A biological study was carried out to review the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) recommendations for layer pullet feed. Commercial layer chicks were fed till 14 weeks of age as per BIS. At 15 weeks, pullets were randomly assigned to each of the five pre-lay feeding strategies, namely T1 (BIS control), T2 (16/2700), T3 (18/2700) (%CP/ kcal ME/kg), T4 (same as T2 'lysine and methionine by 10% higher than BIS) and T5 (same as T4 with 2% oil). At 5% egg production, all groups were fed as per BIS. Pullets fed on high energy and protein pre-lay diets of 2700 kcal and 18% protein-advanced sexual maturity with good body composition. Pre-layers fed 2700/18 feed had the best hen day (85.4491.52), hen-housed egg production (84.2191.52), layed heavier eggs, had a higher egg mass output (47.1490.95g), gave the best feed efficiency, had the lowest pullet production cost and high egg feed price ratio. It was concluded that pre-lay pullets have to be provided with 2700/18 kcal of metabolisable energy and protein level as against the BIS recommendation of 2500/16 dietary energy and protein level.

1. The hatchability of checked Leghorn and broiler parent hatching eggs was significantly improved by shell treatment: smearing with synthetic adhesive resin (Fevicol), or pasting cellophane tape or insulation tape over the checked portion of the shell. 2. Shell damage reduced hatchability by increasing evaporative loss, leading to embryonic dehydration. 3. Relative chick weight, expressed as a percentage of egg weight was lower in untreated checked eggs but comparable between intact and shell-treated hatching eggs. 4. The cost of chick production can be reduced by shell treatment of checked hatching eggs, especially in broiler parent eggs.

The worldwide increase in the use of antibiotics as an integral part of poultry and livestock production industry has recently received increasing attention as a contributory factor in the international emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in human beings. To gauge the presence of the aforementioned scenario in the Indian context, a preliminary survey was conducted to assess the use of chlortetracycline (CTC) in 12 commercial layer farms and to quantify and confirm its residue in the egg. Samples of feed and eggs were collected at day 0 (prior to CTC addition), 3rd, 5th and 7th day during treatment and on the 9th and 14th day (2nd and 7th day after withdrawal of CTC) from each of the 12 commercial poultry farms studied. Concentration of CTC in feed was significantly (P less than 0.01) high on the 3rd, 5th and 7th day. On the 9th day and 14th day CTC concentration in feed was significantly (P less than 0.01) lower compared to the earlier 3 days studied. A highly significant difference (P less than 0.01) of the antibiotic residue in egg was observed in all the 5 days with high residual levels of CTC in egg. CTC in feed and its residue in egg were detected even on the 9th and 14th day respectively.

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Aim:The aim was to determine the chemical composition of solar dried blood and rumen content (DBRC) and further ascertain the concentration at which DBRC could be included in Japanese quail diets without any adverse effect on its performance.Materials and Methods:Feeding trial on the effect of DBRC on performance of Japanese quails was studied up to 5 weeks. 252 numbers of day old (Nandanam Type III breed) Japanese quails were purchased from Poultry Research Station, Madhavaram and divided into 7 batches (control+ six treatments) each consisting of 36 birds. The DBRC was included at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 30% in diets as control, treatment-1 (T1), treatment-2 (T2), treatment-3 (T3), treatment-4 (T4), treatment-5 (T5) and treatment-6 (T6) respectively in a completely randomized design to replace soybean meal in Japanese quail feed. The birds were provided with ad-labidum feed and drinking water ad-libitum during the entire experimental period.Results:The crude protein (CP), crude fiber (CF), ether extract (EE) and ash contents of DBRC were 35.87%, 17.40%, 3.6% and 12.6%, respectively. The amount of essential amino acids and non-essential amino acid content were found to be 12.98 and 4.87 (g/100 g of feed) respectively in DBRC feed. Result showed that all birds fed DBRC diets performed better than the control group. Mortality was unaffected by dietary treatments. There was a significant difference (p<0.01) observed in weight gain in treatment groups compared to the control.Conclusion:Up to 30% DBRC could be incorporated in the diets of Japanese quails without any adverse effects on its performance.