Early Nutrition Causes Persistent Effects on Pheasant Morphology (original) (raw)
Related papers
Comparing growth and condition in post release juvenile common pheasants on different diets
Poultry Science, 2002
We studied juvenile common pheasants Phasianus colchicus in 10 large open-topped release pens in woodlands on a shooting estate in southern England in 1998. In six pens the pheasants were fed a pelleted high-protein feed from 6 to 16 wk of age; in the four other pens they were fed the diet from 6 to 10 wk and then wheat grain only from 10 to 16 wk. Natural plant and animal food was also available to the birds in and around the release pens. When a sample of previously tagged, numbered, and weighed birds was caught from each pen and reweighed at 16 wk of age, we noted that birds from pens that remained on the high-protein feed had gained more weight than those from pens in which the diet was switched to grain only (P < 0.05). Of approximately 500 tagged birds collected during shooting days between 5
Pheasant sexual ornaments reflect nutritional conditions during early growth
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2002
Differences in growth conditions during early life have been suggested to cause long-lasting effects on morphology and quality of adult birds. We experimentally investigated the effect of early growth conditions on the expression of sexual ornaments later in life in male ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus). We also investigated the effects on immune function, as it could be a functional link between early nutrition and ornament expression. We manipulated the dietary protein intake during the first eight weeks post hatching. Males receiving fodder with 27% protein during the first three weeks of life grew larger and more colourful wattles when sexually mature than males receiving a low-protein diet (20.5% protein). Spur length was unaffected by diet treatment. Manipulation of food protein levels during weeks 4-8 after hatching had no effect on the development of ornaments. The different protein treatments had no longterm effect on either humoral or cell-mediated immune responses. There was, however, a positive relationship between spur length and cell-mediated immune responsiveness. Our study shows that expression of a sexual ornament in adult pheasants reflects nutritional conditions early in life. Because the expression of secondary sexual ornaments is affected by conditions during early growth, by selecting more ornamented males, females would choose mates that are superior at handling early nutritional stress. If the susceptibility to early nutritional stress also has a hereditary basis, females may benefit by obtaining 'good genes'.
Folia Biologica, 2012
Body weight and some biometrical traits of ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) at different ages. Folia biologica (Kraków) 60: 79-84. Although the growth of pheasants is an important issue, there are few publications providing information on body weight and morphometrics of pheasants at different ages. The aim of this study was to investigate body weight, tarsus length, wing length and wingspan in farmed pheasants aged 3-16 weeks. The study was carried out on 50 pheasants (31 females and 19 males). All one-day old birds were marked and kept until the 16 JD week of life. In the 3 H@ , 8 JD , 12 JD and 16 JD weeks of life all pheasants were weighted and tarsus length, wing length and wingspan were measured. Male chicks appeared to be significantly heavier than females (P#0.01) already in the third week of life. Also their wings were longer and their wingspan attained higher values (P#0.05). Absolute gains of the majority of traits also differed between sexes (being larger in males) in all studied periods. Values of body weight, tarsus length and wingspan noted in the third week of life were significantly correlated with all later measurements. Thus body weight and some biometrical traits of pheasant chicks measured already at the 3 H@ week of life could be applied as predictors of future body weight and size.
Ciência e Técnica Vitivinícola
The aim of this research was to evaluate the growth rate of body weight and wing length of green and ring-necked pheasants reared up to 14th week of life and fed with allmash mixture. In every successive week of life the birds were weighed and their wing length was measured. It was found that the body weight of green and ring-necked pheasants of both sexes was increasing with bird age. In all successive weeks, except of the 3rd week of rearing, sexual dimorphism of body weight was observed, that was significant (P≤0.05). Males have body weight greater than females. Like body weight, wing length of pheasants was increasing with age and sexual dimorphism of wing length was also observed. Males have wing length more than females. The highest growth rate of body weight was observed up to 9th week of life.
To study the influence of egg weight on internal and external quality egg parameters and biometrical traits of hatched chicks, a total of 450 eggs of ring necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicums) were collected. These eggs were weighed and classified as light (20.0-26.0g), medium (27.0-32.0g) and heavy (33.0-40.0g) egg weight categories. Egg length, breadth, egg volume and surface area varied significantly (P<0.05) between all the three egg weight categories. Out of total 450 eggs, 150 eggs (50 from each of the egg weight category) were selected for the evaluation of internal egg quality parameters. Significantly higher albumen and yolk weight were recorded in heavy weight egg category while non-significant influence of egg weight was observed on shell and membrane thickness, yolk percentage, yolk index, yolk pH and albumen pH of the egg. Out of the remaining 300 eggs kept in the incubator, 142 hatched successfully. Forty chicks from each of the egg weight category were selected and chick weight, wing length and wingspan were taken at the time of hatching and thereafter increase in these parameters were noted on weekly basis. The effect of egg weight on chick weight, live weight gain, wing length and wingspan was significant (P<0.05). Our studies revealed that egg weight has strong influence on external and internal characteristics of the eggs and the growth parameters in P. colchicus chicks.
Copunisation of pheasants at different age
The effects of caponisation on live weight, weight gain, carcass characteristics and blood plasma values of pheasants were examined. Eighty pheasants reared in feathered game nurserie were included in experiment. The birds were castrated at 8 or 12 weeks of age. The age of castration up to 12 weeks showed complete testicular regeneration while when castration was performed at 8 weeks of age testicular regeneration reached 25%. Pheasant capons, that were fed higher protein diet, showed lower live weights but higher dressing percentages than game pheasants. Weight and weight gain of pheasant capons were increased till December. Blood plasma values showed significantly higher levels (P<0.01) of Ca, total protein and albumin for pheasant capons but these differences were related to composition of feed mixtures. We concluded that pheasant capons fed higher protein diet represents better commercial product than pheasant reared as game animals but that more studies under different feedi...
Revista Brasileira de Ciência Avícola, 2017
This study was performed to investigate the effects of crude protein (CP) in diet and sex ratio on egg production, egg and hatching chick weight and hatchability traits in pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus). In this study, the treatment groups were constructed as 15% CP-5:1; 15% CP-7:1; 18% CP-5:1; 18% CP-7:1 for CP and sex (male:female) ratio respectively. The eggs were obtained from 48 weeks old pheasant. In this study, it was determined that there was positive effective on egg production, egg and hatching weight and hatchability of fertile eggs (HFE) for 18% CP. In contrast, fertility (FR) (p<0.05) and hatchability rate of total eggs (HR) (p>0.05), EPEM (p>0.05) and MPEM (p>0.05) tended to decrease with increasing CP. It was found that there was egg production, egg (p>0.05) and hatching weight (p>0.05), FR (p>0.05), HR (p>0.05) and HFE (p>0.05) increased with increasing female for sex ratio. In terms of embryonic mortality, the EPEM (p>0.05) and LPEM (p>0.05) rate decreased with increasing female. For protein levels × sex ratio, it was found that hatchability traits were adversely affected for 15% CP-1:7. Also, it was determined that the lowest EPEM, MPEM and LPEM were determined for 7:1 in 18% CP group. Based on these results, to improve hatchability traits and a lower embryonic mortality rate, it may be beneficial to use 15% CP-5:1 or 18% CP-7:1 for pheasant breeding.
Functional Ecology, 2012
1. Oxidative stress may provide a proximate link between investment in growth and ⁄ or reproduction and investment in self-maintenance. Dietary antioxidants, such as carotenoids and vitamin E, provide potentially important roles in regulating these trade-offs. Recent work suggests that carotenoids may have synergistic effects in combination with non-pigmentary antioxidants (e.g. vitamin E) on the expression of sexually selected traits in adulthood. However, these studies involved the supplementation of antioxidants to adults so did not take account of early lifehistory effects. 2. Here, we test the independent and combined roles of supplementation of carotenoids and vitamin E during early growth in regulating the expression of traits in adulthood, in ring-necked pheasants, Phasianus colchicus. Individuals supplemented with a combination of carotenoids and vitamin E were larger at adulthood than individuals receiving other treatment diets (including vitamin E or carotenoids alone), but there were no differences in ornament expression, immune function, the swelling response to phytohaemagglutinin or levels of oxidative damage. 3. This shows that there are synergistic early life-history effects of these dietary antioxidants on body size at adulthood and suggest that the allocation of limited antioxidant resources are prioritized towards traits that increase competitive ability rather than sexual attractiveness in this strongly sexually selected species.
The effect of varying dietary nutrient densities on the relative growth of ostrich body components
Journal of the South African Veterinary Association, 2020
The influence of varying dietary protein and energy levels on the relative growth of body components of ostriches was evaluated over a 244-day growth period. One hundred twenty 1-day-old ostrich chicks were randomly assigned to 15 pens. Three varying energy regimes (high, medium and low) and five protein levels (1–5) were supplied ad libitum to each pen. A randomly selected bird from each pen was slaughtered at 1, 35, 63, 103, 159, 168 and 244 days of age. Each bird was weighed, stunned, exsanguinated, defeathered and eviscerated. Individual body components were dissected and weighed at every slaughter age. Proximate analysis was performed on these components, which were ground with the remainder of the carcass, excluding gut content, but including blood and feathers. Based on the analysis of ostrich feathers and the known mass of the feathers, the protein mass contribution of the feathers was deducted from the protein accretion of the bird. All the data were transformed to natural ...