bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of work applied at different stages of lactation on milk production, reproduction and live-weight change of F1 crossbred dairy cows used for draught
Authors: Zerbini E. , Gebre Wold Alemu 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis study examined whether work applied at different stages of lactation had any effect on reproduction of cows under two feeding regimes. Twenty-four F1 crossbred dairy cows (12 Friesian × Boran and 12 Simmental × Boran) were allocated one of two diets (H + 3: natural pasture hay + 3 kg concentrate per day; and H + 5: natural pasture hay + 5 kg concentrate per day) and one of three work treatments — starting 45 days (D45), 90 days (D90) and 135 days (D135) post partum — using a principal component analysis score based on milk yield, live weight, calving interval and parity. Cows pulled sledges for 50 days (pull = 108 N per 100 kg live weight). Over the experimental period of 315 days, cows on diet H + 5 travelled a similar distance and produced amounts of fat-corrected milk (FCM) similar to those of cows on diet H + 3. Total intake of dry matter per kg live weight 0·75 was higher for cows on diet H + 5 than for cows on diet H + 3 and was similar across work times. Hay dry-matter intake was greater for the H + 3 group than for the H + 5 group at 180 days post partum and thereafter. Cows on diet H + 5 lost less weight in early lactation and gained more in mid and late lactation than cows on diet H + 3. During the work period, live-weight change was similar across diets but it was different between work treatments D45 and D135. The interval from calving to conception decreased by 63 and 101 days when start of work was delayed from D45 to D90 and from D45 to D 135, respectively. Output/input ratios of metabolizable energy equivalents were 0·35 for H + 3 and 0·37 for H + 5 diet, and 0·34, 0·37 and 0·40 for work times D45, D90 and D135, respectively. These results indicate that work started in early lactation significantly increased days to conception and decreased overall productivity of lactating working cows. Farmers must weigh the relative importance and cost of delayed ploughing against those of delayed oestrus or against the cost of borrowing draught power.
Effects of group size and feeder space allowance on welfare in finishing pigs
Authors: Spoolder H. A. M. , Edwards S. A. , Corning S. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractCompared with small groups, housing in large groups offers the pig more total available space, resulting potentially in an increased degree of control over its (micro) environment. For the producer, large groups require fewer pen divisions and offer more possibilities for the sharing of resources such as feeders and drinkers. However, whilst large groups may offer benefits to higher ranking animals in the group, there may be serious disadvantages for those further down the social hierarchy, who also need to compete for access to resources. This study investigated the interactive effects on welfare of food availability (one single space hopper per 20 or per 10 pigs) and group size (20, 40 or 80 pigs per pen), at constant stocking density (0·55 m2per pig) in part-slatted pens. Groups provided with two feeding spaces per 20 pigs were less active than groups with one feeding space per 20 pigs. The number of aggressive interactions per pig at the food trough was not affected by group size but decreased with number of feeder spaces per 20 pigs. The number of skin lesions increased with group size. Average daily gain in the first half of the finishing period was negatively influenced by group size and positively by number of feeding spaces. No effect on weight gain was found subsequently. Within-group variation in growth was not affected by group size or number of feeder spaces. No differences between treatments were found in the number of pigs removed for health reasons. Interactive effects of the two treatments were found on some behaviours but not on any of the performance variables measured. It is concluded that, from a welfare point of view, the number of pigs per feeder space should be lower than 20, although performance levels appear acceptable at 20 pigs per feeder. Further research will have to identify whether the effects of group size on general aggression is common to all finishing pig systems, or whether the presence of straw can serve as a mitigating factor.
Response to dietary protein during lactation of Meishan synthetic and European White sows fed to attain two levels of backfat at farrowing
Authors: Sinclair A. G. , Cia M. C. , Hoste S. , Edwards S. A. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThis experiment measured the consequences of manipulating body fat reserves at farrowing by nutritional means in three sow breed types. A 3 ×2× 2 factorial experiment involving 83 second parity sows (previously given food to achieve a standard backfat measurement of 25 mm at first farrowing) was used to investigate the influence of breed type (Meishan synthetic 50% (M) or purebred European Landrace (LR) and Large White (LW) on response to isoenergetic diets of differing protein levels (180 g crude protein (CP) per kg, 9 g lysine per kg; or 240 g CP per kg, 12 g lysine per kg) offered to appetite over a 28-day lactation. Body fat reserves were adjusted during the preceding pregnancy by supplementing a set quantity of basal diet (131 g CP per kg, 12·7 MJ digestible energy per kg) with an energy source (maize starch + soya oil), to attain a backfat at P2 of either 23 mm (T) or 28 mm (F) at farrowing. No lactation diet effects on performance were observed. There were no significant breed or diet differences in backfat at farrowing. M sows were lighter at farrowing than LW and LR (M = 19·4, LW = 22·3, LR = 21·4 kg, P < 0·001). M consumed more food throughout lactation than LR and LW (M = 7·02, LW = 5·02, LR = 5·86 kg/day, P < 0·01) but weight loss was higher for M than for LW and LR sows (M = 11·7, LW = 5·4, LR = 6·1 kg, P < 0·05). Fat loss also showed a breed effect (M = 3·6, LW = 2·1, LR = 2·7 mm P2, P < 0·05), as did litter growth rates (M = 2·33, LW = 1·74, LR = 2·07 kg/day, P < 0·01). However, the breed effect disappeared when litter size was added as a covariate. The proportion of sows that was served within 5 days of weaning was higher for M than for the White breed types (W) (M = 0·74 , W = 0·51 , P < 0·05). The Meishan synthetics still mobilized more body tissue and produced greater milk yields than the W sows when backfat levels were standardized between breeds. The use of a very high protein food did not offer any advantage for the sow in terms of milk production or conservation of maternal body reserves.
Effect of dietary fat supplements on levels of n-3 poly-unsaturated fatty acids,transacids and conjugated linoleic acid in bovine milk
Authors: Offer N. W. , Marsden M. , Dixon J. , Speake B. K. , Thacker F. E. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractThe effects of three fat supplements on milk yield and composition were measured using 12 mid-lactation in-calf Hoistein-Friesian cows in a balanced incomplete change-over design over three periods each of 3 weeks. All cows received a basal diet consisting of 36 kg/day grass silage (dry matter (DM) 270 g/kg, metabolizable energy (ME) 11·6 MJ/kg DM) and 7 kg/day o f a concentrate mixture containing (g/kg) rolled barley (501), molassed sugar-beet pulp shreds (277), soya-bean meal (208) and a standard cow mineral supplement (14). Treatments were CON (control-no supplement); LIN and FISH (250 gl day of either linseed oil or marine oil, providing approximately 0·046 of ME intake) or TOA (95 glday of tuna orbital oil, providing 0·018 of total ME intake).There were no significant effects on silage DM intake or milk yield (means 9·25 and 17·2 kg/day respectively). The FISH and TOA treatments depressed (F < 0·05) milk fat concentration (45·4, 44·6, 34·5 and 41·6 (s.e.d. 1·08) g/kg for CON, LIN, FISH and TOA respectively; note — the same treatment order is used for all results quoted). Compared with values for CON, yield of f at (glday) was significantly (F < 0·05) greater for LIN and significantly lower for FISH (739, 808, 572 and 732, s.e.d. 28·7). All three oil supplements reduced (F < 0·05) milk protein content (33·6, 32·5, 30·6 and 32·4 (s.e.d. 0·43) g/kg) but, apart from a small increase for LIN, protein yield (glday) was unaffected (545, 586, 510 and 574, s.e.d. 20·2).The concentrations (g/100 g) of short-chain fatty acids (< C14) and C16 : 0 in milk f at were lower (F < 0·05) for LIN than for the other treatments. All supplements increased the concentrations ofC18:1 (F < 0·05), the value for LIN being greater (F < 0·05) than for the other treatments (21·0, 27·2, 25·3 and 23·7, s.e.d. 0·74). The FISH and TOA treatments increased (F < 0·05) the concentrations of long chain (< C2O) (n-3) poly-unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), (0·19, 0·17, 0·49 and 0·27, s.e.d. 0·026) but less than proportionately 0·03 of dietary intake of these acids was transferred to milk, probably because they were found to be mostly in the phospholipid and cholesterol ester fractions of plasma. The FISH and TOA treatments increased (F < 0·05) the percentages of total trans fatty acids in milk fat (1·13, 2·19, 10·26 and 3·62, s.e.d. 0·728) whilst a significant (F < 0·05) increase in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) was observed only for FISH (0·16, 0·28, 1·55, and 0·52, s.e.d. 0·154). Concentrations of CLA and total trans acids in milk were highly correlated (r = 0·91, no. =36, F < 0·001) whilst trans acids in milk were inversely correlated with milk fat content (r = -0·63, no. = 36, F < 0·001) supporting the theory that milk fat depression may be caused by increased supply of trans fatty acids to the mammary gland. The health implications of these changes in milk fat composition are discussed.
Thoroughbred bedding preferences, associated behaviour differences and their implications for equine welfare
Authors: Mills D. S. , Eckley S. , Cooper J. J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractChoice tests are an effective means of assessing the short-term environmental preferences of captive animals. The preferences shown by eight thoroughbred horses (Equus caballus) for three commonly used bedding materials (paper, straw and shavings) were investigated. For each preference test two choices were presented in separate boxes joined by an unbedded corridor. Time spent in each compartment and associated behaviours were recorded. Despite a positional bias, horses clearly showed a preference for straw bedding (42·9 (s.e. 3·6) %) over shavings (35·2 (s.e. 3·4) %, P < 0·05), straw (42·0 (s.e. 37) %) over paper (29·3 (s.e. 3·4) %, P < 0·05) and shavings (41·6 (s.e. 4·3) %) over paper (27·7 (s.e. 3·7) %, P < 0·001) based on percentage of observed time spent on the substrate. Straw bedding increased the occurrence of bedding related activities, with more of these activities in choices where straw was available (P < 0·001) and in these choices the activities being preferentially expressed in the straw alternative (P < 0·001). Straw may therefore be preferred as it allows the expression of a wider number of motivationally significant activities.
Effect of forage to concentrate ratio in complete diets offered to sheep on voluntary food intake and some digestive parameters
Authors: Valdés C. , Carro M. D. , Ranilla M. J. , González J. S. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractTwelve mature ewes were used to study the effect of forage: concentrate ratio in complete diets on voluntary intake and some digestive characteristics. Diets consisted of four combinations of chopped lucerne hay and a concentrate (390 g cracked barley grains, 440 g cracked maize grains and 170 g soya-bean meal per kg of concentrate) in the following proportions (fresh matter basis): 0·8:0·2 (C20), 0·6:0·4 (C40), 0·4:0·6 (C60) and 0·2:0·8 (C80). Diets were offered over two 42-day periods and, in each of them, three sheep received one of the four diets, with the restriction that no animal received the same diet in both periods. Chromium Ill-mordanted fibre was used as a marker to estimate passage rate of digest a and microbial nitrogen supply (MNS) was estimated from the urinary excretion of purine derivatives. The increase in the proportion of concentrate affected linearly (P< 0·05) the voluntary intake of food, the mean values being 36·8, 37·9, 36·3 and 30·0 g dry matter (DM) per kg live weight per day for C20, C40, C60 and C80 diets, respectively. Apparent digestibility of DM, organic matter (OM) and crude protein increased linearly (P< 0·01) with the proportion of concentrate in the diet, whereas that of cellulose evolved auadratically (P< 0·05), reaching a minimum value in the C80 diet. Digestible OM intake was unaffected (P> 0·05) by the proportion of concentrate in the diet. Both particulate passage rate from the rumen and through the caecum and proximal colon decreased linearly (P< 0·05) as concentrate proportion in the diet increased. MNS (g/day) was not affected (P> 0·05) by the diet, whereas its efficiency (g/kg digestible OM intake) tended (P< 0·10) to increase with the proportion of concentrate in the diet.
Effects of the ratio of silage to concentrates in the diet on the performance and carcass composition of continental bulls
Authors: Patterson D. C. , Steen R. W. J. , Moore C. A. , Moss B. W. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractA total of 45 continental bulls (1/2 Blonde d'Aquitaine/3/8 Charolais) were used in a continuous design randomized-block experiment, to examine the effects of the ratio of silage to concentrates in the diet on growth and carcass parameters. The proportions of concentrates in the five diets were 0·26, 0·40, 0·55, 0·68 and 0·75 (DM basis). The basal diet was grass silage with D value 730 g/kg and ammonia nitrogen per unit total nitrogen 86 g/kg. The mean initial and final live weights were 467 and 651 kg respectively, with a mean carcass weight of 384 kg. The digestibility of energy was not affected by the proportion of concentrates in the diet. The rates of live weight, carcass and separable lean tissue gain tended to reach a plateau at the higher concentrate proportions, while the rate of separable fat tissue gain increased linearly with increase in concentrate proportion. The separable lean content of the carcass was linearly and negatively related to the proportion of concentrates, with a predicted decrease of’10 g/kg for an increase in concentrate proportion of 0·16. Separable fat content was also linearly related to the proportion of concentrates, with a predicted increase of 10 g/kg for each 0·196 increase in proportion of concentrates. The absence of any effect of concentrate proportion on the content of saleable meat in the carcass was considered to reflect the high growth potential of the animals. An important conclusion was that 0·99 of the asymptote value for lean tissue gain was attained at a concentrate proportion of 0·52 and that 0·95 of the maximum rate of gain was obtained at the relatively low concentrate proportion of 0·39, therefore indicating that finishing bulls of this type can perform to a high level on diets which are predominately based on grass silage.
Study of dissected lamb muscles by visible and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for composition assessment
Authors: Cozzolino D. , Murray I. , Scaife J. R. , Paterson R. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractNear infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to study the reflectance properties of intact and minced lamb muscles in two presentations to the instrument to predict their chemical composition. A total of 306 muscles were examined from 51 lambs, consisting of the following muscles: longissimus dorsi, supraspinatus, infraspinatus, semimembranosus, semitendinosus and rectus femoris. Modified partial least squares (MPLS) regression models of chemical variables yielded R2 and standard error of cross-validation (SECV) of 0·76 (SECV: 10·4), 0·83 (SECV: 5·5) and 0·73 (SECV: 4·7) for moisture, crude protein and intramuscular fat in the minced samples expressed as g/kg on a fresh-weight basis, respectively. Calibrations for intact samples had lower R2 and higher standard error of cross validation (SECV) compared with the minced samples.
The use of ultrasound measurement of perirenal fat thickness to estimate changes in body condition of young female rabbits
Authors: Pascual J. J. , Castella F. , Cervera C. , Blas E. , Fernández-Carmona J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractForty-two New-Zealand x Californian young female rabbits of 4·5 months of age were used to evaluate the use o f a computerized ultrasound system in estimating changes in body condition. In order to get a wide range of fatness, animals were randomly subjected to four food restriction regimes for 2 weeks. Female rabbits were scanned at six different back sites to estimate perirenal fat thickness, using a real-time ultrasound unit equipped with a 5·0-MHz sector probe. After scanning, all animals were weighed and slaughtered. The weights of hot carcass, cold carcass, perirenal fat, scapular fat, liver and kidneys were recorded. There was a large variation in the weight of the main fat deposits, especially for the perirenal fat (CV = 0·632), indicating its suitability for estimating changes in body condition. Ultrasound measurements of perirenal fat thickness correlated strongly with all carcass fat weight values (r= 0·692 to 0·959;P< 0·001) and the estimated carcass energy content (r= 0·777 to 0·866;P< 0·001) and seem to be more precise predictors than live weight measurements. Multiple regression equations for estimating the main fat deposit weight and estimated carcass energy content using only the live weight as an independent variable hadR2values ranging from 0·47 to 0·59. The accuracy of estimates was improved when ultrasound measurements were used in the regression model (R2values ranging from 0·81 to 0·95). Ultrasound measurement of mean perirenal fat deposit thickness at 3 cm ahead of the 2ndto 3rdlumbar vertebrae was the best predictor for perirenal fat weight (R2= 0·95;P< 0·001), total fat weight (R2= 0·93;P< 0·001) and estimated carcass energy content (R2= 0·90;P< 0·001). A validation group of 11 rabbit does was used to validate the ultrasound regression equations, showing that their mean accuracy was approximately 0·895 and 0·967 for total fat weight and estimated carcass energy content, respectively. Results suggest that ultrasound measurements of perirenal fat thickness may be an accurate method for studying changes in body condition of young female rabbits at different times.
Influence of high ambient temperatures on food intake and feeding behaviour of multiparous lactating sows
Authors: Quiniou N. , Renaudeau D. , Dubois S. , Noblet J. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractForty multiparous Large White sows were used to investigate the effects of five ambient temperature levels (18, 22, 25, 27, and 29°C) and two dietary protein contents on their feeding behaviour during lactation. At each temperature treatment, ambient temperature was kept constant over the 21-day lactation period. Dietary protein content was either 140 or 170 g/kg with essential amino acids levels calculated to he non-limiting. Photoperiod was fixed to 14 h of artificial light. The animals were given food ad libitum between the 7th and the 19th day of lactation. Feeding behaviour was not influenced by diet composition. Over the 13 days under ad libitum feeding conditions, voluntary food intake decreased from 7·80 to 3·50 kg/day between 18 and 29°C, which was achieved through a decreased daily number of meals at the highest temperature (6·8 to 4·5 at 18 and 29°C, respectively). No significant difference among temperatures was observed on meal size, even if the highest (1372 g) and the lowest (883 g) values were obtained at 18 and 29°C, respectively. Rate of food intake was not influenced by temperature and averaged 133 g/min; consequently, decreased voluntary food intake under heat exposure resulted in reduced ingestion time (61 and 29 min/day at 18 and 29°C, respectively). Hourly food intake peaked at the beginning and the end of the light period. It resulted in a mainly diurnal partition of food intake. This partition was significantly affected by temperature as proportionately 0·87 and 0·91 of total food intake occurred during the day at 27 and 29°C, respectively, v. 0·81 on average between 18 and 25°C. Number of meals was lower during the night (1·1 v. 5·2 during the day on average); it decreased with increased temperature both during the day and the night. Meal size was lower during the night (938 v. 1080 g during the day on average). The ratio between water and food intake was significantly higher at 29°C (8·1 v. 4·2 l/kg on average between 18 and 27°C). Standing activity averaged 124 min/day with no significant difference between temperatures.
Energy and nitrogen metabolism in Holstein-Friesian cows during early lactation
Authors: Sutter F. , Beever D. E. 
Published: August 2016

AbstractEnergy and nitrogen metabolism were examined at weekly intervals during lactation weeks 1 to 8 in Holstein-Friesian cows (no. = 9) offered a diet of hay, maize pellets (whole plant) and concentrates, (barley, maize and soya bean; forage : concentrate ratio 65 : 35), with feeding levels close toad libitum.After calving, the cows lost body weight until week 7, with peak milk yield (35 kg/day) recorded during week 3. Dry-matter intakes increased progressively to week 4 then remained relatively constant. Apparent digestibility of dietary energy was unaffected by stage of lactation but the overall value was low (0·653) indicative of the quantity and quality of long hay in the diet. Metabolizable energy intakes ranged between 163 and 202 MJ/day, with little between-week variation after that between weeks 1 and 2 (P< 0·01). Milk energy output was relatively stable during weeks 1 to 4 but then declined progressively for each remaining week, whilst heat energy output was relatively constant throughout. Estimates of body energy retention indicated the cows were in negative energy balance at all times, being greater in week 1 (64 MJ/day,P< 0·01) than weeks 2 to 4 (mean, 35 MJ/day) or weeks 5 to 8 (22 MJ/day). Digestible nitrogen (N) intake was reduced in week 1, whilst apparent N digestibility declined significantly , with little between-week variation after that between weeks 1 and 2 < 0·05) as lactation progressed. The cows were in negative N balance (–19 g/day) during week 1, with zero (week 2) or positive balances noted thereafter.It is concluded that during early lactation, the extent of body tissue mobilization in average yielding cows can be substantial and prolonged, whilst attainment of positive body N status occurred earlier and was not related to the energy status of the cows.