Okanlawon Mohammed Onagbesan

• BSc, PhD
• Managing Director at Federal University of Agriculture

Consumers' need to prefer pathogen-free animal products has led nutritionists to increasingly look for alternatives to synthetic additives, of which garlic has been considered as a natural additive. Therefore, a 12-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the potential of the dietary allicin-rich extract on the performance of laying hens. Ei...

This study investigated the effects of dietary Hermetia illucens larvae meal as a substitute for a fish meal on productive performance, follicular development and reproductive hormones of laying hens from 0 to 55 weeks of age. A total of 480 day-old Isa Brown egg-type chickens were assigned to four dietary treatments: replacement of fish meal with...

This study investigated the effects and possible interactions of storage and non-ventilation during incubation for eggs from Sasso broiler breeder flock on pre- and post-hatch incubation results. A total of 1, 260 Sasso eggs from a 58-weeks old broiler breeder flock were individually numbered, weighed and stored for 7 d or for 18 d in a climate-con...

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...

The occurrence of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was first reported in Wuhan, Hubei province of China in December 2019, has now spread to all continents – including Africa. The coronaviruses, which are a family of ribonucleic acid viruses, circulate in both mammals and birds. The COVID-19 virus has been suggested to emanate from wildlif...

An experiment was conducted with 240, unsexed day old Arbor Acre broiler chicks to evaluate the benefit of replacing full fat soya (FFSM) with whole kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed meal (WKSM) in the diets on the haematology, serum biochemistry and organs weight of the broiler chicken in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, consisting two processing...

Two hundred and forty (240), unsexed day old Arbor Acre broiler chicks were used to evaluate the effects of replacing whole kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.) seed meal (WKSM) with full fat soybean meal (FFSM) in the diets on the performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chicken in a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement, consisting two processing metho...

Increased egg storage duration decreases hatchability and quality of keets. There is however a lack of information on effect of egg storage duration on keets' post-hatch growth. This study investigated the effects of hatching egg storage duration on growth performance of keets. A total of 1000 guinea fowl eggs were used. They were numbered, weighed...

The blastoderm, which represents the fertilized germinal disc, undergoes cellular events of division, differentiation and organization to achieve embryonic development in chickens. In this study, blastodermal cell counts and hatching performance of Marshall® broiler breeders as influenced by flock age and egg storage were investigated. A total of 1...

The aim of the study was to examine the effects of age of broiler breeders and storage duration on quality traits and blastoderm of eggs obtained from Marshall® broiler breeders. A total of 320 eggs were collected from two flocks, 43 weeks and 65 weeks old. Eggs were sampled immediately after collection and subjected to storage duration of 0 (contr...

An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) on breeder hen performance, hatching egg quality and blood parameters. A total of 180 Sasso broiler breeder hens were used for the study. They were allotted to two groups each containing 3 replicates of 30 hens of 18 weeks of age. Dietary treatments were a control...

The role of receptors in the exertion of the hormonal effect on their target cell creates a better understanding of the mechanism of action of hormones. In the snail, Archachatina marginata, there is a dearth of information on the gene expression of FSH and LH receptors. This experiment was conducted to determine the effects of exogenous administra...

Moringa oleifera in feed post-hatch improves growth in early postnatal life. One may question the effects of Moringa oleifera after in ovo feeding. This study was carried out to determine the effect of different time periods of in ovo inoculation of Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) extract on hatchability and juvenile growth performance. For the exper...

The steady accumulation of mutations over long periods gives rise to MHC polymorphisms and this impacts how each species responds to the host organisms. The nucleotide sequences of MHC class I, II and III genes were retrieved from six selected mammalian livestock species from GenBank, NCBI. ClustalX 2.1 and MUSCLE in the MEGA 7 software were used f...

Demand for Giant African Land Snail in Nigeria is so high such that it is very difficult to meet up with the supply as a protein source. However, during dry season, production at intensive level is often challenged with decline in growth and reproduction despite interventions to boost production. This study therefore evaluates the effect of zinc ox...

A comparative study was conducted to evaluate hemagglutination potential in the haemolymph of two species of giant African land snails (Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina). Three liveweight groups of snails (< 100 g, 101-150 g and >150 g) were used with 4 replicates per liveweight per species for hemagglutination assay (HA). The effect of...

To measure the impact of supplementing a forage diet with tree-based browse on the ruminal bacterial communities of Nigerian West African Dwarf (WAD) sheep. Fifteen WAD sheep were fed a control diet of forage (Panicum maximum), with 12 animals shifted in groups of three to one of four browse-supplemented diets (Albizia saman, Bridelia micrantha, Fi...

A study was conducted on evaluation of inhibitory activity of epiphgram from albino and normal skinned giant African land snail (Archachatina marginata). After aestivation, epiphgram were collected from twenty snails (10, albino and 10 normal skinned). The epiphgram were washed, air dried and ground into powder form. Minimum inhibitory concentratio...

Increasing egg storage duration affects egg internal quality, especially albumen quality by increasing pH and decreasing Haugh Unit (HU). But, in most of African contexts, egg producers, sellers and consumers store the eggs in different conditions regardless of quality deterioration. In this study, 1920 eggs produced by Lohmann layer flocks of 48 w...

Effects of milking frequency on milk yield, dry matter intake (DMI) and effeciency of feed utilization for milk production was investigated in West African Dwarf (WAD) goats at Abeokuta in the humid zone of South Western Nigeria. Seventeen WAD goats were fed a ration comprising (on dry matter basis) 50% grass (Pennisetum purpureum) and 50% concentr...

Se estudiaron los efectos sinérgicos del factor de crecimiento II similar a la insulina (ICF-II) solo o asociado a hormona folículo estimulante (FSH), sobre la producción de progesterona y estradiol por las células de granulosa bovinas (GC) cultivadas in vitro. Las GC, obtenidas de ovarios de vacas sacrificadas, fueron cultivadas durante cuatro día...

A comparative study of the reproductive tract of two species of Giant African Land Snails, Archachatina marginata and Achatina achatina was carried out. Three groups of snails weighing 80-100,101-150 and 151-250 g were used in a 2x3 factorial design, with 5 replicates, involving a total of 30 snails. Dimensions and weights of retractor penile muscl...

This study was carried out to assess the prevalence of mange in sheep and goats in five local government areas (LGAs) of Ogun State in South Western Nigeria. A total of 4,973 sheep and 7,902 goats of West African Dwarf breeds were sampled of which only 4 (0.08%) of sheep and 42 (0.53%) of goats were confirmed positive for mange infestation. In all...

Aims: Morphological evaluation of seeds and growing plants used for certification for purity and variety distinctness in Nigeria is time consuming and expensive. This experiment set to evaluate the usefulness of SSR markers to determine genetic purity of commercial hybrids and their inbred lines. Place and Duration of Study: Bioscience unit, Intern...

This study aimed at evaluating the influence of stocking density and air velocity on behaviour and performance of broilers in a 28-day trial. Two hundred and fifty-two 4 weeks old Anak broilers were randomly assigned to three levels of stocking density (0.11m2/bird, 0.14m2/bird, 0.20m2/bird) and two levels of air velocity (0.5m/s and 4.0m/s) in a 2...

The nutritional profile of the leaves and stem of Stevia rebaudiana, and their potential utilization in an animal model were studied. Stevia leaves and stem had 16% and 6.7% crude protein and were low in fat content (2.6 and 1.1%) respectively. The fatty acid profile of fat showed a preponderance of unsaturated fatty acids (65.8% and 71.4% for leav...

A QTL located in the paternally expressed insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) gene is known to increase muscle growth and reduce fat deposition in pigs. This makes the QTL in IGF2 a good marker for use in pig breeding programmes. However, care has to be taken as it is postulated that increased leanness and lowered fat deposition may have a negative...

The effects of in ovo injection of L-carnitine on hatchability and juvenile performance of 360 layer-type chicks were investigated. Fertilized eggs were injected in air chamber with L-carnitine (500 and 1000 μmol) dissolved in 0.9% of Saline (NaCl) at d 18 of incubation. Two control groups (non-injected and injected with 0.9% of Saline were also in...

Broiler performance is known to be related to embryonic developmental parameters. However, strain or genotype differences with regard to embryo physiological parameters and juvenile growth have received little attention. A total of 1,200 hatching eggs produced by Cobb and Ross broiler breeders of the same age were studied. At setting for incubation...

Increasing evidence shows that factors which can alter in the internal and external environment of the hatching egg have repercussions not only on embryonic development, hatchability and day-old-chick quality but most probably also on post-hatch growth performance. Incubation of fertile eggs, and thus embryonic development, takes place under specif...

Se estudió el perfil nutricional de hojas y tallos de Stevia rebaudiana y su potencial empleo en un modelo animal. Las hojas y tallos de Stevia rebaudiana tienen 16% y 6,7% de proteína bruta y bajo contenido de grasa (2,6 y 1,1%) respectivamente. La grasa extraída mostró un predominio de ácidos grasos insaturados (65,8% y 71,4% para hojas y tallos...

To evaluate the prebiotic potential and intestinal fermentation products of wheat bran-derived arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) in relation to their structure, 5 preparations with structurally different AXOS were included ( approximately 4% wt:wt) in rat diets that mimicked the average Western human diet composition. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), f...

This book contains chapters that discuss the breeding, reproduction, behaviour, housing, feeding, health and welfare of broiler chickens, turkeys and ducks for meat production.

In recent years, it has become apparent that components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system are involved in the regulation of ovarian follicular development in sheep. The majority of previous studies have concentrated on investigating only a select few components and not the whole system. The aim of the present study was to use five seas...

A perennial schrub, stevia, and its extracts are used as a natural sweetener and have been shown to possess antimicrobial properties. Stevia contains high levels of sweetening glycosides including stevioside which is thought to possess antimicrobial and antifungal properties. Little is known about the nutritional value of the schrub in livestock. T...

There is now overwhelming evidence that the avian ovary is a site of production and action of several growth factors that have also been implicated in the functioning of the mammalian ovary. Several members of the Insulin-like growth factor family (IGF), the Epidermal growth factor family (EGF), the Transforming growth factor-beta family (TGF-beta)...

To evaluate the prebiotic potential and intestinal fermentation products of wheat bran-derived arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) in relation to their structure, 5 preparations with structurally different AXOS were included (;4% wt:wt) in rat diets that mimicked the average Western human diet composition. Xylooligosaccharides (XOS), fructooligosacc...

In vivo experiments were conducted to verify whether arabinoxylooligosaccharides (AXOS) obtained as low molecular mass compounds by enzymic hydrolysis from wheat bran arabinoxylan (AX) can exert nutritional effects. Two feeding trials were performed on chickens fed diets with either wheat or maize as the main component. Supplementation of bran AXOS...

This study was designed to test the effect of pre- and post-hatch temperature conditioning or a combination of both, on the acquisition of heat tolerance during the adult life of broiler chickens. Nine hundred hatching eggs produced by Cobb broiler breeders were incubated at standard incubation conditions until d 16. Half of the eggs were subjected...

1. A total of 1200 Cobb broiler breeder eggs were incubated under either standard conditions (C group) or high CO(2) levels (CO(2) group) during the first 10 d of incubation. The CO(2) level of the CO(2) incubator was attained gradually by a natural build-up of CO(2) due to air-tight closure of the incubator. From d 10 of incubation onwards, all eg...

Despite thorough selection during the last decade, the incidence of ascites is still high in modern broiler strains. Although ascites occurs mostly at the end of the rearing period, there are indications that the etiology of this problem may have started during embryonic development. Recent studies have shown that the post-hatch performance of the...

Embryonic development is a dynamic process that requires a fine balance between several factors in order to achieve an optimum hatchability and chick quality. These factors include the background of the embryo, such as genetic line of the breeders, the age of the breeder, egg weight, and factors related to the environment in which the egg is stored...

Recent studies show the importance of differential CO2 levels during the first half of incubation of chicken eggs on embryonic and postnatal growth. However, it is not known how external higher CO2 levels affect embryonic acid-base balance. In this study, the effect of an early rise in CO2, between 25th and 96th hour of incubation to 1.5% and maint...

This study investigated the effect of non-ventilation of the incubator during the first 10 days of incubation and its combination with dexamethasone administration at day 16 or 18 of incubation on hatching parameters and embryo and post-hatch chick juvenile physiology. A total of 2400 hatching eggs produced by Cobb broiler breeders were used for th...

In chickens and in animals in general, growth is influenced by genotype as well as by environmental factors including nutrition. Hormonal changes form, in part, the causal link between these interacting factors and the physiological processes leading to growth. It is well established that growth-related hormones (GH, SS) play different roles in dif...

The hatchability of 205 incubation settings of eggs produced on 9 farms of Cobb broiler breeders was analyzed. For each farm, data from two successive flocks were analyzed. The age of the breeders for each flock varied from 28 to 60 weeks. The storage time of the eggs varied from 2 to 9 days under practical conditions (15°C and 70% of relative humi...

Pit-1 is a pituitary-specific POU-domain DNA binding factor, which binds to and trans-activates promoters of growth hormone- (GH), prolactin- (PRL) and thyroid stimulating hormone-beta- (TSHbeta) encoding genes. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is located in the hypothalamus and stimulates TSH, GH and PRL release from the pituitary gland. In the...

This study investigated the effect of non-ventilation of the incubator during the first 10 days of incubation on carbon dioxide (CO(2)) concentrations in the incubator and its effects on the embryonic and post-hatch development of the chicken (Gallus gallus). Two different incubation conditions were created, one incubator was kept at standard condi...

A first product of this European project was a tool for scoring chick quality. A link was established between chick quality and embryonic physiological parameters such as heat production. Eggs from broiler breeders that give rise to rapidly growing broilers have a different embryonic development that may need modified incubation conditions. Within...

The aim of this study was to compare and relate plasma hormone levels of luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), progesterone (P4), estradiol (E2), and the in vitro P4 production capacity of the largest yellow (F1) follicle granulosa cells with the laying performance of 2 genotypes (a standard S line and a dwarf cross-experime...

The polyhalogenated aromatic hydrocarbon 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) is an ubiquitously distributed environmental pollutant which can induce a broad spectrum of toxic responses in animals, including birds. In this study, we investigated the impact of 0 or 20 ng TCDD injections into the yolk of chicken eggs before start of development...

Ascites is a metabolic disorder that accounts for over 25% of overall mortality in the broiler industry. This disorder is manifested between wk 5 and 6 posthatch, but there are previous indications that predisposition may be identified during embryonic development. In this current study, we determined embryonic physiological and metabolic parameter...

Ascites is a prevalent cardiovascular disease among modern broilers with negative impacts on production and animal welfare. The peak of mortality due to ascites occurs at the end of the growing period, but the etiology of this problem may start during embryonic development. A few recent reports have demonstrated that the signs of ascites susceptibi...

Delay in access to feed for 1-d-old chicks impairs posthatch growth. It is a standard practice that 1-d-old chicks are deprived of feed for about 48 h before they are placed on farms. During incubation, there is a spread of 24 to 48 h for late versus early hatching. As spread of hatch increases, number of chicks that are feed-deprived for a longer...

This study demonstrates the long-term effects of very early embryonic exposure to a single dose of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) (0, 10 and 20 ng/egg), administered before the beginning of embryonic development, on growth and reproductive performance in laying hens. Hatchability and body weight gain from 11 weeks onwards were significa...

In a previous report, day-old chick quality was defined to incorporate physical qualitative parameters and that chick quality, as distinct from hatching weight, influenced the relative growth (RG) of the broiler to 7 or 42 d of age. These quality parameters were based on information collected from hatcheries and broiler farms. The scoring system wa...

Ad libitum feeding reduces livability and reproductive fitness in broiler breeder hens. Two genotypes, a standard (S) and an experimental dwarf broiler breeder (E), were fed ad libitum (SA and EA, respectively), restricted at 55% of ad libitum feed intake (intermediate restriction) from 6 to 15 wk of age (SI and EI, respectively), or restricted (SR...

Eggs from Cobb broiler breeders were incubated for 18 d. Eggs were not turned (T0) or were turned until 9 (T9), 12 (T12), 15 (T15), or 18 (T18) d. First, the effects of turning on embryo and albumen weights were studied. Samples of eggs were opened at d 9, 12, 15, and 18 for embryo and albumen weighing. The results show that embryos from unturned e...

The weight and quality of the broiler chicks that emerges from the egg depend on several factors, which may include the broiler breeder age, egg storage conditions before incubation, and the incubation conditions. Several studies have determined the effect of some of these influencing factors on broiler chick hatching weight with little attention t...

Whole-body energy homeostasis and food intake control are essential for an economically sound selection for growth in poultry. The cellular and molecular mechanisms that regulate and link food intake, energy expenditure and energy balance are still poorly understood in poultry. Mitochondrial uncoupling protein-1 (UCP-1) is known to uncouple respira...

(1) Tolerance to ad libitum feeding was compared in three genotypes of broiler breeder hens: a standard broiler breeder fed ad libitum (SA) or restricted (SR), a slow growing 'label' broiler breeder (L) and an experimental dwarf heavy broiler breeder (E). Two similar experiments were conducted in two distinct research centres. (2) Feed intake and b...

Twenty-one early-weaned West African dwarf goats weighing between 1.0 and 1.5 kg at birth were used to assess the protein and energy requirement of pre-weaned West African Dwarf (WAD) goats fed soyabean diet. Three isonitrogenous diets (24%) were prepared such that dried whole-milk protein was replaced by corn starch and soyabean concentrate protei...

Okagbare, G. O., Akpodiete, O. J., Esiekpe, O., Onagbesan, O. M. (2004).Evaluation of Gmelina arborea leaves supplemented with grasses (Panicum maximum and Pennisetum purpureum) as feed for West African Dwarf goats. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 36, (6), 593-598

In recent years, it has become apparent that components of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system are involved in the regulation of ovarian follicular development in sheep. The majority of previous studies have concentrated on investigating only a select few components and not the whole system. The aim of the present study was to use five seas...

Dimeric inhibins and activins are barely detectable in the plasma during prepubertal development of male and female chickens. This may be misconstrued to indicate that the proteins are not produced in the gonads and have no functional significance during this period. Very few studies have actually determined the mRNA expression profile of the inhib...

Growing broilers from three female breeder lines were compared to determine the relationship between feed intake, body weights, relative growth (RG), blood triiodothyronine (T<SUB>3</SUB>) and carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO<SUB>2</SUB>) levels, heart and liver ratio to body weights in order to establish the dynamics of growth at different per...

In broiler breeder management, stringent feed restriction is practiced to reduce body size in order to improve egg production and meet broiler production demand, but this practice has raised welfare issues. The potential for the dwarfing (dw) gene to reduce feed intake and body size of breeders under ad libitum feeding or less stringent restriction...

SUMMARY Nutritional and environmental conditions influence broiler flock performance. Besides these factors, other less-well-understood factors, such as incubating egg characteristics, affect the embryonic life of chicks. This study demonstrated that egg storage depressed egg albumen Haugh units (HU) and chick quality; these effects of storage were...

Pit-1 is a pituitary-specific POU-domain DNA binding factor, which binds to and trans-activates promoters of growth hormone- (GH), prolactin- (PRL) and thyroid stimulating hormone beta- (TSHbeta) encoding genes. Pit-1 has been identified in several mammalian and avian species. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) is located in the hypothalamus and i...

Previously, we reported that thermal conditioning at 39°C on days 13–17 of incubation of broiler eggs enabled thermotolerance during post-hatch growth (J. Therm. Biol. 28 (2003) 133). Tolerance to a temperature of 30°C was accompanied by changes in thyroid hormones and metabolic parameters. In the current study, we determined the mechanism of epige...

These studies were undertaken to establish whether there are gene-specific differences in FSH and LH concentrations in the plasma of ovariectomized ewes that are crosses between local breeds (German Mutton Merino, Texel or Suffolk) and carriers and non-carriers of Booroola (FecB) or Cambridge (FecC) genes for prolificacy. The relationships of FSH o...

Two peaks of embryo mortality have been identified during incubation of chicken eggs (the first and the final phases of incubation), and both are linked to egg turning. Turning in the first week enables proper formation of extra-embryonic membrane and in the final week avoids embryo malpositioning. The hatchability of the eggs, however, may depend...

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) and their receptors (BMPRs) are now known to have important roles in mammalian ovarian folliculogenesis. This study determined the expression of the mRNA encoding for BMPs and their receptors in the chicken ovary and explored possible roles for them. The expression of the mRNA for BMP-2, -4, -6, -7, and BMPR-IA, -...

An evaluation of the insulin-like growth factors (IGF) system in the ovaries of heavy breeder hens during the growing phase was performed to measure the effect of feed restriction. The transcripts of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGF receptor (IGF-R), two IGF binding proteins (IGFBP-2 and IGFBP-5), GH receptor (GH-R) and insulin receptor (I-R) were measured by RT...

Chicken embryos (Gallus domesticus) were injected with 0, 8, 20 or 50 ng tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) per egg at embryonic day (ED) 4, 8 or 12 to investigate the effects of differential periods of sensitivity to TCDD exposure. At hatch, all chicks were weighed, sexed and examined macroscopically to identify possible malformations. Liver, burs...

Incubating eggs (1,800 total) produced by a commercial flock of Cobb broiler breeders were used to determine the effects of storage duration (3 and 18 d) on gas partial pressure, thyroid hormones, and hatching parameters. Partial pressure of oxygen (pO2) and carbon dioxide (pCO2) were measured on d 18 and at internal pipping (IP) during incubation....

A total of 1,800 incubating eggs produced by a commercial flock of Cobb broiler breeders was used to determine the effects of storage duration (3 or 18 d) on spread of hatch and chick quality. Chick relative growth (RG) at the end of 7 d of rearing was also determined as a measure of the chick performance. Chick quality was defined to encompass sev...

A quantitative competitive reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction assay (QC RT-PCR) for quantifying the absolute levels of the expression of inhibin α- and βA-subunits in chicken granulosa cells showed that these subunits are expressed in different amounts depending on follicular maturation. The present study determined the regulation of t...

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of thermal conditioning, (through exposure to heat stress), during pre-hatch development on some physiological responses of post-hatch broilers to a post-natal heat stress challenge. Exposure to heat stress at this stage, we hope, may possibly induce epigenetic heat adaptation. Incubati...

The reproductive cycle of the hen, characterised by well-ordered ovulation and oviposition cycles and by a strict hierarchical growth of follicles, is a suitable model for the study of folliculogenesis. Under the impact of recent developments in mammalian reproductive endocrinology, emphasis has been put on the role of growth factors in folliculoge...

The expression of inhibin alpha- and beta(A)-subunits was investigated in gonads of male and female chick embryos during the last week of their 21-day incubation period. Fertilized Hisex brown laying hen eggs were incubated at 37.8 +/- 0.2 degrees and 60% relative humidity in an automatic forced-draft incubator with constant lighting. Embryos were...

The very sensitive competitive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to investigate the expression of the extracellular (GHRe) and intracellular (GHRi) parts of the growth hormone receptor (GHR) in the liver tissue of chickens. Two competitors (internal standards), pGHRi MUT and pGHRe MUT, specific to the GHRi and GHRe g...