Enhancing gosling growth and secretion of somatotrophic and thyrotrophic axis hormones through egg turning during incubation

ABSTRACT

1. Growth performance of Yangzhou geese hatched from eggs with turning angles of 50° or 70° was evaluated in association with serum hormones and somatotrophic gene mRNA expression.

2. Egg turning at 70° significantly (P< 0.05) increased hatchability, gosling quality and hatching weight. Gosling post-hatch body weight, leg and breast muscle weight in the 70° turning group was significantly heavier until 50 d of age.

3. Serum concentrations of GH were significantly higher until 30 d of age in the 70° turning group goslings, and those of IGF-I and T3 were higher from hatching to 50 d of age.

4. The mRNA expression of GHRH, pituitary GH, liver and leg muscle IGF-I were all significantly higher at 1 and 30 d of age after hatch, but not at 70 d after hatch, in the 70° turning group.

5. Egg turning at 70° during incubation improves embryo and gosling quality and growth performance through up-regulation of gene expression and secretion of somatotrophic axis hormones, GHRH, GH and IGF-I, as well as T3.

KEYWORDS:

• Goose
• egg turning angle
• incubation
• growth performance
• somatotrophic and thyrotrophic hormones

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Open Grant of Key Laboratory of Protected Agriculture Engineering in the Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs [KF2018,KF2019]; the China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA [CARS-42-20] and the Jiangsu Planned Projects for Postdoctoral Research Funds [2020Z396].