bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Angora rabbit wool production: non-genetic factors affecting quantity and quality of wool
Authors: de Rochambeau H. , Thébault R. G. , Grun J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTA study was made of the wool production of 490 females and 137 males of a strain of French Angora rabbit. The female adults weighed 4107 g and produced 249 g of wool every 14 weeks. Production was low for the first harvest (35 g) which consisted mainly of short wool. It then increased rapidly (203 g for the third harvest). After the third harvest, three-quarters of long wool was also bristly. The length of bristles (102 mm) decreased by 4 mm, and that of downs (62 mm) increased by 3 mm when the harvest number went from two to four. The coefficient of correlation between wool production and live weight was lower than 0·30. Adult females born in autumn produced 16 g more than those born in summer. Wool production was at a maximum during autumn and winter harvests and at a minimum in summer.Winter fleeces had longer bristles and down than summer ones. Males produced well wool than females. When a female dropped a litter, her wool production decreases by proportionately 0·1 to 0·2. Bristly fleeces were clearly different from woolly fleeces on account of higher weight, homogeneity and compression. Objective criteria to evaluate tautness will have to found.
A note on the influence of climatic variables and age on the response of beef calves to different housing types
Authors: Kubisch H.-M. , Makarechian M. , Arthur P. F. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTThe response of 376 weaned bull calves to two different housing types was studied in a 2-year feedlot trial. Overall, animals with shelter had a higher rate of gain than animals with no shelter. The difference in the rate of gain between the housing types was, however, restricted to the coldest periods. No significant interaction between housing type and age of calf was observed. Regression analyses showed that whilst average daily temperature appeared to have a negligible effect on growth, temperature fluctuations between weighing days appeared to affect growth of calves in both housing types. Overall, climatic variables contributed more to the variance in gain of calves with shelter than of calves with no shelter.
Genetic and phenotypic parameters for yield, food intake, and efficiency of dairy cows fed ad libitum 2. Estimates for part lactation measures and their relationship with ‘total’ lactation measures
Authors: Persaud P. , Simm G. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTRecords on fat plus protein yield, food intake and food efficiency up to 26 and 38 weeks of lactation, were obtained from dairy cows fed ad libitum in the Edinburgh School of Agriculture's Langhill herd. After discarding the first 2 weeks data, the records were divided into successive 6-week periods. Restricted maximum likelihood analyses were carried out on each period for each trait, fitting an animal model, with repeat lactations as an additional random effect. Univariate analyses were done after approximate canonical transformation of the data. Heritability estimates for 6-week fat plus protein yield, food intake and efficiency, from the 38-week lactation data, ranged from 0·08 (s.e. 0·10) to 0·17 (s.e. 0·12), 0·15 (s.e. 0·09) to 0·49 (s.e. 0·15) and 0·08 (s.e. 0·14) to 0·25 (s.e. 0·11), respectively. Generally, lower heritabilities were obtained for earlier part measures of fat plus protein yield and efficiency and for later part measures of food intake. Genetic correlations between part measures and ‘total’ lactation fat plus protein yield, food intake, and efficiency ranged from 0·82 to 100, 0·85 to 0·98, and 0·60 to 1·00, respectively. Corresponding phenotypic correlations ranged from 0·76 to 0·94, 0·68 to 0·87, and 0·73 to 0·89, respectively. The correlations were lowest for the first 6-week period then gradually increased up to a maximum in the third or fourth periods and declined thereafter. The results indicate that selection on a part measure of food intake or efficiency, taken between 15 to 20 weeks of lactation, will be equally effective in improving intake and efficiency compared with selection on total lactation measures. Other 6-week measures taken between weeks 9 to 14 and 21 to 26 will also give good prediction of total lactation intake and efficiency.
The effect of dietary nutrient density on growth in the pig
Authors: Lawrence T. L. J. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYForty-eight Large White ♂× (Landrace × Large White) ♀ male castrate pigs were individually fed, on a live-weight-based scale between approximately 23 kg and 88 kg live weight, similar daily in-takes of digestible energy, crude protein and total lysine from four diets (12 pigs per diet) of widely differing compositions and nutrient densities. The digestible energy contents (MJ/kg) (1), crude protein (%) (2) and total lysine (%) (3) contents of the diets were: diet A (1) 11·40, (2) 14·40, (3) 0·82; diet B (1) 12·90, (2) 16·50, (3) 0·94; diet C (1) 14·96, (2) 19·20, (3) 1·09 and diet D (1) 18·28, (2) 23·30, (3) 1·32. To give the required daily nutrient intakes, relative to diet A (100) the intakes of diets B, C and D were 87·5, 75·0 and 62·5 respectively. Growth rates, carcass weights (from dissimilar but non-significantly different slaughter weights), killing-out percentages and the digestible energy required to produce a unit of carcass improved progressively from diet A to diet D. In these variables the significant differences tended to lie between diets A and B on the one hand compared with diets C and D on the other. The weights of lean tissue dissected from the carcass were similar for all pigs. The weights of dissected fatty tissue and backfat thicknesses increased from diet B to C to D but only the differences between diets B and D were statistically significant.
The use of heat transfer coefficients in estimating sensible heat loss from the pig
Authors: Mount L. E. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYHeat transfer coefficients are used to calculate convective and radiant heat losses from pigs of 4, 20 and 60 kg body weight at 20 and 30 °C environmental temperatures for different wind speeds. Comparisons with heat losses estimated from whole-animal calorimetry suggest that calculations with heat transfer coefficients can lead to useful approximate estimates of heat loss from the pig.
The effect of pregnancy, energy intake and mating weight on protein deposition and energy retention of female pigs
Authors: Hovell F. D. Deb , MacPherson R. M. , Crofts R. M. J. , Smart R. I. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARY1. In a comparative slaughter experiment, 12 female pigs (six at 80 kg and six at 100 kg) were allocated at first oestrus to each of five treatments: Treatment 1 initial slaughter, or Treatments 2, 3 and 4 mated and given 19·5, 25·8 or 32·1 MJ ME/day for the last 100 days of pregnancy, or Treatment 5 not mated (virgin) and given 25·8 MJ ME/day over a similar period. Pigs on Treatments 2, 3, 4 and 5 were given the same amount of protein and were killed about 123 days after first oestrus. Piglets were removed at birth.2. Total protein deposition (carcass+viscera+piglets) was increased from a total (±SE) of 5·50 to 8·47 (±0·43) kg as ME intake was increased from 19·5 to 32·1 MJ ME/day. About 75% of the increase in protein deposition was in the carcass component. The average response to ME was 2·2 ± 0·58 g total protein deposition per MJ increment in ME.3. The once-mated pigs deposited similar amounts of total protein to the virgin pigs but significantly less (P<0·05) carcass protein, when this was corrected to the same amount of carcass fat deposition.4. Increasing energy intake from 19·5 to 32·1 MJ ME/day increased total fat deposition from 2·8 to 16·0 kg. The average response to ME was 13·5 ± 1·53 g fat deposited per MJ increment in ME.5. There were no significant differences between the once-mated and virgin pigs in their calculated maintenance requirement, nor in the efficiency with which ME surplus to requirement for maintenance was utilized for energy retention. The average maintenance requirement for all pigs was 530 (95% limits 303·882) kJ/kg0·85. day. The average efficiency of utilization of ME for energy retention was 58·5 ± 6·2%.6. There was no evidence of any pregnancy anabolism other than that involving the conceptus, the needs of the dam specific to pregnancy and preparation for lactation.
Lamb growth performance of Iranian fat-tailed Karakul, Mehraban and Naeini breeds of sheep and their crosses with Corriedale and Targhee rams
Authors: Makarechian M. , Farid A. , Sefidbakht N. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYBirth weights, weaning weights (75 days of age) and pre-weaning average daily gains of 291 lambs and post-weaning average daily gains, feed conversions and market weights of 136 ram lambs were studied. The lambs were of three fat-tailed Iranian breeds of sheep, Karakul, Mehraban and Naeini, and their crosses with Corriedale and Targhee rams.The crossbreds were significantly superior to the purebreds in all the traits studied, by approximately 7% in the pre-weaning traits and up to 18·4% in the post-weaning daily gain. Among the purebreds, Mehraban lambs were superior to the other two breeds in the preweaning traits and final weight.The progeny of the Targhee and Corriedale rams were similar in performance except for feed conversion, in which the lambs sired by Targhee rams were more efficient. Breed of dam had a significant effect on the pre-weaning traits and feed conversion. Mehraban ewes produced lambs with the highest pre-weaning average daily gain and weaning weight among the crossbreds, but they were the least efficient lambs after weaning.Age of dam significantly influenced the pre-weaning but not the post-weaning traits. Lambs born to 4-yr-old ewes were the heaviest and those born to 2-yr-old ewes were the lightest at birth. The lambs reared by 2-yr-old ewes had significantly lower rates of growth and were the lightest at weaning. Sex had a highly significant effect on the pre-weaning traits in favour of the male lambs.
A note on the growth and carcass quality of Makui and Moghani lambs on different diets
Authors: Nik-Khah A. , Assadi-Moghaddam R. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYThe effects of three diets on the performance and carcass quality of lambs of the Makui and Moghani breeds of sheep were studied. Thirty-two Makui and 33 Moghani lambs, 6 to 7 mo of age, were kept on feedlots and given three diets for 77 days. The diets each contained a barley, alfalfa meal and corn silage base plus different levels of urea, molasses and dried beet pulp.The average daily live-weight gains (ADG) of lambs fed on diets I (no urea), II (0·8% urea) and III (1·4% urea) were 218, 208 and 204 g respectively, while feed conversion ratios (FCR) were 6·3, 6·6 and 6·8 respectively. The overall ADG for Makui and Moghani lambs were 213·6 and 206·6 g respectively and the FCR were 6·4 and 6·9 respectively. None of these differences was statistically significant. The mean dressing percentages of lambs fed on diets I, II and III were 52·5, 52·7 and 53·9 respectively, and those of Makui (53·1) and Moghani lambs (53·3) were similar. There were only minor differences between the carcass characteristics of the two breeds and these were not influenced by the different diets.
Effects of selection for body size on the weight and cellular structure of seven mouse muscles
Authors: Byrne Ignatius , Hooper J. C. , Mccarthy J. C. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYThe effects of selection for increased and decreased body weight in mice at 5 and at 10 weeks of age on the weight and mean fibre diameter and number of seven different muscles were studied by dissecting and histologically examining animals from large, small and unselected control lines. The purpose was to learn how selection for body size affects muscle weight and its components. Selection for increased body weight significantly increased the weight of m. biceps brachii, m. tibialis anterior, m. pectoralis major, m. brachio-radialis, m. soleus, m. rectus femoris and m. psoas major. These increases in muscle weight reflected increases in both fibre diameter and number although there were a few exceptions. Selection for low body weight produced decreases in the weight of all muscles. These reflected significant reductions in mean fibre diameter and, in most cases, fibre number. Significant estimates of heterosis in mean fibre diameter were obtained in m. biceps brachii and m. tibialis anterior from crosses between the Large and Small lines selected at 5 weeks and also between the lines selected at 10 weeks of age, respectively.
The effect of level and method of feeding milk substitute and housing environment on the performance of calves
Authors: Mitchell C. D. , Broadbent P. J. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARY1. Thirty-six Ayrshire and 48 Friesian male calves were used in two separate experiments to examine the effect of level and method of feeding milk substitute in two different housing environments. The calves were weaned when the daily intake of air-dry, milk substitute plus concentrates per head reached 1·59 kg, provided at least 0·45 kg of this intake was from concentrates.2. The feeding systems affected the total consumption of milk substitute (P< 0·001) and created differences in live weight at weaning. The housing environments affected the age at weaning (P< 0·001) and the intake of milk substitute (P< 0·001).3. The extra capital cost involved in a ‘controlled environment’ type of calf house does not appear to be justifiable in terms of calf health or performance when compared with the performance of calves in a ‘climatic’ house in the north-east of Scotland.
A comparison of the Charolais, British Friesian and Hereford breeds as sires of crossbred singlesuckled calves for beef production
Authors: Haycock R. E. , Stewart D. A. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYIn three successive years cows from an Aberdeen Angus cross Shorthorn herd were mated to pedigree Charolais, British Friesian and Hereford bulls. A comparison of the progeny of the three breeds of sire under controlled conditions was therefore possible using a random selection of dams for mating, and identical rearing of the calves. Results for live-weight gain of the suckled progeny were analysed and showed superiority of the Charolais breed over the other two when used in this form of beef cattle production.For birth weights and daily live-weight gains, particularly during the grazing period, the Charolais cross progeny showed superiority over the other two. There was a consistent although not always statistically significant tendency for these differences between the breed crosses to occur in the male calves only, the females showing little difference between breeds. The data also showed highly significant relationships between gestation period and birth weight, both within and between breed crosses.
The interaction between dietary lipids and fibre in the sheep 1. A comparison of the methods used for crude fibre and acid-detergent fibre estimations
Authors: Devendra C. , Lewis D. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYA comparison has been made between the methods for crude fibre (CF) and acid-detergent fibre (MADF) determination. In diets containing 10 to 70 % hay with or without 8 % tallow (T) or maize oil (MO), a highly significant (P < 0·001) correlation of r = 0·95 was observed between CF and MADF estimates. This high correlation confirmed a similar relationship found in silages, concentrate feeds and also hays. Similarly for rumen digesta, a correlation of r = 0·93 was found (P < 0·001). The equation for predicting CF from MADF calculated from diets and digesta data together was CF = 0·503+0·848 (+0030) MADF and the residual variation found was sufficiently small to provide useful estimates.
The prediction of body composition in bacon pigs from measurements of feed intake and live-weight gain
Authors: Houseman R. A. , McDonald I. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYPredictions of body composition have been made in 24 baconweight pigs of widely differing fatness, using feed intake and live-weight gain data.Measurements of feed intake and live weight were made every 7 days throughout the growing period from 25 to 90 kg. After each pig was killed at about 90 kg, one carcass side was physically dissected and the whole empty body was chemically analysed. Multiple regression equations were then computed with the dependent variables being the weights of the physically dissectible and the chemical components. The independent variables were initial live weight, energy intake above maintenance, and live-weight gain.The residual standard deviations of the regressions as a percentage of the mean weights of the dependent variables were for body lipid, 5·6%, fat-free mass, 3·3%, dissectible fat, 6·1 % and dissectible lean, 4·9 %. The predictions seem at least as good as can be achieved by more sophisticated techniques.Analysis of the data allowed the efficiency of utilization of energy for protein and lipid deposition to be calculated, and an estimate of the energy costs of maintenance to be made.
A note on cuprous chloride as a feed additive for growing pigs
Authors: Braude R. , Mitchell K. G. , Pittman R. J. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYIn two experiments involving a total of 48 individually-fed pigs on experiment from 20 to 90 kg live weight, the addition per kg of diet of 250 mg Cu, provided either by copper sulphate or by cuprous chloride, similarly and significantly improved daily gain and feed: gain ratio. Neither of the supplements had any significant effect on carcass measurements but both markedly and similarly increased the copper content of the liver at slaughter weight.
Cold-induced inhibition of thermal panting in shorn sheep 3. Effect of previous habituation to cold
Authors: Slee J. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARY1. Twenty-six shorn Scottish Blackface sheep received nine daily cold shocks (down to −10°C) each lasting 1 hr. This treatment reduced the metabolic response to cold (lower heart rates) and caused passive body cooling—defined as habituation. Eight selected sheep showing maximum habituation and 16 untreated controls then received blocking treatment (re-shorn and cooled for 2 hr at 18°C or 8°C) before being heat-stressed (at 42°C) to elicit panting.2. Thermal panting, delayed as expected by blocking treatment, was further delayed by previous cold habituation. Habituated sheep blocked at 18°C panted 30 min later than blocked controls. In habituated sheep blocked at 8°C, panting was completely inhibited even after 90 min heat stress; their final mean respiration rate was 19/min v. 220/min in blocked controls and 250/min in unblocked controls. Rectal temperatures of habituated sheep were lower than controls during blocking treatment.3. Habituation, by restraining the normal metabolic response to cold, increased the heat debt during blocking treatment and lessened the heat load during subsequent heat stress. This apparently reduced the drive for panting. Habituation may also have favoured a direct inhibitory effect of cold on the respiratory centres.
The effects of dietary energy content and level of feeding on the growth of Israeli-Friesian intact male cattle
Authors: Levy D. , Holzer Z. , Neumark H. , Amir S. 
Published: September 2010

SUMMARYIn an experiment with group-fed cattle from 6 months of age to slaughter at 480 kg live weight two levels of feed intake: 1, ad libitum, 2, 85% of ad libitum amount, were combined with two ratios of concentrate to hay: a, 70: 30; b, 30: 70. In two further treatments, 3a and 3b, the cattle were fed diets a or b at 70% of ad libitum from 6 to 10 months and ad libitum thereafter.Daily gain during the first 124 days of the experiment was (in grams) 1293, 983, 1097, 846, 992 and 756, and from the 125th day to slaughter 735, 600, 796, 579, 830 and 714, for treatments la, lb, 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, respectively. The decline in rate of gain from the first period to the second was inversely related to the level of feed intake and to the percentage of concentrates in the ration in the first period.Daily carcass gain was 582, 393, 532, 350, 531 and 368 g for treatments la, lb, 2a, 2b, 3a and 3b, respectively.The treatments that were switched over from 70% of ad libitum feed intake in the first period to 100% in the second (3a and 3b), exhibited considerable compensatory growth in the second period, but this was not sufficient to be of economic advantage.The overall ME requirement per kg of live-weight gain was inversely related to rate of gain. Of the six treatments, 2a (85% of ad libitum, 70% concentrate) was the most efficient (19·8 Mcal/kg live-weight gain).Animals on the 100% level of feed intake throughout the experiment (treatments la, lb) were significantly fatter than those on the other treatments.
The effect of formalin-treated soya bean meal upon the performance of lactating cows
Authors: Morgan D. J. 
Published: September 2010

ABSTRACTFour concentrate mixtures were given with grass silage to 52 cows in early lactation in an 8-week randomized block production trial. A further eight cows were used to measure apparent digestibilities of the total diets in a double 4 × 4 Latin-square trial.The concentrates contained varied proportions of barley, soya bean meal (soya) and formaldehyde-treated soya bean meal (treated soya) together with fixed proportions of wheatfeed and molasses. Crude protein (CP) concentrations in the concentrate mixtures and sources of supplementary protein were 133 g/kg air-dry concentrate, soya (A); 130 g/kg, treated soya (B); 187 g/kg, soya (C); 169 g/kg, soya plus treated soya (D). In the production trial, 9 kg concentrates were given daily together with silage ad libitum, whilst in the digestibility trial the daily ration was 7·6 kg concentrates and 6·6 kg silage dry matter (DM). The silage contained 462 g DM per kg and 140 g CP per kg DM with an in vitro digestibility of DM of 0·7.The digestibilities of DM, organic matter and energy showed similar trends. Cows given treatments A and B had significantly lower digestibilities of energy than did those given treatments C and D.Nitrogen digestibility was highest for cows given treatment C and lowest for those given treatments A and B. Silage DM intake and live-weight change were unaffected by treatment during weeks 1 to 8, all treatment groups being in positive live-weight balance in this period.Milk yields during weeks 1 to 8 were 18·8 (A), 19·6 (B), 20·3 (C) and 20·7 (D) kg/day. Yields for cows given treatments C and D were significantly higher than those for cows given treatment A. There were no differences between treatments for any constituent of milk, but protein concentration in milk tended to be lower for cows given treatment D. During weeks 9 to 20, there were no significant residual effects of treatment upon milk yield or composition.Parallel regression analysis of milk yield and yields of milk constituents upon CP concentration in the concentrate indicated significant effects of CP concentration on yield of milk, milk fat, protein and lactose during weeks 1 to 8. When examined during weeks 1 to 20 the responses to increased CP concentration were non-significant. The analysis showed a significant positive milk-yield response to formaldehyde treatment during weeks 1 to 8 and 1 to 20. The response in lactose yield was also significant during weeks 1 to 8 and 1 to 20. There was a trend, though not significant, towards an increased milk-fat yield during weeks 1 to 8 for the formaldehyde treatment, whilst protein yield was unaffected.