Growth Patterns of Two Chinese Native Goose Breeds

A Method to Reduce the Occurrence of Egg Translucency and Its Effect on Bacterial Invasion

Translucent egg consumption is low due to consumer acceptance and quality concerns, which is a problem that egg producers need to address. This study was performed to evaluate the reasons for the high occurrence of egg translucency in summer, as well as whether the addition of mono-dicalcium phosphate (MDCP) to the diet can relieve eggshell translucency and whether eggshell translucency is associated with the risk of bacterial invasion. A total of 72 laying hens that were 36 weeks old were randomly divided into control (CON) and MDCP groups and fed in the same environment. Results showed that the number of translucent eggs increases in July and August as the temperature and humidity increase. Compared with the CON group, in July, August, and October, the translucent egg grade (TEG) of the MDCP group was lower than that of the CON group (p < 0.05). TEG was correlated with mastoid space height (MSH), width (MSW), and area (MSA) (correlation coefficients 0.63, 0.59, and 0.68, respectively, p ≤ 0.05). There was no significant difference in the invasion rate of E. coli between translucent and non-translucent egg groups (47.2% vs. 39.33%), and translucent area and non-translucent area (13.49% vs. 15.08%). In conclusion, our results show that dietary MDCP may alleviate eggshell translucency and that eggshell translucency would not increase the probability of E. coli cross-shell penetration rate.

Productive qualities of geese when crossing breeds and using hepatoprotective complex

The study was on a one-way cross between Wanxi male and Lindov female geese, and tested the effects of a hepatoprotective compound on growth and other traits in the parental and one-way cross involving male and female progeny. The hybrids obtained from crossing had high viability and productivity; their level was also positively affected by giving a hepatoprotective complex. Female parents were the Lindov breed's geese, and male parents were 120 geese of the Chinese Wanxi breed. During the growing period, hybrid young birds were receiving a hepatoprotective complex in the amount of 1.0 mL per 1 L of water for 7 days. The research took into account geese' safety indices, live weight, and absolute and average daily gain. The interbreeding results prove that the resulting hybrids' safety index is 2.38%-4.54% higher than the parent forms' safety index. The hybrids' live weight increased by 8.4% due to a higher increase in live weight by 16.5%-22.1% allowing us to conclude the positive effect of crossing and using a hepatoprotective complex when breeding geese. The research made it possible to improve geese' productive qualities through hybridization and the use of a hepatoprotective complex. This information can contribute to the genetic improvement of body size in current breeding programs.