Treasurer's Report

Since my last report, I had the pleasure of attending the International Production and Processing Exposition (IPPE) in Atlanta, Georgia. IPPE redesigned two of the exhibition floors this year and WPSA was lucky to be given a booth near the extremely popular food court. The proximity to food, plus the neighbouring booths of other scientific societies and institutions, brought us excellent foot traffic. The other members of the Executive Committee (EC): Drs. Ning Yang, Roel Mulder, and Bob Buresh, joined me in the booth. We greeted WPSA members, officers, as well as financial supporters of our Journal, from around the globe.
The EC held a productive meeting in Atlanta and discussed time sensitive topics, including WPC2020-Paris. We were delighted to learn of the large number of applications for the Young Scientist Programme in Paris. The EC decided that in addition to the support already pledged by the global body, WPSA would match the French Branch in funding an additional 10 Young Scientists.

I am pleased to report that I have forwarded all of the 2019 financial records and tax information to WPSA’s Certified Public Accountant (CPA). I will be working with the CPA and his staff in the coming months to finalise the WPSA tax returns.

As I close this report, I will start packing for a USA west coast trade association meeting in Hawaii. At that event I coordinated the programmes for the poultry students, and their programmes are generously sponsored by the United States Branch of WPSA.

Dr Francine Bradley, Treasurer

WG3

Breeding and Genetics

The 11th European Symposium on Poultry Genetics was held in Prague from 23 to 25 October 2019. The symposium was hosted by the Czech branch of WPSA and organised together with Working Group 3 'Breeding and Genetics' of the European Federation of WPSA. The 3-day symposium was very well attended, and 141 scientists from 30 countries participated. The scientific programme included sessions on new breeding technologies, genomic selection, current topics on dual-purpose chickens, genetic diversity, microbiota, new breeding targets for poultry species and the breeding of other bird species. A total of 25 invited speakers presented the latest results of their current research, which were discussed in various ways. Furthermore, scientists presented their work in 46 posters.
A particular highlight of the Symposium was a special session in which four young scientists had the opportunity to present their work in a short oral presentation. Working Group 3 endeavours to support young scientists in this way by covering the registration fees for the selected presenters. The symposium took place in a very pleasant and productive atmosphere and gave the participants the opportunity for an intensive exchange of ideas in a variety of ways. On behalf of the working group, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all participants, colleagues and helpers involved in preparing the symposium as well as our sponsors, who made a significant contribution to the success of the symposium.

The 12th symposium is already being planned. It will take place in Hannover from 26 - 28 October 2021, and will be hosted by the German Branch. We would be pleased if you saved this date and planned your participation. Further information will follow in due course.

Steffen Weigend, Chairman of the European Federations Working Group 3

WG5

Poultry Meat Quality

The XXV European Symposium on the Quality of Poultry Meat will be conjointly held with the XIX European Symposium on the Quality of Eggs and Egg Products from June 21 to 23, 2021, in Kraków, Poland. Please visit http://www.eggmeat2021.com/ to keep yourself updated. Special reduced registration fees will be available for WPSA members and students. We will look forward to seeing many of you there. Prominent invited speakers from American and European Institutions will address emerging issues on poultry meat and egg production. A new website will be developed and registration information will be provided in the near future.

Most WG5 members will also be participating in the 2020 World's Poultry Congress in Paris, France on August 16-20, and the scientific programme of the two parallel sessions dealing with 'Meat Quality' is almost defined under supervision of the WG5 group in connection with the Scientific Committee of which WG5 chairperson is a part. During the Paris Congress, a meeting of Working Group 5 has also been planned during WPC2020, and it will take place on Wednesday, August 19th. See the Congress Programme for the meeting time and location.

Summaries

From the jungle fowl to highly-performing chickens: are we reaching limits?

M. TIXIER-BOICHARD

The cumulated effects of domestication and subsequent selection by humans have led to an impressive diversification of the chicken, at the phenotypic level as well as the genome level. In theory, selection may reach a plateau when all favourable alleles have reached fixation. Yet, current data in poultry show that selection response can still take place after 50 generations of selection or more. The mechanisms maintaining selection response in closed populations may involve recombination, mutation and epistatic interactions. Furthermore, the continuous addition of new selection criteria can delay the possible limit associated to single trait selection. Thus, selection response is mainly threatened by inbreeding which occurs as a consequence of a narrow genetic base and/or a poor management of genetic variability within the population. Biological limits are encountered when selection is degrading fitness traits to a point that the survival of individuals is affected. Biological limits induced by extreme performance can be by-passed by adapting the breeding programme, introducing new selection criteria, changing the management or developing remedial technologies. Extreme situations affecting bird welfare raise ethical issues. Lameness in broilers or spontaneous bone breakage in layers are painful and one may question whether such pain is justified by the human need for protein consumption. Regulations or market requirements may be set up to limit the performance at a level which is compatible with animal welfare, resulting in a voluntary limit to selection. Furthermore, highly performing animals need a very well controlled environment with high quality diets, which may divert food resources from humans and may not be sustainable. Breeding objectives have to integrate environmental impact and robustness towards the use of alternative feed sources, in addition to production level, product quality, health and welfare status.

The double-yolked egg: from the ‘miracle of packaging’ to nature’s ‘mistake’

A. SALAMON and J.P. KENT

Double-yolked (DY) eggs were mostly described in domestic prosocial species, and are rarely found in nature. It is estimated that 1-3% of domestic hen and duck eggs are DY.

DY eggs occur when two yolks are encapsulated in a single shell and therefore differ from SY eggs in their external and internal characteristics. In previous decades DY eggs were distinguished from SY eggs only by their external characteristics, and this proved to be wrong, as over 40% of DY eggs have similar external characteristics in terms of size and shape to SY eggs. The internal characteristics of DY eggs constrain their fertility. Yolks in DY eggs tend to be smaller, probably ovulated early and are thus immature, having a significant negative impact on their reproductive potential with lower fertility levels. Further, the presence of a second yolk facilitates additional albumen secretion with the size of each yolk determining the additional amount secreted. This creates a primacy effect, i.e. the first yolk in the oviduct could be fertilized, but the second may not be. The unique yolk and embryo positioning is associated with low hatchability. These factors reduce the reproductive potential of DY egg yolks individually or cumulatively. Thus the above supports the view that DY eggs are nature’s ‘mistake’ and are viewed here as an extreme end of a normal distribution of variation and is unlikely to evolve further in avian species. However, there is still potential for further non-invasive research using DY eggs, especially in studies of factors affecting fertility.

Do free-range systems have potential to improve broiler welfare in the tropics?

R. SÁNCHEZ-CASANOVA, L. SARMIENTO-FRANCO, C. PHILLIPS and Z. IDRUS

An insight into the impact of free-range systems on the main welfare problems for commercial-line broiler chicken production in tropical regions is provided. Much research has been conducted to mitigate the impact of conventional production systems on broilers welfare, but nearly all of these studies are based on the development of strategies to improve performance parameters in temperate regions, making it difficult to implement such approaches in tropical environments. Stocking density is one of the main housing variables that influences the birds’ development. Optimal stocking density ranges from 25 kg to 40 kg liveweight per m2, with no less than 1 m2 of outdoor area per bird in some cases, for a minimum of 8 hours of free-range access per day, according to welfare legislations in different jurisdictions worldwide. Several studies with commercial-line broiler chickens have shown that they are adapted to the environmental characteristics of tropical regions if temperature is below 30°C, relative humidity levels below 80% inside the housing and stocking density does not exceed 30 kg/m2. Therefore, Latin America has great potential for the implementation of free-range production system. The use of local resources, like forage plants for feed and natural materials with good thermal insulation properties for housing construction could be a good alternative to make this system feasible. C4 plants present in tropical ecosystems have a very high rate of water-use efficiency in temperatures between 30-35°C, which may increase the productivity of crops, fodder and pastures. Those plants are a good option to stimulate ranging in chickens, due to both their abilities as covering crop and fast growing. The review concludes that outdoor access has potential to improve broiler welfare in tropical regions, but it is still necessary to develop standards and regulations that ensure its proper functioning and, consequently, chickens’ welfare.

Impact of green tea (Camellia sinensis) and epigallocatechin gallate on poultry

M.E. ABD EL-HACK, S.S. ELNESR, M. ALAGAWANY, A. GADO, A.E. NORELDIN and A.A. GABR

Green tea is of interest due to its high content of pharmacologically active ingredients such as catechins, flavanols, flavadiols, flavonoids and phenolic acids. Green tea contains many polyphenolic compounds such as epicatechin, epicatechin gallate, epigallocatechin, and epigallocatechin gallate. The inclusion of green tea as a feed additive has been shown to improve growth performance and overall health of poultry. Previous studies have shown different results in the rate of improvement in body weight (between 1-10%) with the use of different doses of green tea (0.5, 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 mg/kg) in the diet. Using 1-2 mg green tea per kg in the broiler diet improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) by approximately 8%. Abdominal fat was decreased by 10-20% using 0.2-1.0% green tea extract in broiler diets. Improvements in egg production, egg mass and feed conversion values with inclusion rates of 1% green tea in feed, compared to a negative control, have been reported to be 5.6%, 6.8% and 7.8%, respectively. Green tea may improve the antioxidant status of poultry. Epigallocatechin gallate has been found to be over 100 times more effective in neutralising free radicals than vitamin C and 25 times more powerful than vitamin E.

Evaluation of dietary presence or use of cadmium in poultry

O.OLGUN, A.Ö. YILDIZ and A. ŞAHIN

Cadmium is a heavy metal and non-essential for animals. In practice, cadmium toxicity is quite rare in farm animals because the level of cadmium in commercial diets is very low. However, cadmium-contaminated feedstuffs in the diet may cause toxicity. The cadmium, which is absorbed from digestive system, accumulates in the body tissues, primarily kidney and liver, and causes metabolic and physiological inconveniences in the body. Hereby, economic losses occur due to the decrease in feed intake and egg production. It will cause mortality depending on the level and duration of exposure to cadmium. The toxic level of cadmium varies according to the bird species and their ages. Chickens are more sensitive to cadmium toxicity than quails. Lower dietary cadmium doses (<10 mg/kg) have positive effects on production performance and eggshell quality, but higher doses of cadmium (>10 mg/kg) cause economic losses due to worsening productive performance and eggshell quality in poultry. Dietary zinc, selenium, vitamins and plant extracts will help to eliminate the negative consequences of cadmium contamination in feedstuff. However, further studies are needed to determine the toxic level of cadmium, and the possible positive effects of cadmium on performance and product quality when used at lower doses in poultry.

Role of certain mushrooms on growth performance and physiological responses in broiler chickens

S.U. MAHFUZ, S.F. LONG and X.S. PIAO

Supplementing broiler diets with medicinal mushrooms is considered an effective alternative to prophylactic antibiotics. Feeding certain mushrooms may have beneficial effects on gut health in broilers, whereby trials have shown weight gain was increased about 5.2% when feeding 5% of the Hericium caput-medusae mushrooms in the diet. Both Salmonella spp. and E. coli numbers in the caecum were significantly lowered from 5.036 to 3.031 log₁₀ CFU/g and from 5.405 to 4.759 log₁₀ CFU/g when 50 g/kg or 30 g/kg of Flammulina velutipes mushrooms were included in feed, respectively, compared to an unsupplemented control group. Beneficial bacteria (Lactobacilli spp.) were found in significantly higher numbers (increased from 6.45 to 8.05 log₁₀ CFU/g) and Bifidobacter spp. (increased from 6.28 to 7.77 log₁₀ CFU/g of content) in the caecum of broilers fed 20 g/kg mushrooms (Agaricus biosporus) in feed. However, there is still disagreement in published articles on the dosages and mode of action of medicinal mushrooms in broilers. The following review covered the published trials investigating the uses of medicinal fungi on growth performance, meat quality and health status in broiler to date, and showed. that supplementation with medicinal fungi may have a role on the immunity, health and growth performance in broiler.

Marek’s disease: Time to review the emerging threat in Indian Poultry

T.R. KANNAKI and V. GOWTHAMAN

Marek’s disease (MD) is one of the re-emerging diseases in Indian poultry. MD outbreaks are reported from different parts of the country in spite of vaccination, causing major economic losses. Flock mortality of 10-40% was observed in vaccinated flocks during outbreaks, although MD is well controlled with vaccination. Almost 100% of the commercial poultry flocks are vaccinated at hatchery level. Bivalent (HVT+SB1 or HVT+301B/1) or monovalent (HVT) vaccines are used in India. In spite of the intensive vaccination practice, outbreaks are being reported from different parts of the world including India. MD virus (MDV) Indian field isolates from different outbreaks during last decade are categorised into virulent (vMDV) and very virulent (vvMDV) pathotypes based on different serotype 1 specific gene sequencing and in vivo pathotyping. The emergence of virulence in MDV is attributed to compromised bio-security, concurrent immunosuppressive diseases and vaccination failure. MD outbreaks in vaccinated flocks of Indian poultry flocks cause annual loss of approximately 4 crore Indian rupees. Country-wide surveillance and reporting of MD outbreaks and further characterization of the Indian field isolate should be taken as a priority. Reviewing the current vaccination strategy, and examining the need for the introduction of more effective vaccines that give better protection against the more virulent strains should be considered with equal importance along with improved bio-security measures, management practices and more effective control of immunosuppressive diseases.

The avian maternal environment: exploring the physiological mechanisms driving progeny performance

J.L. ANGOVE and R.E.A. FORDER

Environmental factors, both positive and negative, experienced by breeder hens during their reproductive life, can have a significant influence on the productive efficiency and health of their progeny. This is particularly important considering that commercial broilers spend a significant proportion of their life in ovo, and alterations to the in ovo environment can permanently ‘programme’ progeny endocrine pathways. The maternal environment is greatly influenced by factors, such as nutrition and stress, both of which play a significant role in the broiler breeder industry, due to feed restriction practices, ranging from 25-80% of the ad libitum intake. The effects of nutrition and stress on the maternal environment have been extensively investigated in mammalian literature, primarily focusing on the development and function of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) in offspring, including exposure to the stress hormone cortisol. Disruption of the HPA axis can inadvertently disrupt other important endocrine pathways, involved in growth and metabolism, including the growth hormone-insulin-like growth factor I axis (GH/IGF-I) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis (HPT). Any disruption or ‘reprogramming’ of the metabolic endocrine axes through maternal influences has been linked to variations in progeny performance, including growth rate and body composition. However, the underlying physiological mechanisms responsible for these phenotypic differences remain unclear, especially in poultry.

Chromolaena odorata as a potential feed additive bioresource to alleviate heat stress in chickens in the humid tropics

K.A. LARTEY, D.-J. KANG, Q.-H. ZHANG, C.-Q. SHI, F. YANG, H.-Y. LIN, R. GOONERATNE and J.-J. CHEN

Chromolaena odorata contains polyphenols and antioxidant enzymes that activate biology defence mechanisms and stress-sensing transcription factors to prevent oxidative damage and heat stress in chicken. Dietary inclusions of C. odorata leaf meal at 12%, and C. odorata crude flavonoids at 400 mg/kg/d exerted competitive exclusion to enhance gut eubiosis, humoral immunity, hypoglycaemia and metabolic functions, necessary to attenuate oxidative stress in chickens. Ethanol extract of the herbal plant at 25 – 400 µg/mL showed a strong antioxidant capacity in vitro, similar to 10- 80 µg/mL standard ascorbic acid. Chromomoric acid C- 1 from C. odorata methanol extract, at 10 µg also demonstrated anti-inflammatory potential by activating Nrf2 and suppressing NF-κB in a luciferase reporter assay at inhibition capacity (IC50) of 6.9 µM. These biological defence properties of the obnoxious weed have potential to maintain gut microbial homeostasis and gut integrity, enhance antioxidative physiologies for cellular oxidative balance, and mitigate oxidative damage required to alleviate heat stress. The invading nature of the plant in the humid tropics makes it a readily available and cheap bioresource. Hepatotoxic, mutagenic and cytotoxic evaluations suggest the aerial parts of the herbal plant is a safe bioresource for animal nutrition and sub-therapeutical uses.

Use of alfalfa meal in layer diets – a review

A.Ö. YILDIZ, E.T. ŞENTÜRK and O. OLGUN

Alfalfa meal is used in poultry diets because of its content of pigments and secondary metabolites. On average, alfalfa meal contains 17-20% crude protein, 1650 kcal/kg metabolisable energy, 20-25% crude cellulose, 1.50% calcium, 0.25% total phosphorus, 0.70% lysine, and 0.25% methionine, depending on the quality of the alfalfa meal. Alfalfa meal with a high content of beta carotene and xanthophyll is used to supplement poultry diets in order to obtain good yolk and skin pigmentation. In addition to producing good pigmentation, it is low in cholesterol because of the high cellulose content and anti-nutritional factors.

Although alfalfa meal is high in protein with moderate quality, its use is restricted because of the high cellulose content. The use of alfalfa meal in layer bird diets can reduce feed intake and egg production. On the other hand, it is very effective in reducing the cholesterol content of eggs and increasing the colour score of the yolk. The current recommendation is to restrict the use of alfalfa meal to 10% of the diet, although further research is needed on the use of additives to alfalfa-meal containing diets.

Characteristics of the Kashmir Anz geese breed

H. HAMADANI, A.A. KHAN and M.T. BANDAY

The local domestic geese breed of Kashmir Valley has now been registered as a recognized breed named ‘Kashmir Anz’, making it the first and the only recognized domestic geese breed in India as of now. Geese rearing in the Valley dates back to ancient times. They are reared for meat, eggs, and as a hobby in areas located around the water bodies. Kashmir Anz are cinnamon, white, and a mixture of cinnamon and white coloured geese with beak colour varying from black to yellow through all intermediates. Shanks are orange, and eyes are either grey or brown. Peculiarities like knob, dewlap and paunch is also present in some of these geese. Two Strains (or within breed types) of ‘Kashmir Anz’ breed include ‘Safed Anz’ and ‘Katchur Anz’. Sexual dimorphism on the basis of plumage and eye colour is absent. Vent sexing or vocalization method are the most accurate and practical methods of gender identification respectively. Adult body weight of the gander is 3.82 kg and that of the goose is 3.34 kg. The average body temperature, respiration rate and heart-rate is 40.05±0.15°C, 17.16±0.75 breaths min−1 and 60.57±5.09 beats min−1, respectively. The goose lays about 12 white-shelled eggs in a year, each weighing about 137 g on an average. Dressing percentage of a Kashmir Anz geese is 67.7%. The acceptability of its meat is good and significant proportion of consumers have rated it better than chicken meat as well as mutton in terms of appearance, texture, taste and overall acceptability.

Genetic selection of broilers and welfare consequences: a review

K.M. HARTCHER and H.K. LUM

The genetic selection of broilers over the past 60 years has focused narrowly and intensely on production traits, namely growth rate and feed efficiency. This has led to significant welfare problems in birds grown for meat, including leg disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and resulting high mortality rates, while the breeder birds are subjected to severe feed restriction. Bone problems such as bacterial chondronecrosis and tibia dyschondroplasia are prevalent, and recent studies have reported the prevalence of birds with moderate to severe gait impairment to be between 5.5 and 48.8%. Worldwide, over 66 billion broilers are slaughtered annually. This huge scale of meat chicken production means that welfare problems are widespread and are likely to increase in severity due to the increasing global human population, increasing demand for meat, and a continued focus on efficiency of production in the agricultural sector. The commercial broiler industry therefore represents some of the most serious animal welfare issues in agriculture. There is an urgent need to address these problems by making welfare traits high priorities in breeding programmes and integrating these with other breeding goals. Many studies recommend the use of slower-growing breeds that do not have the same welfare problems. Addressing these welfare issues is essential to improve bird welfare and for social acceptability and sustainability of the broiler industry worldwide.