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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. ________________________________________________________________________________________________