Post-photostimulation energy intake accelerated pubertal development in broiler breeder pullets.

The effect of ME intake (MEI) on the reproductive system was evaluated. Ross 308 broiler breeder pullets (n = 140) were assigned to 2 treatments from 22 to 26 wk of age: (1) Low-energy diet fed restricted (2,807 kcal/kg, low MEI) and (2) high-energy diet fed unrestricted (3,109 kcal/kg, high MEI). Daylength was increased from 8 to 14 h at 22 wk of age with a light intensity of 30 lux. Daily palpation was used to detect sexual maturity via the presence of a hard-shelled egg in the shell gland. Expression of gonadotropin releasing hormone-I (GnRH) and gonadotropin inhibitory hormone (GnIH) genes in the hypothalamus and GnRH receptor (GnRH-RI) and GnIH receptor (GnIH-R) genes in the anterior pituitary gland of each pullet was evaluated from 22 to 26 wk of age using quantitative real time-PCR. Blood samples were taken weekly and luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle stimulating-hormone (FSH), and 17-beta-estradiol (E2) determined using commercial ELISA kits. Carcass samples were used for determination of CP and fat content. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure in SAS, and differences were reported where P ≤ 0.05. High MEI treatment pullets had 2.3-fold higher GnRH and 1.8-fold higher GnRH-RI mRNA levels than low MEI pullets. MEI affected neither expression of GnIH and GnIH-R nor carcass protein content. For high MEI (489 kcal/D) and low MEI treatments (258 kcal/D), respectively, from 22 to 26 wk of age (P ≤ 0.05), LH concentration was 3.05 and 1.60 ng/mL; FSH concentration was 145 and 89.3 pg/mL; E2 concentration was 429 and 266 pg/mL, and carcass lipid was 13.9 and 10.3%. The onset of lay for pullets in the high MEI treatment advanced such that 100% had laid by 26 wk of age compared with 30% in the low MEI treatment. We concluded that higher MEI advanced the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and also increased body lipid deposition, and moreover, stimulated reproductive hormone levels which overall accelerated puberty in broiler breeder pullets.

Energy partitioning by broiler breeder hens in conventional daily-restricted feeding and precision feeding systems.

An empirical linear mixed model was derived to describe metabolizable energy (ME) partitioning in broiler breeder hens. Its coefficients described ME used for total heat production (HP), growth (ADG), and egg mass (EM). A total of 480 Ross 308 hens were randomly and equally assigned to 2 treatments: precision feeding (PF) and conventional daily-restricted feeding (CON) from 23 to 34 wk of age. The PF system allowed birds to enter feeding stations voluntarily at any time, weighed them, and provided access to feed for 60 s if their BW was less than the breeder-recommended target BW. The CON birds were fed daily each morning. Energetic efficiency of hens was evaluated using residual feed intake (RFI), defined as the difference between observed and predicted ME intake (MEI). The energy partitioning model predicted (P < 0.05): MEI = A × BW0.67 + 1.75 × ADG + 0.75 × EM + ϵ. The coefficient A, a vector of age-specific HP, was 142 kcal/kg0.67/d; the energy requirement for growth and EM was 1.75 and 0.75 kcal/g, respectively. For the CON and the PF hens, respectively, MEI was 366 and 354 kcal/d (P = 0.006); RFI was -5.9 and 6.7 kcal/d (P = 0.009); HP% was 85.5 and 87.7 (P < 0.001); hen-day egg production (HDEP) was 65.5 and 55.2% (P < 0.001). Although the CON hens had higher MEI, the model predicted lower HP%; thus, CON hens had more nutrients available for egg production, increased egg production, and were more energetically efficient than the PF hens. The decreased egg production by the PF hens was likely due to these hens receiving production-related feed increases after an egg was laid. However, feed allocation increases for the CON hens resulted in increasing MEI for all CON hens at the same time. Therefore, the PF hens had lower MEI and lower HDEP than the CON hens.

A model of pre-pubertal broiler breeder estradiol-17ß levels predicts advanced sexual maturation for birds with high body weight or short juvenile day-length exposure.

As broiler breeders face increased reproductive challenges specifically related to overfeeding, a clear understanding of the physiological effects of BW and rearing photoperiod on reproductive development is needed. The objective was to use mathematical models to compare plasma estradiol-17ß (E2) concentration to characterize the effect of BW and rearing photoperiod on E2 levels. A 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. Hens (n = 180) were fed with a precision feeding system to allocate feed individually to achieve the breeder-recommended BW curve (Standard) or to a BW curve reaching the 21 wk target at 18 wk (High). Hens were on 8L:16D, 10L:14D, or 12L:12D photoschedules during rearing and were photostimulated at 21 wk. Age at first egg (AFE) was recorded. Plasma E2 levels were determined weekly between week 20 and 28. Two modified Gompertz models described E2 level as a function of (a) chronological or (b) physiological (relative to AFE) age. Timing of E2-inflection point was compared between models and treatments. Differences were reported as significant at P ≤ 0.05. The chronological age model inferred that High BW reduced the duration between the E2-inflection point and AFE, whereas the physiological age model inferred that High BW only reduced the duration between photostimulation and the E2-inflection point. Hens on the Standard BW treatment had a longer period between photostimulation and the E2-inflection point compared to hens on the High-BW treatment (11.03 vs. 1.50 wk, respectively, based on physiological age). Hens on the 12L:12D photoschedule had a longer period between photostimulation and the E2-inflection point compared to hens on the 8L:16D or 10L:14D photoschedule, both in the Standard and High BW (28.91 vs. 1.78 and 2.40 wk, 2.65 vs. 0.93 and 0.94 wk, respectively, based on physiological age). The described methodology and results provide quantitative insight into E2 dynamics and serves as a model for future endocrinological studies in poultry reproduction.

Energy partitioning by broiler breeder pullets in skip-a-day and precision feeding systems.

An empirical nonlinear mixed model was derived to describe metabolizable energy (ME) partitioning in Ross 308 broiler breeder pullets. Its coefficients described ME used for total heat production (HP) and growth. A total of 630 pullets were randomly and equally assigned to 2 treatments: precision feeding (PF) and conventional skip-a-day feeding (CON) from 10 to 23 wk of age. The PF system allowed birds to enter voluntarily at any time, weighed them, and provided access to feed for 60 s if their BW was less than the target BW. Birds in the CON treatment were fed as a group on alternate days. Energetic efficiency of pullets was evaluated using residual total heat production (RHP), defined as the difference between observed and predicted total HP. Additionally, ME intake (MEI), ADG, HP, and cumulative feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated for the entire experimental period. The energy partitioning model (P < 0.05) predicted MEI = (120+u)BW0.68 + 1.52(ADG) + ε. Total HP was (120 kcal/kg0.68 + u); the energy requirement for each g of BW gain was 1.52 kcal/d. The random variable u ∼ N (0, σu2) indicated a pen level HP standard deviation σu = 12.1 kcal/kg0.68. Over the experimental period, for CON and PF treatments, respectively, MEI was 194 and 174 kcal/d (P < 0.001); ADG was 15.3 and 15.4 g/d (P = 0.94); HP was 129 and 111 kcal/kg0.68 (P < 0.001); FCR was 4.888 and 4.057 (P < 0.001); and RHP was 0.12 and -0.12 kcal/kg0.68 (P = 0.73). The CON pullets had similar ADG, but higher MEI relative to PF, consistent with levels of heat production predicted by RHP. The PF pullets had lower cumulative FCR compared to CON pullets. The PF pullets lost less energy as heat, likely because they were fed continuously, reducing the need to store and mobilize nutrients compared to CON pullets. Thus, increased feeding frequency likely increased PF pullet efficiency.