Poultry Sanitary Processing and Inspection Guidance was issued on January 11, 1978 by the Director General of Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare to reinforce the Food Sanitation Law.
In the past ten years Japanese poultry industry underwent the considerable change which now seems to necessitate the official poultry inspection system.
The Poultry Inspection System Investigation Committee sent its final report to the Director General of Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Health and Welfare on May 8, 1987.
The final report included hygiene requirements in relation to premises, equipments and utensils, hygienic operating requirements, personnel hygiene, ante-mortem health inspection, post-mortem health inspection, and qualifications for supervisory inspectors, poultry inspectors and poultry meat hygiene supervisors.
Based upon the final report, Ministry of Health and Welfare is preparing for the implementation of the official poultry inspection in a few years.
In this paper the following subjects were covered.
I. The present situation of poultry processing in Japan
II. Recent developments in poultry processing techniques and equipments
III. Recommended international code of hygienic practice for poultry processing
IV. Poultry inspection laws and regulations of foreign countries
V. Poultry sanitary processing and inspection guidance, 1978
VI. The final report on the poultry inspection system in Japan, 1987
VII. Poultry inspection at present and in future.

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Nesting frequency (% of time spent on the nest per day) was maintained at over 95% until hatching. After hatching, the nesting frequency decreased over a period of 1 to 5 days. The decreasing pattern of nesting frequency varied according to differences in hatching patterns. Thereafter, it was maintained at around 50% during the brooding period but 2 days after their chicks were taken away, it reached 0%. When the nesting frequency was around 50% during the brooding period, the hens usually left their nests with the sunrise and returned in the late afternoon.
The plasma levels of progesterone were low during the incubating, brooding and pre-laying periods until 2 to 3 days before the onset of laying. The plasma levels of testosterone and estradiol were low during the incubating and brooding period but they increased immediately after their chicks were taken away.

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The present study was carried out to clarify changes with aging in free amino acid and low molecular weight peptide of blood from cockerel. Paper electrophoresis was employed to analyze and identify the specific substances in erythrocytes from cockerel. Highspeed liquid chromatography was also used for quantitative determination of free amino acid and low molecular weight peptide in blood from cockerel. Blood samples were collected from wing vein of White Leghorn cockerels aging from 1 to 30 weeks, adult male Japanese quail and adult domestic drakes into heparinized tubes.
On the cathode side in paper electrophorograms, the two specific bands of free amino acid were observed in erythrocytes from cockerel, while not found in them from adult male Japanese quail and domestic drake. One, placed on the anode side, of the specidic bands was identified to be carnosine and the other band was to be anserine based on relative mobility and ninhydrine and diazo reactions.
Concentrations of the two specific substances were measured by highspeed liquid chromatography. The concentrations, in terms of carnosine equivalent, in erythrocytes from cockerel were significantly higher than those in plasma from cockerel and in erythrocytes and plasma from adult male Japanese quail and domestic drake.
Ornithine was not detected in erythrocytes from cockerel after 5 weeks of age. Aspartate concentration decreased as the age progressed, being undetectable at 30 weeks of age. Threonine concentration decreased until 20 weeks of age and increased during 20 to 30 weeks of age. In contrast, tyrosine and phenylalanine appeared first at 5 weeks of age and then increased until 30 weeks of age. On the other hand, no remarkable change was found on free amino acid concentration in plasma from cockerel relating to the age.
Pattern similarities of free amino acid among erythrocytes and plasma from cockerel, adult male Japanese quail and domestic drake were calculated. Free amino acid composition in erythrocytes from cockerel changed remarkably with aging. Pattern similarity of free amino acid between 1 and 2 weeks of age, and 20 and 30 weeks of age of cockerel was high, being 0.995 and 0.984 respectively. However, pattern similarity between 1 or 2 weeks and 30 weeks of age of cockerel showed a relatively low ratio, 0.846 or 0.828 respectively. On the other hand, free amino acid composition in plasma from cockerel did not change in relation to aging, and no significant difference was found among free amino acid compositions in plasma from cockerel, adult male Japanese quail and domestic drake.

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[in Japanese]

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In order to compare the water balance in chickens attached the artificial anus by the partial rectal incising method (ISSHIKI & NAKAHIRO¹⁾) and the rectal-transverse sectioning method, the present experiment was undertaken using 3-month-old Single Comb White Leghorn cockerels.
The water intake in chickens operated by the rectal-transverse sectioning method was 2.4, 1.5 and 1.3 times higher than those in control chickens (sham-operated) at 1, 3 and 5 months after the operation, respectively. Whereas, in chickens operated by the partial rectal incising method, the water intake was 1.8, 1.2 and 1.2 times more than those in control birds at 1, 3 and 5 months after the operation, respectively. Furthermore, in chickens operated by the partial rectal incising method, the water intake did not change after closure and re-opening of the fistula.

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