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Biomedical subjects

R M Hulet

Publications and source records attributed to R M Hulet.

29 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effects of oviductal trauma on humoral anti-sperm antibody production and fertility in turkey breeder hens.

Varying degrees of oviductal trauma were induced in turkey breeder hens during artificial insemination to determine the effects on humoral anti-sperm antibody production and fertility. Two experiments were completed. Mode of artificial insemination had no effect on fertility or the production of serum anti-sperm antibodies in either experiment. It was concluded that no relationship exists between serum anti-sperm antibody titers and fertility.

Journal Article↗

The relationship of infertility to antibody production in the uterovaginal sperm storage tubules of turkey breeder hens.

Oviductal tissue from fertile and infertile turkey breeder hens was stained immuno-histochemically to test for the presence of antibody positive cells. Relatively infertile turkey hens (< 50% fertility) were found to have antibody positive cells within the uterovaginal sperm storage tubule epithelium, while fertile turkey hens (> 90% fertility) had no antibody positive cells. Data suggest a local immune response to spermatozoa exists in the uterovaginal sperm storage tubules of the turkey hen which may have a detrimental effect on fertility.

Journal Article↗

Effect of light sources and light intensity on growth performance and behavior of male turkeys.

This study consisted of two experiments: the first was conducted with Large White turkey males during the spring and summer (experiment 1) and the second during the autumn and winter (experiment 2). When 56 d of age, the birds were assigned to light-controlled pens and exposed to continuous illumination. Light sources used were incandescent, daylight fluorescent, warm fluorescent or high pressure sodium vapour lamps at light intensities of 10.8 or 86.1 lux. Results obtained showed that the light sources used had no significant effects on growth performance, efficiency of food utilization, feather scores or live bird quality of Large White turkeys. Social encounters were higher in birds reared under fluorescent and sodium vapour lights and mortality was higher in birds under fluorescent lights in experiment 1. Behaviour, feather scores, live bird grade and mortality were unaffected by light source treatments in experiment 2. Light intensity had no significant effect on growth, efficiency of food utilization, feather scores or bird market quality. Social encounters and mortality were higher in males exposed to 86.1 lux of light intensity.

Animals↗

Effects of dietary protein and added fat on turkeys varying in strain, sex, and age. 1. Live characteristics.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary protein and added fat on body weight, feed consumption, and feed efficiency of male and female Nicholas Large White (N), Jaindl Large White (JL), and Jaindl Medium White (JM) turkeys at various ages. At 8 wk of age, 162 males and 288 females from each strain were divided equally into six pens of males and six pens of females per strain. Each of 6 pelleted diets containing standard or high protein and 0, 5, or 10% added fat was fed to one pen of each sex and strain of turkeys. At 20 wk of age, N, JL, and JM males weighed 14.77, 11.56, and 9.00 kg, respectively, and females weighed 8.97, 7.49, and 5.75 kg, respectively. At 28 wk of age, N, JL, and JM males weighed 18.32, 15.10, and 11.65 kg, respectively, and females weighed 10.35, 9.12, and 7.04 kg, respectively. The feeding of diets containing 10% rather than 0% added fat from 8 to 20 wk of age decreased feed consumption 11.1 and 13.1% and increased feed efficiency 16.3 and 16.4% in males and females, respectively. Feeding high protein diets significantly increased body weight gains. The apparent smaller increase than previously experienced in feed efficiency from dietary added fat may be associated with the use of pelleted feed in this experiment.

Age Factors↗

Effects of dietary protein and added fat on turkeys varying in strain, sex, and age. 2. Carcass characteristics.

The effects of dietary protein and added fat on carcass characteristics were determined at various ages for female and male turkeys and from three strains: Nicholas Large White (N), Jaindl Large White (JL), and Jaindl Medium White (JM). A total of 1,350 turkeys was divided into 36 pens and fed diets containing 0, 5, or 10% added fat and standard or high protein levels from 8 wk of age to time of processing. One-fourth of the females and one-third of the males from each pen were processed at 16, 20, 24, or 28 wk and at 20, 24, or 28 wk, respectively. Breast meat weight, expressed as a percentage of carcass weight, was greater for JM and JL turkeys than for N turkeys (34.6, 33.9, and 31.7%, respectively), increased with age (31.9, 34.1, and 34.2% at 20, 24, and 28 wk of age, respectively), was greater for females than for males (34.2 and 32.6%, respectively), decreased with added fat (33.7, 33.4, and 33.1% for 0, 5, and 10% fat, respectively) and increased with a 3% addition of dietary protein (33.2 and 33.6%, respectively).

Age Factors↗

Turkey poult tolerance to diets containing deoxynivalenol (vomitoxin) and salinomycin.

Feed taken from a commercial turkey farm where poults had refused to eat the feed and high mortality had occurred was analyzed and found to contain .81 mg/kg vomitoxin and 2.2 mg/kg salinomycin. The present four experiments investigated the effects of diets containing salinomycin at 0, 2.2, 5.5, 11, and 22 mg/kg and vomitoxin at 0, 2.2, and 4.4 mg/kg. A factorial design with vomitoxin at 0 and 4.4 mg/kg and salinomycin at 0 and 22 mg/kg was used in Experiment 4. Poults fed the suspect commercial diet had significantly lower feed consumption and higher motality than poults fed a control diet (P less than .05). Poults (0 to 3 wk of age) fed diets containing vomitoxin (4.4 mg/kg), salinomycin (22 mg/kg), or both showed no significant decrease in feed consumption, body weight gain, or viability.

Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena↗

The effect of ambient temperature on turkey embryonic development at oviposition.

Stage of embryonic development at oviposition was measured in turkey breeder hens maintained in relatively warm and cool environments. The premise was that variations in embryonic development at oviposition might account for the decreased hatchability associated with warm summer temperatures. No treatment effect was found, as judged by somite counts after 52 h of incubation. Variation in embryonic development was as great within a hen as between hens, indicating that causative factor(s) other than stage of development at oviposition is the reason for reduced hatch of fertile eggs during periods of relatively high environmental temperature.

Journal Article↗

Controlled egg weight loss during incubation of turkey eggs.

Weight loss (12%) of turkey eggs in a commercial incubator by a weekly adjustment of relative humidity (RH) was compared in four independent trials with the industry standard of maintaining 58% RH. Trials 1 and 2 were conducted with eggs from one flock of recycled hens during their 14th and 20th week of lay, respectively. Trials 3 and 4 were conducted with first cycle hens during their 3rd and 10th week of lay, respectively. Hatch of eggs was significantly better when eggs were incubated to lose an optimum amount of weight. Hatch of fertile eggs was significantly improved (P less than .05) in all except Trial 2. Hatchability was best when loss of egg weight was not greater than 11.5% at 25 days of incubation.

Animals↗

Semen quality and fat accumulation in prepuberal and postpuberal male turkeys as affected by restricted feeding.

Growth, semen production, and carcass fat distribution were examined in adult male turkeys subjected to feed restriction from 10 to 46 weeks of age. Turkeys were randomly assigned to one of three feeding treatments: control (ad libitum) or restricted-fed to maintain body weight at 80% (80R) or 60% (60R) of the control toms. Feed consumption for the 80R and 60R males was decreased significantly by 27.3 and 50.9%, respectively, when compared with the control males during the 10 to 46-week production period. Feed restriction resulted in a 2-week delay in semen production as evidenced by reduced testis weights and reduced semen volume at 34 weeks of age. Semen production was not affected by feed restriction at 36 or 42 weeks of age. A major change in fat accumulation was found after exposure to a stimulatory lighting regimen. The change was from a uniform weight distribution among the fat stored in the abdominal, clavicular, and back at 28 weeks to a major increase in the clavicular fat depot at 34 weeks of age. Total fat accumulation was decreased significantly by feed restriction of turkey males.

Adipose Tissue↗

Behavior and growth parameters of large white turkeys as affected by floor space and beak trimming. II. Females.

The effects of floor space allowance and beak trimming on behavior and growth performance of female Large White turkeys were studied. Floor space allowances were 5.6, 7.0, and 9.3 dm2/bird from 0 to 8 weeks of age and 14.0, 18.6, and 23.2 dm2/bird from 8 to 16 weeks of age. Floor space was adjusted by changing pen size to assure a constant number of birds per pen. Results showed that neither floor space allowance nor beak trimming had any significant effect of any of the variables under study through 8 weeks of age. At 16 weeks of age, growth, feed consumption, feed efficiency, feather scores, live market quality grades, and mortality were still unaffected. Beak trimming significantly reduced body weight gain, body weight, and feed consumption but had no significant effect on feed efficiency, feather scores, or mortality. Agonistic (aggressive) behavior was very low in this population of females. Of significance, however, were the nonaggressive behaviors of social "pecking" and "pecking and pulling" of feathers. Feather-pecking activity was unaffected by previous or subsequent floor space allowances through 16 weeks of age; however, the incidence of pecking and pulling of feathers was highest among females previously assigned the largest floor space allowance (9.3 dm2/bird) in the brooder house and subsequently allowed the smallest floor space allowance (14.0 dm2/bird) in the grower house. Beak trimming significantly increased the frequency of both "pecking" and "pecking and pulling" of feathers over that of their untrimmed contemporaries when the females were 12 and 16 weeks of age. Possible reasons for this are discussed.

Aggression↗

Behavior and growth parameters of large white turkeys as affected by floor space and beak trimming. 1. Males.

The effects of floor space and beak trimming on behavior and growth of Large White male turkeys were investigated Floor space allowances were 6.5, 9.3, and 12.1 dm2/bird at 0 to 8 weeks; 11.7, 16.7, and 21.8 dm3/bird at 8 to 12 weeks; and 28, 35, and 42 dm3/bird at 12 to 20 weeks. Floor space was adjusted by changing the pen size while maintaining a constant number of birds per pen. Body weight, feed intake, feed efficiency, feather score, live market quality, and mortality were measured. In addition, agonistic behavior including "threat avoids", "peck avoids", "threat chases", "peck chases" and "fights", and nonagonistic behavior including feather "pecks" and "pecks and pulls" were determined at 12 and 20 weeks of age. Floor space had no significant effect on any parameter measured through 8 weeks. At 12 weeks, feed efficiency and body weight were significantly decreased with decreasing floor space. By 20 weeks, the body weight of the birds grown at the intermediate floor space allowance from 8 to 12 weeks was no longer significantly different from those grown at the highest floor space allowance; however, the birds grown at the highest density from 8 to 12 weeks remained significantly lighter at 20 weeks. Compensatory growth, if present, appeared limited. Beak trimming had no significant effect on body weight or feed efficiency. Food intake was significantly greater in the beak trimmed birds from 12 to 18, but there was no significant difference from 12 to 20 weeks. From 12 to 20 weeks, mortality was significantly less in beak-trimmed birds.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aggression↗