1,721,136 research outputs found
Effect of rearing system and season on the performance of Ancona laying hens and characteristics of eggs
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Comparison of different reproductive protocols for rabbit doe: effect of litter size and mating interval
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Performance and meat quality of pure Ancona and Cornish × Ancona chickens organically reared
No full textRearing rabbits on a wire net floor or straw litter: behaviour, growth and meat qualitative traits
No full textEffect of different rearing systems and pre-kindling handling on behaviour and performance of rabbit does
No full textThe aim of this study was to ascertain how collective cage and pre-kindling handling (training does to go into their own nest) practices, in comparison to standard housing (single cage rearing), modify the behaviour and the performance of rabbit does. To this aim, 40 nulliparous New Zealand White does were artificially inseminated, where the pregnant ones were assigned to three groups with the following treatments: eight does, kept in single standard cages (group S); eight does kept in two colony cages and trained to recognise their own nest (group TC); eight does kept in two colony cages, but not trained to recognise their own nest (group UC). Performance and behaviour, with particular attention to the social relationships of animals, were evaluated for one year. The housing system and training practice affected the behaviour of animals. Does kept in colony cages showed a wider behavioural repertoire, as well as fewer stereotyped and social behaviours. However, the interactions between animals were not always friendly; in particular, the UC group showed the highest incidence of aggressiveness: attack (26.61% vs. 13.55%) and dominance (12.98% vs. 8.81%) and lower allo-grooming (4.16% vs. 19.56%) in comparison to TC does. Negative correlation values between feeding and moving behaviours were obtained (−0.37 and −0.28) for TC and UC does, respectively. UC does showed significant correlation coefficients between stereotyped, moving and static behaviours (0.50 and −0.61, respectively). Different correlation values between moving and social interactions were shown for TC (−0.44) and UC does (0.48). In UC does, stereotypies were also correlated with social relationships (0.40) and, in particular, with attack (0.57; data not shown). Smelling one other was one of the major social activities, but while animals in the UC group exhibited a stable trend in the days close to kindling, in the TC group, the values increased from 20% (3 days before partum) to 75% (3 days after partum). Dominant and submissive features in TC does showed the same trends and decreased to about 0% after kindling; in contrast, in the UC group, dominant behaviours were performed even after kindling (4.8%) and submissiveness reached values similar to that of the first day of observation (about 35%). Reproductive performance and productivity of colony does were lower than S does. This reduction was lessened if does were trained to recognise their own nest. In the UC group, does had very low sexual receptivity (49.8%) and fertility rates (40.8%), a higher annual replacement of does (83.3%) and low rabbits sold/year/doe (17.7), probably due to the higher social pressure and aggressiveness, as confirmed by the percentage of does replaced due to severe injury (8.3%)
Bioactive contents and nutritional indexes of organic eggs laid from Ancona hens.
No full textIn spring 2009, bioactive contents, nutritional indexes and oxidative stability of eggs from different productive chains (Conventional, Organicand Organic-plus) were compared. The trial were performed in two farms: conventional (100.000 caged Brown Hy-line hens, 0,75 m2/hen)and organic (18.000 Brown Hy-line hens; indoor: 6 hen/m2 provided with 4 m2 pasture/hen) groups, whereas the Organic-Plus group (500Ancona hens) had a larger grass paddock (indoor: 6 hen/m2 provided with 10 m2/hen). The following egg characteristics were analysed: vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, lipids and fatty acid profile, cholesteroland TBARs contents. Moreover were calculated many nutritional indexesas: atherogenicity (AI), thrombogenicity (TI), peroxidability (PI), theindex of nutritional quality (INQ) and the ratio between hypocholesterolaemicand hypercholesterolemic fatty acids (HH). Egg quality was affected by the pasture available. The hens that ingested grass (Organic-Plus), produced eggs with higher vitamin E, carotenoids, polyphenols, TBARs contents and PI, but lower AI and TI. The HH index was similarin all types of analyzed eggs. Organic eggs showed an intermediate trend between Conventional and Organic-plus ones in relation to n-6/n-3 and linoleic/linolenic acid ratios. Bio-Plus eggs reached values of n-3 total egg equivalent to 409,06 mg. Cholesterol levels were consistent with those found in literature with variations mainly due to genetic typeand rearing system. The egg quality was mainly affected by the pasture availability since hens which ingested more grass (Organic-plus) producedeggs with higher amount of α-tocopherol, carotenoids and n-3 fatty acids, but with worst oxidative stability.[...
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