Growth curves and age-related changes in carcass characteristics, organs, serum parameters, and intestinal transporter gene expression in domestic pigeon (Columba livia)

Abstract

Two experiments were conducted to fit growth curves, and determine age-related changes in carcass characteristics, organs, serum biochemical parameters, and gene expression of intestinal nutrient transporters in domestic pigeon (Columba livia). In experiment 1, body weight (BW) of 30 pigeons was respectively determined at 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35 days old to fit growth curves and to describe the growth of pigeons. In experiment 2, eighty-four 1-day-old squabs were grouped by weight into 7 groups. On d 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28, and 35, twelve birds from each group were randomly selected for slaughter and post-slaughter analysis. The results showed that BW of pigeons increased rapidly from d 1 to d 28 (a 25.7-fold increase), and then had little change until d 35. The Logistic, Gompertz, and Von Bertalanffy functions can all be well fitted with the growth curve of domestic pigeons (R2>0.90) and the Gompertz model showed the highest R2value among the models (R2=0.9997). The equation of Gompertz model was Y=507.72×e-(3.76exp(-0.17t))(Y=BW of pigeon (g); t=time (day)). In addition, breast meat yield (%) increased with age throughout the experiment, whereas the leg meat yield (%) reached to the peak on d 14. Serum total protein, albumin, globulin, and glucose concentration were increased with age, whereas serum uric acid concentration was decreased (P<0.05). Furthermore, the gene expressions of nutrient transporters (y+LAT2, LAT1, B0AT1, PepT1, and NHE2) in jejunum of pigeon were increased with age. The results of correlation analysis showed the gene expressions of B0AT1, PepT1, and NHE2 had positive correlations with BW (0.73<correlation coefficient<0.80,P<0.0001). It can be concluded that, 28-day-old should be the latest market age for meat type pigeon. And the various physiological and functional properties of organs, serum profiles, and gene expression of nutrient transporters in small intestine might cause the differences in their development patterns.

Age-Related Changes in Serum Lipid Levels, Hepatic Morphology, Antioxidant Status, Lipid Metabolism Related Gene Expression and Enzyme Activities of Domestic Pigeon Squabs (Columba livia)

“…Domestic pigeons are kept for meat production and characterized by a superior growth rate [6]. The raising period of meat type pigeon is shorter than most other poultry species, resulting from that the inflection age of pigeons is earlier than ducks, chickens, geese, ostriches, turkeys, and Japanese quail [19]. In southern China, squabs reach the market weight of 400-500 g at 21 days of age.…”

Best-fitting growth curves of the von Bertalanffy-Pütter type

“…The use of such models in avian research was promoted by Ricklefs (1967) and the most common models used in poultry science are the Brody, Gompertz, logistic, Richards, and von Bertalanffy models (c.f. Gao et al, 2016; Sariyeel et al, 2017; Gonçalves Gotuzzo et al, 2018; Tompić et al, 2011). Typical applications for practitioners (mentioned in the cited literature) include the monitoring of the health status (comparing observed weights with the growth curve) or the optimization of the slaughtering age.…”

Dynamic variations in serum amino acid and the related gene expression in liver, ovary, and oviduct of pigeon during one egg-laying cycle

“…However, y + LAT2 worked as an antiport by coupling the efflux of cationic AAs to the influx of neutral AAs ( Bröer, et al., 2004 ). In pigeons, gene expression of various AA transporters had been analyzed in parent crop tissue ( Xie, et al., 2020a ) and in small intestine of chick or parent during chick-rearing period ( Gao, et al., 2016 ; Zhang, et al., 2017 ; Xie, et al., 2020b ). In the present study, the B 0 AT1 expression increased and the expression of LAT4, EAAT3, CAT1 and y + LAT2 decreased in the ovary at D10 and D13, suggesting the neutral AAs transport was mainly carried out by B 0 AT1 and the transport of anionic and cationic AAs exhibited a less active status during the period of yolk formation.…”