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While the use of canola meal (CM) as an alternative to soybean meal in broiler diets is well-documented, there is no information on the utility of this valuable by-product for slow-growing indigenous chickens. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the effects of partially replacing soybean products in a chicken grower diet with graded levels of CM on carcass characteristics, relative organ sizes and meat quality in Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) cockerels. A total of 175 PK cockerels (342.6 ± 15.2 g body weight, 5 wk old) were randomly allocated to 25 pens. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic grower diets containing 0, 3.75, 6.25, 8.75, and 17.5% of CM were then randomly allocated to the pens (experimental units). After 12 wk of feeding, chickens were slaughtered to measure carcass traits, size of internal organs and meat quality traits. There were no effects of graded levels of CM on carcass weights. Wing weight increased quadratically [y = 6.27(±0.23) + 0.23 (±0.063) x-0.009 (±0.0003) x 2 ; R 2 = 0.28] in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Drumstick, vertebrae, liver, and small intestine weights linearly increased (P < 0.05) in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Redness (a*), initial meat pH (pH o ), and shear force linearly increased (P < 0.05) but lightness (L*) and water holding capacity decreased with an increase in CM inclusion levels. However, there were no significant linear and quadratic trends for yellowness (b*), ultimate pH (pH u ), drip loss, and cooking loss in response to incremental levels of CM. There were also significant quadratic trends for mineral contents of the meat with the exception of iron (Fe). It can be concluded that inclusion of CM in place of soybean products had no negative impact on carcass traits, organ size and meat quality traits of indigenous PK chickens., (Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Canola meal (CM) is a potential alternative dietary protein source for indigenous chickens but its utility may be limited by anti-nutrients such as fibre and phytochemical compounds. This study, therefore, explores the effects of replacing soy-based feedstuffs (SB) with graded levels of CM on apparent nutrient digestibility, growth performance and haemo-biochemical parameters in Potchefstroom koekoek (PK) cockerels. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were formulated by replacing 0 (CM), 3.75 (CM1), 6.25 (CM2), 8.75 (CM3) and 17.5% (CM4) of SB with CM. One hundred and seventy-five cockerels (342.6 ± 15.2 g live weight, 5 weeks old) were evenly distributed into 25 replicate pens to which experimental diets were randomly allocated. Feed intake, apparent nutrient digestibility, weight gain, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio (PER) were determined. Blood was collected for serum and haematological analysis at 16 weeks of age. There was a significant quadratic trend [y = 2.56 (± 0.067) + 0.04 (± 0.019)x - 0.002 (± 0.0010)x 2 ] for average weight gain from which an optimum canola inclusion level was calculated to be 7.8%. Neutrophils linearly increased (P < 0.05) with CM levels, but there were no significant linear and quadratic trends for serum biochemical components with the exception of total calcium and triglycerides, which decreased linearly in response to incremental levels of CM. However, feed intake, feed utilisation efficiency, growth performance and serum biochemistry parameters were not affected by experimental diets. Based on weight gain response, it was concluded that replacing soy-based dietary ingredients with CM in poultry diets up to 7.8% does not result in adverse effects on diet utilisation, growth performance and health status of PK cockerels.

The aim of this article is to highlight the effects of chicken dumping trade on South African local commercial chicken farming industry. The high cost of farming in South African has risen and this has created a fertile ground for overseas countries where chicken production costs are low to intensify their exports to South Africa for their excess chicken products at a lower price. South African chicken farmers are already facing domestic challenges which includes high-cost feed, high cost of importing chicken lines and resources to produce the meat chicken. A local single fertilised Ross 308 / Cobb 500 Fertile egg cost at least R2.50 ($0.12), whereas international, local breeders source these genetic lines at over a $1 an egg. Locally, there is persistent drought, chicken diseases, high electricity cost and electricity shortages (load shedding). These challenges inevitably raise costs of chicken production in South Africa whereas the US, Brazil and EU countries farming industries are highly subsidised and experience no high electricity costs or load shedding. In perspective, imported chicken from Brazil cost R9 per kg as compared to locally produced chicken at R25 per kg. To mitigate the chicken dumping trade, the South African government imposed legally sound chicken import tariffs of up to 62 %, however in August of 2022, the government suspended these tariffs due to rising food costs in the hope that the cheap dumped chicken would provide a relief to the financially stressed consumers. This move has raffled feathers within the local chicken farming sector which is struggling to sustain their farms due to stiff competition with the low-priced chicken, predominantly from Brazil and the US. More chicken farms in South Africa are shedding jobs. As of 2023, the poultry industry in South Africa employs an estimated total of 70,000 people, and others are questioning the sustainability of their enterprises going forward if the chicken dumping in the country is not controlled via stringent legislation that include appropriate dumping tariffs. This article suggests that both the chicken farming industry, the chicken importers and the government should hold regular dialogs to get common ground before the majority of local chicken farmers close shops due to chicken dumping. The regular engagements between the government and the chicken industry could avoid seemingly unilateral suspension of import tariffs. Subsidies that could absorb some of the operation cost, as is the case with US or Brazilian farmers should be introduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Seaweeds are functional feed ingredients with putative growth-stimulating and meat quality-enhancing effects. • Effectiveness of exogenous fibrolytic enzyme pre-treatment in enhancing seaweed feed value was investigated. • Fibrolytic enzymes did not improve feed intake, physiological parameters, and meat quality in broiler chickens. Seaweeds are functional feed sources that contain biocompounds with growth-stimulating, antimicrobial and meat-enhancing properties. However, the presence of non-starch polysaccharides such as cellulose, hemicellulose, pectin and xylan may limit its utilization in broiler diets. Thus, this study evaluated the effects of pre-treating dietary green seaweed (Ulva sp.) with a fibrolytic enzyme mixture on physiological and meat quality parameters of Cobb 500 broiler chickens. Three hundred and thirty, two-week old male chicks (318.9 ± 16.12 g live weight) were evenly and randomly placed in 30 replicate pens (experimental units) to which five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were randomly allotted. Experimental diets were commercial grower and finisher diets containing seaweed pre-treated with a fibrolytic enzyme mixture of cellulase, hemi-cellulase, arabanase, β -glucanase and xylanase, at the rate of 0 (EZ0), 2.0 (EZ20), 5.0 (EZ50), 7.5 (EZ75) and 12.0 g/kg (EZ120). Growth performance, blood indices, visceral organs, and carcass and meat quality parameters were determined. No week × diet interaction effect (P > 0.05) on average weekly feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG), and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) was observed. Neither linear nor quadratic trends (P > 0.05) were observed for overall FI, growth performance, haematological and serum biochemical parameters as well as visceral organ weights in response to incremental levels of fibrolytic enzyme pre-treatment of seaweed. However, there was a linear increase in hot [R2 = 0.176, P = 0.033] and cold [R2 = 0.164, P = 0.040] carcass weights in response to increased enzyme pre-treatment rates. Breast meat lightness measured immediately after slaughter (L * i) linearly decreased [R2 = 0.147, P = 0.022] as enzyme levels increased. Diets with enzyme-treated seaweed promoted higher (P< 0.05) carcass weights compared to the untreated seaweed-containing control diet. It was concluded that pre-treatment of seaweed meal with an exogenous fibrolytic enzyme mixture did not improve growth performance, blood parameters, and meat quality traits in broiler chickens. An optimum fibrolytic enzyme treatment level for seaweed could not be determined, suggesting a need to investigate levels beyond the maximum treatment level of 12 g/kg used in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]