Frank Edens

• BSc, MS, Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at North Carolina State University

Limestone particle size (PS) affects its solubility and thus can influence broiler performance by altering the rate of calcium (Ca) release into the gastrointestinal tract. The objective of this research was to determine, using 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, the influence of PS (fine and coarse) and supplemented phytase (0 and 1,000 FYT/kg) in di...

Selenium is an important mineral required in the antioxidant system in animals, which is involved with oxidative stability in tissues, particularly membranes, and is involved in various aspects of meat quality and stability on the shelf, due to its protective properties on lipids, preventing rancidity. Se can be supplied in an inorganic or chemical...

An experiment was conducted to measure thioredoxin reductase (TrxR) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) enzymatic activity in organs and TrxR activity in liver subcellular fractions in young broiler chickens. Broilers were fed either a (1) Control basal diet (no supplemental selenium but with a background level of 0.095 mg/kg) or diets providing su...

Abstract 1. AT-402 (20 g/kg), a proprietary blend of Aloe ferox leaf extract and calcium bentonite, had no adverse effect on poult body weights at 3 weeks of age. 2. Lower body weights and lower feed consumption were observed in 4 weeks old poults given 10 and 20 g/kg of AT-402 compared to poults given 0 or 5 g/kg. 3. Floor-reared poults, given eit...

In field trials, heat-exposed chickens given Actigen®, a second generation mannan oligosaccharide (MOS) from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, maintained good intestinal health and performance. This investigation explored the influence of Actigen® on heat shock protein (HSP) responses in Ross 708 broiler chickens. Gender-segregated broilers were given eith...

Tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) is the most common skeletal anomaly associated with fast growth in broiler and turkey lines and often results in the occurrence of bone deformation and lameness. It is a fairly common cartilage defect associated with the prehypertrophic cartilage of the growth plate being retained in the metaphysis. The objective of thi...

1. The relationship between breeder age and chick gastrointestinal tract development to 21 days of age, as influenced by immediate or delayed access to feed, was examined in three consecutive trials. 2. Ross 708 chicks, derived from breeder flocks at 31 (young), 40 (middle) and 63 (old) weeks of age were placed randomly into either a control group...

Enteric Avian Reoviruses (ARV), associated with malabsorption, lower weight gains and increased mortality in broiler chickens, target enterocytes on intestinal villi causing villus dysfunction and decreased digestion and absorption of nutrients. This investigation examined whether enteric ARV infection with or without dietary Selenium (Se) (organic...

Sodium Selenite (SEL) has been the traditional source of Selenium (Se) in poultry diets, but Sel-Plex® (SP, a source of organic selenium in yeast protein, Alltech Inc.) has become widely used in several countries signaling its importance as a replacement for SEL. SP is equivalent or even superior to SEL in terms of gut absorption, performance, indu...

Normal or elevated selenium status of broilers, which is influenced by dietary selenium sources, improves the bird's ability to overcome the adverse effects of reactive oxygen metabolites. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding graded levels of peroxidized poultry fat on blood and hepatic glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px),...

Positive responses attributed to selenomethionine in Se-yeast (Sel-Plex<SUP>TM</SUP> [SP], Alltech, Inc., Nicholasville, KY 40356)-supplemented feed have increased the interest in use of SP in all phases of poultry production. Experiments to test the influence of SP on performance parameters in broiler males (Arbor Acres X Arbor Acres) in floor pen...

Large comb (LC) broiler cockerels, with high levels of testosterone and corticosterone, survived acute heat stress while small comb (SC) cockerels, with low levels of testosterone and corticosterone were more susceptible to heat stress and suffered higher mortality rates. This phenomenon was related to the greater ability of the LC and the lesser a...

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) could serve as a potential alternative to the feeding of antibiotics in poultry production. In this study, the effects of providing a DFM were compared with the feeding of salinomycin on intestinal histomorphometrics, and microarchitecture was examined. Broiler chicks (n=18 per treatment; trials 1 and 2) were fed a stand...

Successful Avian Reovirus (ARV) infections ultimately result in decreased weight gains coupled with increased mortality. Selenium (Se) is a structural component of Thioredoxin Reductase (TRX), an enzyme capable of quenching intracellular free radicals and influencing redox balance. The aim of this study was to determine the various effects that Se-...

Heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) family of proteins, which functions as molecular chaperones, has been associated with tolerance to stressors in avian species. Selenium (Se) is an essential trace mineral incorporated into the seleno-enzymes such as glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx). GSHpx reduces oxidized glutathione (GSSG) to reduced glutathione (GSH) i...

The effect of dietary selenium yeast, a source of organic selenium, on heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) responses, redox status, growth and feed utilization were evaluated either in enteropathogenic Escherichia coli-challenged (EPEC) or in heat-stressed (HS) male broiler chickens grown to 42 days of age. One day-old chicks in experiment 1 were challen...

Trypsin modulating oostatic factor (TMOF), a peptide hormone originally isolated from the ovaries of adult Aedes aegypti, is currently under commercial development as a new pesticide chemistry with a novel mode of action for the control of larval mosquitoes. The objective of the current research is to evaluate potential risks of the use of TMOF as...

It is known that ascorbic acid (AA) supplementation can ameliorate the chicken's responses to heat stress. The influence of AA on heart heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) and plasma corticosterone (CS) was evaluated in young male broiler chickens fed either no AA (N-AA) or 500 mg AA /kg (AA) and exposed to cyclic high temperatures (21 to 30 to 21 degree...

A 2 x 2 factorially arranged completely randomized experimental design was used to study the relationship between inorganic phosphorus (Pi) and heat shock protein (HSP) mRNA expression in different organs of commercial broiler cockerels during acute heat stress (HS). Brain, heart, liver and spleen were assayed for hsp70, hsp90alpha and hsp90beta mR...

Wheat varies in apparent metabolizable energy N-corrected (AMEn) due to the presence of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), which can be improved by dietary enzyme supplementation. Poults from 0-17 d-age were fed diets containing various wheat sources (WS) with or without Natugrain Blend^® (NB) (BASF, Germany). Five replicate cages of 10...

The adverse effects of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) on turkeys fed wheat-based diets may be alleviated by dietary supplementation of endoxylanase (to reduce the adverse effects of digesta viscosity) or phospholipase (to improve the digestibility of fat). BUTA toms were fed wheat-based diets containing one of 5 enzyme treatments: unsupplemented...

Dietary ascorbic acid (AA) and heat stress (HS) affect heat shock protein 70 (hsp70) and body temperature (BT) of strain cross white Leghorn chickens. At five weeks of age, chicks fed either no supplemental AA (N-AA) or 200 mg/kg AA (AA) were subjected to either HS (42 degrees C) or maintained in control (CN, 23 degrees C) ambient temperature (T(a)...

Selenium is an essential trace element that up-regulates a major component of the antioxidant defense mechanism by controlling the body's glutathione (GSH) pool and its major Se-containing antioxidant enzyme, glutathione peroxidase (GPX). Evidence has emerged suggesting that organic selenium, natural seleno-amino acids found in plants, grains and s...

Over the past 50 years, there has been increasing amounts of antibiotics used prophylactically and as growth promoters. Today, there is a consumer and governmental outcry to eliminate that practice from poultry and livestock production. Evidence has been accumulated to show that there is a link between risk of zoonotic disease and growth promoting...

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) has multiple etiological agents associated with its occurrence, including two viruses and at least three Escherichia coli isolates. Myco Curb (MC) contains organic acids and is used as a feed additive to inhibit growth of many bacteria and toxin-producing molds but not viruses. Studies evaluating the in...

SUMMARY A comparison of performance and P reduction in litter and manure from broilers fed rations with and without phytase enzyme was made with chickens reared on litter or in cages. Low-activity phytase supplemented as a dry powder to mash diets did not affect performance, but litter P accumulation was decreased 14 to 21% in the finisher phase. M...

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) is an acute, infectious intestinal disease of turkey poults, characterized by high mortality and 100% morbidity, that decimated the turkey industry in the mid-1990s. The etiology of PEMS is not completely understood. This report describes the testing of various filtrates of fecal material from control a...

The interaction of a poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS)-turkey astrovirus-Ohio State University (TAst-OSU) with the mononuclear phagocytic system cells, namely macrophages, was examined after in vitro and in vivo exposure. In vitro exposures were performed by incubating adherent turkey macrophages with various volumes of 106 50% embryo i...

The effects of hen age, Escherichia coli, and dietary Bio-Mos and Flavomycin on poult performance from 1 to 21 d were studied. Day-of-hatch BUTA (BIG-6) male poults were gavaged orally (1 mL) with approximately 10(8) cfu/mL E. coli composed of four serotypes or sterile carrier broth. A mixture of the same E. coli cultures was added to the poults' w...

A majority of the broilers produced around the world are sexed on the basis of rapid-feathering females or slow-feathering males, which is facilitated by the presence of the sex-linked, auto-sexing, slow-feathering K gene in males. Recent advances in materials have allowed development of a caging system that is a viable alternative to the tradition...

Forty-eight Angus and Hereford x Angus steers were used to determine the effects of copper (Cu) on lipid and catecholamine metabolism. Steers were stratified by weight within breed and randomly assigned to treatments. Treatments consisted of 0 (control, no supplemental Cu), 10, or 40 mg of supplemental Cu (from Cu2(OH)3Cl)/kg DM. Steers were fed a...

Severe wasting of body tissues, diarrhea, high morbidity and mortality, and stunting are all characteristics of poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS). The wasting of musculature and loss of nearly all adipose tissue suggested that even though the PEMS-infected poults were eating some feed, nutrient intake was not sufficient to meet body req...

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS), a disease that affects turkeys between 7 and 28 d of age, causes a severe inflammation of the intestinal tract and is characterized in poults by severe diarrhea, high morbidity, mortality, and stunting. The PEMS-associated mortality and growth depression is related to malabsorption and decreased metabo...

Poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) is an acute, transmissible, infectious intestinal disease associated with high mortality and morbidity in turkey poults. Earlier studies demonstrated immune dysfunction, involving both humoral and cell-mediated immunity, associated with PEMS. The current study examined cytokines and metabolites produced...

On the day of hatching, four groups of poults [Control, L-tryptophan methylester (LTME), Bordetella avium-infected, and B. avium-infected plus LTME] were established and placed into heated metal brooding batteries. Bordetella avium infection caused a significant depression in body temperature within 24 h after intranasal challenge with the W strain...

Peripheral leukocyte heat shock proteins (HSP: HSP90, HSP70, and HSP23) from broiler chickens and turkey poults were induced by in vitro and in vivo high temperature exposure. Heat conditioning, via a daily 1 h exposure to 41 C, enhanced in vitro HSP expression in leukocytes from chickens heat-conditioned for 1 to 2 wk, and a similar response was f...

Turkey poults were inoculated at hatch with the "W" isolate of Bordetella avium. At 17 d of age, serum copper levels and ceruloplasmin activities were determined. The trachea and aorta were analyzed for collagen and elastin content in an attempt to relate these structural proteins to the clinical observations of tracheal ring distortion and cardiac...

In vivo and in vitro mononuclear phagocytic system functions, expression of lymphocyte subset cell surface markers in the thymus and bursa of Fabricius, and lymphocyte subset dynamics during the course of poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) were examined. PEMS is an acute, transmissible, infectious intestinal disease accompanied by high m...

A metabolic dysfunction contributes to the poor performance and mortality associated with Poult Enteritis and Mortality Syndrome (PEMS). Within 2 d after contact-exposed poults were removed from the presence of PEMS-infected poults and returned to their respective treatment rooms to infect experimental poults, the experimental poults began to huddl...

Studies were conducted to determine the influence of the interactions among litter moisture (high [HiM]> or =40% vs low [LoM]< or =20%), brooding temperature (high [HiB] = 38 C vs normal [NrB] = 34 C), and development of poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS) as indicated by body weights, relative weights of lymphoid organs, and mortality in...

Two colonial types (1 and 2) of Escherichia coli are represented predominantly in cultures isolated from turkey poults with poult enteritis and mortality syndrome (PEMS). Biotype codes determined using two systems (BBL: 36570 and 34560 for colony types 1 and 2, respectively; API-20E: 5144572 and 5144512 for colony types 1 and 2, respectively) clear...

Avian growth depression (AGD) has been cited as the costliest disease affecting the poultry industry. It occurs when young chickens or turkeys are exposed to nutritional, environmental, and/or microbiological stressors. In this report we describe model systems developed to study AGD in chickens under controlled laboratory conditions. Mild intermitt...

Turkeys hatched and brooded under commercial conditions exhibit performance losses caused by avian growth depression (AGD). Previous studies carried out under controlled laboratory conditions showed that these losses could be moderated significantly by early probiotic intervention with viable, host-specific strains of Lactobacillus reuteri. Evidenc...

To date, no definitive etiology has been described for Poult Enteritis and Mortality Syndrome (PEMS). However, two atypical Escherichia coli colony types are isolated consistently from moribund and dead poults afflicted with PEMS. To test the infectivity of these E. coli strains, poults were placed into floor pens in three isolation treatment rooms...

Poult Enteritis and Mortality Syndrome (PEMS) is a condition of yet undefined etiology. Affected flocks may exhibit 100% morbidity with mortality up to 50% or more between 2 to 4 wk of age. The current study reports the immune status of poults experimentally infected with PEMS agent(s) in various trials. When compared with the unchallenged controls...

The data that have been presented indicate that the in ovo use of competitive exclusion (CE) agents is feasible for both chickens and turkeys. However, there are many pitfalls that await the use of in ovo application of CE agents, including the use of nonspecies-specific intestinal microbes and the use of harmful proteolytic, gas-producing and toxi...

Cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (GST) activities toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitro-benzene (CDNB), 1,2-dichloro-4-nitrobenzene (DCNB), ethacrynic acid (EA), 1,2-epoxy-3-(p-nitrophenoxyl)propane (EPNP), trans-4-phenyl-3-buten-2-one (t-PBO), δ3-androstene-3,17-dione (ASD) and trans-stilbene oxide (t-SO); cytosolic glutathione peroxidase activity toward...

Experiments were designed to test the hypothesis that chicks that drank an electrolyte solution containing K prior to and during an acute exposure to heat would have greater thermotolerance than chicks that consumed only water. In three experiments, 5- or 7-wk-old male chickens drank distilled water (control), or .3, .6, or .9% KCl solutions (Exper...

A synthetic opioid agonist, FK 33-824 ([D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Met-(O)5-ol]- enkephalin), was administered intramuscularly at levels of 0, 1, 25, or 625 micrograms/kg of body weight to 4-wk-old Arbor Acres x Arbor Acres broiler cockerels. All levels of FK 33-824 caused the birds to be sedated, with the highest dose causing deep sedation over the 240-min...

A study was conducted to examine the effects of thermal preconditioning on the water-holding properties of chicken breast and leg meat. An initial experiment was performed by heat shocking (40 to 41 C for 1 h) and euthanatizing broilers at 3 to 6 wk of age. As seen commercially, heat caused higher drip loss, and the majority of this loss for breast...

Broiler chicken exposed to 41°C and 50% relative humidity for 60 min induced hsp70 mRNA in blood leukocytes, testes, and bursa of Fabricius. Daily heat conditioning for 3 weeks maximized expressed of testicular hsp70 mRNA. Greater amounts of hsp70 mRNA transcripts were observed in testes and bursa of Fabricius of large-comb cockerels than in small-...

1. Estradiol supplementation resulted in heat-stress mortality in both intact and caponized cockerels accompanied by depressed plasma corticosterone. 2. Phenotype-selection for large comb and high plasma testosterone increased heat tolerance which was attributed to an increased plasma corticosterone. 3. The results suggested that the presence of te...

1.1. Thermal stress, in vitro and in vivo, induced the synthesis of heat-shock proteins, HSP90, HSP70, and HSP23 in turkey leukocytes.2.2. HSP induction was both temperature- and time-dependent.3.3. Salinity-specific stress proteins were expressed with elevated osmolality in culture medium.

The tolerance of chickens to acute heat stress may be modified by diet. Broiler chickens fed calcium-adequate (0.90% Ca) or -deficient (0.45% or 0.15% Ca) diets were either fed or not fed for 24 h and exposed to increasing temperatures (from 24 to 41 degrees C). Diets were fed for 7 d before heat stress in Experiment 1 and for 14 d before heat stre...

1. During acute in vivo heat stress, a normal heat shock protein (HSP) response was not inducible in chickens deficient in inorganic phosphorus (P(i)-deficient). 2. Small quantities of HSP 70 and HSP 90 were induced, but little or no HSP 23 was induced in P(i)-deficient chickens compared to P(i)-adequate chickens. 3. Increased susceptibility of P(i...

The solubilized parasporal crystalline proteins (SPCP) of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis when administered to Japanese quail by intraabdominal (IA) injection were toxic with an LD50 at 24 hr of 22.8 mg/kg. No deaths were noted by intranasal, subcutaneous, and intravenous administration. SPCP were highly hemolytic against quail red blood...

1. 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) administered in ovo enhanced in primary immune response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) in chicks 2. Splenic norepinephrine levels increased during the peak anti-SRBC response. 3. Cell-mediated immunity as measured by delayed-type hypersensitivity to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) was not affected by treatment with 6-OHD...

Electrocardiograms (ECGs) were recorded from turkey poults infected with the W isolate of Bordetella avium. Strip chart data (amplitudes and intervals) were measured at 7, 14, 21, and 28 days postinoculation and compared with data from uninoculated controls. B. avium infection altered P-, RS-, and T-wave amplitudes, as well as P-R and S-T intervals...

Niacin was added daily to the drinking water of control and Bordetella avium-infected turkey poults at a dosage of 0, 70, and 280 mg/liter over a 2-week experimental period. Fourteen days postinoculation, tracheal sections were examined by histological and morphometrical analysis of cilia, as well as agar plate isolation for bacteria. Infected poul...

Plasma triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and corticosterone (CS) were measured in fasted and nonfasted control and Bordetella avium-infected poults. The stress of B. avium infection increased plasma CS, and fasting for 24 hours caused a further significant increase in CS levels. Plasma T3 was not affected by the infection, but fasting caused a...

1. Catecholamines suppress cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity (CBH) to intradermal phytohemagglutinin (PHA-P) challenge in chickens. 2. E. coli 0127:B8 endotoxin, reserpine, and propranolol prevented a norepinephrine-induced suppression of CBH. 3. PHA-P induced CBH appeared to be mediated through a beta-adrenergic receptor mechanism associated wit...

1. Splenic and heart ventricular NE levels and plasma corticosterone concentrations were increased following E. coli endotoxin administration in three-week-old chicks. 2. Chicks receiving either reserpine or propranolol injection before endotoxin exhibited increased NE in both tissues while only splenic 5-HT increased in birds receiving propranolol...

1. Liver tryptophan 2,3-dioxygenase (TPO) activity was depressed significantly by the Bordetella avium infection localized in the trachea of the turkey poult. 2. Tryptophan, given orally, induced a significant increase in TPO activity in both control and infected poults. 3. Hydrocortisone induced TPO activity in the turkey in a dose dependent manne...

1. Plasma creatinine and inorganic phosphorus were increased in manganese oxide (Mn3O4)-treated adult male Coturnix quail, but BUN, BUN/creatinine ratio, uric acid, and total calcium were decreased. 2. Serum enzymes (alkaline phosphatase, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and lactic dehydrogenase) were elevated in Mn...

Coturnix coturnix japonica, selected for large adult weight (Fatty), were 40% heavier than random-bred controls (RB). Given dietary lead (50 or 500 mg/kg) from hatching, fatty (10%) showed a smaller decrease in body weight than did RB (22%) at 6 weeks. Egg production was lower in Fatty, and lead (500 mg/kg) caused a greater suppression in Fatty. Le...

1. Plasma catecholamines were determined in turkey embryos. 2. Decreased eggshell permeability depressed dopamine and epinephrine, but increased permeability also depressed epinephrine. 3. Norepinephrine (NE) was greatest before transition to convective respiration when hypoxia occurs. 4. NE was associated inversely with eggshell permeability. 5. C...

1. The tolerance of chickens to acute heat stress, evaluated by the time required to reach the critical body temperature (Tr) of 44.5 degrees C, was markedly enhanced as the period of fasting was extended. 2. Fasting reduced the rates of heat-induced changes in blood acid-base and electrolyte status. 3. Changes in Tr were correlated with changes in...

The effects of subclinical NH3 toxicity on circulating and regulatory hormone concentrations were investigated in seven Hereford steers. Ammonium chloride (NH4Cl) was infused via a right jugular vein catheter at a rate of 12 mumol NH4Cl.kg BW-1.min-1 for 240 min. This was preceded (PRE) and followed (POST) by saline infusions of 120 and 180 min, re...

The involvement of the central nervous system in the hypothermia induced by chlordecone was studied by evaluating the effects of infusions of chlordecone injected into the lateral and third ventricles and the cisterna magna on colonic temperature (Tcol). Compared to rats given vehicle, infusions of 40, 320 or 800 micrograms of chlordecone into the...

Adrenergic involvement in the hypothermia produced by systemically administered chlordecone (CLD) was evaluated in the rat using intracisternal pretreatment with 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA), alpha-adrenergic receptor antagonists (phenoxybenzamine and phentolamine) and beta-adrenergic antagonists (propranolol and atenolol). The effect of intraperiton...

1. Furazolidone (30 mg/kg) given orally for 14 days produced significant increases in the hypothalamic concentrations of noradrenaline, adrenaline and dopa. The amine concentrations returned to normal one week after withdrawal of the drug. 2. Nitrofurazone (30 mg/kg) given orally for 14 days did not affect significantly the hypothalamic amine conce...

1.1. Serum glucose, serum lipid, feed consumption and yolk weights of developing turkey poults were measured daily and associated with early poult mortality.2.2. The first peak in poult mortality at 4–5 days followed nadirs in feed consumption, yolk weights and serum lipids.3.3. The second peak in mortality at days 8–10 followed a decrease in serum...

A commercially available antibiotic and nutrient solution was prefed by gavage into the crops of newly hatched poults, which were then brooded under standard conditions of continuous lighting, 35-C temperatures, and ad libitum feed. Treated poults exhibited higher feed consumption, hematocrits, and total red blood cells during the week following th...

Six hours post-hatch, large white turkey poults were inoculated intranasally with 5 x 10(7) cells of the W isolate of Bordetella avium. Three hours after inoculation and subsequently on days 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 postinoculation, poults from infected and control groups were killed by cervical dislocation. Thymus, spleen, and bursa of Fabricius were...

To investigate the mechanism(s) involved in chlordecone (CLD)-induced hypothermia, we examined colonic (Tcol) and tail skin (Tsk) temperatures, preferred ambient temperature (Ta), evaporative water loss, and metabolic rate following CLD exposure in the rat. Single ip dosages (0, 50, and 75 mg/kg) in corn oil were administered to Fischer-344 rats. A...

Six hours post-hatch, large white turkey poults were inoculated intranasally with 5 X 10(7) organisms of the "W" isolate of Bordetella avium. Three hours after inoculation and subsequently on days 7, 10, 14, 21, and 28 postinoculation, 30 infected and 30 uninfected control poults were injected intramuscularly with alpha methylparatyrosine (AMPT, 25...

1. In adult male Coturnix coturnix japonica neither norepinephrine (NE) nor serotonin (5HT) in various brain regions were affected by caging density (174 cm2-8/cage; 348 cm2-4/cage; 696 cm2-2/cage). Dopamine (DA) in diencephalon was elevated in high density cages. 2. Peck order rank was assigned on the basis of feather distribution on head, neck an...

Daily body, heart, liver, spleen, pancreas and bursa of Fabricius weights of developing turkey poults were measured. Neither organ nor body weight was affected by sex of the poults during the first 10 days posthatch. Decreases in growth were apparent between days 3 and 6 or 7 and 9 posthatch and coincided with peaks in early mortality.

Packed cell volume, total leukocytes, total erythrocytes, hemoglobin, mean cell volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration of the poult were analyzed daily for the first 10 days posthatch. Sexually dimorphic effects on hematological parameters were not apparent, but there was a sex X day interaction for all parameters except hemoglobin in...

Depletion of brain regional norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA) after alpha methyl-paratyrosine (AMT), and serotonin (5HT) were measured in intact and caponized adult male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Telencephalon, diencephalon, and cerebellum DA was depleted by AMT treatment, but brain stem was not affected. AMT-induced depletion o...

Physiological manifestations of social stress in stable and unstable (resident and visitor) pairs of adult male Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) were compared after 7, 14, 21 and 28 days of regrouping. Unstable pairs had reduced body and relative testes (mg/100 g) weights. Plasma cholesterol was increased significantly in unstable pairs,...

Aggressive behavior and whole brain neurochemistry were measured in stable and unstable pairs of male Coturnix coturnix japonica. Aggressive pecking peaked on day 5 of the daily regrouping regime and returned to a basal level on day 14. Aggressive behavior was associated with increased brain norepinephrine (NE), dopamine (DA), and acetylcholinester...

Chlordecone (0.1 to 10 mg) or corn oil vehicle was injected into Japanese quail eggs on day 1 of incubation. Higher doses (0.5-10 mg per egg) produced tremor and ataxia at hatching and dose-related decreases in hatchability and survivability. Doses lower than 0.25 mg per egg had no effects. Gonad weights were not affected at 12 weeks of age. A seco...

A study was conducted in which male and female Japanese quail were fed dietary lead as lead acetate from hatch through 12 weeks of age. Lead was added to the diet at 0, 1, 10, 100, and 1000 mg/kg feed. Significant reductions in whole brain acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were found at all treatment levels. Additionally, a sexual dimorphism in...

Shells of hatching and nonhatching Large White turkey eggs were examined for magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus content. Eggshells containing embryos that hatched contained significantly (P<.05) more magnesium than shells from nonhatching eggs. No differences were seen in their calcium content. Eggshells from pipped eggs contained significantly (P<...

Male Japanese quail were chronically exposed to 5000 ppm manganese (Mn) as particulate manganese oxide (Mn3O4) in their diet from hatching to 75 days of age. No decrements in growth or in other indices of general toxicity were noted. There were significant (P<.05) age-related increases in general locomotor activity in the control group, although no...

Long-Evans rat pups were dosed orally from birth to 21 d with particulate Mn3O4 to obtain a daily dose of 0, 71, or 214 micrograms Mn/body weight . d. Assessments of the hypothalamic, pituitary, or testicular functions were determined by measuring the endogenous or stimulated serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing h...

The post-hatch growth of Japanese quail, weight selected at hatch, was investigated. The quail were grouped according to hatch weight as follows: Group I, 5.5-6.2 g; Group II, 6.3-7.0 g; and Group III, 7.1-7.6 g. Group III quail were 25 and 12% heavier at hatching than Group I and II quails, respectively, and reached a mature body weight which was...

The serum levels of corticosterone, total calcium, inorganic phosphorus, protein, sodium, and potassium were determined for turkey poults from 1 to 42 days of age. Corticosterone levels were higher at days 10, 14, 21, and 28 in Alcaligenes faecalis-infected turkeys than in uninfected poults. The corticosterone responses in this study indicate that...

Long-Evans rat pups were dosed orally from birth to 21 d with particulate mn/sub 3/O/sub 4/ to obtain a daily dose of 0, 71, or 214 ..mu..g Mn/body weight . d. Assessments of the hypothalamic, pituitary, or testicular functions were determined by measuring the endogenous or stimulated serum concentrations of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), lute...

Experiments were conducted to investigate the colonic temperature (TC) response to Alcaligenes faecalis infection in turkeys. One-day-old poults were inoculated intranasally with 0.05 ml of a 24 hour brain heart infusion (BHI) broth culture with a bacterial concentration of 1.0 x 10(9) cells/ml. Within 2 hours after inoculation TC was depressed sig...

Four-week-old Japanese quail were placed in either stable (isolate) or unstable (resident-visitor) groupings in this study. The visitor quail were transferred daily to cages containing unfamiliar residents, and the isolate quail were handled daily. The immune responsiveness to sheep red blood cells (SRBC), as indicated by production of hemagglutini...

Two dissimilar fluorometric procedures were used to compare norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin in the telencephalon, diencephalon, cerebellum, and brain stem of female Japanese quail. Amount of norepinephrine in the telencephalon and brain stem was similar using both procedures, but more norepinephrine was found in the cerebellum and diencepha...

A study was conducted to compare the response of chicken hens and Japanese quail hens to various levels of dietary lead as plumbus acetate. Egg production was decreased significantly in quail receiving 1 mg lead/kg of diet from day of hatch, and 10 mg lead/kg diet was required to suppress egg production when the metal was given to the quail hens af...