Abstract
An experiment was conducted to determine the effect of different stocking densities on serum corticosterone (CORT), ovotransferrin (OVT), α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and ceruloplasmin (CP) concentrations, brain heat shock protein (HSP) 70 expression and performance in broiler chickens exposed to unheated and heated conditions. Day-old chicks were stocked at 0.100 m2/bird (low density (LD)) or 0.063 m2/bird (high density (HD)), in battery cages and housed in environmentally controlled rooms. From 21 to 35 days of age, birds from each stocking density group were exposed to either 24 or 32 °C. Growth performance was recorded during the heat treatment period, and blood and brain samples were collected to determine CORT, OVT, AGP, CP and HSP 70 levels on day 35. Heat treatment but not stocking density was detrimental to growth performance. There were significant temperature × density interactions for CORT, CP and OVT on day 35. Although HD elevated CORT, CP and OVT when compared to LD, the effects of the former were more obvious under heated condition. Both temperature and density had significant effect on AGP and HSP 70. In conclusion, irrespective of temperature, high stocking density was physiologically stressful to broiler chickens, as indicated by CORT, AGP, CP, OVT and HSP 70, but not detrimental to growth performance and survivability. As it was shown in the present study, AGP, CP and OVT could be useful biomarkers to determine the effect of overcrowding and high temperature on the welfare of broiler chickens.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- CORT:
-
Serum corticosterone concentration
- OVT:
-
Serum ovotransferrin concentration
- AGP:
-
Serum α1-acid glycoprotein concentration
- CP:
-
Serum ceruloplasmin concentration
- HSP:
-
Heat shock protein
- LD:
-
Low density
- HD:
-
High density
- APP:
-
Acute phase protein
- LT:
-
Low temperature
- HT:
-
High temperature
- FCR:
-
Feed conversion ratios
References
Aksakal E, Ekinci D, Erdoğan O, Beydemir S, Alım Z, Ceyhun SB (2011) Increasing stocking density causes inhibition of metabolic–antioxidant enzymes and elevates mRNA levels of heat shock protein 70 in rainbow trout. LivestSci 141:69–75
Al-Aqil A, Zulkifli I (2009) Changes in heat shock protein 70 expression and blood characteristics in transported broiler chickens as affected by housing and early age feed restriction. PoultSci 88:1358–1364
Albentosa MJ, Cooper JJ (2004) Effects of cage height and stocking density on the frequency of comfort behaviors performed by laying hens housed in furnished cages. Anim Welfare 13:419–424
Arthington J, Eicher S, Kunkle WE, Martin FG (2003) Effect of transportation and commingling on the acute-phase protein response, growth, and feed intake of newly weaned beef calves. J AnimSci 81:1120–1125
Beloor J, Kang HK, Kim YJ, Subramani VK, Jang IS, Sohn SH, Moon YS (2010) The effect of stocking density on stress related genes and telomeric length in broiler chickens. Asian-Aust J Anim Sci 23:437–443
Bessei W (2006) Welfare of broilers: a review. World Poultry Sci J 62:455–466
Cray C, Zaias J, Altman NH (2009) Acute phase response in animals: a review. Comp Med 59(6):517–526
Dawkins MS, Donnelly CA, Jones TA (2004) Chicken welfare is influenced more by housing conditions than by stocking density. Nature 427:342–344
Estevez I (2007) Density allowances for broilers: where to set the limits? PoultSci 86:1265–1272
Estevez I, Newberry RC, Reyna LAM (1997) Broiler chickens: a tolerant social system? Etologia 5:19–29
Etches RJ, John IM, Gibbins AMV (1995) Behavioural, physiological, neuroendocrine and molecular responses to heat stress. In: Poultry production in hot climates. CAB International Wallingford UK, 31–65
Fournier T, Medjoubi-N N, Porquet D (2000) Alpha-1-acid glycoprotein. Biochimica et BiophysicaActa (BBA) - Biomembranes 1482:157–171
Georgieva TM, Koinarsk VN, Urumova VS, Marutsov PD, Chirstov TT, Nikolov J, Chaprazov T, Walshe K, Karov RS, Georgiev IP, Koinarski ZV (2010) Effects of Escherichia coli infection and Eimeriatenella invasion on blood concentrations of some positive acute phase proteins (haptoglobin (PIT 54), fibrinogen and ceruloplasmin) in chickens. Revue MédVét 161:84–89
Gous RM, Morris TR (2005) Nutritional interventions in alleviating the effects of high temperature in broiler production. World Poultry Sci J 61:463–475
Heckert RA, Estevez I, Russek-Cohen E, Pettit-Riley R (2002) Effects of density and perch availability on the immune status of broilers. PoultSci 81:451–457
Hicks TA, McGlone JJ, Whisnant CS, Kattesh HG, Norman RL (1998) Behavioral, endocrine, immune, and performance measures for pigs exposed to acute stress. J AnimSci 76:474–83
Houshmand M, Azhar K, Zulkifli I, Bejo MH, Kamyab A (2012) Effects of prebiotic, protein level, and stocking density on performance, immunity, and stress indicators of broilers. PoultSci 91:393–401
Imaeda N (2000) Influence of the stocking density and rearing season on incidence of sudden death syndrone in broiler chickens. PoultSci 79:201–204
Kregel KC (2002) Heat shock proteins: modifying factors in physiological stress responses and acquired thermotolerance. J ApplPhysiol 92:2177–2186
Law JH (2002) Insects, oxygen, and iron. Biochemical and Biophysical Res Communications 292:1191–1195
Mancini G, Carbonara AO, Heremans JF (1965) Immunochemical quantitation of antigens by single radial immunodiffusion. Immunochem 2:235–254
Martinez-subiela S, Tecles F, Ceron JJ (2007) Comparison of two automated spectrophotometric methods for ceruloplasmin measurement in pigs. Res Vet Sci 83:12–19
Moberg GP, Mench JA (2000) Biological response to stress: implications for animal welfare. BiolAnim Stress, 1–21
Murata H, Shimada N, Yoshioka M (2004) Current research on acute phase proteins in veterinary diagnosis: an overview. Vet J 168:28–40
O’Reilly EL, Eckersall PD (2014) Acute phase proteins: a review of their function, behavior and measurement in chickens. World PoultSci (In Press)
Parsell DA, Lindquist S (1993) The function of heat-shock proteins in stress tolerance: degradation and reactivation of damaged proteins. AnnuRev Genet 27:437–496
Patel BN, Dunn RJ, Jeong SY, Zhu Q, Julien JP, David S (2002) Ceruloplasmin regulates iron levels in the CNS and prevents free radical injury. J Neurosci 22:6578–6586
Pineiro M, Piñeiro C, Carpintero R, Morales J, Campbell FM, Eckersall PD, Toussaint MJ, Lampreave F (2007) Characterisation of the pig acute phase protein response to road transport. Vet J 173:669–674
Rushen J (1991) Problems associated with the interpretation of physiological data in the assessment of animal welfare. Appl Anim Behav Sci 28:381–386
SAS Institute (2005) User’s guide. Version 9. SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC
Scholtyssek S (1980) Effect of cage design and stocking density on the performance of laying hens of different strains. Archiv fur Geflugelkunde 44:104–111
Shakeri M, Zulkifli I, Soleimani A F, Eckersall P D, Anna Aryani A, Kumari S, FaezFirdaus Jesse Abdullah (2014). Response to dietary supplementation of L-glutamine and L-glutamate in broiler chickens raised at different stocking densities under the hot, humid tropical conditions. PoultSci(in press)
Soleimani AF, Zulkifli I, Omar AR, Raha AR (2011) Physiological responses of 3 chicken breeds to acute heat stress. PoultSci 90:1435–1440
Soleimani AF, Zulkifli I, Omar AR, Raha AR (2012a) The relationship between adrenocortical function and hsp70 expression in socially isolated Japanese quail. Comp Biochem Physiol - BiochemMolBiol 161:140–144
Soleimani AF, Zulkifli I, Hair-Bejo M, Omar AR, Raha AR (2012b) The role of heat shock protein 70 in resistance to Salmonella enteritidis in broiler chickens subjected to neonatal feed restriction and thermal stress. PoultSci 91:340–345
Sorensen P, Su G, Kestin SC (2000) Effects of age and stocking density on leg weakness in broiler chickens. PoultSci: 79:864–870
Thaxton JP, Dozier WA, Branton SL, Morgan GW, Miles DW, Roush WB, Lott BD, Vizzier-Thaxton Y (2006) Stocking density and physiological adaptive responses of broilers. PoultSci 85:819–824
Tohjo H, Miyoshi F, Uchida E, Niiyama M, Syuto B, Moritsu Y, Ichikawa S, Takeuchi M (1995) Polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic patterns of chicken serum in acute inflammation induced by intramuscular injection of turpentine. PoultSci 74:648–655
Weaver WD (1991) The effect of different levels of relative humidity and air movement on litter conditions, ammonia levels, growth, and carcass quality for broiler chickens. PoultSci 70:746–755
Wicher KB, Fries E (2006) Haptoglobin, a hemoglobin-binding plasma protein, is present in bony fish and mammals but not in frog and chicken. Proc Natl Acad Sci 103:4168–4173
Xie H, Huff GR, Huff WE, Balog JM, Holt P, Rath NC (2002) Identification of ovotransferrin as an acute phase protein in chickens. Poult Sci 81:112–120
Zulkifli I, Che Norma MT, Israf DA, Omar AR (2002) The effect of early-age food restriction on heat shock protein 70 response in heat-stressed female broiler chickens. Br PoultSci 43:141–145
Zulkifli I, Al-Aqil A, Omar AR, Sazili AQ, Rajion MA (2009) Crating and heat stress influence blood parameters and heat shock protein 70 expression in broiler chickens showing short or long tonic immobility reactions. PoultSci 88:471–476
Acknowledgments
This research was funded by the Malaysian Ministry of Education (Long Term Research Grant Scheme), and Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Najafi, P., Zulkifli, I., Amat Jajuli, N. et al. Environmental temperature and stocking density effects on acute phase proteins, heat shock protein 70, circulating corticosterone and performance in broiler chickens. Int J Biometeorol 59, 1577–1583 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-015-0964-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00484-015-0964-3