Present study was carried out to evaluate the hatching and growth performances of guinea fowls (Numida meleagris) kept under intensive rearing system at the Bangladesh Agricultural University Poultry Farm, Mymensingh. To develop a base population of guinea fowls at BAU Poultry Farm, a good number of hatching eggs were collected from different regions of the country. In first phase, the physical features of hatching eggs, their incubation period, care and handling of eggs during incubation, their fertility and hatchability were investigated. Eggs were hatched in a home incubator incubator at BAU Poultry Farm. In second phase, brooding management of the keets, growth performances, prevention and control of diseases and mortality of the birds were observed. All the activities were performed at the Laboratory of Poultry Science and the Poultry Farm of Bangladesh Agricultural University. Brooding of keets was performed under full intensive system in a littered floor. Broiler starter feed was supplied during the brooding period. Results showed that the shape of egg was top like and both white and spotted cream color shell was found. The average egg weight was 38g per egg and shell thickness was 0.52 mm. The incubation period was 28 days. Fertility and hatchability on set eggs were 80 and 68%, respectively. Dead in shell and dead in germ were 15 and 4%, respectively. The average day-old keet weight was 25.8 g. Average feed intake per bird per day during 0-4, 5-8 and 9-11 weeks of age were 10.22, 30.91 and 52.6 g with the feed conversion ratios were 3.25, 3.05 and 2.88, respectively. The keet’s mortality up to 11 weeks was 10%. Economic feasibility should be taken into consideration with the observation of egg production and other associated parameters keeping guinea under complete free-range rearing system.Progressive Agriculture 27 (1): 70-77, 2016

A total of 144, day old as hatched Cobb-500 broilers were fed adlibitum basis on a diet with 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% of Black Cumin Seed Meal up to 35 days of age to compare the effect of BCSM as herbal growth promoters on growth performance, meat yield characteristics and profitability of broilers. The experimental diets consisted of broiler starter and broiler grower, which were fed from 0-16 and 17-35 days of age, respectively. Diets supplemented with 1.5% BCSM showed significant effect on live weight at 21, 28 and 35 days of old in broilers in various groups as compared to that of control group. Better feed conversion (2.02) also noticed at 1.5% level of BCSM at early stage (14 days of old) of broilers. There was no significant difference (P>0.05) among the average live weight, dressing yield, thigh meat, wing meat, heart, gizzard liver, at 0%, 0.5%, 1.0% and 1.5% level of BCSM diet. But difference found within breast meat, drumstick meat, abdominal fat and skin of broilers at 1.5% level of BCSM diet. It may be concluded that supplementation of BCSM at 1.5% had the highest significant effect (P<0.01) on feed cost (Tk kg -1 b), production cost (Tk kg -1 b) and profit (Tk kg -1 b) and lower mortality. So that 1.5% BCSM in diets can be used for economic and efficient broiler production than 0.5% and 1.0 % level.

An experiment was conducted with 160, day old Cobb 500 broiler chicks to evaluate the effect of supplementation of Grow Power (GP) on the performance of broiler. The dietary treatments were control (D1), Grow Power (D2), Grow Power plus antibiotic (D3) and antibiotic (D4). At 5th week of age, the body weight of birds at different dietary treatments were 938.75, 1105.00, 1136.25, and 985.00g in the diets of D1, D2, D3 and D4, respectively. Body weight gain at 2nd, 3rd and 4th week of age were significantly (P<0.05) higher in GP supplemented group (D2) and GP plus antibiotic group (D3) than that of control (D1) and antibiotic (D4) groups. Feed consumption during the experimental period was 1753.75, 1938.75, 1917.50 and 1774.50g for D1, D2, D3 and D4, respectively. At 2nd and 3rd week of age, feed consumption were significantly (p<0.05) higher in D3 group than the other groups including control. Significantly (P<0.05) better Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) was found in D3 (2.03) and D2 (2.11) groups compared to D1 (2.31) and D4 (2.28).  At 3rd, 4th and 5th week of age, the Performance Index (%) was significantly higher in D2 than D1 and D4. Meat yield parameter of broilers showed significant (P<0.05) differences in dressing weight, feather weight, shank weight, drumstick weight, neck weight, liver weight and viscera weight. Based on the results obtained from the current study it may be concluded that the inclusion of Grow Power @ 50gm/100kg of mixed feed with or without antibiotic improved the growth of commercial broiler including their FCR and therefore, this product may be considered as an alternative of traditional antibiotic in broiler diet.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/bjas.v44i1.23139Bang. J. Anim. Sci. 2014. 44 (1): 33-39

The poultry selling and processing practices followed in the poultry wet markets of Bangladesh are always being overlooked unknowingly. The research was conducted to observe the existing scenario of poultry selling and processing practices at the selected wet markets located in the Gazipur City Corporation of Bangladesh. A total of 43 poultry selling shops were randomly selected and interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. It was surprising to observe the absence of female personnel and involvement of few (6.9%) people over the age of 50 years in the wet markets. All the persons engaged in poultry selling and processing had no institutional training. The shops found to be abstained from following some important practices such as feed withdrawal period, isolation of diseased birds, ante and post mortem inspection. The proper bleeding time (1-2) min was recorded in 58.2% cases. The killing cone was recognized as the best device in terms bleeding time. The 72.1% of the outlets never cleaned the carcass prior to deliver the customers. The absence of ante- and post-mortem inspections may cause a great threat of disease outbreak. Taken together, the poultry selling and processing practices followed in the wet market needs to be assessed carefully to deliver safe and quality meat to the customers. In addition, organizing basic training on pre-slaughter management and processing for both seller and processor and also ensuring the regular ante- and post- mortem inspection could improve the present situation in order to produce quality poultry meat. Progressive Agriculture 31 (3): 205-217, 2020

There is a growing interest to researchers in human and animal studies through the addition of medicinal plants or their derivatives to their feeds due to the presence of bioactive compounds. A study was carried out to monitor growth performance, fecal microbial loads and nutrient digestibility in crossbred (Local x Holstein Friesian) growing calves. Treatment groups were: HFA1 (CON: Control group, basal diet: green grass + concentrate), HFA2 (CON + fruit of Emblica officinalis Gaertn. 0.5% in-feed and 0.1% in-water), HFA3 (CON + fruit of Terminalia bellirica Gaertn. Roxb. 0.5% in-feed and 0.1% in-water), and HFA4 (CON + fruit of Terminalia chebula Retz. 0.5% in-feed and 0.1% in-water). Addition of local herbal feed additives (HFA2, HFA3 and HFA4) improved weight gain and gain to feed ratio (p<0.05). Fecal microbiological study indicated that, fecal pathogenic E. coli was suppressed, however, Lactobacilli sp. and their ratio was elevated in HFA2, HFA3 and HFA4 relative to HFA1 (p<0.05). Digestibility of DM was upgraded whereas digestibility of CP was down-trended in herbal treated group as compared to control group (p<0.05). Thus, utilization of local herbal feed additives in the diet (in-feed and in-water) of crossbred growing calves might be evocative for promoting the growth performance rather than utilizing synthetic growth promoters