Incubation temperature profiles affect broiler feathering

Scott, J. Alfred; Costa, M. J. Da; Oviedo-Rondón, E. O.

doi:10.3382/japr/pfu022

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Secondly, having fewer feathers could be the result of environmental constraints on embryo development, when the number of follicles (and hence feather number) is determined (Yu et al 2004). For example, due to the low availability of optimal food sources in cities (see SOM: Study sites), females may be constrained from laying high-quality eggs (Toledo et al 2016), resulting in suboptimal nutrition for embryo development (Krist 2011), and hence affecting feather follicle formation (Scott et al 2015). Note that growing fewer feathers can be beneficial in poor nutritional environments because it reduces the energetic costs of feather development, and this energy can be invested into other essential traits such as immune functions (Moreno-Rueda 2010).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, much less is known about how these traits vary within a species. Experimental work in captive poultry suggests that both food availability for egg-laying females (Dahlke et al 2008) and incubation temperature of eggs (Scott et al 2015) affect the number of follicles formed in embryos. While the few within-species studies on wild birds also suggest the influence of temperature and food availability on feather structure (Pap et al 2008, Broggi et al 2011, it is virtually unexplored how other plumage traits such as feather number and density differ between wild populations living under different environmental conditions.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Urban nestlings have reduced number of feathers in Great Tits (Parus major)

Sándor

Liker

Sinkovics

et al. 2021

Ibis

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The plumage of birds plays an essential role in thermal insulation and influences the heat tolerance of birds. These plumage functions are mainly determined by the number and the density of feathers, but it is unclear how feather density responds to environmental changes in wild populations. In urban birds, both high temperature and limited food could generate changes in plumage traits. To investigate the effect of urbanization, we compared the number of feathers in nestlings between urban and forest Great Tits Parus major using a novel non-invasive method. We showed that urban nestlings have fewer feathers than forest nestlings at 6-9 days old. Although the density of feathers was slightly higher in urban nestlings, this was the result of the smaller size of their feather tracts. We suggest that the reduced feather number may be the result of either adaptation to higher urban temperatures, constrained feather development due to limited optimal nestling-food sources in urban environments, or both. Concentrating body feathers in a reduced tract area may also help birds to adapt to higher urban temperatures because this can increase the relative size of bare body surfaces which may facilitate heat dissipation. We suggest several possibilities for future studies that would help to disentangle the underlying mechanisms responsible for the observed patterns.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Urban nestlings have reduced number of feathers in Great Tits (Parus major)

Sándor

Liker

Sinkovics

et al. 2021

Ibis

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“…Additionally, utilization of incubation temperatures 1°C above usual after day 7 of incubation increases the feather follicle density on neonate backs [ 18 ]. Besides, recently it was showed that incubation temperature 1°C below usual (37.5°C) during the first three days and 1°C above usual during the last three days of incubation also increased the feather follicle density on the back and thighs of chickens at 22 days of life [ 19 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Incubation Temperature during Fetal Development Influences Morphophysiological Characteristics and Preferred Ambient Temperature of Chicken Hatchlings

et al. 2016

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Skin and feather characteristics, which play a critical role in body temperature maintenance, can be affected by incubation circumstances, such as incubation temperature. However, no study to date has assessed the influence of incubation temperature during the fetal stage on morphometric characteristics and vascular development of the skin, feather characteristics, and their relationship to hormone levels and preferred temperature in later life in chickens. Broiler breeder eggs were exposed to low (36°C), control (37.5°C), or high (39°C) temperatures (treatments LT, CK, and HT, respectively) from day 13 of incubation onward, because it is known that the endocrine axes are already established at this time. During this period, eggshell temperature of HT eggs (38.8±0.33°C) was higher than of LT (37.4±0.08°C) and CK eggs (37.8 ±0.15°C). The difference between eggshell and incubator air temperature diminished with the increasing incubation temperature, and was approximately zero for HT. HT hatchlings had higher surface temperature on the head, neck, and back, and thinner and more vascularized skin than did CK and LT hatchlings. No differences were found among treatments for body weight, total feather weight, number and length of barbs, barbule length, and plasma T4 concentration. LT hatchlings showed lower plasma T3 and GH, as well as lower T3/T4 ratio and decreased vascularity in the neck, back, and thigh skin compared to CK hatchlings. On the other hand, HT hatchlings had decreased skin thickness and increased vascularity, and preferred a higher ambient temperature compared to CK and HT hatchlings. In addition, for all treatments, surface temperature on the head was higher than of the other body regions. We conclude that changes in skin thickness and vascularity, as well as changes in thyroid and growth hormone levels, are the result of embryonic strategies to cope with higher or lower than normal incubation temperatures. Additionally exposure to increased temperature during incubation is an environmental factor that can exert early-life influence on ambient temperature preference of broiler hatchlings in later life.

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Comparison of nonlinear models to describe the feather growth and development curve in yellow-feathered chickens

Xie

Pan

Zeng

et al. 2020

Animal

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Feathers play a critical role in thermoregulation and directly influence poultry production. Poor feathering adversely affects living appearance and carcass quality, thus reducing profits. However, producers tend to ignore the importance of feather development and do not know the laws of feather growth and development. The objective of this study was to fit growth curves to describe the growth and development of feathers in yellow-feathered broilers during the embryonic and posthatching periods using different nonlinear functions (Gompertz, logistic and Bertalanffy). Feather mass and length were determined during the embryonic development and posthatching stages to identify which growth model most accurately described the feather growth pattern. The results showed that chick embryos began to grow feathers at approximately embryonic (E) day 10, and the feathers grew rapidly from E13 to E17. There was little change from E17 to the day of hatching (DOH). During the embryonic period, the Gompertz function (Y = 798.48e−203 431exp(−0.87t), Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) = −0.950 × 103, Bayesian information criterion (BIC) = −0.711 × 103 and mean square error (MSE) = 559.308) provided the best fit for the feather growth curve compared with the other two functions. After hatching, feather mass and length changed little from the DOH to day (D) 14, increased rapidly from D21 to D91 and then grew slowly after D91. The first stage of feather molting occurred from 2 to 3 weeks of age when the down feathers were mostly shed and replaced with juvenile feathers, and the second stage occurred at approximately 13 to 15 weeks of age. The three nonlinear functions could overall fit the feather growth curve well, but the Bertalanffy model (Y = 116.88 × (1−0.86e−0.02t)3, AIC = 1.065 × 105, BIC = 1.077 × 105 and MSE = 11.308) showed the highest degree of fit among the models. Therefore, the Gompertz model exhibited the best goodness of fit for the feather growth curve during the embryonic development, while the Bertalanffy model was the most suitable model due to its accurate ability to predict the growth and development of feathers during the growth period, which is an important commercial characteristic of yellow-feathered chickens.

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Incubation temperature profiles affect broiler feathering

Cited by 7 publications

References 11 publications

Urban nestlings have reduced number of feathers in Great Tits (Parus major)

Urban nestlings have reduced number of feathers in Great Tits (Parus major)

Incubation Temperature during Fetal Development Influences Morphophysiological Characteristics and Preferred Ambient Temperature of Chicken Hatchlings

Comparison of nonlinear models to describe the feather growth and development curve in yellow-feathered chickens

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