Genetic variation in eating behaviour in non-infected and E. coli infected broilers

TY - GEN

T1 - Genetic variation in eating behaviour in non-infected and E. coli infected broilers

AU - Ask, Birgitte

AU - Bokkers, E. A. M.

AU - van der Waaij, E. H.

PY - 2004

Y1 - 2004

N2 - Respiratory colibacillosis causes growth retardation in broilers, and one hypothesis is that it results from reducedappetite, and that this causal relationship is affected by genotype. The purpose of this study was therefore toexamine whether eating behaviour, expressed as the number of times chicks were observed as eating (NOTCE),is affected by infection, and whether variation in NOTCE has a genetic background.192 broiler chicks from 6 different broiler pure lines, 2 pure line crosses and 1 slow-growing line werechallenged intra-tracheal with Escherichia coli at 7 days of age, while 160 chicks from the same lines were keptas controls. NOTCE was measured at 6, 11 and 13 days of age.Significant differences were found between control and challenge group at 13 days of age, and within the controlgroup between days 6, 11 and 13. In the challenge group, there was only a small (non-significant) increase inNOTCE over ages. The distribution of NOTCE in the control and challenge group differed mainly by a largepercentage of chicks expressing a NOTCE of 0 in the challenge group (38% against 13%).About half of the two by two line comparisons were significantly different within control and challenge group.Within line differences between control and challenge group were of varying size: the slow-growing line and aline-cross differed only slightly (~5%), while the other lines differed up to ~70%.It was concluded that infection had a general depressing effect on NOTCE, and that genotype affected bothNOTCE and the size of the effect of infection on NOTCE.

AB - Respiratory colibacillosis causes growth retardation in broilers, and one hypothesis is that it results from reducedappetite, and that this causal relationship is affected by genotype. The purpose of this study was therefore toexamine whether eating behaviour, expressed as the number of times chicks were observed as eating (NOTCE),is affected by infection, and whether variation in NOTCE has a genetic background.192 broiler chicks from 6 different broiler pure lines, 2 pure line crosses and 1 slow-growing line werechallenged intra-tracheal with Escherichia coli at 7 days of age, while 160 chicks from the same lines were keptas controls. NOTCE was measured at 6, 11 and 13 days of age.Significant differences were found between control and challenge group at 13 days of age, and within the controlgroup between days 6, 11 and 13. In the challenge group, there was only a small (non-significant) increase inNOTCE over ages. The distribution of NOTCE in the control and challenge group differed mainly by a largepercentage of chicks expressing a NOTCE of 0 in the challenge group (38% against 13%).About half of the two by two line comparisons were significantly different within control and challenge group.Within line differences between control and challenge group were of varying size: the slow-growing line and aline-cross differed only slightly (~5%), while the other lines differed up to ~70%.It was concluded that infection had a general depressing effect on NOTCE, and that genotype affected bothNOTCE and the size of the effect of infection on NOTCE.

M3 - Article in proceedings

BT - Proceedings World's Poultry Congress 2004, Istanbul,Turkey,8-13 June 2004.

T2 - World's Poultry Congress 2004

Y2 - 8 June 2004 through 13 June 2004

ER -