ali maddahian

The purpose of this experiment was to study the effects of silage type (ST) and levels of silage particle size (SPS) on feed intake, digestibility, rumen parameters, and feed intake behavior in Kermani sheep. Corn and millet crops were cultivated in May and harvested into coarse and fine forages in mid-September. Four rams (two years old, BW 39.2±3.1 kg) were randomly assigned to four treatments in a 2×2 factorial arrangements in a Latin square design. The experimental diets were coarse corn silage diet; short corn silage diet; coarse millet silage diet and short millet silage diet. Diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic, and the ratio of forage to concentrate was 50:50. The potential of gas production was higher in corn silage (CS) than millet silage (MS) (P<0.03) and coarse SPS than short SPS (P<0.02). The dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and crude protein (CP) intakes were higher in short SPS diets while DM, OM and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility were higher in CS diets (76.26, 73.43 and 58.71%, respectively), while the CP digestibility was higher in short SPS diets (74.98%). The mean ruminal pH value was lower in CS diets (P<0.05). The mean ruminal ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration was higher in CS and short SPS diets. Microbial protein (MP) synthesis was higher in short SPS diets (P<0.05). Chewing activity was higher in MS and short SPS diets (P<0.05). The results indicated the higher quality of CS, although MS can be safely fed to small ruminants such.

The effects of in ovo feeding (0 and 1g/L) and dietary feeding (0 and 1g/kg diet) of betaine on hatchability, performance, body temperature and blood parameters of broiler chicks under heat stress condition, were investigated using 600 fertile eggs (Ross 308) for in ovo injection at 17.5d of incubation. After hatching, 192 male chickens were divided into four groups: 1- In ovo feeding of non-betaine solution and post-hatch diet without betaine, 2- In ovo feeding of non-betaine solution and post-hatch dietary feeding 1g per kg of betaine, 3- In ovo feeding of 1g per L betaine solution and post-hatch diet without betaine, and 4- In ovo feeding of 1g per L betaine solution and post-hatch dietary feeding 1g per kg of betaine. The chicks were exposed to heat stress from 7-28d for 4h/d. The results showed that body weight of hatched chicks and the hatched chick body weight to initial egg weight ratio, was significantly increased by in ovo feeding of betaine (P<0.05). The effects of in ovo feeding and dietary feeding of betaine resulted in higher feed intake (P<0.05) and daily weight gain (P<0.01) and improved feed conversion ratio (P<0.05) for 7-21d. Birds that received dietary betaine had more carcass, breast and leg weight than chickens receiving betaine-free diet at 28d (P<0.05). The experimental treatments had no significant effect on carcass yield at d 42. During heat stress between 14 and 21d age, the group that did not receive betaine (in ovo or dietary) had the highest cloacal temperature (P<0.01). The concentration of high-density lipoproteins, triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood of chickens that received betaine-free diet was significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). In general, dietary betaine feeding improved the performance and carcass parameters and decreased blood lipids and cloacal temperature of chicks under heat stress conditions. However, these effects were not observed from days 28 to 42, which were free of heat stress.