A study involving the use of random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) was conducted to evaluate genetic polymorphism and relatedness within and among four chicken breeds: Araucona, Rhode Island Red, White Leghorn, and White Plymouth Rock, and two turkey populations, a long-term randombred and a commercial strain. A total of 60 random primers were used in the RAPD analyses. Forty-two of the 60 primers tested amplified patterns with at least one polymorphic fragment in one or more of the populations. Six of these 42 primers amplified polymorphic fragments in each of the six strains with a within- and between-population average band-sharing frequency of less than one but above zero (P < 0.05). Differences among the six primers for genetic distance (D) among populations were significant (P < 0.05). A consensus dendogram was therefore developed to show the phylogenetic relationships among the populations. As expected, estimates of D between populations were lowest within species and highest between species. The results provide evidence of the applicability of RAPD to determining genetic relatedness within and among different poultry populations and in developing reproducible markers useful in evaluating individual variation in chickens and turkeys.

The amount of corn available for animal and poultry feed has been unpredictable in recent years due to the increased use of corn for ethanol production. As a consequence, there has been an increase in the price of feed, chicken, and chicken products. Researchers are exploring alternative feed sources to substitute for corn in poultry ration. This study evaluated the performance and carcass quality of broilers fed diets containing sweet potato root meal (SPRM). After a complete nutrient analysis of the SPRM, diets were formulated where 0, 10, 20, and 30% of corn was substituted with SPRM. The study utilized 360 1-d-old Cornish X Rock male broiler chickens randomly assigned to one of 4 treatments; 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% SPRM. Body weights and feed intake (FI) were monitored weekly for 7 wk. Birds were slaughtered on d 50 and FI, BW gain, ADG, ADFI, abdominal fat, dressing percentage, and organ weights measured. White (breast) and dark (leg and thigh) meat were evaluated for nutrient content (protein, moisture, fat, and ash). Results showed birds fed 20% SPRM had lower (P < 0.03) final BW, BW gain and ADG than those fed the 30% SPRM diet. There were no differences in FI and ADFI among treatments. Feed conversion ratio was lowest (P < 0.02) in birds fed 10, 20, and 30% SPRM than the control. There were no differences in dressing percentage among treatments. Abdominal fat was highest (P < 0.05) in birds fed 30% SPRM. Organ weights were similar across treatments except for gizzard which weighed highest (P < 0.05) in the control. For white meat; moisture, protein, fat, and ash were similar across treatments. For dark meat, moisture (P < 0.004) and fat (P < 0.03) were highest in the control, while protein and ash were similar among treatments. Birds fed the SPRM diets compared well with those fed the control for both performance and nutrient content of meat.

The objective of this research was to evaluate the texture and consumer acceptability of goat meat frankfurter formulations with no added fat (NAF), beef fat (BF), or canola oil (CO). Consumer sensory evaluation, fat, and moisture and texture profile analyses were performed on goat meat frankfurters produced with the fat sources BF, CO, and NAF. For sensory evaluations, NAF was less tender (P = 0.007; 4.90 vs. 4.11 and 4.35 for BF and CO, respectively) and the flavor was liked less (P = 0.004; 4.59 vs. 3.83 and 4.30 for BF and CO, respectively); BF was scored as the juiciest (P = 0.003; 3.86 vs. 4.49 and 4.58 for CO and NAF, respectively); and CO had the least amount of flavor (P = 0.029; 3.65 vs. 3.12 and 3.10 for BF and NAF, respectively). Moisture was least (P < 0.001) in CO (46.59%), followed by BF (48.57%) and NAF (55.80%). The amount of fat was not different (P = 0.761) in BF (24.36%) or CO (24.43%) but was less (P < 0.001) in NAF (9.06%), as expected. The NAF had the most protein (P < 0.001; 34.14%), followed by CO (27.98%) and BF (26.07%). For texture profile analyses, NAF had the least hardness value (P = 0.008; 3.92 vs. 4.48 and 4.40 for BF and CO, respectively) and least chewiness value (P = 0.026; 2.89 vs. 3.39 and 3.29 for BF and CO, respectively). Beef fat and CO were not different for hardness (P = 0.596) or chewiness (P = 0.530). No differences were observed in springiness (P = 0.954) or resilience (P = 0.561). The sensory panelists tended to prefer BF for overall acceptability. Results from these data revealed that value-added goat meat products received acceptable sensory scores; therefore, continued research and development will greatly expand the knowledge of goat meat and increase the acceptance of value-added products.

Socioeconomic factors could affect acreage owned and acreage farmed by small producers. However, there is limited research on the issue in the Southeastern U.S., for example, Alabama. Thus, this study examined the impact of socioeconomic factors on acreage owned and acreage farmed by small livestock producers in Alabama. The data were collected from a convenience sample of producers from several counties in Alabama, and analyzed using descriptive statistics and ordinal logistic regression analysis. The results showed that a majority had farming experience of more than 30 years, but had livestock farming experience of less than 30 years. Also, a little over half owned over 60 acres of land, and a majority (58%) farmed over 60 acres. The ordinal logistic regression analyses showed that, of the socioeconomic factors, only age and education had statistically significant effects on acreage owned and acreage farmed. The findings suggest that socioeconomic factors, specifically, age and education, are important to farm size in the study area.

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