Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines

Growth models describe body weight (BW) changes over time, allowing information from longitudinal measurements to be combined into a few parameters with biological interpretation. Nonlinear mixed models (NLMM) allow for the inclusion of random factors. Random factors can account for a relatively lar...

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Main Authors: Mohammad Afrouziyeh, René P. Kwakkel, Martin J. Zuidhof
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2021-05-01
Series:Poultry Science
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121000936
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author Mohammad Afrouziyeh
René P. Kwakkel
Martin J. Zuidhof
author_facet Mohammad Afrouziyeh
René P. Kwakkel
Martin J. Zuidhof
author_sort Mohammad Afrouziyeh
collection DOAJ
description Growth models describe body weight (BW) changes over time, allowing information from longitudinal measurements to be combined into a few parameters with biological interpretation. Nonlinear mixed models (NLMM) allow for the inclusion of random factors. Random factors can account for a relatively large subset of the total variance explained by bird-specific measurement correlation. The aim of this study was to evaluate different NLMM using birds from 2 heritage chicken lines; New Hampshire (NH) and Brown Leghorn (BL). A total of 32 birds (16 mixed sex birds from each strain) were raised to 17 wk of age. After 12 wk, half were continued on ad libitum (AL) feed intake, and half were pair-fed, using a precision feeding system; they were given 95% of the AL intake of a paired bird closest in BW. Residual feed intake (RFI) of birds, as an indicator of production efficiency, was increased in pair-fed BL birds as a result of minor feed restriction. Growth data of the birds were fit to a mixed Gompertz model with a variety of different bird-specific random coefficients. The model had the form: BW=Wm×exp−exp−b(t−tinf); where Wm was the mature BW, b was the rate of maturing, t was age (d), tinf was the inflection point (d). This fixed-effects model was compared with NLMM using model evaluation criteria to evaluate relative model suitability. Random coefficients, Wmu ∼ N(0,VWm) and bu ∼ N(0,Vb), were tested separately and together and their differences, for strains, sex, and feeding treatments, were reported as different where P ≤ 0.05. The model with both random coefficients was determined to be the most parsimonious model, based on an assessment of serial correlation of the residuals. NLMM coefficients allow stochastic prediction of the mean age and its variation that birds need to achieve a certain BW, allowing for unique new decision support modeling applications; these could be used in stochastic modeling to evaluate the economic impact of management decisions.
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spelling doaj.art-be20a83de0274427aaabe851f0a3190b2022-12-21T22:35:51ZengElsevierPoultry Science0032-57912021-05-011005101059Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken linesMohammad Afrouziyeh0René P. Kwakkel1Martin J. Zuidhof2Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5Department of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5; Department of Animal Sciences, Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands 6700 AHDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Nutritional Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2P5; Corresponding author:Growth models describe body weight (BW) changes over time, allowing information from longitudinal measurements to be combined into a few parameters with biological interpretation. Nonlinear mixed models (NLMM) allow for the inclusion of random factors. Random factors can account for a relatively large subset of the total variance explained by bird-specific measurement correlation. The aim of this study was to evaluate different NLMM using birds from 2 heritage chicken lines; New Hampshire (NH) and Brown Leghorn (BL). A total of 32 birds (16 mixed sex birds from each strain) were raised to 17 wk of age. After 12 wk, half were continued on ad libitum (AL) feed intake, and half were pair-fed, using a precision feeding system; they were given 95% of the AL intake of a paired bird closest in BW. Residual feed intake (RFI) of birds, as an indicator of production efficiency, was increased in pair-fed BL birds as a result of minor feed restriction. Growth data of the birds were fit to a mixed Gompertz model with a variety of different bird-specific random coefficients. The model had the form: BW=Wm×exp−exp−b(t−tinf); where Wm was the mature BW, b was the rate of maturing, t was age (d), tinf was the inflection point (d). This fixed-effects model was compared with NLMM using model evaluation criteria to evaluate relative model suitability. Random coefficients, Wmu ∼ N(0,VWm) and bu ∼ N(0,Vb), were tested separately and together and their differences, for strains, sex, and feeding treatments, were reported as different where P ≤ 0.05. The model with both random coefficients was determined to be the most parsimonious model, based on an assessment of serial correlation of the residuals. NLMM coefficients allow stochastic prediction of the mean age and its variation that birds need to achieve a certain BW, allowing for unique new decision support modeling applications; these could be used in stochastic modeling to evaluate the economic impact of management decisions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121000936Gompertzgrowth modelheritagemultiple random coefficientnonlinear mixed model
spellingShingle Mohammad Afrouziyeh
René P. Kwakkel
Martin J. Zuidhof
Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
Poultry Science
Gompertz
growth model
heritage
multiple random coefficient
nonlinear mixed model
title Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
title_full Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
title_fullStr Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
title_full_unstemmed Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
title_short Improving a nonlinear Gompertz growth model using bird-specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
title_sort improving a nonlinear gompertz growth model using bird specific random coefficients in two heritage chicken lines
topic Gompertz
growth model
heritage
multiple random coefficient
nonlinear mixed model
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0032579121000936
work_keys_str_mv AT mohammadafrouziyeh improvinganonlineargompertzgrowthmodelusingbirdspecificrandomcoefficientsintwoheritagechickenlines
AT renepkwakkel improvinganonlineargompertzgrowthmodelusingbirdspecificrandomcoefficientsintwoheritagechickenlines
AT martinjzuidhof improvinganonlineargompertzgrowthmodelusingbirdspecificrandomcoefficientsintwoheritagechickenlines