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This study was conducted to investigate the effects of cage tier and age on performance characteristics of layer hybrids, egg quality and some stress parameters. Ninety laying hens (hybrid ATAK-S) of similar bodyweights were used in the experiment. They were housed in three-tier conventional battery cages (bottom, middle and top) with 600 cm 2 /per bird. The experiment was conducted on hens from the age of 18 weeks to 42 weeks. Layers at the age of 18 weeks were randomly allocated to conventional three-tier battery cages with five replicates of six hens per treatment in a completely randomized design. In the bottom, middle and top tiers, 5% age of yield was observed as 151, 146 and 156 days, respectively; 50% age of yield was 162.4, 158.6 and 161.8 days; 5% yield age bodyweight (BW) as 1597.8, 1460.5 and 1599.2 g; 50% yield age BW as 1708.7, 1666.4 and 1671.7 g, respectively. The effects of cage tiers on week 42 BW, feed conversion ratio (FCR), tonic immobility (TI), egg weight (EW), egg yield (EY), and most external and internal quality traits of the hens' eggs were found to be insignificant. Except for shape index (SI) and albumen pH, internal and external quality traits of eggs were significantly affected by age of the hens. In addition, there were significant effects of age on the FCR, EY, EW and oviposition time. The effects of cage tier on tonic immobility (TI) in week 42 and viability were found to be insignificant, but TI in week 30 was found to be significant. It can be concluded that cage tier did not have significant effects on egg yield, egg quality and indicators of stress parameters studied in the experiment. However, these parameters were affected by the age of the hens at the beginning of the laying period. ______________________________________________________________________________________

Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris), breeder, eggshell color, hatchability. ABSTRACTThe objective of this study was to determine the effects of eggshell color of guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) eggs on eggshell quality and hatchery results.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of differing amounts of natural Ca-zeolite on bone and some blood parameters. A total of 240 day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were assigned to four treatments with three replicates, each containing 20 day-old chicks of mixed sex. A clinoptilolite+mordenite type of zeolite was added in the broiler diets at levels of 0 g/kg, 10 g/kg, 30 g/kg, and 50 g/kg. Stocking density was 14 broilers/m 2 . During the six-week trial, blood parameters and bone characteristics were monitored. The inclusion of Ca-zeolite, at various levels, did not have any significant effect on the concentration of blood serum biochemical parameters; serum glucose, cholesterol, total protein, uric acid; concentrations of Ca, P, Na, K, Cl, and on tibial bone characteristics (tibia weight, ash, volume, specific gravity, and Ca and P contents) in the two sexes and mixed-sex between the groups at 21 and 42 days of age. ________________________________________________________________________________________________

This study was conducted to compare the meat quality and selected fatty acids profile of two different slow-growing broiler genotypes (Hubbard S757; S757 and Hubbard Grey Barred JA; GB-JA) fed diets supplemented with dry oregano (Origanum vulgare L., OV; 10 g/kg basal diets) or lemon balm leaves (Melissa officinalis L., MO; 10 g/kg basal diets) under organic housing system. It is concluded that slow-growing genotypes had no effect on L* parameter of the breast, thigh and abdominal fat meat quality. Two hundred and forty chicks were allocated randomly into 4 experimental groups according to a 2¥2 factorial arrangement. Birds were raised until 98 days in order to achieve an acceptable market live weight. The b* colours of breast and thigh meat were significant different among genotypes and also a* colour of breast meat of GB-JA increased (P<0.05). Slow-growing female broilers produced a higher dry matter content and lower fat content of breast meat as compared with males. There were the higher concentrations of linoleic (C18:2n-6) acid and the lower concentrations of linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) in genotypes fed with supplemented dry oregano or lemon balm leaves diet. Sex affected total unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) composition, polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) and linoleic acid, were higher in slow growing males breast meat as compared with females breast meat. These results suggested that the slow-growing genotypes might had influenced the colour of breast and thigh meat, although overall meat quality was not affected under the organic system.

To determine effects of birth weight (BtW) and feeding system on fattening performance and behavioural responses of lambs, after birth 28 Karayaka male lambs were divided into two BtW groups, namely a low BtW (4.1±0.06 kg) and high BtW (5.0±0.09 kg). After weaning (90 days of age), seven lambs in each of these groups were fed individually ad libitum with total mixed ratio (TMR), consisted of 80% of a compound feed and 20% of roughage based on a dry matter basis (140 g crude protein and 2550 kcal ME/kg) and the other seven lambs were fed on the same ingredients as that of TMR but each ingredient was put in separate troughs (free choice feeding, FCF). Therefore the lambs were distributed into four groups according to 2 (low vs high BtW) × 2 (TMR vs FCF) factorial design. Live weight gains and intakes of dry matter, feedstuffs and nutrients of the lambs were affected by the FCF, but not by the BtW and their interaction. The daily weight gain (P<0.01), intakes of soybean meal and corn (P<0.01), dry matter (P<0.05), protein and energy (P<0.01) of FCF-fed lambs were higher than those of TMRfed lambs. FCF-fed lambs consumed less alfalfa hay, wheat bran and barley than TMR-fed lambs (P<0.01). The FCF increased rumination (P<0.01) and tend to rest more (P<0.05) compared to the TMR. The study suggests that FCF system can assist in enhancing the live weight gain by promoting the protein and energy intakes and by improving the welfare of lambs.

This study was conducted to determine the effect of Korean ginseng (Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer) root extract (PGRE) on egg production and egg quality characteristics of hens at the beginning of their laying period (20 weeks old). Four groups of commercial hens (Atak-S; Turkish native hybrid) were fed with diets containing 0 mg, 50 mg, 100 mg and 150 mg PGRE/kg. Experimental results indicated that dietary PGRE had no effect on feed intake, feed efficiency, egg mass (EM) or egg production parameters. Over 12 weeks, hen-day egg production (HDP) of the groups was 73.5%, 74.8%, 69.2% and 79.0%, respectively. The effect of different levels of PGRE on egg weight, shape index (SI), specific gravity, shell thickness, Haugh Unit (HU), yolk index (YI) and albumen index (AI) was not statistically significant during the entire experiment. Egg yolk colour was conspicuously lower in the 100 mg and 150 mg PGRE/kg groups than in the control. The L*, a* and b*, hue (H) and chroma (C*) values for eggshell colour were not significantly different among the groups, except for the colour difference (∆E*, (L 2 +a 2 +b 2 ) ½ ), where values in PGRE groups were higher than in the control group. The trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and total phenolics concentration of PGRE were 598 ± 1.841 mmol trolox/kg, 15.45 ± 0.457 mmol TEAC/kg and 1.02 ± 0.03 g gallic acid equivalents (GAE)/kg, respectively. Serum glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride concentration were similar in the PGRE supplemented groups and the control. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation with PGRE did not affect the productivity performance traits and egg quality of hens at the beginning of the laying period.