Changhua Animal Propagation Station, Livestock Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Changhua 52149, Taiwan.
Kaohsiung Animal Propagation Station, Livestock Research Institute, Council of Agriculture, Executive Yuan, Pingtung 91201, Taiwan.
Poult Sci. 2023 Oct;102(10):102941. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.102941. Epub 2023 Jul 19.
This study aimed to determine the effect of age and sex in weeks on growth, carcass performances, and feather quality of White Roman geese and analyze the relative effect of age and sex in weeks on feather characteristics in geese. In animal experiments, 120 White Roman geese aged 13 wk were randomly distributed among 12 pens and fed grower diet ad libitum during the growing period, with each pen containing 10 males or 10 females, depending on a completely random design. Ten geese each in their 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, and 25 wk of age were sacrificed. The results showed that the age had no significant effect on the body weight (BW) of geese (P > 0.05). The chest girth was significantly longer in 21 to 25 wk old than in 13- to 19-wk-old geese (P < 0.05). The results reveal no significant change in carcass weight of grower geese among 13- to 25-wk age groups (P > 0.05). The down percentage of the 25-wk-old age group was significantly higher than that of the 13-, 15-, and 17-wk age groups (P < 0.05). The male geese had a higher dry feather weight than the females (P < 0.05). Similarly, the 18-h feed-deprived body weight (18-h FDBW) and 4 to 10 cm feather weight were significantly negatively correlated in grower geese (-0.42). This provides the feather industry an opportunity for the better utilization of grower geese by-products. In conclusion, the age has no influence on BW among 13- to 25-wk-old geese, and a good down percentage and dry weight were observed at 25 wk of age. The 18-h FDBW and down percentage had a significantly negative correlation (-0.55) in grower geese.
本研究旨在确定年龄和周龄对白色罗曼鹅生长、胴体性能和羽毛质量的影响，并分析年龄和周龄对鹅羽毛特征的相对影响。在动物实验中，将 120 只 13 周龄的白色罗曼鹅随机分配到 12 个围栏中，并在生长期间自由采食育肥期饲料，每个围栏包含 10 只雄性或 10 只雌性，这是完全随机设计的。在 13、15、17、19、21、23 和 25 周龄时，各牺牲 10 只鹅。结果表明，年龄对鹅体重（BW）无显著影响（P＞0.05）。21 至 25 周龄鹅的胸围明显长于 13 至 19 周龄鹅（P＜0.05）。结果显示，13 至 25 周龄生长鹅的胴体重无显著变化（P＞0.05）。25 周龄组的羽绒率明显高于 13、15 和 17 周龄组（P＜0.05）。公鹅的干羽重高于母鹅（P＜0.05）。同样，生长鹅的 18 小时禁食体重（18-h FDBW）和 4 至 10 厘米羽重呈显著负相关（-0.42）。这为羽毛行业提供了一个更好地利用生长鹅副产物的机会。综上所述，13 至 25 周龄鹅的 BW 不受年龄影响，25 周龄时羽绒率和干重较好。生长鹅 18-h FDBW 和羽绒率呈显著负相关（-0.55）。
