Two experiments were undertaken to evaluate the bacterial load in recycled litter between broiler flocks following addition of quicklime (T1), windrowing (T2), shallow fermentation (T3), and control (no intervention, T4). The first experiment was developed in field conditions in which the broiler houses were accompanied by 6 consecutive flocks and the effect of the treatments was assessed on enterobacteria and aerobic mesophiles. The second experiment was conducted in an experimental broiler house with recycled litter for assessment of Salmonella Enteritidis phage type 4 (SE PT4). In the field study, T3 presented the best results in reducing enterobacteria in broiler litter in relation to the other treatments, with the highest reduction occurring in the first 3 flocks, tending to stabilization from the fourth flock onward for all the treatments assessed. From the third to sixth flocks, enterobacteria level at the end of the treatments (d 12) was lower than the average in the fresh litter, except in T4. All treatments reduced aerobic mesophiles throughout the flocks, where T2 showed the highest reduction. The percentage of dry matter in the broiler litter diminished in T4 and increased in T3 over the course of the flocks. In the second experiment, the drop in the SE PT4 level in the broiler litter first occurred in T2 and T3. However, all the treatments except for T4 eliminated SE PT4 within 12 d. The temperature of the broiler litter in T2 was higher in relation to the other treatments. The results show that litter treatment prior to reutilization by the successive broiler flock is required to reduce the level of residual bacteria. The fermentative treatments (T2 and T3) were found to be superior to the others in terms of reducing the bacterial load, with shallow fermentation standing out with the highest reduction of enterobacteria and equivalent SE PT4 elimination when compared to windrowing.

RESUMO -Com o objetivo de testar materiais alternativos para cama de aviário na criação de frangos de corte, foram alojados seis lotes consecutivos, cada um contendo 5.600 aves, apenas fêmeas, distribuídas em 35 boxes. Os tratamentos consistiram de sete tipos de material para cama (maravalha; casca de arroz; sabugo de milho triturado; capim-cameron picado; palhada de soja picada; resto da cultura do milho picado; e serragem), cada um com cinco repetições. Avaliaram-se nas aves o peso corporal médio e o consumo médio de ração e, nas camas, os teores de N, Ca, P e pH. Observaram-se ainda a presença de salmonela, a contagem de oocistos de eimeria na cama e o escore de lesões no intestino das aves ao abate. A utilização dos materiais alternativos avaliados como cama de aviário, por seis lotes consecutivos, como alternativas à maravalha não prejudicou o desempenho de frangos de corte. Esses materiais, após o descarte, por apresentarem valor em minerais superior ao da maravalha, podem ser utilizados na adubação de culturas.Palavras-chave: consumo de ração, frangos de corte, peso corporal, reutilização de cama Alternative material to replace wood shavings as broiler litterABSTRACT -Aiming to evaluate alternative materials to be used as broiler litter reutilization, six consecutive lots of 5,600 female broilers were allocated to 35 pens. The treatments consisted of seven types of litter materials: wood shavings, rice husk, ground corncob, chopped camerongrass, chopped soybean straw, chopped corn stalk and sawdust, each one with five replications. In the birds, it was evaluated the average body weight, feed consumption and in the litter, it was evaluated the contents of N, Ca, P and pH. The presence of salmoella, the eimeria oocists counting in the litter, and the gut birds lesions score at slaughter were also observed. The use of alternative materials evaluated as litter, per six concecutive lots, as a alternative for wood shavings did no prejudice the performance of broilers. These materials, by presenting mineral values higher than wood shavings, after discarding, could be used as culture fertilizers.Key Words: body weight, broiler litter reutilization, feed consumption IntroduçãoA utilização da cama de aviário visa evitar o contato direto da ave com o piso, servir de substrato para absorção da água, incorporação de fezes, urina, penas, descamações da pele e restos de alimento caídos dos comedouros e contribuir para a redução das oscilações de temperatura no aviário (Avila et al., 1992).Com a expansão da avicultura e as melhorias da tecnologia de produção, o material utilizado como cama, em muitos casos, restringiu-se à maravalha, que foi se tornando progressivamente mais escassa e com maior valor de mercado; sua obtenção, em muitos casos, depende de fornecedores distantes, o que aumenta acentuadamente o custo. Alguns estudos têm sido conduzidos com o objetivo de propor materiais alternativos para preparação da cama. Assim, Oliveira et al. (1973) compararam diversos materiais (maravalha, bagaço de cana, sabugo picado...

Method R and Restricted Maximum Likelihood (REML) were compared for estimating heritability (h2) and subsequent prediction of breeding values (a) with data subject to selection. A single-trait animal model was used to generate the data and to predict breeding values. The data originated from 10 sires and 100 dams and simulation progressed for 10 overlapping generations. In simulating the data, genetic evaluation used the underlying parameter values and sires and dams were chosen by truncation selection for greatest predicted breeding values. Four alternative pedigree structures were evaluated: complete pedigree information, 50% of phenotypes with sire identities missing, 50% of phenotypes with dam identities missing, and 50% of phenotypes with sire and dams identities missing. Under selection and with complete pedigree data, Method R was a slightly less consistent estimator of h2 than REML. Estimates of h2 by both methods were biased downward when there was selection and loss of pedigree information and were unbiased when no selection was practiced. The empirical mean square error (EMSE) of Method R was several times larger than the EMSE of REML. In a subsequent analysis, different combinations of generations selected and generations sampled were simulated in an effort to disentangle the effects of both factors on Method R estimates of h2. It was observed that Method R overestimated h2 when both the sampling that is intrinsic in the method and the selection occurred in generations 6 to 10. In a final experiment, BLUP(a) were predicted with h2 estimated by either Method R or REML. Subsequently, five more generations of selection were practiced, and the mean square error of prediction (MSEP) of BLUP(a) was calculated with estimated h2 by either method, or the true value of the parameter. The MSEP of empirical BLUP(a) using Method R was greater than the MSEP of empirical BLUP(a) using REML. The latter statistic was closer to prediction error variance of BLUP(a) than the MSEP of empirical BLUP(a) using Method R, indicating that empirical BLUP(a) calculated using REML produced accurate predictions of breeding values under selection. In conclusion, the variability of h2 estimates calculated with Method R was greater than the variability of h2 estimates calculated with REML, with or without selection. Also, the MSEP of EBLUP(a) calculated using estimates of h2 by Method R was larger than MSEP of EBLUP(a) calculated with REML estimates of h2.

Devido às exigências de alguns importadores, por motivação cultural ou devido a zoonoses recém acontecidas na Europa, tem havido um direcionamento para fabricação de rações vegetais com base em milho e farelo de soja (FS). Esse direcionamento traz conseqüências na produção e por isso, objetivou-se avaliar a resposta de frangos de corte alimentados com dietas contendo farinhas de carne e ossos (FCO) e farinha de vísceras de aves (FV) e dietas contendo milho e FS. As dietas foram calculadas para conterem 3.050 e 3.150 kcal EM/kg de ração nas fases inicial e de crescimento, respectivamente, e com os demais nutrientes calculados para atenderem às exigências das aves. A substituição de ingredientes foi testada variando-se os níveis de proteina nas fases inicial e de crescimento respectivamente, da seguinte forma: 1. Dieta com inclusão de 4% de FCO suína e 3% de FV, calculada por proteína ideal, com 22% (inicial) e 20 % de PB (crescimento); 2. Dieta semelhante à dieta 1, sem farinhas de origem animal, formulada a base de milho e FS, com PB e lisina digestível semelhantes à dieta 1; 3. Dieta semelhante à dieta 2, com 23% (inicial) e 21% de PB (crescimento) e lisina digestível semelhante a dieta 1; 4. Dieta semelhante à dieta 2, com 24% (inicial) e 22% de PB (crescimento) e lisina digestível 6% e 5% superiores à dieta 1. Houve diminuição significativa da matéria seca da cama das aves devido à presença de ingredientes exclusivamente vegetais e aumento do teor de proteína das dietas (P<0,0002), sendo que as fêmeas apresentam maior teor de matéria seca das camas do que os machos (P<0,0003). O desempenho das aves alimentadas com proteína de origem vegetal foi superior ao de dietas contendo proteína animal; porém, em geral, é maior o custo de dietas exclusivamente vegetais. Nas dietas de origem vegetal, a dieta 4, com níveis superiores de aminoácidos, proporcionou melhor desempenho (P<0,0002), não havendo resposta ao aumento apenas da PB. Não houve diferença nos cortes da carcaça devida às fontes protéicas (P>0,05); havendo, porém, maior peso dos pés (P<0,01) nas dietas com menor porcentagem de matéria seca da cama de aviário.

RESUMO -O experimento foi conduzido com o objetivo de avaliar os efeitos dos níveis de umidade na colheita e da temperatura de secagem do milho sobre sua composição química e valores de energia metabolizável aparente corrigida para retenção de nitrogênio (EMAn) para frangos de corte. O milho foi colhido com 35; 25; 18; 15,3 e 14,3% de umidade e submetido à secagem a 100ºC; 70ºC e 40ºC de temperatura. Os valores de 15,3 e 14,3% de umidade de colheita do grão não foram submetidos à secagem, sendo o último valor referente ao tratamento que permaneceu na lavoura por 60 dias (milho pós-colheita). A composição química foi determinada segundo AOAC (1995) e a EMAn pelo método de coleta total de excretas, conforme descrito por Hill e Anderson (1958) e fórmulas de Matterson et al. (1965). Quando considerados os valores de EMAn expressos na matéria natural, verificaram-se diferenças significativas entre o milho sem secagem (15,3% de umidade) e os demais tratamentos. A diferença com o valor mais alto obtido de EMAn, nesse caso, foi de 11,8% (2864 vs 3247 kcal/kg). Isso se deve ao fato de o grão colhido com 15,3% de umidade ter atingido valores próximos a 24%, possivelmente devido a um processo de reidratação. Quando considerados os valores de EMAn com base na matéria seca, não houve diferenças entre os tratamentos. O valor nutritivo do milho colhido sob distintos níveis de umidade e submetido à secagem sob diferentes temperaturas permaneceu dentro dos valores padrão tabelados.Palavras-chave: composição química, energia metabolizável aparente corrigida, frangos de corte, milho, secagem, umidade Chemical and Energy Composition of Corn Harvested with Various Moisture Levels and Different Drying Temperatures to Broiler ChickensABSTRACT -The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of moisture levels at harvest and drying temperatures of corn on its chemical composition and apparent metabolizable energy corrected to zero nitrogen retention (AMEn) to broiler chickens. The corn was harvested with 35%, 25%, 18%, 15.3% and 14.3% of moisture and submitted to drying temperatures of 100, 70 and 40 ºC. The moisture levels of 15.3% and 14.3% of corn were not submitted to drying and the last value represented the treatment post-harvesting (60 days after the first harvest). The chemical composition was determined by AOAC (1995) and AMEn assay was carried out by total collection procedure as described by Hill and Anderson (1958) and methodology of Matterson et al. (1965). When the AMEn values were considered on as fed basis, significant differences occured between the treatment of corn no drying and the others. The mean AMEn value was 11.8% less in energy (2864kcal/kg) relative to the highest value (3247kcal/kg). This is due to grain humidity having reached 24% on that treatment caused by natural grain natural re-hydration. When the energy values of corn were changed to dry-matter basis, there were no differences among the treatments. There were no major changes in nutritive value of corn harvested with different moisture levels and...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate alternative molting protocols assessing hen welfare and performance during and after molt. Hyline W-36 pullets were housed at 15 wk of age, and their egg production was obtained during this first cycle. When birds were 80 wk, the following molting treatments were applied: a conventional molt consisting of 10 d of fasting followed by cracked corn for 8 d and a pullet developer diet for 10 d; and 4 alternative molting programs: a soy hulls-based diet (12% CP, 1,455 kcal/kg of ME, and 1.38% Ca) offered for 14 d followed by cracked corn for 4 d and a pullet developer diet for 10 d; and the other 3 molt regimens consisted of feeding soy hulls for 4, 8, or 12 d followed by 10, 6, or 2 d, respectively, of a soy hulls-based diet and 4 d of cracked corn plus 10 d of a pullet developer diet. A nonmolted group of birds was fed a laying hen diet during the experimental period. Hen-day egg number was recorded daily for 56 wk (through 80-136 wk of age). The nonmolted hens showed lower hen-day production and fewer intact eggs and a higher number of cracked and shell-less eggs compared with those of the molted hens (P < 0.0001). A significant treatment by age effect (P < 0.0001) was observed for the variables of high-density lipoproteins and triglycerides. Control hens showed the lowest high-density lipoprotein concentration and the highest triglyceride levels at 84 wk of age when compared with all treatments. The lack of difference in heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio during molt suggests little influence of molting protocols on this variable. Regardless of the treatments, molting was deleterious to bone quality. A high mobilization of Ca through bone resorption for eggshell formation could explain the results obtained. Behavioral patterns coincided with a decline in frustration activities and an increase in alertness as molt proceeded until 83 wk of age. Alternative molting diets consisting of soybean hulls were successful in providing acceptable postmolt egg production performance.

ABSTRACT. The effect of stocking density in broiler chickens (11.08 and 13.20 birds m -2 ), between 5 and 45 days of age, was assessed with regard to performance, cut yield, litter moisture and frequency of pododermatitis injuries. Further, 476 one-day chicks Cobb 500 ® were distributed in a completely randomized design at two densities (birds m -²), with seven replications per treatment in 14 experimental units. Birds housed at a lower density (11.08) increased feed intake (p < 0.05), without any effect on weight gain and feed conversion. Retail yields were not influenced (p > 0.05) by treatments. In the case of higher density (3.20) the litter showed higher moisture content (p < 0.05) at 28 and 35 days of age. There was a higher occurrence of pododermatitis in birds housed at a density of 13.20 birds m ) e sete repetições por tratamento, 14 unidades experimentais. Observou-se que as aves alojadas em menor densidade (11,08) apresentaram maior consumo de ração (p < 0,05), porém, sem afetar o ganho de peso e a conversão alimentar. O rendimento das partes não foi influenciado pelos tratamentos (p > 0,05). Foi verificado efeito significado (p < 0,05) sobre a umidade da cama na maior densidade (3,20), apresentando maior umidade (p < 0,05) aos 28 e aos 35 dias de idade das aves. Observou-se maior incidência por pododermatite em aves alojadas na maior densidade (3,20). Conclui-se que o aumento da densidade de alojamento de 11,08 para 13,20 aves m -2 , não afeta o desempenho zootécnico, rendimento da carcaça e cortes. Porém, promoveu aumento na umidade na cama, assim como a maior incidência de pododermatite de grau 1 foi observada na densidade de 13,20 aves m -2 . Palavras-chave: aves, consumo de ração, lotação, ambiência, pododermatite, bem-estar.

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