Theses and Dissertations

ORCID

https://orcid.org/0009-0006-9163-1669

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Wamsley, Kelley G. S.

Committee Member

Tillman, Nickki S.

Committee Member

Adhikari, Pratima A

Committee Member

McCafferty, Klint W.

Date of Degree

8-8-2023

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agriculture

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

Department of Poultry Science

Abstract

Increasingly, nutritionists are challenged to optimize broiler genetic capacity, while considering varying ingredient qualities and pricing, to meet production goals and profitability. Due to scale and cost, university and private research is often used by nutritionists to help make these decisions; thus, requiring these facilities to detect small, incremental improvements. In Chapters 1 and 2, processing data from several nutrition research trials were utilized to evaluate the impact of processing personnel, sample size, and unit of analysis on the detection of dietary differences. By accounting for potential variability between personnel (as a covariant) and selecting an adequate sample size for processing, researchers can reduce variability and improve the accuracy of studies. In Chapter 3, a novel serine protease was investigated to potentially mitigate some of the negative effects of ingredient variability and improve overall performance and processing. Overall, data from this thesis provide practical solutions that can be utilized by academics and the poultry industry to optimize experimental design and broiler performance.

Included in

Agriculture Commons

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