Study of avian ascites syndrome using frequency analysis

The objective of this study is to demonstrate the use of a noninvasive technique to detect the ascites syndrome in chickens using phonocardiograph signals. Electrocardiogram (ECG) and heart valve sounds (HVS) were recorded simultaneously from fast growing (FG) chickens under control and hypobaric conditions. Data was collected each week over a 5-week period, starting with 2-week old chickens. The power spectrum of HVS was calculated and the parameters peak frequency (PF), mean peak frequency (MPF), and bandwidth (BW) were extracted. After 5 weeks the chickens were euthanized and scored for ascites lesions for comparison. Results showed that chickens with ascites of various levels (scores 1-4), had low PFs, MPFs, and BWs when compared to normal (control) group, and that PF of HVS1 can be used to predict the level of ascites syndrome.