title: Feed restriction ameliorates metabolic dysregulation and improves reproductive performance of meat-type country chickens.
abstract: Restricted feed intake improves egg production in Cornish×Plymouth Rock (broiler) hens. Red-feather (RF) and Black-feather (BF) chickens are 2 local strains of non-broiler meat-type chickens whose egg production has declined with continued selection for meat yield, and which are unstudied regarding restricted feeding and egg-laying improvement. Sixteen week old RF and BF pullets were either fed ad libitum (AL) or restricted to 85% AL intake (R). At 35wk and 50wk R-hens showed improved egg production and less abnormal ovarian morphology than AL-hens. Obesity, hepatic steatosis, lipotoxic change to plasma lipids, and systemic inflammation induced by AL feeding in RF and BF hens were similar to those observed previously in AL-broiler hens. Egg production was negatively correlated to body weight, fractional abdominal fat weight and plasma NEFA concentrations in AL hens (P<0.05). AL-hen hierarchical follicles accumulated ceramide and increased interleukin-1β production (P<0.05) in conjunction with increased granulosa cell apoptosis, follicle atresia, ovarian regression, and reduced plasma 17β-estradiol concentrations (P<0.05). The present outcomes from non-broiler but nevertheless meat-type country chicken strains indicate that selection for rapid growth and increased meat yield fundamentally changes energy metabolism in a way that renders hens highly susceptible to reproductive impairment from lipid dysregulation and pro-inflammatory signaling rather than impaired resource allocation per se.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-En
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Zu-Chen
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chai-Ju
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Feng
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Chien-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Lai
authors.affiliation: Department of Poultry Science, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Rosemary L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Walzem
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Agricultural Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan; Center for the Integrative and Evolutionary Galliformes Genomics, iEGG center, National Chung Hsing University, Taiwan. Electronic address: shueneic@dragon.nchu.edu.tw.
authors.forename: Shuen-Ei
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D031204:Caloric Restriction / Q000662:veterinary; D002645:Chickens; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology; D004531:Eggs; D005260:Female; D008460:Meat; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000662:veterinary; D052287:Oviparity; D011201:Poultry Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D012098:Reproduction
keywords: Follicle atresia; Inflammation; Meat-type hens; Obesity; Selection