Effects of a fiber-rich diet on physiology and survival of farm-reared red-legged partridges ( Alectoris rufa)

The sudden shift from a commercial energy-rich, fiber-poor diet to natural food is assumed as one of the causes of the low success of gamebird restocking. We fed farmed red-legged partridge ( Alectoris rufa) chicks with a diet rich in fiber from their first month of life to the time of their release...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A, Molecular & integrative physiology Molecular & integrative physiology, 2003, Vol.134 (1), p.85-91
Main Authors: Millán, Javier, Gortázar, Christian, J. Buenestado, Francisco, Rodrı́guez, Pablo, S. Tortosa, Francisco, Villafuerte, Rafael
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alectoris rufa
Animal Feed
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena
Animals
Animals, Domestic
Birds - physiology
Bursa of Fabricius - anatomy & histology
Dietary Fiber - pharmacology
Energy Metabolism - physiology
Farm-rearing
Feed
Fibre
Gamebird
Gizzard, Avian - anatomy & histology
Intestine, Small - anatomy & histology
Management
Organ Size
Red-legged partridge
Spain
Survival
Survival Rate
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The sudden shift from a commercial energy-rich, fiber-poor diet to natural food is assumed as one of the causes of the low success of gamebird restocking. We fed farmed red-legged partridge ( Alectoris rufa) chicks with a diet rich in fiber from their first month of life to the time of their release to assess the possible effects on morphometric characteristics and plasma biochemistry and whether those effects enhance survival after release into the wild. At the time of release, treated partridges showed heavier gizzards and bursas of Fabricius and longer small intestines than control birds fed commercial feed. Treated birds had also smaller pectoral muscles, lighter spleens and lower plasma levels of proteins, glucose, cholesterol and triglycerides. After release and radiotracking in a hunting area, we found no differences in the survival between both groups. Survival at the end of the study (day 39) was 58.3±14.2% for the control group and 24.2±13.8% for the treated group. The fiber-rich diet seems to have important effects on the physiology of the red-legged partridge, not always taken into account in previous studies.
ISSN:1095-6433
1531-4332
DOI:10.1016/S1095-6433(02)00189-7