A study was carried out using facilities attached to three different poultry research stations of three prefectures in Kyushu district in Japan. Two experiments were conducted to determine the quantitative dietary np-P requirement of Shaver Starcross 288, white Leghorn hens. In both experiments, corn-soybean meal based diets contained 0.20, 0.35, 0.50 or 0.65% np-P were fed. All diets contained 15.0% crude protein (CP) and 2750 kcal metabolizable energy (ME). Tricalcium phosphate was used to attain a np-P levels of 0.35-0.65%. The first experiments started in December 1986 and the second experiments started in June 1987. The hens were 20 weeks old when the experiments were set up. All hens houses used in the present investigation were open-sided houses. The birds were assigned to four dietary groups and fed the respective experimental diet ad libitum throughout 48 weeks experimental period. The experimental period was divided into 3 stages to observe the influence of laying stage.
Egg production rate, egg weight and egg yield increased as the dietary np-P level increased. Egg yield of hens fed 0.50-0.65% np-P diets was significantly higher than that of 0.20% np-P diet. There were no significant differences between any levels of 0.35-0.65%. Feed intake and body weight gain also increased as the dietary np-P level increased. Feed conversion and viability were not affected by dietary np-P levels.However Egg shell quality decreased as the dietary np-P level increased. Egg shell thickness, egg shell breaking strength and egg shell weight ratio decreased as the np-P level increased. From the combined data from two experiments it was concluded that the np-P requirement of laying hens in Kyushu district was 0.35%.

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Experiments were conducted to evaluate effect of several factors affected for efficacy of disinfectant solutions on reduction of viable bacteria. It was considered that important factors would be chemical component of disinfectant, concentration and amount of the solution sprayed, elapsed time after spraying, temperatures of circumstance and the solution on spraying and repeat spraying of the solution.
A plywood test pieces (1×5cm) contaminated 10^5.4-10^5.7 of bacteria were hanged in the wooden box of 1m³ of capacity. Three kinds of disinfectant solution were sprayed like a mist and reduction of viable bacteria contaminating the pieces were counted. Orthodichlorobenzene, invert soap and iodophor were used in this experiment.
One tenth of bacteria contaminated pieces before spraying were reduced by spraying each disinfectant solution. No differences were observed in reduction of bacteria by spraying the solution among three kinds of disinfectant. When high concentrations and large amounts of each disinfectant solution were sprayed, respectively, approximately 1/10 of bacteria contaminated the pieces before spraying were reduced. No differences were observed in bacterial counts after spraying between concentrations of the solutions. No differences also observed between amounts of the solutions sprayed. While main reduction of bacteria was recorded within 24 hours, a few bacteria were reduced from 24 to 72 hours after spraying. When temperature of circumstance and the solution were kept at 5 and 30°C, respectively, no difference also were observed in bacterial reduction between temperatures. Marked reduction of bacteria was not observed when spraying same or different kinds of the solution repeatedly 3 times at intervals of 24 hours. One tenth of bacteria contaminating the pieces before spraying were reduced by 1st spraying. A fewer bacteria less than 10^-1 were reduced by 2nd and 3rd spraying, respectively.

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Effects of dietary chitin and chitosan on the growth and abdominal fat deposition were investigated in 8-day old Single-Comb White Leghorn male chicks. 5% chitin or chitosan were supplemented to a basal corn-soybean meal diet (CP 20%, ME 2830kcal/kg) and a high-fat diet (CP 20%, ME 3240kcal/kg) which containing 7% soybean oil, and these diets were given for 3 weeks.
Feed efficiency in chicks fed a high-fat diet was similar to chicks fed a basal diet although feed intake and body weight gain were lower than chicks fed a basal diet. Addition of chitin or chitosan to the diet did not affect body weight gain and feed efficiency. Feeding of a high-fat diet decreased markedly the apparent fat absorption ratio, plasma triglyceride content and abdominal fat pad weight. Plasma phospholipid, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol were not affected by the feeding of high-fat diet. The addition of chitin to a basal or a high-fat diet did not significantly affect the apparent fat absorption ratio, plasma lipid concentration and abdominal fat pad weight. The addition of chitosan decreased apparent fat absorption ratio and abdominal fat pad weight in chicks fed the basal and high-fat diet. The elevated plasma triglyceride content by the feeding of high-fat diet was decreased by the addition of chitosan.
Therefore, it may be suggested that the supplementation of 5% chitin and chitosan to the diet do not affect the growth of chicks greatly, and that the chitosan increase the dietary fat excression and depress the abdominal fat deposition.

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A study was conducted to determine the available lysine requirement of laying hens. Basal diet was mainly composed of corn, corn gluten meal and dehulled soybean meal, and contained 12.9% crude protein, 0.43% total lysine, and 0.37% available lysine. All essential amino acids except lysine were provided to meet NRC requirements. Five diets containing 0.37, 0.44, 0.51, 0.58 and 0.65% of available lysine were prepared by supplementation of L-Lysine. HCI. Control diet was also prepared as a positive control (protein 15.7%, total lysine 0.71%, available lysine 0.61%). All diets contained the same energy level (2, 900kcal ME/kg). Total 240 commercial layers (Shaver Starcross 288) were fed experimental diets for 12 weeks from 29 to 41 weeks of age.
Laying hens fed lowest available lysine (0.37%) diet showed the significant lowest egg production, egg weight, egg yield and highest feed conversion and body weight loss. Egg production, egg weight, feed intake and egg yield were significantly improved, and body weight loss was significantly reduced, by the increase of dietery available lysine level. Statistical analysis indicated that egg yield was maximized when available lysine intake was 616mg/day. Dietary available lysine requirement was 0.55% when feed intake was 112g/day.

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We tried to establish the microplate enzyme linked immunosolvent assay (ELISA) which detected antibodies derived from avian leukosis virus (ALV) infection by using Rous associated virus type 2 (RAV-2) antigen for coating, on purpose to apply the ELISA system to ALV monitoring system of specific pathogen free (SPF) chicken.
Using 3 antigens (RAV-1: subgroup A (A), RAV-2: subgroup B (B), normal cell (N)), ELISA was applied for the sera of SPF chicken which had been already demonstrated that the serum neutralization (SN) value was less than 5. All of the optical density (OD) value of the sera were less than 0.3. Both differences of OD value (A-N, B-N) were less than 0.05.
When ELISA was also applied for the sera of chicken which had been infected avian sarcoma-leukosis viruses, the relationship between OD value differences of A-N and B -N was correlative. So, the B antigen was used for coating antigen, because it was easy for preparing.
ELISA titer of our standard positive serum for antibody measurement was decided to 128, 000. The titer of serum sample was calculated by comparing the OD value with standard curve of the standard positive serum.
It seems that our established method is effective for measurement of ALV antibody of SPF chicken serum.

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We analyzed the antigen-antibody reaction system of enzyme linked immunosolvent assay (ELISA) which measured the avian leukosis virus (ALV) antibody, and compared the correlations and the sensitivity among three methods (ELISA, serum neutralization: SN, fluorescent antibody: FA).
(1) The sera of chickens experimentally infected with subgroup A and B viruses were investigated using 3 methods (ELISA, FA and SN). It seemed that ELISA and FA detected mainly group specific (gs) antibodies, but SN detected subgroup specific antibodies.
(2) Three kinds of antigen components were confirmed to produce gs antibodies and the order of appearance of gs antibodies after infection was anti-p27, anti-gp 85 and anti-p15.
(3) There were correlations among antibody titers of ELISA, FA and SN.
(4) The sensitivities of three methods were compared; SN and FA had about same sesitivity, but ELISA was about 10 times more sensitive than SN and FA.

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Although the detailed functions of selenium are not known, it has been suggested that selenium has important effects on reproduction, immunity, and enzymatic function. These functions can be expected to have favorable effects on productive abilities of chickens.
In experiment I, two groups of day-old male broiler chicks were fed semi-purified diets containing 0.07mg/kg selenium and selenium-added diets having 1.0 mg/kg selenium for five weeks, respectively. In experiment II, two groups of day-old broiler chicks were fed a commercial formula feed with 0.3 mg/kg selenium and selenium-added commercial formula feed with 0.9mg/kg selenium for nine weeks, respectively.
The results were as follows; in experiment I, the growth of chickens tended to increase on the selenium-added diet and a significant difference was recognized after three weeks. Serum selenium content and GSH-Px activity increased, and serum GOT activity decreased on selenium-added diet. In experiment II, the growth of chickens tended to increase on the selenium-added commercial formula feed until the fifth week, but the efficiency of selenium addition to formula feed disappeared from the seventh week. Although the weight of the carcass was not affected by selenium levels in feed, the weight of the muscle, especially M. pectoralis profundus, tended to increase on the selenium-added commercial formula feed. Selenium contents of liver and kidney increased on selenium-added commercial formula feed. Selenium contents of liver and kidney increased on selenium-added commercial formula feed.
These results suggest that the selenium amount recommended in the present feeding standard is not enough to fully enhance the broiler chicken's productive abilities. Further experiments are needed to determine the most suitable selenium amount in feed and the regulation of selenium additions to feed.

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[in Japanese]

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