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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #66631
Title: USE OF A CONTROLLED LIGHTING PROGRAM TO PREVENT SPIKING MORTALITY SYNDROME IN BROILER CHICKS

Author
item DAVIS, JAMES - GA POULTRY DIAGNOSTIC LAB
item McMurtry, John
item VASILATOS-YOUNKEN, REGINA - PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Southern Poultry Science Society Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/8/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: One Hundred 1-day-old broiler chicks were orally inoculated with an embryo homogenate previously shown to induce hypoglycemia-spiking mortality syndrome (SMS). Fifty were exposed to a controlled lighting program (G.1), and fifty to continuous lighting (G.2). Fifty more chicks on continuous lighting served as uninoculated controls (G.3). G.1 had higher mean plasma glucose levels than G.2 or G.3. (p < 0.0001). In addition, the clinical signs/hypoglycemia of SMS were nonexistent in G.1 as compared to a 39% incidence in G.2. Mean body weight depression in G.1 was 17% vs. 35% in G.2 when compared with G.3. It is postulated that G.2 chicks were more stressed and deficient in melatonin, and therefore were more susceptible to the viral challenge than were G.1 chicks. Plasma IGF-1, IGF-2, insulin, and GH varied extremely between groups, and will be discussed.