viii) The birds in the plant are inspected by a veterinarian. (ix) The broiler processing plants are mostly for export markets and the slaughter houses are for the home market.(x) The price of the broiler by-product such as the carcass, skin and feet is higher in Thailand than in Japan. Thus, the chicken's byproduct are directed to the Thai market, while the deboned meat or boneless meat, especially boneless breast and leg meat will be exported particularly to the Japanese market.

View full abstract