College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

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The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.

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    THE IMPACT OF PLATFORM AND SPOTLIGHT ENRICHMENTS ON CONVENTIONAL BROILER PERFORMANCE, TIBIA MORPHOLOGY, AND WELFARE
    (2021) Magnaterra, Anna; Weimer, Shawna L; Animal Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Welfare is an important consideration in proper management of broilers. Providing broilers with environmental enrichments may help improve welfare on many levels, and evaluation of potential enrichments is important to ensure they improve broiler welfare. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of no enrichments (C), platform (P), spotlight (S), and a combination of spotlight and platform (S&P) enrichments on broiler production, welfare, stress, tibia morphology, tibia ash, and fear behavior. Production, corticosterone, and tibia ash measures were unaffected by enrichments. Compared to other treatments, P broilers had wider (P ≤ 0.02) tibias at 90%, 75%, and 25% length locations and S broilers had narrower (P ≤ 0.04) tibias at 90% and 75% length locations. Fear decreased from week 3 to week 5 (P ≤ 0.05). The results indicate that both platform and spotlight enrichments can influence tibial morphology without decreasing production or animal-based measures of welfare.
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    EVALUATING DIFFERENCES IN BODY WEIGHT, GUT MORPHOLOGY, IMMUNE RESPONSE, AND SICKNESS BEHAVIOR IN FAST- AND SLOW- GROWING BROILER CHICKENS WHEN INFECTED WITH SALMONELLA ENTERICA SEROVAR TYPHIMURIUM
    (2021) Snyder, Ashlyn Marie; Weimer, Shawna; Animal Sciences; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Fast growth rate in broilers comes with welfare concerns and research is needed to determine if fast- and slow-growing broilers differ in pathogen resistance. The objective of this study was to evaluate differences in fast- (FG) and slow-growing (SG) broilers when challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium or broth (control) 14 days post-hatch. Plasma IgA and IgG, jejunum and ileum histomorphology, and behaviors were measured. FG had greater d12 and d24 body weight and d7 jejunum measures, indicating better absorption, and earlier increases in plasma IgA and IgG, indicating earlier immune development. SG had greater d7 IgG, indicating stronger maternal immunity. Post-challenge, FG gut morphology was more impaired, and SG had greater IgA and reduced sham foraging, indicating a stronger immune response to challenge. The results illustrate fast- and slow-growing broilers differ in Salmonella resistance, which can help breeders make selection decisions to prevent Salmonella transmission into the human food supply.