Background
Selective breeding for a higher yield of breast meat has led to dramatic changes in the morphology of modern broilers compared to traditional types of chicken. Due to increased relative size of M. Pectoralis in relation to leg muscles, impaired gait is a common issue in broiler flocks, especially at the end of production. With animal welfare being increasingly demanded by the consumer and also being an ethical obligation when keeping animals, there is sufficient need to address this issue.
Studies suggest that by increasing the early incubation temperature from embryonic day 4 to 7 it is possible to affect the subsequent muscle and bone development, growth rate and welfare. It is possible to achieve a change in the number of muscle fibers in certain muscles, influencing the broilers’ ability to walk. In addition, manipulation with in ovo temperature may influence the genotypic and/or phenotypic sex of the birds with possible effects on the production efficiency as well as meat quality traits.

Aims
The objective of the PhD project is to identify and understand the effect of early incubation temperature of broiler chickens on embryonic development specifically muscle and bone development, in order to improve the animal welfare as well as production and meat quality traits.

Outline
In two experiments, the influence of different incubation temperatures during early embryogenesis on muscle development, specifically of breast and leg muscles, sex ratio, growth performance, bone development, meat quality and welfare will be examined.
Description

Danish fruit and berry growers experience a significant loss of fruit production due to spring frosts that kill flower buds. Global warming induces earlier flowering and earlier loss of frost tolerance in buds, while the last day of spring frost has not become correspondingly earlier. This means an even greater risk of frost damage in Danish orchards in the future, which both threatens economic competitiveness and affects the environmental footprint.
The purpose of this project is to test and develop new and innovative solutions to protect flowers against spring frost with the aim of reducing frost damage and achieving higher and stable fruit yields and thus lowering the environmental footprint per fruit produced. Technologies being tested include testing new products that may biochemically or biophysically help protect flower buds from frost through delayed flowering or induced higher frost hardiness in buds. In addition, new fog systems that require much less water than traditional frost protection by irrigation will be tested. The possibility of utilizing varietal differences and rootstocks to reduce frost damage will be investigated. The importance of obtaining more precise information on microclimate will be investigated and results used to improve the prediction of damage risk and thus recommend the most economical and relevant tool for frost protection in orchards. Finally, measurements of physiological and biochemical changes in flower buds from the experiments will be used to develop more precise applied biological indicators of frost sensitivity to improve spring frost forecasting. Apples will be the main model, but pears and sweet cherries are also included

Financing: Projektet er støttet af: GUDP, Aarhus Universitet, Ålborg Universitet, Hortiadvice, Kærsbo frugtplantage og Egeby Frugtplantage.Description

Formålet er at beholde økologisk fødte tyrekalve i den økologiske produktion og samtidig udvikle et produkti-onssystem der tilgodeser både dyrevelfærd, klima, biodiversitet og den fremtidige forbruger, hvor kvalitet af kød erstatter kvantitet. Dette sker ved at videreudvikle GrOBEat produktionssystemet udviklet i Organic RDD6-projekt ”Grass-fed organic beef for sustainable eating – GrOBEat” til produktion af kød fra kalve og ungdyr, så dette også inkluderer et oksekødsprodukt (26 mdr. stude) inklusiv måling af produktionsegenska-ber, kvalitet, forbruger-spiseadfærd og klimaeffekt af studekød. I GrOBEat II testes hypotesen, at kvalitet kan erstatte kvantitet og dermed ændre spiseadfærd af økologisk græsbaseret oksekød mod sundere spisevaner og øget tilfredsstillelse. Til dette benyttes både et trænet sensorisk panel og et stort utrænet forbrugerpanel. For at fremme implementeringen af hele GrOBEat produktionssystemet etableres der netværksgrupper for øko-logiske kvægbrugere, som ønsker at arbejde med kalve fra den økologiske mælkeproduktion, og der laves informationsaktiviteter vedr. management og fodring i GrOBEat produktionssystemet. GrOBEat II generer den viden, der skal til for at implementere det innovative GrOBEat produktionssystem for kødproduktion baseret på kalve fra den økologiske mælkeproduktion. Dermed forbliver kalvene i det økologiske system, og produktio-nen sker under hensyntagen til dyrevelfærd (ko-kalv samvær, maksimal afgræsning), miljø- og klimaeffekt (re-duceret N og CO2 udledning) og fokus på produktet, så det tilfredsstiller fremtidens forbruger (Optimeret kvalitet, øget tilfredsstillelse, reduceret indtag). Dette skaber troværdighed i hele den økologiske kvægproduktion og et holistisk grundlag for at producere økologisk kalve- og oksekød nu og i fremtiden.Description

GRATIS- projektet er en add-on til projektet ENTRANCE (Eco-efficient pig production and local protein sup-ply), som har til formål at måle klimabelastningen og produktiviteten ved en total eliminering af soja fra produktionen af grisekød.

Projektet er finansieret af Svineafgiftsfonden.Description