Genetic differentiation within breeds was analyzed using 30 populations belonging to six Japanese and one Bangladesh indigenous breeds and to two improved breeds of chickens. Gene frequencies at four blood group (A, B, D and E) and 7 blood protein (Akp, Akp-2, Es-1, Amy-1, Alb, Tf and Pas) loci were examined. Although some specific patterns of gene frequencies were observed between breeds, no such patterns were found between local populations within each breed. Genetic distances between the populations within breeds were small. Cluster analysis showed that almost all populations within each breed belonged to one cluster. The estimates of genetic differentiation between local populations within indigenous breeds were smaller than those between strains within improved breeds. These results suggest that in most of Japanese indigenous breeds genetic differentiation between local populations is small.

View full abstract

Immune responses in chickens to sheep red blood cell (SRBC), bovine red blood cell (BRBC), human serum albumin (HSA), dog serum albumin (DSA) and rabbit serum albumin (RSA) were compared among the major histocompatibility B genotypes, B⁹/B⁹, B⁹/B¹¹ and B¹¹/B¹¹. Relative antibody titers to SRBC, HSA and DSA were B⁹/B⁹<B⁹/B¹¹≈B¹¹/B¹¹. The differences between B⁹/B⁹ and the other two genotypes were significant statistically (P<0.05) in these antibody titers. On the contrary, immune responses to RSA and BRBC showed the inverse relationships among the B genotypes, namely B⁹/B⁹≈B⁹/B¹¹>B¹¹/B¹¹ in the case of RSA and B⁹/B⁹>B⁹/B¹¹≈B¹¹/B¹¹ in the case of BRBC (P<0.05). The genetic differences of anti-RSA titer were due to the 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) resistant antibody (IgG) titer, as shown by a treatment of antisera with 2-ME.
It was suggested that the genetic control of the immune response by the B locus genes in chickens might involve the difference in the immunoglobulin class produced.

View full abstract

Immune responses to several antigens, such as sheep red blood cell (SRBC), bovine serum albumin (BSA), lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of E. coli and S. minnesota, dog serum albumin (DSA) and bovine red blood cell (BRBC) were examined using the lines of chickens selected for the high (HR) and low (LR) immune responses to rabbit serum albumin (RSA). The birds at the second, third and fifth generations of selection were used for the immunization.
The HR line showed significantly higher immune responses to SRBC, both LPS and DSA than did the LR line. On the other hand, the line differences of the immune responses to BSA and BRBC were not significant. Since the immune response to T-cell independent antigens, LPS in this experiment, was similar to that to T-cell dependent antigens, SRBC, it was suggetsed that the immune responses to both types of antigens might be under controll of the same genes.

View full abstract

The study was designed to investigate the feed conversion to body weight gain and egg production in the large and small lines in Japanese quail. A total of 180 chicks from two selected lines and a control line were used. Two selected lines were the large line (LL) and the small line (SS) selected through 48 generations for high or low 6-week body weight and a control line (RR) was a closed population maintained as a randombred control over a 18 year period in our laboratory.
All chicks were brooded in electric battery brooder under continuous lighting and transferred at 2 weeks of age to individual cages in the room kept under 14h. light-10h. dark cycle and at a constant temperature 22°C. The 28% crude protein diets prepared by mixing the commercial quail layer feed with white fish meal were fed ad libitum throughout the experiment. Individual body weights and feed intakes from 2 to 10 weeks of age were measured at weekly intervals, and egg production data were daily obtained during 10 days from 14 weeks of age. The results can be summarized as follows.
1) The weekly body weight gains of LL and RR were similar growth pattern and the growth rate of SS was remarkably different from that of LL or RR.
2) Significant differences between lines were markedly observed in feed intake from 2 to 10 weeks of age and after sexual maturity feed intakes of female were more than those of male in three lines.
3) Feed conversion to body weight gain of LL in early growing stage was the best in three lines and cumulative feed conversion of LL was also superior to that of RR. However, cumulative feed conversion of SS was inferior to that of LL or RR.
4) Feed conversion to egg production of RR was the best in three lines, but no significant differences between RR and SS lines in group of higher egg production rate were obtained.
5) From these results, it is assumed that feed conversion to body weight gain inLL line was improved by long-term selection for high 6-week body weight, but feed conversion to egg production was decreased, while the performance of body weight gain in SS line was decreased by long-term selection for low 6-week body weight, but no significant differences between RR and SS lines were obtained in group of higher egg production rate.

View full abstract

The influence of light intensity on the rate of lay and oviposition rhythm in Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) was investigated under 14L:10D and continuous lighting. One hundred and fourty-four laying hens aged twenty weeks were divided into four groups; the two groups (1 L-H and 14L-L) were kept under 14L:10D (light-on, 5:00, light-off, 19:00) and the other two groups (24L-H and 24L-L) were under continuous lighting. Total experimental duration was 8 weeks. During the first 4 weeks, the middle intensity was set at 69-104 lux for all groups. During the 2nd period, the high intensity was set at 2055-2152 lux for 14 L-H and 24L-H group and the low intensity was set at 2-3 lux for 14L-L and 24L-L group. The rate of lay and oviposition rhythm of each individual hen were examined for the first and the 2nd experimental period.
At the period of middle intensity, rates of lay were 89-90% under 14L:10D and 82-88% under continuous lighting. After changing the intensity to the high, rate of lay in 14L-H increased by 4% (P<0.05)and rate of lay under the low in 14L-L decreased by 24% (P<0.01), and hens paused oviposition and molting appeared in succession 10-14 days after the changing. Under continuous lighting, however, changing had no effect on the rate of lay. It was obviously recognized that the influence of the intensity on the egg production of coturnix differed by photoperiod. The treatment of high intensity under 14L:10D shortened the oviposition interval and concentrated the oviposition time in the period of the latter half of lighting (14L-H). On the other hand, the low intensity prolonged the interval and dispersed the oviposition time (14L-L). From these results, we concluded that the high intensity might increase the degree of entrainment of oviposition rhythm to photoperiod and the low intensity might affect reversely on the rhythm under 14L:10D. At the period of the middle intensity under continuous lighting, oviposition rhythm did not show an entrained rhythm to daily cycle, but a free-running one. The free-running period (FRP) of those were 26.2-26.7hr. Under the high and the low intensity of continuous lighting, FRP became prolonged and shortened, respectively. These results suggested that the oviposition rhythm of Japanese quail did not fit to "Ashoff's rule" and differed from a common biological rhythm.

View full abstract

To evaluate genetic variability within and between quail populations, enzymes and proteins coded for by 34 presumed loci were examined by starch gel electrophoresis. Wild quail populations collected from three different localities (mean geographic distance among them: 560±240km) and nine domestic quail populations were used in the present survey.
Mean and standard deviation of the proportion of polymorphic loci (P_poly) calculated for the domestic quail populations was 0.378±0.083 and that for the wild quail populations was 0.378±0.027. Mean and standard deviation of the average heterozygosity (H) estimated for the domestic quail populations was 0.109±0.027 and that for the wild quail populations was 0.078±0.006. Mean genetic distance (D) between the wild and domestic quail populations was 0.0317 and that evaluated within domestic or wild quail populations was 0.0198 or 0.0037, respectively. The F_ST, a measure of genetic differentiation, calculated for the wild quail populations was 0.017 and that for the domestic quail populations was 0.169.
Results obtained in the present survey showed that the levels of genetic variability in the Japanese quail populations seemed to be somewhat higher than those reported for vertebrate species, but were not so high as would be predicted by some researchers for Coturnix quail. The H values estimated for the domestic quail populations were significantly higher than those for the wild quail populations, but the values were within the H range reported by NEVO (1978) for the wide-spread vertebrate species. The F_ST and the D values obtained may represent a failure to show any significant differentiation among the wild quail populations collected from the threedifferent localities.

View full abstract

This study was done to investigate the effects of low selenium diet on the behavioral patterns and some chemical constituents of the blood in laying hens. The relationships between the behavioral patterns and the blood constituents of the laying hens were also studied.
Twelve laying hens, 76 weeks old, were used. The hens were fed a control diet during the first 2 weeks, after which they were divided into two groups of 6 hens each. One group was fed a low-selenium diet and the other was fed the control diet during the next 4 weeks. Changes in the diurnal patterns of the behavior of the hens were recorded with VTR for 3 days during the control diet and for 3 days periods during weeks 3 and 4 after the start of the low-selenium diet. The changes in serum constituents were also measured.
On the low-selenium diet, the proportion of time spent for feed intake and the feed intake per minute tended to increase and the time spent pecking at feed per day increased significantly. The proportion of time spent pecking other than at feed decreased with this diet. Disturbed behavior decreased and the preening increased significantly with this diet.
Triglycerides and glucose in the serum decreased and both total cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol in the serum increased significantly with the low-selenium diet.

View full abstract

A study was undertaken with laying hens to investigate the effect of cellulase supplementation to common naked barley (C-NB), high protein naked barley (HP-NB) and super high protein naked barley (SHP-NB) based diets. C-NB or HP-NB based diet was prepared by substituting C-NB or HP-NB for all of corn and part of soybean meal in the corn soybean meal diet, and SHP-NB based diet was provided by substituting SHP-NB for large part of corn and all soybean meal in the basal diet. Crude protein content of C-NB, HP-NB and SHP-NB, on as-fed basis was 12.0, 15.1 and 17.9%, and lysine content was 0.41, 0.62 and 0.59%, respectively. ME of C-NB or HP-NB based diet was significantly increased by cellulase supplementation. There was no significant increase of ME value of SHP-NB-based diet by cellulase supplementation. The laying performance was not significantly affected by feeding naked barley or cellulase supplementation.

View full abstract