Impact of broiler breeder hens' age and egg storage on egg quality, embryonic development, and hatching traits of FUNAAB-alpha chickens.

This study aimed to determine the impact of the age of breeder hens and egg storage on egg quality, embryonic development, hatching events and chick quality in FUNAAB-alpha chickens. The study involved the use of 500 hatching eggs each collected from 32-wk and 60-wk-old of FUNAAB-alpha broiler breeder hens at the Animal Breeding and Genetic Unit of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta, Nigeria and subjected to 5 storage periods (0, 3, 7, 11, and 15 d). The quality traits of the eggs were recorded and incubated using the conventional protocol. Data were collected on the internal and external egg characteristics, embryonic development, hatching events, and chick quality. The data collected were laid out in 2 by 5 factorial design. The results showed that eggs from 32-wk-old breeder hens had higher albumen height and Haugh unit (HU) value than those from 60-wk-old breeders. The albumen height and HU decreased progressively with storage length in the 2 age groups. Extended storage duration linearly increased (P < 0.01) egg weight loss and decreased (P < 0.01) yolk height. The eggs from both breeder ages had increasing blastodermal diameters at oviposition up until d 11 of storage but decreased on d 15 of storage in eggs from 32 wk breeders. Eggs of 32-wk-old FUNAAB-alpha breeder hens had larger diameters at oviposition compared with 60-wk-old breeders. The chicks from 60-wk breeder had late internal pipping (469.06 h), early external pipping (474.46 h) and a shorter time lag between both pips (9.00 h) compared to chicks from 32 wk breeder. The highest fertility was recorded in eggs stored for 3 d (80.7% and 79.6%), while the lowest fertility was in eggs stored for 15 d (53.4% and 47.7%) in both 32-wk and 60-wk-old breeders, respectively. Chicks from young breeder hens stored for 3 d had better quality scores (100%) compared to 0, 7, 11, and 15-d storage duration and in 60-wk-old breeders across all storage duration. It was concluded that both egg storage duration and age of breeder affected egg quality, hatching events and hatchling quality of FUNAAB-alpha chickens and the interaction effects of both factors was recorded for some of these traits. However, extended storage beyond 7 d had a larger negative impact on egg quality and hatchability of eggs from an old breeder (60 wk) than on eggs of a young breeder (32 wk).

Is an increase of glucocorticoid concentrations related to the degree of arousal or valence experienced by an animal to a stimulus?

Animal welfare is the quality of life as perceived by the animal itself. It is also the state of an animal in its attempt to cope with its environment. Animal welfare has high ethics and economic importance. Thus the need to develop parameters for assessing animal welfare. An acute increase in glucocorticoid (GC) concentration is necessary for adaptation to a stressful situation. Glucocorticoids also play a significant role in metabolic, cardiovascular, and immune systems. Glucocorticoid enhances effective learning through the hippocampus and other normal body functions. That is why we remember events (either positive or negative) associated with strong emotions. Long-term secretion of GCs has catabolic effects. Thus, affecting animal health. Measuring GC is one of the ways of assessing animal welfare. But, high GC concentration does not only indicate pain or suffering. We report that stress and emotion trigger similar physiological responses. So, measuring GC levels cannot differentiate between positive and negative states. We conclude that GC shows circadian rhythms and episodic spikes in some species. Values from a single sample point are not reliable to make conclusions about a condition. Training animals for blood collection may reduce stress. Thus not causing bias in the GC concentration measured.

Environmental stress and livestock productivity in hot-humid tropics: Alleviation and future perspectives.

Tropical environments are characterized by persistently high temperature and relative humidity and the harsh environmental conditions pose a serious limitation on the optimal performance of the animals raised in this region. Heat stress causes deleterious effects on welfare, immunology and physiology of farm animals with a resultant impact on their productivity as the use of body resources is re-organized and the metabolic priorities of animals shift away from production, growth, health and reproduction. It is imperative to understand the mechanisms involved in the thermoregulation of animals under tropical conditions in order to develop appropriate strategies for their improvement. This review focuses on the available data on the increasing global temperature and the adverse impact of tropical conditions on animals' adaptive mechanism affected during thermal stress on production performance, intestinal and ileal microbiome, physiological responses, antioxidant system, metabolic responses, cellular and molecular response, adaptive mechanism strategies to heat stress and also strategies to palliate environmental stress on livestock under humid tropical conditions including environmental manipulation, genetic opportunity, epigenetic and feeding modification. Overall, the present review has identified the disturbance in the physiological indices of tropical livestock and the need for concerted efforts in ameliorating the adverse impacts of high ambient temperature aggravated by high humidity on livestock in tropical environments. Further research is needed on genotype-by-environment interaction on the thermotolerance of different livestock species in the tropics.

Evaluation of sweet citrus peel supplement in water on performance and ileal microbial count of broiler chickens.

The effect of supplementing drinking water with sweet citrus peel powder (SCPP) on the performance, ileal microbial count, and relative weight of organs of broiler chickens reared in a tropical environment was investigated. Ninety-six (96) 1-day-old Ross broiler chickens, after brooding, were randomly allotted into four treatment groups: T1 (control) received drinking water without SCPP, while birds in T2, T3, and T4 were given water supplemented with 2, 4, and 6 g of SCPP per liter of water, respectively. Each treatment was replicated three times with eight birds per replicate in a completely randomized design. Feed intake and weight gain were not significantly (p > 0.05) different among the treatments. However, significant variations (p < 0.05) were observed in the final weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) with birds on T4 (6 g SCPP) having the highest final weight of 2164.60 g and the lowest FCR of 2.11 compared with 1838.40 g final weight and 2.40 FCR recorded for birds in the control group. Total bacteria count (TBC) of 2.07 × 106 CFU/ml (T1), 1.20 × 106 CFU/ml (T2), 1.27 × 106 CFU/ml (T3), and 1.33 × 106 CFU/ml (T4) recorded showed no significant (p > 0.05) variations among the treatments. However, orthogonal contrast between control and SCPP treatment groups showed significant variation (p < 0.05) in TBC. Significant variations (p < 0.05) were observed in the live weight and relative weight of heart and pancreas. Higher live weight with lower FCR and TBC recorded in this study showed the positive effect of SCPP on the performance and ileal microbial count of broiler chickens.

In ovo injection of black cumin (Nigella sativa) extract on hatching and post hatch performance of thermally challenged broiler chickens during incubation.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects in ovo injection of black cumin (BC) extract on chick's quality and response of thermally challenged broiler chickens. A total of 700 hatching eggs of broiler chickens (Marshall) were assigned to 7 treatments of 100 eggs each and incubated using the conventional protocol (37.8°C) for the first 10 d and then exposed to a high temperature (39.6°C) for 6 h daily from day 10 until day 18 of the incubation. At embryonic day 17.5, the eggs were randomly allotted to 7 treatment groups, viz.: eggs without in ovo injection (WA), eggs injected with 0.9% saline solution (SA), 3 mg ascorbic acid (AA), 2 mg BC (TB), 4 mg BC (FB), 6 mg BC (SB), and 8 mg BC (EB) extracts. Experiment was laid out in a Completely Randomized Design. After hatching, the chicks were reared separately according to in ovo treatments for 8 wk. Data were collected on hatchability, chick quality, internal organs, growth performance, plasma superoxide dismutase, malondialdehyde, and triiodothyronine (T3). The results showed that the hatchability of the eggs in the AA group was similar to that of SB eggs and higher than that of the other treatment groups. The intestinal weights of SB and EB birds were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of TB, SA, and WA. The final weights of the birds of SB and AA were higher (P < 0.05) than those of other treatments. The feed conversion ratio of the birds of TB and FB was comparable to that of EB and WA but higher than that of SB and AA. At hatch, the creatinine of the birds in SA and WA was similar to that of EB, FB, and TB but higher (P < 0.05) than that of AA and SB. Also, the plasma malondialdehyde, T3, and superoxide dismutase of SB and AA birds were better (P < 0.05) than those of the control groups. Overall, it was concluded that 6 mg of BC extract improved the antioxidant status and posthatch performance of thermally challenged broiler chickens.

Evaluation of light colour manipulation on physiological response and growth performance of broiler chickens.

Artificial illumination, including light quality, is crucial in modern broiler management. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of a switch in light colour on the performance of broiler chickens in tropical environments. A total of 280 1-day-old Arbor acre male chicks were used for this study and were weighed and assigned to different light environments viz. white (WH), green (GR), blue (BL), GR switched to BL at 14 days (GB), BL switched to GR at 14 days (BG), BL switched to GR at 28 days (BGG) and GR switched to BL at 28 days (GBB) having four replicates of ten birds each. Body weight, weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were recorded weekly. Blood samples were collected from 2 birds per replicate weekly for the determination of plasma triiodothyronine (T3), haematology and serum biochemical parameters. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomised design. Results showed that the final body weights of the birds in GBB and GB were comparable but higher than those of the other treatment groups. Feed intake of the chickens in WH was similar to that of BG but higher than those of the other treatment groups, while FCR of the birds in WH was higher (P < 0.05) than the other treatment groups. Plasma T3 of the birds in GR was comparable to that of birds in BL but significantly higher than those of the birds in WH and a similar trend was also observed at weeks 1 and 2. Heterophil/lymphocyte ratio (H/L) of the birds in WH was significantly higher than those of BL and GR whose values were similar to those in GB and BG. Heterophil/lymphocytes of the birds in WH was higher than those of BG, GR, BGG, GB and GBB but similar to those of BL. The breast muscle of the birds in GBB and GB was similar to those of BGG and GR and significantly higher than those of WH, BL and BG. Based on the results obtained in this study, it was concluded that the use of green light up to 28 days in combination with blue light stimulated the growth of broiler chickens and manipulation of light colours can be used to improve the welfare and performance of chickens.

Effects of Washing Protocols on Cryosurvival of Spermatozoa from West African Dwarf Goat Bucks.

BACKGROUND: Sperm washing in some species helps remove the detrimental effect of enzymes secreted from the bulbourethral gland, but such an effect has not been evaluated for cryopreserved sperm obtained from West African Dwarf (WAD) goat bucks. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the effects of washing protocols on the viability parameters of spermatozoa obtained from WAD goat bucks prior to cryopreservation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semen samples collected from WAD goat bucks with the aid of artificial vagina were subjected to washing protocols by centrifuging once, twice and thrice while the control group was not washed. Following washing semen samples were diluted in Tris-based extenders, cryopreserved for 30 days in liquid nitrogen. RESULTS: Sperm motility, acrosome integrity, live spermatozoa and arginase activity were higher, and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was reduced in semen washed prior to cryopreservation compared to the control. CONCLUSION: Semen washing improved the quality.

Comparative effects of slow freezing and vitrification on cryosurvival of spermatozoa obtained from west African dwarf goat bucks.

BACKGROUND: Slow freezing and vitrification are used to improve the viability of spermatozoa from various species but comparative effects of these cryoprotocols have never been evaluated for spermatozoa obtained from West African Dwarf (WAD) goat bucks. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the comparative effects of slow freezing and vitrification on the viability of spermatozoa of WAD goat bucks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Semen samples collected with the aid of artificial vagina were allocated to slow freezing and vitrification protocols and cryopreserved for 30 days in liquid nitrogen. RESULTS: Consistent higher (P<0.05) sperm motility, acrosome integrity, membrane integrity, live sperm, acrosome reaction and capacitation in slow freezing compared to vitrification. Abnormal sperm cells and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations reduced (P<0.05) in slow freezing compared to vitrification. Higher (P<0.05) arginase activity was observed in slow freezing compared to vitrification. CONCLUSION: The findings indicated that spermatozoa obtained from WAD goat bucks were better preserved in slow freezing compared to vitrification.

Physiological adaptation to the humid tropics with special reference to the West African Dwarf (WAD) goat.

West African Dwarf (WAD) goats are widely distributed in the subhumid and humid zones of Africa but are particularly associated with less favourable environments. Adaptive features such as feeding behaviour, efficiency of feed use and disease tolerance enable WAD goats to thrive on natural resources left untouched by other domestic ruminants. In marginal environments this goat remains the only domestic species that is able to survive. Among its physiological features small body size and low metabolic requirements are important traits that enable the animal to minimize its requirements in area or season where food sources are limited in quality and quantity. Specialized feeding behaviour and an efficient digestive system enable the animal to maximize food intake. Coat colour plays an important role in the evolved adaptation of this goat type. Reproductive fitness as manifested by prolific breeding is a major factor of adaptation. Defence mechanisms against infectious agents enable this type to thrive well in the hot humid tropics. The mechanisms involved in the regulation of these physiological functions of WAD goat are discussed. An understanding of these mechanisms could result in the development of improved techniques for enhancing goat productivity in humid environments.

Congenital hemifacial hypertrophy. Report of two cases.

Two cases of congenital hemifacial hypertrophy are described. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this syndrome in a black African population. Possible diagnostic problems are highlighted.

Osteomyelitis of the mandible associated with osteopetrosis: report of a case.

A 45-year-old Nigerian housewife with chronic osteomyelitis associated with osteopetrosis is described and discussed. Haematological and radiographical investigations on routine admission led to the secondary diagnosis of osteopetrosis. To our knowledge, this is the first case of osteomyelitis of jaws associated with osteopetrosis reported in an African.

Osteopetrosis in a Nigerian woman--a case report.

A case of osteopetrosis complicated by chronic osteomyelitis of the mandible, pathological fractures, pancytopenia and splenomegaly is presented. Family studies revealed a dominantly inherited pattern.

Ameloblastoma: a survey of 199 cases in the University of College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria.

In a study of occurrence of tumors of the jaw seen in the University College Hospital over a 24-year period, 199 cases of histologically diagnosed ameloblastoma were found. Notable features of these lesions were extreme size at presentation and high frequency of recurrence. Ameloblastoma ranks next in frequency to fibroosseous lesions and salivary gland tumors in this community. The incidence in men exceeds that of women. The mandible was the location in over 85 percent of the cases. Six cases were suspected to have turned malignant following multiple surgical operations.

Osteogenic sarcoma of the jaw in an African community: report of twenty-one cases.

Twenty-one patients with osteogenic sarcoma were treated at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria, during the period from 1960 to 1984. Six of the 21 patients were younger than 20 years of age, and there was a predominance of male patients in the series. The maxilla was involved more frequently than the mandible. Surgery was the only treatment available. All of the patients are presumed to be dead.

Chondrosarcoma of the jaw: review of fourteen cases.

From 1960 to 1983 a total of 14 cases of chondrosarcoma of the jaws were treated at the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The age of the patients ranged from 19 to 55 years (average age, 35 years), and nine of the patients were male. Six of the lesions were located in the maxilla and eight in the mandible. Most of the patients presented too late in the course of the disease to benefit from treatment; only one is known to be still alive.

Adenomatoid odontogenic tumor in a black African population: report of thirteen cases.

The records of the Cancer Registry of University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria, were reviewed for the incidence of adenomatoid odontogenic tumor from 1961-1982. Thirteen cases of the tumor were found. Clinical, histologic, and radiologic features of the 13 cases are reported. Many features were similar to previous reports of this tumor, but an increased ratio of males to females and preference for the mandible was observed. It is suggested that these factors may be peculiar to Nigerians. A few cases showed an unusual posterior location of tumor.