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Effects of Different Diets on Viability, and Gut Morphology and Bacteriology in Captive Willow Ptarmigan Chicks (Lagopus L. Lagopus)

Effekter au forskjellige dietter på overlevelse, og tarmmorfologi og -bakteriologi hos lirypekyllinger i fangenskap.

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica volume 25, pages 67–75 (1984)Cite this article

Abstract

Young willow ptarmigan chicks were fed an artificial chick diet (ACD), and different supplements. One group got ascorbic acid supplements, another neomycin and Oxytetracyclin in the water, and a third was given ascorbic acid and sprouts of Vaccinium myrtillus. Chicks that were fed ACD only, showed low weight gain and high mortality rate. The numbers of bacteria in the gut were high and the incidence of villous epithelium erosion and bacteria colonizing the gut epithelium were high.

Admixture of ascorbic acid to the diet improved the viability of the chicks and reduced the number of coliforms in the gut.

Antibiotics in the water reduced the number of C. perfringens, enterococci and coliforms in the gut, and improved the gut epithelium conditions.

Combined supplements of ascorbic acid and Vaccinium myrtillus resulted in strongly viable chicks with healthy gut epithelium. C. perfringens was not demonstrated in the gut, and the numbers of enterococci and coliforms were low.

Sammendrag

Nylekte lirypekyllinger ble foret med en kunstig diett (ACD) og tilskudd av forskjellig slag. En gruppe fikk askorbinsyre, en annen neomycin og Oxytetracyclin i drikkevannet, og en tredje ble gitt tilskudd av askorbinsyre og nyutsprunget blåbærlyng.

Kyllingene som fikk bare ACD viste lav tilvekst og høy dødelighet. De hadde et høyt antall bakterier i tarmen, og frekvensen av tarmepitelerosjon og adherente bakterier til tarmepitelet var høy.

Tilskudd av askorbinsyre til dietten reduserte antall koliforme bakterier i tarmen og økte overlevelsesfrekvensen.

Tilsetning av antibiotika til drikkevannet reduserte antall C. perfringens, enterokokker og koliforme bakterier i tarmen og bedret forholdene i tarmepitelet.

Kyllingene som fikk tilskudd av både askorbinsyre og spirende blåbaerlyng vokste raskt, aile overlevde og hadde et sunt tarmepitel. C. perfringens ble ikke påvist i tarmen hos disse kyllingene, og antall enterokokker og koliforme bakterier var dessuten lavt.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tromsø, Institute of Medical Biology, Oslo, Norway

    Ingolf Hanssen, Reinert Grammeltvedt & Anne-Lill Hellemann

  2. Department of Arctic Biology, and National Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway

    Ingolf Hanssen, Reinert Grammeltvedt & Anne-Lill Hellemann

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  1. Ingolf Hanssen
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  2. Reinert Grammeltvedt
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  3. Anne-Lill Hellemann
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Hanssen, I., Grammeltvedt, R. & Hellemann, AL. Effects of Different Diets on Viability, and Gut Morphology and Bacteriology in Captive Willow Ptarmigan Chicks (Lagopus L. Lagopus). Acta Vet Scand 25, 67–75 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1186/BF03547280

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Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica

ISSN: 1751-0147