BACKGROUND: Due to the numerous biological effects of nanoparticles, nanotechnology can play a major role in future research areas in the poultry industry. OBJECTIVES: The SNP have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties that are increasingly used in poultry farms. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of SNP on carcass and laying performance, qualitative and quantitative characteristics of eggs, fertility and hatchability in Japanese quail. METHODS: 96 quails including 24 male quails and 72 female quails were assigned to 4 experimental groups with 6 replications in a completely randomized design. The experimental groups consisted of 0 (control), 4, 8, and 12 ppm SNP, which were given to the birds in drinking water. Quantitative and qualitative parameters of eggs and determining the percentage of fertility and hatching were performed on a weekly basis. Also, at the end of the experiment, body weight and relative weight of internal organs were measured. RESULTS: The relative weight of liver and kidney organs increased in the SNP-receiving groups as compared to control (p < 0.05). There was a significant decrease in egg weight in SNP- receiving groups compared with the control group (p < 0.05). The effect of experimental groups on relative yolk weight was not significant. Albumin weight and yolk to albumin ratio increased in two groups of control and 8 ppm SNP, respectively (p < 0.05). Egg thickness and shape index decreased in groups 4, 8, and 12 ppm SNP as compared to control (p < 0.05). However, the effect of different experimental groups on quantitative and qualitative parameters of eggs including eggshell weight, eggshell membrane, and egg volume was not statistically significant. The SNP-receiving groups caused a dramatic increase in fertility rate as compared to control (p < 0.05); furthermore, the increase in hatchability rate in SNP groups was not significant (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study showed that the use of 4 and 8 ppm SNP can improve the laying performance, fertility and hatchability rates in Japanese quail.

To develop local breeds, the first action should be to investigate how the breeds have been raised and grown. The study aimed to determine nutritional practice and reproduction characteristics of Noi chickens in Ben Tre Province. A total of 90 respondents were involved with this study by a purposive sampling method. The data were collected by in-depth interview. A descriptive analysis was used for this study. The results showed that male farmers were dominant, being more than 25 years old, and labour was mostly from family member. Noi chickens were raised for laying purpose and usually integrating with other livestock at the farm. As traditional farms, farmers raised Noi chickens under semi and free-range farming system with water and feed from natural resources and still using hens to hatch eggs and produced chickens. Noi laying performance was not high and most farms did not record information of laying performance. Besides, Noi chickens have first laying egg at 22 weeks with an average of 1-2 egg per week and 2-4 cycle laying per year. The common feed was commercial feed, and farmers always mixed with other agriculture products and by-products. The nutritional value of feed was insufficient for layer production and depending on the seasons and locality with the highest crude protein 11.8 and the lowest was 4.3. It can be concluded that farmers still practice traditional method in raising Noi chickens and laying performance of Noi chicken were not high on farmer’s farm.

A study was conducted to determine the effect of different nutrients i.e. metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) content of ration on the egg production and egg weight of rural layers. For the purpose six different experimental rations containing 2700, 2900 kcal/kg ME and 14, 16, 18 percent CP were offered to the birds. The results indicated that egg number increased with proportional adversely affected as the CP of the ration was increased weight of the layers was proportionally increased with ration at constant ME level, while increase in ME level egg weight. increase in ME, while it was at constant ME level. The egg increase in CP content of the did not significantly affect the egg weight.

This study was conducted to examine comparative productive performance of different varieties of Desi chickens identified from group of Desi flock procured from rural field conditions of Mianwali and Bhakkar districts of Punjab province (Pakistan). A total of five varieties of Desi chickens viz., dark brown, medium brown, light brown, black and mixed colour were identified on the basis of their plumage colour and uniformity of body characters. Four hundred and eighty birds (96 of each variety) were selected for further study. The birds of each variety were randomly divided into 3 equal replicates. They were maintained in 15 separate pens on deep litter system under optimal managemental conditions and were fed a balanced layers ration ad-libitum. The birds were provided 16 hours light per day. The experiment was conducted for 8 weeks. The results indicated that varieties differed significantly in egg production, feed conversion efficiency and egg mass, whereas, no difference was observed in feed intake and egg weight between them. Based on the findings of this study, it appeared that different varieties of Desi chickens identified and selected during the course of this study on phenotypic basis differed in their productive potential on the basis of better productive potentials in terms of egg yield, FCR and egg mass, dark brown, and black varieties of Desi chickens could be used to carry out further selective breeding work to study possibility of improving their productive potentials.

This study was conducted to examine the present productive potentials of field Desi chickens housed under deep litter system. For this purpose a detailed survey was conducted in rural areas of Punjab Province (Pakistan) to know availability of true specimens of Desi birds. After the survey a total number of 1329 adult Desi birds were selected from different villages of Mianwali and Bhakkar districts. The birds were housed at Govt. Poultry Farm, Mianwali for initial acclimatization for 6 to 8 weeks and subjected then to prophylactic vaccination and then they were shifted to Breeding and Incubation Division of Poultry Research Institute, Rawalpindi. A total number of 450 Desi birds (150 each of black, dark brown and light brown varieties) were randomly selected and were sub-divided into 3 groups of equal size. They were maintained on littered floor in 9 separate pens under optimal managemental conditions for a period of 42 weeks. The results indicated that black, dark brown and light brown groups of Desi chickens produced 1.93, 1.96 and 2.17 dozen eggs (0.0459, 0.0467 and 0.0516 dozen eggs per week) with intake of 29.75, 29.29 and 29.64 kg feed, respectively. The results showed similar performance in egg production and feed intake of different groups of Desi chickens. A similar pattern in egg weight, egg mass and FCR (feed/kg eggs) was observed, however, FCR in light brown Desi (13.68) was found to be significantly (P less than 0.01) better than that of Desi black (15.42) birds. The results further showed depression in production potential of field Desi chickens in comparison to previous production data recorded in the earlier period.