title: Assessment of growth performance, immune responses, serum metabolites, and prevalence of leg weakness in broiler chicks submitted to early-age water restriction.
abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two methods of early-age water restriction on performance, some immune responses, serum metabolites, and prevalence of leg weakness in broiler chicks. One-hundred-eighty-seven-day-old chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to three treatments with four replicates based on a completely randomized design. Treatments included the control group, where birds had free access to water, and water-restricted groups, where access to water was limited to three 2-h periods (WRT1) or a 12-h period (WRT2) per day from days 7 to 17. Chicks in the control group were significantly heavier (P < 0.05) at 17 and 46 days of age compared to the restricted birds. In the WRT2 group, feed intake decreased significantly over the 17- to 28-day period while feed conversion ratio was poorer during water restriction (P < 0.05). Antibody titers against Newcastle and SRBC were higher (P < 0.05) for chicks with ad libitum access to water. Birds in the restricted groups exhibited a higher heterophil to lymphocyte ratio compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The treatments had no significant impact on serum metabolites including protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, calcium, and phosphorus concentrations. Walking ability, tibial dyschondroplasia, foot pad, hock burn, and valgus/varus angulation were not significantly influenced by water restriction. In conclusion, the current results indicate that early-age water restriction negatively influenced productive traits and immunological responses of broiler chicks and failed to have any favorable impacts on leg health.
authors: Young Researchers Club, Khorasgan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran. Toghiany@gmail.com
authors: Mehdi
authors: M
authors: Toghyani
authors: Majid
authors: M
authors: Toghyani
authors: Habib Aghdam
authors: HA
authors: Shahryar
authors: Mehdi
authors: M
authors: Zamanizad
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D001247:Asthenia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D001798:Blood Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D001835:Body Weight; D002118:Calcium / Q000097:blood; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood* / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology; D004435:Eating; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000276:immunology; D005684:Gait; D006614:Hindlimb / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007492:Iran / Q000453:epidemiology; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000276:immunology; D010758:Phosphorus / Q000097:blood; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015995:Prevalence; D011897:Random Allocation; D034561:Sheep, Domestic; D014868:Water Deprivation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001798:Blood Proteins; D008055:Lipids; D010758:Phosphorus; D002118:Calcium