The incidence and numbers of numerous pathogenic organisms on raw processed poultry have been well documented in the scientific literature. This paper is an attempt to summarize the data in a logical manner, and is timely and useful because of growing concern regarding the microbial safety of poultry products. The literature relating to pathogens commonly associated with processed poultry is extensive, so future surveys should concentrate on those which are emerging.

A considerable volume of research on fertility in poultry, especially that associated with artificial insemination and related technologies, has been undertaken and published by scientists working in the institutes of the former USSR, now the CIS States. Researchers outside this geographical area have largely ignored this work, presumably because of the language barrier and limited accessibility of published material. That is particularly unfortunate, because in areas such as sperm cryopreservation the work of these institutes is clearly more advanced than in other countries. This paper sets out to redress the balance by reviewing artificial insemination research performed on various species of poultry, including semen extension, liquid storage and sperm cryopreservation, in the research institutes of the former USSR/CIS States.

The physical characteristics and chemical composition of ostrich eggs are reviewed in the process of investigating their suitability for table consumption. Some comparisons are made between ostrich eggs and those of other avian species, and it is concluded that their physical appearance may make them attractive to consumers. The extremely strong shells of ostrich eggs make them very resistant to breakage during handling and transportation, while also serving as a basis for the making of curios. The limited data available indicate that the contents of ostrich eggs is similar to that of other avian species in terms of the proportion of main components and chemical composition. Although the production of fresh ostrich eggs for consumption is currently not seen as having great potential, there appears to be no reason why those not used as hatching eggs should not be utilized for table consumption.

Feed additives are renamed as microfeedingstuffs. They are subdivided into nutrients, pronutrients, conditioners and prophylactics in order to specify their nature and scientific functions in nutrition, to improve their public image and to facilitate the standardization of their terminology and use in international regulations.

This paper deals with two aspects of feeding whole grain wheat to poultry. The nutrient availability of wheat, either ground or as whole grain, is compared, and various practical methods of providing whole grain wheat to broilers and laying fowl are discussed.

Despite their widespread use in poultry diets, the ways in which enzymes function are still not fully understood. Whilst it is agreed that a reduction of intestinal viscosity is the most likely mechanism when the appropriate enzymes are used in barley- and rye-based diets, some animal nutritionists claim that this is not so important in enzyme supplemented wheat-based diets. This paper, which attempts to place the relevant pieces of information into context, indicates that, even in the case of wheat-based diets, intestinal viscosity is a major factor limiting bird performance. Thus, in wheat fed birds the use of enzymes to reduce intestinal viscosity is likely to be the most effective method for improving performance. Data are also presented which, contrary to popular belief, indicate that most of the beneficial effects resulting from the feeding of xylanase-based enzymes to broilers are observed in the latter stages of the production cycle.

Because wheat comprises such a large component of poultry diets, its nutritional characteristics and, in particular, its metabolizable energy (ME) content are critically important. This paper examines the popularly held view that the ME of wheat is variable by seeking out compositional factors which could account for the variation. The bioassays which have been applied to the derivation of the ME of wheat have also been appraised and it has been concluded that substitution techniques which are used in apparent ME studies may have contributed to the uncertainty which has been attributed to the ME value of wheat. Neither the variety nor the site of its cultivation appeared to affect the ME of wheat, but both density (positively) and α-amylase activity (negatively) were correlated with ME; however, neither effect was large and the commercial significance is doubtful. Attention has recently focused on the non-starch polysaccharides in wheat, specifically water-soluble arabinoxylan, and response experiments after xylanase addition to wheat-based diets have produced evidence that the viscosity of the digesta is a factor resulting in poor performance; the mechanisms involved have not, however, been elucidated.

Throughout south-east Asia the keeping of indigenous domestic fowl by village communities has been practised for many generations. The custom is likely to continue and remain popular in rural areas. This paper reviews the performance of these fowl in respect of body weight and egg production under intensive and semi-intensive husbandry systems in Malaysia.