Administration of triiodothyronine and dopamine to broiler chicks increases growth, feed conversion and visceral organ mass.
The influences of triiodothyronine (T3) or dopamine (DA) administration on growth, feed conversion, and visceral weights in broiler chicks between the ages of 6 and 12 d posthatch were investigated. In Trial 1, six chicks at age 6 d were randomly administered one of the following treatments: 0.37, 0.74, 1.48, and 2.96 micromol T3/kg BW or 0.07, 0.14, 0.28, and 0.56 micromol DA/kg BW. Both T3 and DA were administered via intraperitoneal injections between the end of sternum and the ends of os pubis, with 0.9% saline as the excepient. In addition, two groups of six birds each were either not injected or injected with excepient only, as controls. Four replications were carried out with a total of 264 chicks. Heart weight as a percentage of feed-deprived body weight (FDBW) of the chicks injected with 2.96 micromol T3/kg BW was heavier than that of controls. Other variables measured were not significantly different between treatments. In trial 2, six chicks at age 6 d were randomly administered, one of the following treatments: 0.56, 1.12, 2.24, and 4.48 micromol T3/kg diet or 0.40, 0.80, 1.60, and 3.20 micromol DA/kg diet as well as a nonsupplemented control. Four replications were carried out with 216 chicks. The results in Trial 2 showed that the effects of T3 (X, micromol/kg diet) on body weight gain (Y1, g) and feed consumption (Y2, g) were linear (Y1 = 310 - 21.5X, R2 = 0.868, P < 0.001 and Y2 = 398 - 22.3X, R2 = 0.765, P < 0.001, respectively). The feed conversion ratio, the weight of liver, the weights of various intestinal segments, the lengths of the duodenum, jejunum and the ileum, as well as weight per centimeter jejunal length, gizzard weight as percentage of FDBW, and the duodenal length per kilogram FDBW all had linear responses (P < 0.05) to the level of dietary supplementation of T3. The effect of dietary supplementation of T3 on the heart weight was quadratic (Y16 = 2.58 + 0.89X - 0.17 X2, R2 = 0.526, P < 0.01). Similarly, the weights of pancreas and gizzard, the heart weight as a percentage of FDBW and the pancreas weight as a percentage of FDBW all had second-order curve responses. Dietary DA supplementation exerted no effect on the variables measured except that the regression of the heart weight as a percentage of FDBW on dietary DA supplementation (X1, micromol/kg diet) existed, namely, Z1 = 0.64 + 0.24 X1 - 0.23 X1(2) + 0.05 X1(3) (R2 = 0.868, P < 0.05).
Chang
S C
SC
Kaohsiung Breeding Animal Propagation Station, Taiwan Livestock Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Pingtung, Taiwan 912.
Lin
M J
MJ
Croom
J
J
Fan
Y K
YK
D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002645:Chickens / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004386:Duodenum / Q000254:growth & development; D005260:Female; D005895:Gizzard, Avian / Q000254:growth & development; D006321:Heart / Q000254:growth & development; D007082:Ileum / Q000254:growth & development; D007274:Injections, Intraperitoneal; D007583:Jejunum / Q000254:growth & development; D008099:Liver / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D010179:Pancreas / Q000254:growth & development; D013997:Time Factors; D014284:Triiodothyronine / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D014781:Viscera / Q000254:growth & development*
D014284:Triiodothyronine; D004298:Dopamine