Gawande, J., Wade, M.R., Manwar, S.J., Kuralkar, S.V., Kapale, P.M.and Kamdi, B.P. 2025. Effect of dietary rice husk as insoluble fiber on the production performance and egg quality in layers. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 60(1): 37-43. The trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary rice husk as insoluble crude fiber on the performance and egg quality in layers. A total of 144 layers aged 25 weeks were divided into 4 groups, each of which had 6 repetitions with a total of 6 hens in each replicate. The dietary treatments were the control (T1) basal diet containing 6% crude fiber (CF), the insoluble crud fiber enhanced using rice husk at 25%, 50%, or 75% above 6.0% for T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Productive performance was recorded for 10 weeks and egg quality was evaluated fortnightly. The birds fed rice husk (7.5, 9.0 or 10.5% CF) showed significantly lower feed consumption as compared to control. The egg production was lowered @ 1.38%, 2.84%, 4.81% in birds fed CF with rice husk at 7.5%, 9.0%, 10.5%, respectively as compared to control. The hen house egg production (HHEP) / hen day egg production (HDEP) of the control and T2 groups are comparable. The birds fed with7.5% CF found non-significant FCR on egg number basis. However, the birds fed with 9.0 or10.5% CF found poor FCR as compared to control. The percent weekly egg production, egg weight was reduced with increase in CF. The egg surface was decreased with increasing CF level. Body weight, shape index, haugh unit, albumen index, yolk index, yolk colour score, percent eggshell weight, egg shell thickness were not affected by higher insoluble CF levels. Economically birds fed with 25% CF got the highest profit per egg and cost of egg production reduced up to 3.8% over control. In conclusion, the 50% insoluble crude fiber over 6% CF could be included in layers chicken diet, however, 25% insoluble CF is most economically beneficial compared to other rice husk groups.
Premkumar, K., Kannan1, D., Vasanthakumar, P. , Rajendran, K., Ramakrishnan, S. and Kannan, V. 2025. Effect of replacement of shell grit with stone grit on egg quality characteristics in Namakkal Gold Quail. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 60(1): 19-28. A study was undertaken to evaluate the feasibility of using stone grit as an alternative calcium source in egg type Japanese quail diet. A biological trial was conducted by using 360 numbers of five week old female “TANUVAS Namakkal Gold quail” strain developed for egg production, divided into five dietary treatment groups, by replacing shell grit with 2 mm or 4 mm stone grit at 50 or 100 per cent levels in the diet. The study was conducted for 52 weeks, monitoring egg quality and calcium content in eggshell for every 28 days period. Both external and internal quality of the eggs was ascertained from 8 to 52 weeks of age, totally seven periods at 8, 12, 20, 28, 36, 44 and 52 weeks of age. Five eggs having the average egg weight without any shell defects from each replicate were selected for egg quality analysis. Partial (50 per cent) replacement with 2 mm stone grit resulted in significantly heavier eggs at 36 (P<0.05) and 52 (P<0.01) weeks of age, compared to control and other groups. Albumen quality (albumen index and Haugh unit) was significantly lower (P<0.01) in both 50 per cent replacement groups at 8, 28 and 36 weeks. Yolk quality (yolk index) was lower (P<0.01) in the 50 per cent replacement with 2 mm stone grit group at 20, 36, 44 and 52 weeks. Yolk color was significantly reduced (P<0.01) in the 50 per cent replacement with 4 mm stone grit group at 28, 36 and 44 weeks. Eggshell thickness and eggshell weight was significantly higher (P<0.01) in 50 per cent replacement with 2 mm stone grit fed group at 8 and 52 weeks of age. Eggshell calcium content and shape index were unaffected by treatments throughout the study period. However, all egg quality parameters were not significant for the overall study period, suggesting that both 2 mm and 4 mm stone grit can be safely included in the egg type quail ration without compromising the egg quality.
Adkine, A.C., Khose, K.K., Nikam M.G., Gangabe,, G.R., Munde V.K., Waghamare, R.N. and Kekan, P.M. 2025. Effect of rice distiller’s dried grains with soluble in diet on production performance and economics of eggs production in layers. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 60(1): 29-36. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary rice distiller’s dried grains with soluble (rDDGS) on egg production, egg weight, and the economics of egg production in laying hens. The study utilized 144 BV-300 layers, aged 59 weeks, over a 12-week period. Birds were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments (T1 to T4) with 36 birds per group and six replicates per group. The control group (T1) was fed a basal diet formulated according to BV-300 strain recommendations. Treatments T2, T3, and T4 included rDDGS at 5%, 10%, and 15%, respectively, by replacing soybean meal in the diet. The inclusion of rDDGS at 0, 5, 10, and 15% (T1, T2, T3, T4, respectively) had no significant influence on live body weight, feed consumption, and hen-housed egg production. However, weekly egg production percentage was significantly higher (P<0.05) in T2 compared to T3 and T4. Egg weight was significantly lower (P<0.05) in T4 than in T1 and T2. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) based on egg number was significantly better (P<0.05) in T2 than in T3 and T4. Furthermore, weekly FCR based on egg mass was significantly better (P<0.01) in T2 than in T4. The cost of production per egg was Rs. 4.42, 4.19, 4.06, and 3.88 for T1, T2, T3, and T4, respectively. Consequently, the net profit per egg was Rs. 0.08, 0.31, 0.44, and 0.62 for the respective treatments. In conclusion, rDDGS can be included in layer diets at up to 15% as a replacement for soybean meal without adversely affecting body weight, feed intake, egg production, or FCR. The 15% inclusion level was the most economically beneficial due to a reduced feed cost and lower cost of egg production.
Shinde, S.S., Londhe, G.K., Patil, R.A., Nikam, M.G. and Gaikwad, B.S. 2024. Effect of black cumin (nigella sativa) and garlic (allium sativum) as natural feed additive on growth performance of kaveri chicken. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 143–151. The present experimental trial was conducted to study the effect of black cumin (Nigella sativa) and garlic (Allium sativum) as natural feed additive on growth performance of Kaveri chicken a backyard poultry variety. Three experimental trials were carried out in three distinct seasons for the experiment. The first trial took place in the winter, from 22 October 2020 to 31 December 2020; the second trial took place in the summer, from 27 February 2021 to 8 May 2021; and the third trial took place in the rainy season, from 5 June 2022 to 14 August 2022. The experimental trials were conducted using two hundred-day old Kaveri chicks for a period of ten weeks. The chicks were split up into in five treatments of 40 chicks in each treatment with four replications of ten chicks. The basal diet was given to the control (T1) group, while the feed was supplemented with Neodox @ 250g/tone of feed, 1% black cumin seed, 1% garlic mash and 0.5% black cumin seed + 0.5% garlic mash for the T2, T3, T4 and T5 groups. The results of the present experiments indicated that basal diet supplemented with combination of black cumin seed and garlic mash (0.5+0.5%) increased body weight, weight gain, feed consumption, water intake and improved feed conversion significantly (P<0.05). The significantly higher body weight, weight gain, feed consumption and better feed efficiency was recorded in T2 group followed by T5, T4, T3 and lowest in T1 control group in each trial. It was concluded that 0.5+0.5% black cumin seed and garlic mash in Kaveri chicken diets can be used as natural feed additive by replacing antibiotic and enhancing growth performance, feed conversion of Kaveri birds.
Rajesh, Y.V.S., Narendranath, D., Naga Raja Kumari, K. and Kavitha, P. 2024. Effect of inclusion of Rice Dried Distillers Grain Soluble (RDDGS) at varying levels with or without enzyme supplementation on growth performance of Japanese quails. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 123–128. The study was conducted to assess the effect of dietary incorporation of rice distiller dried grain solubles (RDDGS) with or without enzyme supplementation on growth performance of Japanese quails. Day-old Japanese quails (N= 180) were distributed randomly into six dietary groups each with three replicates of 10 birds. Six experimental diets were formulated by inclusion of RDDGS at 0% (Basal diet, T1), 0% (Basal diet with enzyme, T2), 20% (T3), 20% (with enzyme, T4), 25% (T5) and 25% (with enzyme, T6) levels by marginal adjustment of other feed ingredients and fed for a period of five weeks. Results revealed that inclusion of RDDGS up to 20% with enzyme had significant positive influence on body weight and body weight gain (p<0.01), lower the feed intake (p<0.01) and better FCR (p<0.01). The nutrient digestibility wasn’t differed significantly. The feed cost per kg live weight gain was significantly lowest in T4 group (20% with enzyme). Basing on the findings, it can be concluded that RDDGS can be incorporated up to 20 per cent level with enzyme supplementation in diets of quails for economic production.
Swethasri, P., Reddy, T.N., Vijayalakshmi, S. and Kumar, A.A. 2024. Study of molecular variations infield isolates of Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale from respiratory infections of poultry in Rayalaseema regions of Andhra Pradesh. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 161–170. The respiratory diseases are the most frequent causes of death and morbidity in chicken, which leads to significant financial losses to poultry farmers and industry. In the present study was aimed to isolate, identify and study of molecular variations in one of the common respiratory bacteria, Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale(ORT), is difficult bacterium to grow in lab and is the emerging pathogen. A total of 107 oral swabs, 107 tracheal swabs, 107 nasal swabs, 18 tracheal tissues, 22 exudates from infra orbital sinuses, 6 larynx and 24 lung tissue samples were collected from 18 suspected poultry farms, located in Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh and these samples were cultured and then molecular detection was done by targeting 16S rRNA gene. Out of 18 farms screened 14(77.77%) farms were found positive. Among the 14 positive farms, 52 oral swabs, 58 nasal swabs, 56 tracheal swabs, 6 infra orbital sinus exudates, 4 tracheal tissues were positive with positivity of 48.6, 54.2, 52.3, 27.2, 22.2 % respectively and all 24 lung tissues and 6 larynx tissues were found to be negative. The ORT was isolated from the clinical samples by streaking on selective blood agar with gentamicin. The organism was confirmed phenotypically by cultural, biochemical tests and genotypically by targeting 16S rRNA gene. The gene products of representative samples were sent to sequencing. The obtained nucleotide sequences were verified by National Center for Biotechnology Information-Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (NCBI-BLAST) showed homology of 97.96-98.37%. The clinical ORT isolates showed 11 nucleotide substitution at G6C, C7G, T22, T27C, A30T, A32T, G33C, A36G, G95A, T352C and A728T. OP919604 isolate showed 4 nucleotide substitution at G3T, T4G, G6A and G33A. OP919610 isolate showed single nucleotide substitution at G33A. OP919613 showed 8 nucleotide substituitons at G74T, G80A, A81G, T140C, A149G, A199T, C507T and A723C. Phylogenetic tree reveals, three present isolates (OP919513, OP919604, OP919610) segregated into close group with KY809801 ESV-301 strain of Mexico and the sequences OP919513 and OP919604 clustered into a distinct clade. The isolate OP919613 segregated in distinct clade with HF548215 B293-2B strain of United Kingdom (UK)
Vanathi, A., Rao, V.A., Babu, R.N. and Jeeva, K. 2024. A survey on different cooking methods of chicken products sold in different outlets in Chennai: Its texture profile and sensory properties. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(02): 227–232. This survey was envisaged to study the effect of different cooking methods (dry heat cooking and moist cooking) on the texture profile and sensory characteristics of chicken products sold in three different outlets (street outlets, small hotels and restaurants) and around Chennai. Hardness, gumminess and chewiness values were found higher in street outlets that that of small hotels and restaurants. Whereas, adhesiveness, springiness and cohesiveness values (P>0.05) were found non-significant in all the four chicken products prepared by dry and moist cooking, in street outlets, small hotels and restaurants, except for cohesiveness value (P<0.05) in chicken gravy. But in all the three outlets, highly significant differences (P<0.01) were found between products, of which chicken 65, than grilled chicken, chicken biryani and chicken gravy was found higher in all the texture profile properties. Colour and appearance, flavour, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability score were higher (P<0.01), in chicken products from restaurant than that from street vendors and small hotels. In street outlets and small hotels chicken biryani, followed by chicken gravy scored the lowest value in all the sensory properties when compare with chicken 65 and grilled chicken. Whereas, in restaurants all the four chicken products scored the highest value (P<0.01) in all the sensory properties, except for juiciness score was found not significant. The result showed that dry cooked and moist cooked chicken products such as chicken 65, grilled chicken, chicken biryani and chicken gravy sold in restaurants had better texture profile and sensory properties among different products grilled chicken had good sensory scores in all the three outlets.
Nagre, G.K., Kadam, M.M., Bhaisare, D.B., Patil, A.R., Gadekar, Y.P. and Rathod, K.S. 2024. Effect of increasing broiler slaughter weight on growth performance, economics, immunity and chemical composition of meat. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 177–182. The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of slaughter weight on productive performance, economics, immune status and chemical composition of broiler meat at six different weights or age. For this purpose, a total of 280 straight run Vencobb-430 broiler chicks were used. The chicks were divided evenly into eight groups, with each group containing 35 chicks. Broilers were reared until different slaughter weights viz. 1.0-1.2, 1.5-1.7, 2.1-2.2, 2.5-2.7, 2.8-3.0 and 3.3-3.5 kg. Productive traits were recorded at different slaughter weights or ages. To study the effect of broilers slaughter weight on chemical composition and immune status, one bird from each group was slaughtered at each stage of approximately 1.0-1.2, 1.5-1.7, 2.1-2.2,2.5-2.7,2.8-3.0 and 3.3-3.5 kg live body weight. The findings indicated that the slaughter age had a positive impact on both ultimate body weight and body weight gain and significantly (P<0.001) different between all groups. Broiler live body weight was increased by about 66% for the late slaughter age group. HI response of broiler birds significantly (P<0.01) increased from 0.38 at 24 days, 2.16 at 28 days, 2.27 at 34 days, 2.70 at 39 days to 3.18 at 42 days and 3.25 in at 48 days of slaughter. Moisture% and nitrogen free extract (NFE)% in chicken meat, was significantly (P<0.05) decreased from 71.18% to 67.88% and 79.44 to 70.24% when slaughter age increased upto 48th days of age whereas, crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE)% were significantly increased from 1.0-1.2 kg at 24 days to 3.3-3.5 kg slaughter weight at 48 days of age. However, ash% was not significantly (P>0.05) affected in the entire study period. Considering the outcomes of this investigation, it was concluded that delaying slaughter age produced increased weight, increased DM (Dry Matter), CP and EE% and deprived immune status of broiler birds.
Tulasi, R., Srilatha, T., Srinivas, G., Kumari, N.N., Kumar, A.V. and Mounika, T. 2024. Effect of dietary supplementation of thyme and garlic essential oils on the growth performance and carcass characteristics in commercial broilers. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(02): 221–225. A biological experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of thyme and garlic essential oils individually and in combination on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Two hundred-day-old commercial broiler chicks were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments with ten replications of 5 birds each and reared in a battery brooder up to 42 d of age. Broilers were fed on corn-soy-based broiler pre-starter (1-14 d), starter (15-28 d) and finisher (29-42 d) diets. The treatment consists of a control diet supplemented with no essential oil (CD), a control diet supplemented with thyme essential oil (TEO) or garlic essential oil (GEO) @ 25 g/100 kg and thyme and garlic essential oil (TGEO) @ 50 g/100 kg. Performance parameters were recorded at weekly intervals and at the end of the experiment; the birds were slaughtered, dressed then used for assessment of carcass parameters. Dietary supplementation of essential oils was effective in improving body weight gain, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio. No significant difference was observed in carcass characteristics. Overall body weight gain (BWG) and overall feed consumption were significantly (P<0.05) improved in essential oil supplemented groups than the control. Supplementation of TEO and GEO in the diet significantly (P<0.05) improved body weight gain, feed consumption and FCR compared to TGEO and CD. It was concluded that using essential oils as feed additives enhanced the overall performance of broiler chicks.
Vedender, G.P., Venkateswarlu, M., Nagalakshmi, D., Harikrishna, Ch. and Parashuramulu, S. 2024. Effect of moringa leaf powder supplementation on performance and antioxidant activity in broilers under heat stress. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 135–141. An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of Moringa leaf powder supplementation on performance and antioxidant activity to alleviate heat stress in broilers during summer months. The experiment was conducted on 240 broiler chicks (Cobb-300) and randomly categorized into six dietary treatment groups with 8 replicates with 5 birds in each replicate (6×8×5). A corn-soy basal diet (BD) was prepared as a control and BD supplemented with chlortetracycline at 0.05% (BD-C), vitamin E at 0.025% (BD-E) and Moringa oleifera leaf powder (MLP) at 0.25% (BD-MLP-0.25), 0.5% (BD-MLP-0.5) and 0.75% (BD-MLP-0.75) of BD were prepared. MLP supplementation at 0.5% and 0.75% levels significantly improved (P<0.05) the overall growth performance and feed efficiency, without affecting feed consumption among all treatments. Nutrient retention, carcass parameters, visceral organs weights, humoral immunity and serum biochemical parameters were not influenced by dietary variations. MLP supplementation at 0.5% and 0.75% levels showed higher (P<0.05) antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) activity with significant reduction in lipid peroxidation. The lowest (P<0.05) levels of lipid peroxidation was noticed in broilers fed diets containing 0.75% MLP. Thus, present study indicates that addition of MLP at 0.50 and 0.75% to the broilers diets enhanced the growth and antioxidant enzymes activity in comparison to antibiotic and antioxidant (vitamin-E) supplementation. Thus it was concluded that dietary supplementation of MLP at 0.5% level is advised for ensuring better performance and improved antioxidant enzyme activity to minimize the heat stress in broilers throughout the summer.
Sharma, A., Kumar, V. and Jhirwal, A.K. 2024. Effect of powdered leaves of Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) and Moringa (Moringa oleifera) as herbal feed additives and various bedding materials on Japanese quail growth. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 183–191 The purpose of the study was to compare how Japanese quail growth performance was affected by dietary supplements such as Moringa (Moringa oleifera) and Tulsi (Ocimum sanctum) leaf powder as herbal feed additives. A uniform distribution of three hundred and sixty commercially-day-old Japanese quail chicks was made to raise them on three distinct bedding materials, designated B1, B2, and B3, which were sand, sawdust, and wheat straw, respectively. The chicks raised on each bedding material group were then split evenly into three dietary treatment groups and one control group. As a result, a total of 12 treatment groups were created, each of which included two duplicates, each containing 15 birds. Each of the 12 treatment groups was created using the appropriate bedding material and food supplements. Body weight, body weight gain, feed consumption, and feed conversion ratio were all significantly impacted by the dietary treatment groups, which included either Tulsi alone or Tulsi and Moringa together. Only feed consumption was found to be significantly impacted by bedding materials. No interaction impact was seen on any of the performance parameters during the trial. Thus, the current study found that Tulsi supplementation alone improves Japanese quail performance overall in terms of growth, followed by the group supplemented with a combination of Tulsi and Moringa. When compared to sand, Japanese quail raised on wheat straw and sawdust performed better in this trial. Therefore, it can be said that adding Tulsi to the diet improves the overall growth performance of Japanese quail.
Alimudeen, S. and Senthilkumar, R. 2024. Adoption of improved backyard poultry management practices among tribal farmers in Wayanad, Kerala. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 199–203. Tribal communities in India, officially recognized as “Scheduled Tribes,” often reside in rural areas and face socio-economic challenges. Livestock farming, including poultry rearing, plays a pivotal role in their livelihoods. This study investigates the adoption of improved backyard poultry management practices among tribal farmers in Wayanad, Kerala. An ex-post facto research was conducted, involving randomly selected 40 tribal farmers with permission from the Directorate of Scheduled Tribes Development Department, Government of Kerala. An adoption index developed by Patel et al. (2022) was used with suitable modifications to study the extent of adoption. The study reveals that over two-thirds of the respondents fell into the low adoption category of improved poultry production practices, with none in the high category. Notably, practices such as professional veterinary care and artificial incubation were not adopted by any of the respondents. In contrast, the provision of night shelter exhibited the highest adoption rate. This research underscores the urgent need for targeted interventions to bridge the gap in adopting scientific backyard poultry farming practices among tribal communities. Such efforts can significantly contribute to the extent of adoption, nutritional security, economic empowerment and overall well-being of these communities.
Balamurugan, T.C., Prakash Krupakaran, R., Anandhi, G., Senthamil Pandian, C., Perumal, P. and Elango, A. 2024. Comparative study on gelatinase expression in pigeon serum and breast muscles. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 205–210. The present study was conducted to detect the gelatinase activity by assessing matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) in serum and tissues with use of gelatin zymography in pigeon (Columba livia). Experimental birds were divided into two groups, first group (n-12) was subjected to blood collection. Another group (n-12) of twelve birds was subjected for tissue collection. Tissue samples were collected properly, homogenated, filtered and analysed using gelatin zymography. All the tissue samples exhibited proteolytic activity, as they completely degraded the gelatin. Gelatin zymogram clearly showed the presence of both the active 67 kDa form and the latent 72 kDa form of MMP-2 in the tissue samples. MMP-9 expression was detected only in the breast muscle, with bands corresponding to the 82 kDa active form and the 220 kDa latent form. MMP-2 intensity was 3–5 times higher in the tissue samples compared to serum samples. It was concluded that both the active 67 kDa MMP-2 and latent 72 kDa forms of MMP-2 were present in pigeon serum and tissue samples, with higher expression levels in tissue, possibly due to the activity of intracellular MMP-2 in skeletal muscle fibers during normal homeostasis and physical activity. Although the MMP-9 gene was present in the blood, it was not expressed, while a weak active form of MMP-9 was observed in the breast muscle. The increase in uric acid levels was associated with MMP-2 expression. Additionally, serum biochemistry and hematology analysis provided baseline data for future pigeon studies.
Touhiduzzaman, Md., Hasan, A.T.M.M., Rahman, Md.M., Islam, S., Akter, N. and Hossain, Md.E. 2024. Flock size dynamics: Its impact on production, sale and consumption of duck meats and eggs in the coastal areas of Bangladesh. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(02): 93–104. The study aimed to determine whether a larger flock size enhance the production, sale, and consumption of household duck eggs and duck meats in the coastal regions of Bangladesh. A cross-sectional survey was conducted over three months, from April 15 to June 15, 2021, in three villages within the Tala upazila of Satkhira. Results indicated that the percentage of Khaki Campbell (88.9%) was the highest followed by Jinding (6.7%) and Desi (4.4%) ducks in the existing flocks. The Desi, Jinding and Khaki Campbell started laying at an average age of 6.5, 6.7 and 6.2 months, respectively. Annual egg production (no.) was the highest in Khaki Campbell (176) followed by Jinding (173) and Desi (140). Mongoose was the leading predator followed by jackal, wild cat, dog, crow and muskrat. None of the farmers practiced vaccination and deworming. Overall reported disease incidence was 57.8% which appeared to be the main challenge for duck raising. Mortality was high in Khaki Campbell (12.4%) followed by Desi (10.0%) and Jinding ducks (9.5%). Shelter for the ducks was the primary need of the farmers. An increased flock size was associated with increased annual egg production which ultimately increased net annual family income. Further, an increased annual egg production concomitantly increased annual egg and duck sale. Accordingly, increased annual duck and egg production increased annual household consumption of duck egg and duck meat. An increased sale of duck was associated with reduced consumption of duck egg and duck meat. It was concluded that production and consumption duck egg and duck meat as well as family income could be optimized by increasing rearing of household ducks.
Hemanth, K.G., Susmita, T., Narendranath, D. and Kavitha, P. 2024. The performances of Japanese quail fed on diet prepared with the different level of rapeseed meal. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 129–133. The current study was carried out to assess the effect of dietary inclusion of Rapeseed meal (RSM) on growth performance of Japanese quails. Day old Japanese quails of either sex (n=150) were distributed randomly into five dietary groups each with three replicates of 10 birds. The birds were maintained under uniform management conditions. Five diets were formulated by inclusion of RSM at 0% (Basal diet, T1), 10% (T2), 15% (T3), 17.5% (T4) and 20% (T5) levels by marginal adjustment of other feed ingredients. All the rations were made iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. The feed and water were provided ad lib and the birds were housed in battery cages during the entire experimental period of 35 days. Results revealed that mean body weights, mean cumulative body weight gains, cumulative feed intake and cumulative feed conversion ratio did not exhibit any significant (p>0.05) difference. The digestibility of rapeseed meal decreased significantly (p<0.05). The cost of feed per kg live weight also decreased significantly (p<0.05) when fed with different levels of rapeseed meal. Based on the results, it can be concluded that Rapeseed meal can be included up to 20% level in diets of quails without affecting production performance.
Rathi, P., Dalal, D.S. and Patil, C.S. 2024. Estimation of genetic parameters of important economic traits in Aseel chicken. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 111–115. The data pertaining to 529 Aseel birds across three generations (2018-19 to 2020–21), maintained at the Poultry Breeding Farm of the Department of Animal Genetics and Breeding at LUVAS, Hisar, were used to estimate genetic parameters of important traits. A mixed linear model was employed for the analysis, incorporating sire as a random effect and generation and hatch as fixed effects. The performance traits including age at first egg (AFE), body weight at 20 weeks of age(BW20), body weight at 40 weeks of age(BW40), egg number up to 40 weeks (EN40), egg weight at 40 weeks(EW40)egg mass at 40 weeks of age(EM40). Highly significant (P=0.01) effect of generation was observed on all traits except EM40.The least squares means for performance traits AFE, BW20, BW40, EN40, EW40, EM40 were 175.37±0.71 days, 1198.03±7.91 g, 1674.62±7.01g, 67.78±0.77 eggs, 46.71±0.14 g, and 2893.82±54.06 g, respectively. The heritability estimates were moderate to high for all the traits. The age at first egg (AFE) was negatively correlated with egg weight at 40 weeks(EW40) of age and egg mass at 40 weeks of age (EM40). Body weight at 20 weeks of age(BW20) had strong association with EW40. Moderate to high estimates of heritability for performance traits indicated that these traits can be improved through family selection.
Sahana, V.N., Abraham, B.L. and Chacko, B. 2024. Genetic characterization of growth and adaptive biometrics in Kuttanad ducks of Kerala. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 105–110. The present study aimed at the genetic characterization of Kuttanad duck varieties of Kerala based on their body weight and body measurements. The mean body weight at hatch, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 and 16 weeks of age in Kuttanad ducks were found to be 36.54±0.30 g, 234.80±5.94 g, 472.76±11.18 g, 753.92±20.99 g, 1044.98±20.85 g, 1262.22±18.53 g, 1423.10±17.69 g, 1529.65±17.04 g and 1654.46±18.13 g, respectively. The mean length of trunk to neck (LTN), length of trunk (LT), length of neck (LN), length of breast bone (LBB), chest girth (CG) and shank length (LS) at 16 weeks of age were found to be 43.23±0.21 cm, 25.16±0.17 cm, 20.12±0.17 cm, 12.27±0.07 cm, 31.73±0.17 cm and 7.76±0.04 cm respectively. The body weight at 8, 10 and 16 weeks of age differed significantly among the sexes (p=0.05). Among ecotypes, Chara ducks were significantly heavier with higher fortnightly body weight gain than Chemballi ducks from the grower (8-10 weeks) to finisher or pre-pullet stages (14-16 weeks). They also had significantly longer breast bones and larger chest girth than Chemballi at stages from 10 to 16 weeks of age (p=0.05). The dominant patterns of growth and biometry of breast bone or chest revealed possibly higher meatiness and meat-type attributes in Chara making it a more promising meat-type variety than Chemballi. The significantly longer necks of Chemballi suggested a probable superior swimming efficiency than Chara in the flood-hit home tract (p=0.05). The necks and shanks of Kuttanad were also longer than those of most other Indian ducks and hence likely served as indicators of acquired traits of adaptability to feeding and swimming in the turbulent waters of the home tract.
Thopireddy, N.R., Bollini, S. and Nagaram, V.K. 2024. A Multiplex PCR assay for simultaneous detection of common respiratory pathogens ofpoultry in Andhra Pradesh. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(2): 171–175. The present study was undertaken to screen the common respiratory pathogens like avian mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma synoviae), Infectious laryngotracheitis virus (ILTV) and Infectious bronchitis virus(IBV) in poultry farms of Andhra Pradesh by developing suitable diagnostic tool i.e. Multiplex PCR assay for rapid detection and differentiation of these pathogens. Mixed respiratory infections are common in commercial poultry due to intensive rearing in large numbers. Among the respiratory pathogens avian mycoplasmas, IBV and ILTV are the major etiology causing significant economic losses to poultry industry. To reduce the losses, early detection and differentiation of common respiratory pathogens, the at a time detection and differentiation of common respiratory pathogens by application of multiplex PCR assays have been regularly used in poultry. In our study we standardized a multiplex PCR assay by targeting individual gene for each pathogen and used this test for rapid screening of above agents. 228 pooled cloacal swabs, 228 pooled nasal swabs, 228 pooled tracheal swabs samples from the ailing birds and 152 pooled tracheal tissues, 152 pooled lung tissues and 76 pooled oviduct samples from the dead birds were collected from the suspected 19 poultry farms in A.P. as labelled accordingly. For extraction of Nucleic acid the Trizol method was used. All nineteen pooled clinical samples and were subjected for PCR individually. A Multiplex PCR test was developed for in a single tube detection of all common four pathogens by choosing individual genes i.e., N gene for IBV, ICP4 gene for ILTV, 16S r RNA gene for MG and vlhA gene for MS. The results revealed that 10 farms (MG), 7 farms (MS), 5 farms (MG AND MS) and 2 farms were found to be positive for ILTV and none of them found to be positive for IBV. Among the 17 positive farms, 60 cloacal swabs were positive for MG, 120 tracheal swabs, 96 nasal swabs, 72 tracheal swabs, 64 lung tissues were found were found positive for MG, MS and 8 oviduct samples were found positive for MS. Among the 2 positive farms, twenty-four tracheal swabs and sixteen tracheal tissues were found positive for ILTV.
Balakrishna, R.G., Chinni, P.V., Gnana, P.G., Rajkumar, U., Gurram, S., Sai, R.S. andMounika, T. 2024. Evaluating the performance of Vanaraja female line (PD-2) chicken for fertility, hatchability, body weight, shank length and keel length. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(02): 215–219. The present study was aimed at evaluating the performance of Vanaraja female line (PD-2) chicken. Data collected on 3737 chicks, progeny of 50 sires and 250 dams produced in a pedigreed full sib mating at the Directorate of Poultry Research, Hyderabad in four hatches during 15th generation were utilized for the present investigation for estimating various parameters. The results indicated that the mean fertility was 83.57 percent. The overall mean hatchability percentage was 72.66 on total eggs set (TES) and 86.95 on Fertile Eggs Set (FES). The mean fertility (83.57%) and hatchability (86.95 %) indicating the good reproduction and mothering of the PD-2 population. Highly significant (P<0.01) difference among the four hatches were observed for body weights at day old, 2, 4, 6, 12, 16, 20 and 40 weeks of age and hatch effect was observed for shank length at 4, 6 weeks of age and keel length at 6 weeks of age. Carcass traits such as live weight, dressing, and blood percent were significantly higher in male than female. Percent live weight of liver, gizzard, heart and feathers were significantly (P<0.01) higher in females than males.
Ansari, M.M., Martina, K., Kolluri, G., Tyagi, J.S., Rokade, J., Bhutekar, P. and Naim, A. 2024. Understanding the interplay between egg size and embryo development, hatching window using Japanese quail as a model. Indian Journal of Poultry Science, 59(02): 211–214. The aim of this study was to delineate the relationship between the egg size and weight, embryo development and hatch window using Japanese quail as a model organism. The Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) has emerged as a popular model organism for studying this relationship, owing to its small size, short incubation period, and relatively simple reproductive biology. Research has shown that egg size can influence various aspects of embryo development, including hatchability, chick growth, and survival rates. A total 400 eggs were categorised into 3 groups; small (7.5-8.5 grams), medium (10-11 grams) and large (13.5-14.5 grams), based on their weight. These eggs of the three groups were incubated at 37.8°C and 65% humidity and were studied for their embryonic development on the 9th and 15th day of setting to further analyze the morphologic difference in embryonic development. Post transfer of the incubated eggs to hatcher, we monitored the external pipping and the difference in timing of the first and last hatch of the chick in the entire group. The preliminary results suggest that the small size eggs have faster embryo development at 9th and 15th day of embryonic development as compared to the large size eggs. However, hatching was poor in the small size and large size eggs compared to medium size eggs.
