The poultry sector is an important and vibrant segment of agriculture in Pakistan with a significant contribution to the national GDP (1.3%). Commercial poultry production in Pakistan started in the 1960's and has been providing a significant portion of daily proteins to the Pakistani population ever since. During its evolution the industry enjoyed promotional policies of the Government, but has faced several challenges such as disease outbreaks and retail price fluctuations. Despite its important role in the country's economy, not a single scientific study is available on its evolutionary history. The data available in this regard are scattered and lack reliability. This review is an effort to encompass the history of the overall growth of the poultry industry in Pakistan, its present status (2012 statistics) and future directions and challenges. This article may serve as the basic source of information on Pakistan's poultry industry achievements. It will also guide poultry experts and policy makers for developing strategic planning for further growth of the industry.

The aim of this review paper is to show the most important bioactive compounds of garlic (Allium sativum L.), modes of action of garlic powder and its effects on broiler chicken productive performance. Allicin is thought to be the principal bioactive compound present in aqueous garlic extract or raw garlic homogenate. When garlic is chopped or crushed, the allinase enzyme present in garlic is activated and acts on alliin to produce allicin. Other important sulphur containing compounds present in garlic are allyl methyl thiosulphonate, 1-propenyl allyl thiosulphonate and γ-L-glutamyl-S-alkyl-L-cysteine. These active compounds are thought to influence feed consumption, feed utilisation, body weight, blood lipid profiles and cholesterol levels in chickens. Biological responses to these bioactive compounds have been attributed to a reduction in risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and cancer, stimulation of immune function, enhanced detoxification of foreign compound, hepatoprotection, antimicrobial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.

In Kuwait, poultry meat is popular and a major source of dietary protein. Despite the increase in local production, importation to Kuwait has increased, to cover the high local demand for poultry meat. Self-sufficiency has, however, reached 20% of the local demand for poultry meat. This is mainly due to the continuous rise in human population and an increased demand for poultry meat with an average of 75.3 kg/capita/yr from year 2000 to 2011. Conversely, local egg production reached 42000 tons in 2011 with self-sufficiency of 101%. The poultry industry in Kuwait depends on the import of major feed ingredients such as corn and soybean from Unite States of America (USA) and India. In addition, the industry imports one day old chicks for layer and broiler hatching from Europe. Therefore, any changes in the quality or price in Europe and USA will affect the local poultry industry in Kuwait. As a result, the major challenges facing the poultry industry in Kuwait include high production costs, improvements in production efficiency, health monitoring programmes, environmental impact, and changes in policies and trade practices in the country. Solutions to these challenges are discussed in this paper. It can be concluded that more development and improvement in poultry meat production is needed through technology transfer as well as research and development relative to local production. This can be done by working closely with the local scientific institutions and government organisations to enhance and develop the poultry sector's capability to reduce production cost and improve profit.

With the advancement in knowledge of innate immune functioning, toll-like receptors (TLRs) have emerged as potential adjuvant candidates. TLRs are one of the types of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that sense conserved signature molecules on invading pathogens. Detection of the pathogens via TLRs alerts the immune system of the host and helps in mounting a quick immune response against the invading pathogens. This property of TLR ligands may be exploited for the development of effective prophylactic agents against infectious chicken diseases. In this review the immunostimulatory effects of various TLRs will be discussed as well as their use as adjuvants in combination.

Domestication of chickens from the wild red jungle fowl and modernisation of the poultry industry has changed both poultry and their intestinal microbiome, specifically the eimerian-microbiome-host relationship. Eimeria spp. represent an enteric parasite that has a long co-evolutionary history with their hosts. These parasites have adapted to suit an environment in which chickens thrive and the chickens’ intestinal environment, including the changing host microbiome. This review will delve into the changes in eimerian-host interactions with wild red jungle fowl versus domesticated chickens. The changing nature and composition of the intestinal microbiota as it followed the red jungle fowl into domestication and the relationship of this evolving microbiota with coccidia will be explored. Better comprehension of the web of interactions among the evolving eimerian-microbiome-host relationship will allow for the responsible exploitation of these relationships to maximise poultry health and productivity.

New Zealand has a much higher rate of reported campylobacteriosis cases than the rest of the developed world. It has been assumed that New Zealand C. jejuni strains have greater heat tolerance and thus are better able to survive cooking. Therefore there is a need to fully determine the temperature dependence of Campylobacter spp. and to update the current knowledge of kinetic parameters such as D and z values of Campylobacter spp. The significantly higher reported D- values for Campylobacter spp. already seen in the Netherlands requires a practical stance in ensuring appropriate evaluation of thermal process lethality of Campylobacter spp. An extensive search of data bases for publications on Campylobacter heat resistance was conducted. The kinetic parameters obtained in New Zealand under isothermal and dynamic conditions in broths or in food matrix are broadly in agreement with previously published international data and do not indicate that New Zealand strains are more heat resistant than other strains. This finding has a significant impact to regulators, consumers, food industry and researchers as it has revealed the scientific evidence to maintain the standards for the heat treatment practices. Any change of heat treatment practice can cause unpredicted loss to the poultry industry and challenges the regulatory bodies to convey the message of altering the consumers cooking temperature to all consumers with a short time given the reluctance of consumers in using thermometers to verify the cooking temperature at home. Consumers play an important role in making certain the food they prepare is safe by preventing cross-contamination in order to avoid the risk of food borne diseases.

With the continued increases in broilers production, the negative impact of environmental conditions on birds has attracted increasing public awareness and concern. Heat stress is one of the most important environmental stressors challenging broiler production world-wide. The detrimental effects of heat stress on broilers range from reduced growth to decreased quality of broiler products. This review focuses on the available scientific evidence for the impact of heat stress in broiler production, with emphasis on performance, physiological and biochemical effects, muscle oxidation, and meat quality.

Intensive poultry production is heavily reliant on electricity for maintaining shed environments as well as in the supply of feed, lighting, the shed environment and water. During the last three decades, the demand and supply gap for electricity has plagued Pakistan. The energy crisis became even worse from 2006-07, with 18 hours rotational load shedding being implemented. During the last decade, there has been a major increase in environmentally controlled poultry farms in Pakistan which require continuous electricity supply to operate their automatic feeding, drinking and environmental control systems. Broiler farmers have opted for diesel generators to meet their electricity needs, which has subsequently increased total cost of production. Therefore, sustainable and economical energy solutions are required for Pakistani broiler farmers to be competitive in local and international markets. In this paper, the potential for solar energy is analysed, the poultry industry's energy needs are quantified and the use of PV-diesel hybrid power systems in environmentally controlled broiler houses is examined.

Magnesium has essential functions in cellular metabolism and bone development. Its actions are closely linked to calcium and phosphorus, making the achievement of the right proportion of these elements in diets an important issue in poultry nutrition. The magnesium requirement of poultry has rarely been studied and most studies conducted are more than 35 years old. Despite the fact that magnesium is adequately present in most plant-based diets, supplemental magnesium may positively affect poultry meat quality and body weight at certain developmental stages. However, excessive dietary magnesium could influence calcium and phosphorus availability and metabolism through different mechanisms. Understanding the effects of supplemental magnesium on the availability and metabolism of other dietary constituents and vice versa is important for formulating balanced diets and achieving maximal performance in poultry. Here we review this complex, insufficiently explored issue.

During the past few decades there has been a notable increase in the demand for poultry meat due to its low cost, good nutritional profile and suitability for further processing. Moreover, current forecasts and projection studies have predicted that the expansion of the poultry market will continue in the future. This growing demand has led to progressive improvements in genetic selection to produce fast-growing broilers, inducing the appearance of several spontaneous, idiopathic muscle abnormalities along with an increased susceptibility to stress-induced myopathy. Such muscle abnormalities have several implications for the quality of fresh and processed products, as breast meat that is affected by deep pectoral myopathy is usually rejected due to its unacceptable appearance. In addition, pale, soft and exudative like meat has a low processing ability due to its reduced water holding capacity, soft texture and pale colour. Finally, the high incidence of abnormalities observed in chicken breast muscles such as white striping (characterised by superficial white striations) and wooden breast (characterised by pale and bulging areas of substantial hardness) impair both the appearance and technological traits of breast meat. This review evaluates the consequences of genetic selection on muscle traits and describes the relevance of major breast abnormalities on nutritional, technological, sensorial and microbial characteristics of raw and processed meat.

There are several species of snail with varying nutrient profile. The protein content of snail meal (53-83%) is comparable to or higher than fish meal. Apart from lower methionine, the essential amino acids composition of snail protein is similar to fish meal and better than soybean meal. The fat of snail meal is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids and has a good supply of essential fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acids) and minerals. These qualities make the meal a suitable substitute for more expensive, conventional protein feedstuffs. The variability in nutritional content, potential presence of anti-nutritional factors (cyanide, tannins and saponins) and the seasonal availability of snails (mainly during the moist season) are major factors limiting the use of snail meal in poultry diets on a commercial scale. However, heat processed snail meal could be effectively utilised for practical on-farm feed applications to reduce cost and provide an environmentally friendly method of controlling snails, especially where they are major agricultural pests. In suitable regions, snails could be intensively bred to ensure the availability of the meal in commercial quantities for poultry feeding. Heat processed snail meal is recommended at 10% in the diet of meat and egg-type chickens but raw snail meal is not. The composition of snail meal (nutritional and anti-nutritional properties), recommendations in diets for domestic chickens, results of some feeding experiments and major constraints to its efficient utilisation are discussed in the following paper.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal is indebted to Prof J.A. Castello, Prof D.K. Flock, Dr D. Grastilleur, Dr S. Cherepanov and Prof N. Yang for the translations of these summaries.

Outdoor access is a defining characteristic of organic poultry that provides poultry with fresh grass, insects and worms that may lead to enhanced product quality. There is evidence that meat from pastured-based poultry may contain some additional nutritional benefits through lower fat content, as well as higher vitamin and mineral contents. At the same time, under good pasture management, bird health and welfare can be achieved. This review gives an overview on the pasture management practices that can be employed to prevent potential risks in organic poultry systems such as uncontrolled weather conditions or mortality due to predators. This paper discusses the various effects of pasture management on (a) poultry health and welfare, including physical comfort, absence of hunger and disease, possibilities to perform motivated behaviours and (b) meat quality, including both consumer and nutritional quality and sensory attributes as related to pasture synthesis and intake.

High growth rates in modern-day broilers require diets concentrated in digestible protein and energy. In addition to affecting feed conversion efficiency, it is important to prevent surplus dietary protein because of greater amounts of undigested protein entering the hindgut that may be fermented by the resident microbiota. The latter may result in increased formation of a wide range of protein-derived compounds including ammonia, amines, indoles and phenols, in addition to secondary products (lactate, succinate) and gases such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In poultry, studies have shown the presence of protein fermentation products such as biogenic amines and branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) in the ileal and caecal digesta. The production and metabolism of nitrogenous waste products (as a result of protein fermentation) such as uric acid and ammonia may lead to a burden on the organism and cause additional energy losses. Although biogenic amines are important for normal gut development, greater concentrations may cause gizzard erosion, mortality and depressed growth rate in broilers. A decrease in indigestible protein reduces hindgut protein fermentation. In broilers, feeding diets with coarse particles (between 600 to 900 μm) and/or using feed additives, such as pre- and probiotics and organic acids, especially butyric acid, may improve protein digestion, thereby, potentially reducing hindgut protein fermentation. Studies are therefore needed to determine the extent and importance of hindgut protein fermentation on performance and gut health in broilers.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal is indebted to Prof J.A. Castello, Prof D.K. Flock, Dr D. Grastilleur, Dr S. Cherepanov and Prof N. Yang for the translations of these summaries.

Dietary plant ß-mannans are one of the major anti-nutritional components in monogastric nutrition. The presence of ß-mannans in poultry diets has been associated with many negative features ranging from high intestinal viscosity and low nutrient digestibility to adverse effects on innate immune response and microbial proliferation in the gut. ß-Mannanase supplementation to the feed of domestic fowl is one of the strategies for optimisation of nutritional value of ß-mannan containing diets. Research has shown positive effects of ß-mannanase supplementation on performance and nutrient digestibility in poultry fed corn-soybean meal-based diets as well as diets containing guar meal, copra meal, and palm kernel meal. Such performance and nutrient digestibility improvements are the result of single or combined modes of action due to ß-mannanase addition. Particularly over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that these modes of action might be very complex and versatile. The identification and understanding of the mechanisms by which ß-mannanase supplementation affects nutrient digestion, metabolism, overall performance and health of birds, is important for the optimisation and broadening of the application of this enzyme in avian nutrition. This paper reviews various modes of action by ß-mannanase supplementation in poultry. Additionally, significance of single modes of action under different conditions is also discussed.

Vietnam enjoys the richest natural resources and favourable conditions for agricultural development including poultry production. Backyard chicken production is considered as a traditional system in Vietnam, as it has a short production cycle and requires low investment. Despite the increase of semi-intensive and intensive farming, the self-sufficient backyard farming system is still practised by 84-85% of rural families in the Northeast-Northwest of Vietnam and approximately 42-71% of those in the Southeast-Mekong River Delta regions. Breeds raised in such systems are mostly popular local chicken breeds which accounted for over 70% of the country's total chicken population in 2007. In this paper, more than 30 native Vietnamese chicken breeds with their origin and endangered status are listed and the breeding traditions related to these native breeds are discussed. Moreover, some proposals are given for a particular conservation strategy regarding the possibilities to utilise the native Vietnamese chicken breeds in sustainable rural farming. It has been concluded that governmental conservation efforts should meet the natural way to save the local native breeds by local inhabitants. In this way, a sustainable on-farm chicken conservation pattern can be elaborated not only for Vietnam but also for the countries or regions which have similarly rich, valuable biodiversity, agro-biodiversity and agricultural traditions. For this, local researchers should be encouraged to study economic traits, veterinary status, and all special characteristics of the local breeds in the frames of an official, national gene conservation programme.