Pastured Poultry Production: An Evaluation of Its Sustainability in Hawaii
Poultry broiler production in Hawaii declined 30 percent in the past 10 years, a reduction and trend largely due to high production costs associated with land, housing, and imported feeds. In addition to high production costs, many former poultry farmers have retired, and new farmers are not taking their place. This publication describes a new and innovative method of raising poultry that capitalizes on Hawaii’s productive pastures. Two experiments were conducted to test the method by raising broilers on pasture, slaughtering the birds to evaluate carcass weights and feed conversion, and marketing the product. The results suggest that the pastured poultry production system offers potential economic opportunities for agricultural entrepreneurs. However, careful management and proper environmental conditions are vital to the profitability of the system. Demand for poultry broiler products is increasing, due in part to marketing efforts by the national poultry industry. To meet the market demand, inshipments of broilers to Hawaii increased 27 percent between 1987 and 1991 and an average of 3.5 percent in each of the past ten years. The supply of locally grown fresh poultry in the market is limited, although there are established niche markets, for example in local grocery supermarkets where imported range-raised chickens are sold for approximately $8.00 for a 4-pound bird, and in “ethnic” markets where locally produced processed or live birds are sold. Considering the strength of current consumer demands for “Island Fresh” food quality and freshness, the potential market in Hawaii for range-raised poultry is large. Also, with the decline of plantation industries (sugarcane and pineapple) in Hawaii, more land is becoming available for other agricultural uses. If land leases for former plantation lands are reasonable, young entrepreneurs with limited financial resources and credit can enter the farming business.
Feeding value of poultry by-products extruded with cassava, barley, and wheat middlings for broiler chicks: the effect of ensiling poultry by-products as a preservation method prior to extrusion.
In one experiment, six treatment diets including two levels of cassava meal, barley, or wheat middlings extruded with poultry by-products (PBP; a 3:1 ratio of broiler offal and condemned carcasses) were compared with a corn and soybean meal control diet for broiler performance from 1 d to 3 wk of age. No treatment differences in body weight (P > .05) were observed, and all chicks averaged 166, 421, and 788 g at 1, 2, and 3 wk of age, respectively. Weight gain and feed consumption were not affected by the experimental diets (P < .05). Birds fed the control diet had better overall feed conversion (1.24) than birds fed the diet containing 20% extruded barley and PBP (1.37) (P < .05). Feeding PBP extruded with cassava (10 and 20%) or barley (10%) resulted in equal broiler performance at less cost than birds fed the control diet. In a second experiment, 10% sucrose was mixed with PBP by weight and ensiled for 7 d at ambient temperatures in an anaerobic vessel. Diets containing cassava extruded with fresh and ensiled PBP (FR-PBP and EN-PBP, respectively) were compared with control diets (CON) for broilers to 6 wk of age. No differences in body weight were observed by 6 wk. Feed conversion of the CON birds was poorer than the birds fed the FR-PBP (P < .05). Chilled carcass yield was better for the CON compared with the EN-PBP treatment; however, dietary treatment had no effect on the percentage breast meat, thigh, drumstick, wing, or cage.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Resonant Auger decay study of C1s -> pi* core-excited OCS
The present work aims at characterizing short-lived C1s((-1)) pi*((1)) core-excited states of the OCS molecule based on the analysis of the vibrational fine structure and lineshape profiles of the high-resolution resonant Auger decay spectra recorded at the excitation energies along the C1s -> pi* resonance in the binding energy region 15-19eV. Very different behavior in terms of lineshape and resonant enhancement is observed for the (A) over tilde, (B) over tilde and (C) over tilde final states. This is explained by (1) the variation in the C-O bond lengths for the states involved in the electronic relaxation and (2) different contributions in terms of Mulliken population to the molecular orbitals determining the electronic character of the corresponding states. Since the final-state geometries are known from a number of previous experiments and ab initio calculations, the geometry of the C1s((-1)) pi*((1)) intermediate states can be predicted in analogy with e.g. the N-2, CO2 and N2O molecules. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (Less)