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Growing broilers were offered either 0 (0H), 10 (10H), 20 mL (20H) honey, or 0.5 g vitamin C/litre water (AA) during hot-dry season. Honey had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), water intake (WI), survival (SURV), dressed percentage (DRE), breas tmeat (BRE), gizzard (GIZ), drumstick (DRU), shank (SHA), thigh (THI), tibia volume (VOL), and magnesium (MAG). Effect of honey was significant (P < 0.05) on tibial weight (WEI), density (DEN), calcium (CAL), and phosphorus (PHO). WEI and DEN increased with increasing level of honey. 20H broilers had higher CAL than 0H and 10H groups. Broilers offered honey had significantly lower PHO than AA group but the difference between honey groups was not significant. Honey significantly affected PR (P < 0.001) and HR (P < 0.001) but not RT (P > 0.005). Higher dose of honey lowered PR and HR. Honey significantly (P < 0.05) increased THY but LIV, KID, LUN, SPL, BUR, and HEA were not significantly (P > 0.05) affected. 20H broilers had higher THY than 0H and 10H groups. In conclusion, honey did not affect growth but might improve broilers' welfare when offered up to 20H during hot periods.

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The effects of heat stress on several aspects of animal production are well documented. Heat stress results from the animal's inability to dissipate sufficient heat to maintain homeothermy. High ambient temperature, relative humidity, and radiant energy compromise the ability of animals to dissipate heat. As a result, there is an increase in body temperature, which in turn initiates compensatory and adaptive mechanisms to re-establish homeothermy and homeostasis. Heat stress could affect animal production and well-being, especially because of increase in air temperature. Heat stress is very common and on the increase particularly in the tropics. There is considerable research evidence that shows significant decline in animal performance when subjected to heat stress. Heat stress inflicts heavy economic losses on livestock production. The effects of heat stress is evident in feed consumption, production efficiency in terms of milk yield or weight gain per unit of feed energy, growth rate, egg production, and reproductive efficiency. The physiologic mechanisms underlying the action of heat stress on the decline of production performance of domestic animals have not been fully investigated. Heat stress requires further investigation, and the elucidation of the mechanisms may facilitate adoption of comprehensive preventive and control measures to combat heat stress in domestic animals. This chapter examines heat stress and its negative impacts on livestock production. It elucidates the general negative effects of heat stress on physiologic and production parameters of domestic livestock. The mechanisms involved when animals are subjected to heat stress and impacts of heat stress on domestic animals are emphasized. An understanding of these mechanisms may result in the development of improved techniques for enhancing livestock productivity in tropical environments.

Effect of extended storage on egg quality, embryo mortality and hatchability in FUNAAB‐ɑ chickens was determined. Hatchable eggs (n = 288; weighing 53.2 ± 4.67 g) collected from a flock of FUNAAB‐ɑ layer breeder hens aged 32 weeks were stored in egg tray with broad end up under 16 ± 1.5°C for either 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 or 20 d. Before incubation, eight eggs from each group were evaluated for internal and external quality traits. Remaining eggs were set in an incubator and transferred into hatcher on embryonic day 18. Data collected were subjected to one‐way analysis of variance. Egg weight loss (EWL; p < .001), surface area (p < .001), yolk diameter (p < .001), inner and outer blastoderm diameters (p < .05) and dead in germ (DIG; p < .001) increased with storage duration while yolk height (p < .001), yolk index (p < .001), albumen weight (p < .05), albumen height (p < .05), albumen index (p < .01), Haugh's unit (HU; p < .05), fertility (p < .001), hatchability of set (HATCHS; p < .001) and fertile eggs (p < .05) decreased. Weight losses of 0, 1.2, 2.2, 3.4, 4.6 and 6.1% were recorded in egg stored for 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 days respectively. Eggs stored beyond 8 days exhibited higher DIG and lower HATCHS. Shell percentage in 4 days storage (11.4%) was lower (p < .05) than in 16 days storage (13.4%). Shell thickness was similar in eggs stored for 0 to 12 days, but 8 days storage (0.60 mm) had thinner (p < .01) shell than day 16 (0.71 mm) and day 20 (0.73 mm) storage. Internal quality unit (IQU) was higher (p < .05) in fresh eggs (180.4) than in 12 days (167.8) and 20 days (167.8) stored eggs. Extended storage of FUNAAB‐ɑ eggs caused EWL, surface area shrinkage, lowered HU and IQU, loss of yolk and albumen quality, increased blastoderm diameters and DIG, and decreased egg fertility and HATCHS from day 8 forward. Storing FUNAAB‐ɑ eggs beyond 8 days reduced quality parameters; therefore, other mitigating factors are recommended when storing beyond 8 days.

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SUMMARYTwelve non-pregnant female goats (West African Dwarf, WAD and Red Sokoto, RS) were used to investigate the effect of volumetric (0%, 33% and 67%) water restriction on feed intake and weight gain over a period of eight weeks. The goats are of 2 age groups: younger and older than 1 year. The experiment was arranged in a modified cross-over design with three treatment periods of 1 week each. In-between each treatment period was a 2-week wash-out period, when the effect of the previous was expected to have worn off. The average water intake (WI) was determined for the first 7 days of the experiment when all the animals were given water ad libitum. The 3 treatments were: (i) ad libitum supply of water every day; (ii) 33% reduction from average WI; and (iii) 67% reduction. Water drunk had positive and significant (p<0.001) correlation with feed intake in young and old WAD (r= 0.490 and 0.620 respectively) and RS (>1 year old; r= 0.615). All the four classes of goats showed positive highly significant (p<0.001) correlation between water drunk and daily weight gain (r= 0.408, 0.484, 0.555 and 0.422 respectively for WAD (<1 and >1 year old) and RS (<1 and >1 year old goats). RESUMEN Doce cabras no preñadas (West AfricanDwarf, WAD y Red Sokoto, RS) fueron empleadas para investigar el efecto de la restricción volumétrica (0%, 33% and 67%) del suministro de agua sobre la ingestión de alimento y ganancia de peso durante ocho semanas. Los animales se agruparon por edad en menores y mayores de un año. El experimento se dispuso según un diseño cruzado, modificado con tres periodos de tratamiento de una semana cada uno. Entre cada periodo se intercaló uno de lavado de dos semanas durante el que se eliminaba el efecto del experimento precedente. La ingestión media de agua (WI) fue determinada para los siete primeros dias del experimento durante los cuales a todos los animales se suministraba agua ad libitum. Los tratamientos fueron: (i) suministro de agua ad libitum, (ii) reducción del 33% sobre la ingestión media y (iii) 67% de reducción. El agua bebida mostró correlación positiva (p<0,001) con la ingestión de alimento en las cabras WAD jóvenes (r= 0,490) y mayores (r= 0,620) y para las RS de más de un año (r= 0,615). Todas las cabras mostraron correlación positiva (p<0,001) entre agua bebida y ganancia de peso (WAD:<1, r= 0,408 y >1, 0,484 y RS: <1, 0,555 y>1, 0,422).

Effect of different levels of honey on physiological, growth and carcass traits of broiler chickens during dry seasonThe objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of different levels of honey in drinking water on the responses of broiler chickens during dry season in hot humid tropics. Three hundred Oba Marshall broiler chicks were used for this study. The day-old chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups with each treatment having four replicates of 15 birds. The first 4 treatment groups were daily supplied drinking water without honey (0H), with 20 ml (20H), 40 ml (40H) and 60 ml (60H) of honey per liter of water. The fifth group received drinking water supplemented with 500 mg vitamin C per liter of water (C). Records on daily weight gain (WG) and feed intake (FI) were taken. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated as the ratio of gain to feed consumed. The supplementation of honey in the drinking water for broiler chickens in 60H during hot dry season in the hot humid tropics improved some stress indices, body weight gain and relative spleen weight.Key words: poultry; broiler chickens; animal nutrition; honey; growth; physiological traits; carcass traits; hot dry season Učinek dodajanja različnih količin medu na fiziološke, rastne in klavne lastnosti pitovnih piščancev v sušnih razmerah Cilj raziskave je bil proučiti vpliv dodajanja različnih količin medu v pitno vodo pitovnih piščancev med vročim in suhim obdobjem v vročih in vlažnih tropih. Za to študijo smo uporabili 300 pitovnih piščancev provenience Oba Marshall. Enodnevni piščanci so bili naključno razporejeni v pet poskusnih skupin, s štirimi ponovitvami s po 15 piščanci v vsaki skupini. V prvih štirih skupinah so piščanci dobivali pitno vodo brez medu (0H), z 20 ml (20H), 40 ml (40H) in 60 ml (60H) medu na liter vode. Peta skupina je dobivala pitno vodo, dopolnjeno s 500 mg vitamina C na liter vode (C). Merili smo dnevne priraste (WG) in količino zaužite krme (FI). Izkoriščanje krme (FCR) smo izračunali kot razmerje med prirastom in porabo krme. Dodatek medu v pitni vodi za pitovne piščance v skupini 60H v vročem in sušnem obdobju v vročih in vlažnih tropih je izboljšal nekatere pokazatelje stresa, pitovne lastnosti in povečal relativno maso vranice.Ključne besede: perutnina; pitovni piščanci; prehrana ži-vali; med; rast; fizološke lastnosti; klavne lastnosti; vroče sušno obdobje bient temperature and high humidity which have been reported to affect the productive performance of chickens (Ahmad et al., 2005;Daghir, 2008).