The aim of this trial was to study the effects of cereal (corn or sorghum) and of the presentation of the diet (pelleted diet or a mixture with cereal) on the performance of geese. In total, 480 one-day-old geese were divided into 4 groups differing in the diet they received between 52 and 102 d of age: a pelleted diet containing 500 g of sorghum/kg (CS group; AMEn 11.29 MJ/kg, CP 16.70%); a mixture containing 500 g of protein-rich pellets and 500 g of sorghum whole seeds/kg (MS group; AMEn 11.61 MJ/kg, CP 14.30%); a pelleted diet containing 500 g of corn/kg (group CC; AMEn 11.33 MJ/kg, CP 16.40%); and a mixture containing 500 g of protein-rich pellets and 500 g of corn mash/kg (group MC; AMEn 11.48 MJ/kg, CP 14.50%). From 102 to 117 d, 33 birds/sex/group were force-fed with corn. Between 52 and 102 d of age, individual BW and collective feed intake (40 birds/pen) were measured weekly. Body traits were measured at 69, 96, and 117 d and the volume of the crop was measured at 102 d of age. The cereal had no significant effect on total feed intake (15,028 g, NS) or BW (5,811 g, NS) but the breast development at 102 d was less in birds fed sorghum compared with corn (-4.9%; P<0.05). Feed intake (+8.4% between 69 and 102 d; P<0.001), BW (+3.9%; P<0.001) and gut development (+9.3%; P<0.001) were higher when the diet was offered as a mixture compared with a complete pelleted diet. The birds fed the complete pelleted diets had a larger crop (+10.1%; P<0.05) than others. The cereal and the presentation of the diet had no effect on the body traits at the end of the force feeding. The results suggest that the use of sorghum whole seeds is interesting for feeding geese.

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The aim of this trial was to study the effects of substitution of yellow corn with sorghum during the growing-finishing (G period), overfeeding (O period), or both periods on magret and foie gras quality in geese. In total, 260 ganders were divided into 4 groups (65 birds in each) differing in the cereal (yellow corn or sorghum) included in the diet given during the G and the O periods, using a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. The groups differed in the nature of the cereal in the diet offered to birds between 44 and 104 d of age (G period: a diet containing 500 g of sorghum/kg (SS and SC groups) or a diet containing 500 g of yellow corn/kg (CS and CC groups). The groups differed also in the diet offered to birds between 105 and 120 d of age (O period): 967 g of yellow corn/kg (SC and CC groups) or 965 g of sorghum/kg (SS and CS groups). At the end of the O period, the birds were slaughtered after 10 h of fasting to measure foie gras and breast muscle weight, color, and chemical composition. The mortality in the SC group was higher (P < 0.05) than in the other 3 groups (14.29 vs. 3.58%, average of the 3 groups). After overfeeding, birds fed with sorghum had foie gras that were heavier 984 vs. 885 g, in CS+SS vs. CC+SC groups, respectively; P < 0.001) and less yellow (18.03 vs. 23.97 for b*, in CS+SS vs. CC+SC groups, respectively, P < 0.001) than birds fed with corn. The substitution of yellow corn with sorghum during the G and O periods (SS group) increased the weight of the foie gras, but altered its color to a paler yellow. In contrast, a substitution during the G period only (SC group) resulted in increased mortality during the O period.

The aim of this trial was to study the influence of feed form on the performance, gizzard development and carcass traits of growing geese. Between 42 and 98 days of age, 360 geese (type Maxipalm R ) were fed a diet containing 500 g sorghum/kg (nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy 12.6 MJ/kg, 15.1 g/kg CP). Birds were divided into three groups differing in feed form: complete pellets (Control group, n 5 120); a coarse-ground meal (CG group, n 5 120); or a mixture containing protein-rich pellets and sorghum whole grains (M group, n 5 120). Feed intake per pen (40 birds/pen) was measured weekly between 42 and 98 days of age, and individual live weight (LW) was measured every 2 weeks. At 84 and 98 days of age, 12 birds were slaughtered in each group to measure the gizzard development and body traits. Irrespective of the goose sex, LW at 98 days was lower for the CG group than for the Control group (5555 v. 5888 g, P , 0.05 for males and 5039 v. 5215 g, P , 0.05 for females). The feed intake over the entire period was 5.5% higher in the M group (P , 0.05) than in the Control and CG groups but the feed conversion ratio (6.91, P . 0.05) was similar in the three groups. The gizzard development (as % of LW) was higher in birds of the CG group than those of the Control and M groups at 84 days of age (113.98% and 113.51%, respectively; P , 0.05) but was similar in all three groups at 98 days of age (4.01%, P . 0.05). The relative liver development was lower in the birds of the CG group than those of the other two groups at 84 and 98 days of age (220%, P , 0.001 and 210%, P , 0.05, respectively). The other body traits were similar in the three groups at both 84 and 98 days of age. The present results suggest that a simplified diet presented in the form of a mixture of sorghum whole grains and protein-rich pellets did not reduce the performance of growing geese.

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Partially purified fumonisin B1 (FB1) was orally administrated for 77 d to 5 groups of 8 mule ducks starting at 7 d of age; the concentrations corresponded to 5 diets containing 0, 2, 8, 32, and 128 mg of FB1/kg of feed. No mortality was observed, and no effects on feed consumption and body weight gain were observed at the end of the treatment period. But, surprisingly, FB1 ingested at 32 and 128 mg/kg led to decreased body weight from d 28 to 63 and from d 7 to 63, respectively. FB1 had no effect on the relative weight of heart and breast muscle, whereas a significant increases in the relative weights of gizzard, spleen, and liver were measured in ducks receiving 32 and 128 mg of FB1/kg of feed without evidence of detectable microscopic modification of these organs. FB1 had no significant effect of the serum aspartate aminotransferase and gamma-glutamyltransferase levels but increased serum total protein, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, alkaline phosphatase levels when 128 mg of FB1/kg of feed was given. Serum, liver, and kidney sphinganine to sphingosine ratio was significantly increased in ducks fed 8 to 128 mg of FB1/kg of feed. The biggest increase was observed in kidneys, suggesting that this organ is the most sensitive to detect FB1-induced disruption of sphingolipid metabolism.

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