Downing, J.A.

Extensive research has investigated the effects of production systems on egg quality; however, confounding problems exist with many of the experimental designs (Chung and Lee, 2014). Insufficient consideration is given to the influence of genotype, hen age, ambient temperature and stress on egg quality. Eliminating the ambiguity created by these effects is crucial when evaluating the effect of pro ...

I. INTRODUCTIONHeat stress is considered one of the important factors affecting the profitability of the poultry industry in hot climates. Significant economic losses occur due to high mortality, impaired feed efficiency and poorer growth rates (Lara and Rostagno, 2013). Periods of high temperature prior to transport and processing can further compound these adverse effects. One of the physiologic ...

Free range hens are exposed to various potential stressors including weather conditions and risk of predation (Gilani et al., 2014). Distress can result in impaired biological functions including reduced reproduction, immunity and growth (Palme, 2012). In order to investigate the impact of early range usage, corticosterone concentrations in egg albumen were measured in response to a stressor (manu ...

SummaryDietary fatty acids have been shown to be potent mediators of physiological processes related to body composition, brain and cognitive development as well as immune function. There is emerging evidence to suggest that type of fat fed during gestation as well as the relative proportions of different fatty acids in the diet influence these outcomes. More recently, nutritionists have investiga ...