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Two hundred 10-d-old broiler chickens were used to study the effects of different dried olive pulp (DOP) inclusion rates on growth performance and meat quality. Broiler chickens were assigned to 4 experimental treatments (5 replicates of 10 broiler chickens each) for 32 d. The broiler chickens of each treatment were offered a different combination of grower (d 11 to 22; grower phase) and finisher (d 23 to 42; finisher phase) diets in terms of DOP content. The experimental treatments were: control (C), grower and finisher diets with no DOP; treatment 1 (T1), grower and finisher diets with 25 and 50 g DOP/kg, respectively; treatment 2 (T2), grower and finisher diets with 50 g DOP/kg; and treatment 3 (T3), grower and finisher diets with 50 and 80 g DOP/kg, respectively. Feed intake and body weight were recorded to calculate weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Fatty acid (FA) composition, oxidative stability, pH at 24 h post-mortem (pH24), color properties, cooking loss, and tenderness (as shear force) were determined in the breast muscle obtained from 2 broiler chickens/replicate pen of each treatment at d 42. The FCR was greater in T2 and T3 compared to C (P = 0.013) during the grower phase. During the finisher phase, FCR was greater in T3 when compared to C (P = 0.014), and to T1 and T2 (P = 0.031). The addition of DOP increased 18:1n-9 and total monounsaturated FA (P

Effects of partial substitution of barley with maize and beet pulp (BP) on animal performance, rumen fermentation and rumen microbial populations were evaluated in thirty-nine newly weaned calves transitioned from a milk and pasture regime to a high-concentrate ration. Diets were: a barley-based growing diet (C); and two diets in which barley was partially replaced with maize and 10% BP (BP10) or 22% BP (BP22) on as fed basis. Wheat straw was offered ad libitum in all cases. Three adaptation protocols were followed: in Protocol 1 animals were abruptly shifted to the C diet, whereas calves in Protocols 2 and 3 were gradually adapted and received diets BP10 and BP22, respectively, for 10d; thereafter a 50:50 mixture of their diet and diet C until day 14, and finally, from day 15, diet C. All animals were slaughtered at a target live weight (LW) of ca. 500 kg. The experiment had then three phases (Ph): Ph1 (0-10d), Ph2 (11-14d) and Ph3 (15d-slaughter). Concentrate intake and proportion of straw in the diet were affected (P 0.05) among adaptation protocols. Daily rumen pH, and concentrations of lactate and volatile fatty acids were not affected by protocol. At the end of the trial, protozoa persisted in the rumen of all calves with an average concentration of 5.89 log cells/mL. Diversity dropped throughout the study; most protozoa belonged to genera Entodinium (97.5%) and Isotricha (1.7%), with minor presence of Dasytricha (0.05%), Epidinium (0.43%) and Subfamily Diplodiniinae (0.23%). Adaptation protocol had no effect on rumen bacterial population or diversity; however, both were affected by day of sampling indicating a shift in bacterial community in response to the concentrate inclusion. Although diversity dropped with concentrate inclusion, there was an increase after d10. In conclusion, the application of different protocols to adapt beef cattle to high-concentrate diets had no effect on animal performance and rumen fermentation which were not negatively affected by the abrupt transition to the high-concentrate diet. This suggests that calves might cope with those feeding conditions probably due to the microbial adaptions to a new rumen environment.

Sixteen West African dwarf goats weighing 5.0–5.6 kg were used in an experiment that lasted 112 days to investigate the utilization of citrus pulp based diets and E. cyclocarpum . A control diet which contained 88.5% dried brewers' grains (DBG) and other three experimental diets in which DBG was replaced with dried citrus pulp (DCP) at 25, 50 and 75% levels, respectively constituted the four treatments. The goats were divided into four groups of four animals each to balance for variation in live weight before they were assigned to the four different experimental diets. Significant differences ( P P P P P IU/L ) at 75% level of citrus pulp. Therefore, the efficient utilization of citrus pulp and E. cyclocarpum by WAD goats was attained at the 50% level of inclusion in the diets.

Based on individual cow live weight gain, feeding strategies were designed for individual feeding of dairy cows in loose-housing systems, and examined in a four-year production trial including 115 Danish Red (DR), 91 Danish Holstein (DH), and 93 Danish Jersey (DJ). The objective of the present paper was to examine the milk yield obtained in response to three feeding strategies. The interrelationship between feed intake and live weight changes is presented in a companion paper. Cows were stalled in a loose-housing system based on automatic milking, automatic recording of feed intake and automatic weighing of the cows. All cows had 3 kg of individually separately offered concentrate (ISC) in addition to a mixed ration (MR). Cows were either allowed a medium energy MR during whole lactation (strategy MR1) or a high energy MR during early lactation, which was reduced to a low energy MR either early or late (strategy MR2-E and MR2-L). The early and late changes were defined as a live weight gain after live weight minimum at 15 and 35 kg, respectively, for DR/DH and 11 and 25 kg, respectively, for DJ. When MR energy concentration was changed, cows on the MR2 strategies were offered 3 kg per day of extra concentrate. The total allowance of 6 kg ISC was stepwise reduced to 3 kg per day as live weight continued to increase until 50 and 35 kg for DR/DH and DJ, respectively. Compared to feeding the MR1 strategy, the analysis showed that feeding the MR2 strategies did not significantly affect milk yield within primiparous DR and DH or within any DJ, as total lactation feed energy intake within these groups of cows was not significantly affected by the feeding strategy. Results obtained for multiparous DH showed that it is possible to increase milk yield without reducing the milk:feed ratio, when MR2 strategies were applied compared to the MR1 strategy. Feeding high energy rations during early lactation caused a higher peak feed energy intake within multiparous cows of DH and DR, but only multiparous DH obtained higher peak ECM yield in response to higher feed energy intake in early lactation. Across breed the results suggested that cows offered the MR2-E strategy might obtain higher lactation ECM yield compared to cows offered the MR2-L strategy due to a higher ECM yield persistency obtained by cows offered the MR2-E strategy. Results on feed intake and live weight changes presented in a companion paper indicated, that cows offered the MR2 strategies obtained a lower extent of mobilization compared to cows offered the MR1 strategy, and feeding the MR2-E strategy significantly increased duration of the mobilization period, which might have increased MR2-E cows' ability to maintain a high milk production during mid lactation.

The basic problemwith the approach we adopted in the paper of Jardim et al. (2013) is that we found the denominator of the reported ratio Eq. (17)/Eq. (18) by assuming Lc 1⁄4ME=Mm, Mm 1⁄4 ðFHPþAÞ=km, and km 1⁄4 0:35ME=GEþ0:503. Nonetheless, the metabolizability of the diet (q1⁄4ME=GE) is lower than the metabolizability of the diet at maintenance, namely qm, 8 Lc41 (Blaxter and Boyne, 1978). We maintained terms and units here accordingly. In the paper of Jardim et al. (2013), we assumed the gross energy intake as GE1⁄4 18:8F (MJ/day). Therefore, our km values were biased because our qm values were also biased to some extent. By definition, qm is measured at maintenance (Blaxter and Boyne, 1978): qm 1⁄4MEm=GEm. MEm and GEm are the respective metabolizable and gross energy intake rates at maintenance, and MEm meets Mm, i.e., MEm=Mm 1⁄4 1. Nonetheless, let us define the dry matter intake measured at maintenance as Fm (kg/day), consequently, GEm 1⁄4 18:8Fm. If Mm 1⁄4ME=Lc, Mm 1⁄4 ðFHPþAÞ=km, km 1⁄4 0:35MEm=GEmþ0:503, and Mm 1⁄4MEm, then after algebraically isolating ME and taking only its positive root and simplifying constants, we have a new Eq. (18) based on the correct definition of qm: ME1⁄4 26:9Fmð 0:503Lcþð0:253Lc þ1:4Lc ðFHPþAÞ=ð18:8FmÞÞÞ: ð18Þ

The objective of this paper is to review the existing literature regarding the advantages and disadvantages that different weaning practices have on the stress responses and productivity of water buffalo in different breeding systems. On farms where water buffalo are bred for milk production, early weaning favors the amount of milk produced, reduces breeding costs and improves the reproductive rate. However, this early separation may be associated with the restriction of colostrum and essential nutrients for water buffalo calves, which cannot be replaced by the use of milk replacers made for cattle. Consequently, colostrum restriction can lead to an increase in disease susceptibility, high mortality rates and compromises future performance. In addition, mothers show a more temperamental behavior, making milk ejection difficult due to the anatomical characteristics of the udder in this species. On the other hand, a continuous suckling system may be more beneficial to weight, immune status, and welfare of calves but may cause economic losses due to delayed postpartum estrus. The results in terms of susceptibility to stress are contradictory; some authors conclude that separation between mother and calves does not generate stress, as long as weaning is carried out within the first hours or days after birth (3–6 days old) after colostrum intake, compared to weaning at 45 and 90 days. However, these calves have greater difficulty in learning to eat on their own and show an increase in abnormal behaviors. The most commonly utilized form of weaning is abrupt. Behavioral and physiological indicators suggest that abrupt weaning is stressful for both the mother and the offspring. The protocols for performing gradual weaning seem to offer advantages in reducing stress in buffalo compared to abrupt weaning. On buffalo farms, calf management is one of the critical points of breeding, therefore, more studies are required to improve current breeding systems and promote the welfare of water buffalo calves.

Woody rangelands are important forage resources for grazing goats in the Mediterranean basin. Goats are well adapted in these heterogeneous and complex ecosystems due to their particular anatomic characteristics, metabolic efficiency and browsing ability. However, the mechanism of grazing behavior and forage selection in goats is quite complex and depends on several factors. The present study deals with the seasonal changes of chemical composition in the selected forages and ingested diets as well as their effects on milk yield and composition of goats grazing in a Mediterranean woody rangeland. Hand plucked forage samples similar to those consumed by the goats were collected for chemical analysis. The nutritive value of consumed forages, in combination with the different feeding and grazing system per trial period, influenced milk quality and performance. The replacement of feed supplementation with an increase of the contribution of grazing in the rangeland could maintain the milk yield and quality at the late stage of lactation. In addition, this paper focuses on the influence of the chemical composition of selected forages on the diet selection of goats using a modeling approach. The model showed a high interpretative accuracy and explanatory value (R2 = 0.923) and was able to distinguish the goats' most important criteria for selecting among the forage plant species in relation to several factors. The results indicate that the dietary preferences of goats were influenced, not only by the seasonality of nutritive value and availability of forages in the rangeland, but also by the plant origin of each nutrient source. The selection of Quercus frainetto was highly correlated with its NDF content. Herbaceous species, Cistus creticus and other woody species were mainly selected due to their CP content. The ADL content seemed to have the lowest influence of all nutritive variables on the selection among groups of plant species. The modeling approach, apart from the understanding of grazing behavior of goats, offers additional information that can be useful to the shepherds in order to manage more effectively the feeding and grazing system of their goat's flock.

The effect of vitamin E supplementation on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and immune response of male broiler chickens was studied using a meta-analysis. The database was consisted of 51 scientific papers published in peer-reviewed journals. The dependent variables for meta-analysis included final body weight, average daily gain, daily feed intake, feed conversion ratio, vitamin E concentration in the muscle, tissue polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration, lipid peroxidation value, post mortem pH, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, and total immunoglobulins. Linear mixed models were used to analyze the data. Vitamin E supplementation did not influence growth performance, as the estimated slopes were not different from zero, with P-values equal to 0.92 for final body weight, 0.81 for average daily gain, 0.31 for daily feed intake, and 0.83 for feed conversion ratio. Dietary vitamin E supplementation increased the vitamin E content in the muscle (P = 0.001), did not change the polyunsaturated fatty acid concentration, and decreased the lipid peroxidation (P = 0.01). The immune response was improved, the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio was constant, and the total immunoglobulins were increased (P = 0.037) by dietary vitamin E supplementation. With regard to broiler chicken performance, there seemed to be no relationship between dietary vitamin E supplementation and growth performance. There is ample indication that meat quality and immune response could be improved by dietary vitamin E supplementation.

A meta-analysis of 52 peer-reviewed papers was conducted to investigate the effects of ionophores (IOP) supplementation on the performance and ruminal fermentation of lactating dairy cows. We used random-effects models to examine the raw mean difference (RMD) between the IOP group (diets with IOP) and the control group (diets with no additives), weighed by inverse of the variance. We also evaluated the effects of the covariates IPO supplementation level dose groups ( 25 mg/kg dry matter (DM) diet), IOP type (monensin or lasalocid), feeding system (total mixed ration or pasture) and days in milk (DIM) on RMD, by meta-regression and subgroup analysis. Overall, IOP supplementation (21.3 ± 8.3 mg/kg DM) reduced DM intake (DMI; RMD = - 0.39 ± 0.22 kg/d; P N (P = 0.63) and acetate concentrations (P = 0.08); however it enhanced the rumen concentration of propionate (P

Horse conformation has been proposed as an indirect indicator of performance, since their genetic correlations are often positive and high. In Pura Raza Espanol (PRE) horses, the selection of conformation traits more related to functionality and performance allows a pre-selection of animals and contributes towards saving costs and increasing the genetic progress. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the predictability of 16 conformation traits (14 body measurements and 2 linear conformation traits) in adult PRE horses, focusing on the conformation traits of foals. The dataset included 155,716 records (82,408 young and 73,308 adult horses) with conformation traits from 142,244 different horses, aged between 1-36 years old. Animals between 1-3 years old were included in the ‘young’ group and older animals in the ‘adult’ group. A univariate General Linear Model procedure followed by a Tukey-post-hoc test were used to assess the statistical significance of non-genetic effects. Heritability values were estimated univariately. The fitted models included breeder, age and inbreeding (F) as covariates, and sex and coat colour as fixed effects. Coat colour and F were significant for 75% and 87.5% of the traits analysed, respectively; and the other effects analysed were significant for all the conformation traits. Heritability values ranged between 0.178±0.0063 and 0.795±0.0098 in young horses, and between 0.273±0.0038 and 0.894±0.0007 in adult horses. The genetic correlations of the conformation traits between young and adult horses were above 0.75 for 93.75% of the conformation traits analysed, which confirms the efficiency of pre-selection in young horses based on conformation features to predict their adult performance.

The aim of this paper is to develop a new specific algorithm (fat- and protein-corrected milk calculation) for dairy goat to be used in life-cycle assessment (LCA) studies. Though the contribution of goat milk to world milk production ranks third, the literature does not report any specific correction for goat's milk. Using the available bibliographic data, a multiple regression was performed that allowed obtaining the relationship between the energy content (EC) and the fat (FC) and protein content (PC) of dairy goat milk. The multiple regression resulting from the 3 variables analyzed through the data drawn from the literature was significant (R2= 0.99; p ≤ 0.001). The equation resulting from the correlation was used to develop algorithms for the calculation of fat- and protein-corrected milk (FPCM) at specific FC and PC. Since FC and PC are very different depending on the goat breed two different groups have been defined: i) goat breeds with FC in milk below 4% (FCB4), and ii) goat breeds with FC in milk above 4% (FCA4). The EC found for the FCB4 group (FC = 3.70 and PC = 3.27) was 728.11 kcal kg−1, while that of the FCA4 group (FC = 4.92 and PC = 3.61) was 860.69 kcal kg−1. After substituting the EC values obtained before, the resulting FPCM equations to calculate specific FC and PC by unit of mass (kg of milk = M), according to each group, are shown below: FCB4 group = FPCM (FC = 3.70, PC = 3.27) = M * [(0.12 * FC + 0.10 * PC + 0.23)]; FCA4 group = FPCM (FC = 4.92, PC = 3.61) = M * [(0.10 * FC + 0.08 * PC + 0.20)]. Finally, the variation between the FPCM values calculated using the specific equation obtained in this study for goats and those previously published (for sheep or modifications made from dairy cattle) was evaluated; in FCB4 group the differences varied between (-) 32% and (+) 14% and in FCA4 group between (-) 21% and (+) 35%. Values are overestimated if sheep's FPCM calculations are used (because sheep milk has higher fat content than goat milk) and underestimated if dairy cattle's FPCM calculations are used (because cow milk has lower fat content than goat milk). In conclusion, the results found in the present study show the need to use a specific FPCM formulation in the LCA equation for goat's milk. Unión Europea, Junta de Andalucía GOP21-GR-16-0016

Horse conformation is considered an indicator of performance, which plays an important role in breeding decisions. Apart from conformation, Pura Raza Espanola horse (PRE) breeding goal is to improve its functionality, and they are being selected by some studs over the last decades as a dressage sport horse. This process may be accompanied by a mass selection which has probably caused morphological changes in recent decades. This paper has three main aims: To evaluate the development of body conformation in PRE over the last three generation intervals (GI), to evaluate the current morphological differences of PRE selected for dressage competitions by specialized stud farms with others with the others and to estimate the genetic parameters in order to show the response to individual mass selection. A maximum of 26 morphological measurements (MM) from 52,681 PRE collected between 1980 and 2013 were split into three groups of 11 years (GI). The GLM showed that gender and GI were significant factors in all the MM analyzed in the last 30 years. In the current PRE population, gender and belonging to a stud attached to the official dressage improvement program were significant factors for 17 and 16 MM respectively. The heritabilities ranged from 0.31 (angle of shoulder) to 0.80 (height at withers). There 57.5% of the genetic correlations were higher than 0.50. The predicted breeding values were different for dressage and non-dressage subpopulations.

External markers are useful or required to estimate forage intake, digestibility, faecal output and passage rate in horses. Oral administration is challenging because of horses’ high sensitivity and selection skills. A suitable bolus matrix should ensure high and consistent acceptance. Boluses were investigated with and without labelling. Synthetic alkane wax, embedded in filter paper or contained in hypromellose capsules, was used as a test marker. Boluses were baked (100 °C, 30 min) or freeze-dried. The freeze-dried boluses varied in size (1.5, 2, or 3 cm O ) and drying time (6, 12, 24, or 48 h). In two tests (AT1 and AT2), acceptance by the horses was assessed with scores between 1 (complete intake) and 4 (refusal). In AT1, marginal rejection of the marker was recorded, whereas the following tests were performed with placebos only. In two bending tests (BT1 and BT2), the force required to break the boluses (FL, flexural load) was determined because this may affect acceptance. Pre-selected variants were stored for 4 weeks in closed boxes under controlled conditions (20 °C and light for 16 h/d, 16 °C and night for 8 h/d, and 65% relative humidity) and were subsequently analysed for residual moisture (RM) and spoilage-indicating microbes. In baked boluses, the alkanes were partly found outside of the inner matrices. This was not evident in the freeze-dried variants. Acceptance of the labelled boluses (scores≤1.7±0.18, AT1), baked placebos (scores≤2.2±0.35, AT1) and the freeze-dried placebos (scores≤1.1±0.31, AT2) was consistently high. This was explained by the BT, with a mean FL of 202±16.5 N for the baked (BT1) and up to 257±22.5 N for the freeze-dried placebos (BT2) being obtained, which was close to the masticatory forces in horses. However, when the boluses distinctly exceeded a size of 3 cm O , this size probably led to increased FL (BT1), thereby depressing the acceptance of the dried placebos (AT1). The results indicated that the adaption to suitable boluses can lead to increased acceptance. Limiting the drying time to at most 24 h seemed justified, especially for the smaller boluses. After 6 and 12 h, the RM was 7.5±0.52% (1.5 cm O ) and 5.7±0.52% (2 cm O ), which make the risk of microbial spoilage appear low. Tested boluses were unspoiled for up to 1 month after preparation. It was suggested that the variable sizes of the boluses may enable the use of various marker dosages and, incidentally, also use in different target animals. A freeze-dried matrix is likewise open to use with other thermolabile markers or substances. We recommend the pre-administration of placebos prior to marker administration to ensure high acceptance of the labelled boluses.

This project aimed to evaluate a novel method for monitoring the health of grazing cattle. The method studied in this paper is based on an unmanned, automatic precision weighing system that can be used on pasture, and which will alarm farmers when animals show abnormal weight gain curves. The project focused primarily on the detection of pasture-borne nematode parasite infections, which clearly reduce the weight gain of calves, but the method could be further developed to include other diseases that impair animal performance. The early detection of nematode infections would both improve animal welfare and minimize the use of anthelmintics. This study included a total of 63 first season grazing steers born from dairy cows that were allocated to one of two permanent semi-natural pasture enclosures for 20 weeks. Both enclosures had two identical scales except that one scale was powered with line current and one scale was equipped with solar panels. The automatic weighing stations were situated in close proximity to a source of water, salt and minerals so that animals would voluntarily pass through them on a regular basis. LiveStock PlannerⓇ software was used to identify usable data. The number of usable recordings per animal throughout the grazing season varied from 547 to 2677 amongst the four weighing stations, with an average of five usable recordings per animal obtained each week. The herds were guided to the weighing area on a daily basis during the first eight weeks of the grazing period to ensure that the steers received enough water. After this period, manual observations were used to verify that all animals entered the watering area without problems. The findings showed that the weighing technique worked well; hence, the developed method demonstrates great potential as an automatic supervision tool for grazing cattle. However, even though the summer of 2016 was quite dry, there was still water available in ditches and puddles. Accordingly, water alone was not a strong enough motivation to get cattle to pass through the weighing station into the watering area. Hence, in grazing areas with natural water sources, a reward more attractive than the water, salt and minerals used in this study is needed to ensure frequent voluntary passage of cattle through the scales.

The present paper was designed to assess the effect of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) infection status (antibody positive vs antibody negative, as measured by ELISA) on time to culling and calving difficulty in dairy cows. The study was carried out in 8 dairy farms in Galicia (north-west Spain). All of them were taking part in an ongoing paratuberculosis control program, as well as in a dairy herd improvement program. In order to estimate the relation between time to culling and MAP serological status of dairy cows, the present study followed the Andersen–Gill model for survival analysis. Similarly, in order to evaluate the influence on calving difficulty an ordinal logistic regression model was applied. The results indicated that seropositive cows were more likely to be culled due to death/urgent slaughter (hazard ratio=1.88), low productivity (hazard ratio=2.55), infertility (hazard ratio=4.64) and other causes (hazard ratio=1.67). Additionally, the probability of difficulties at calving time was 2.74 times higher for seropositive cows. The estimated effects could determine the economic benefits of a paratuberculosis control program.

This paper suggests methods to monitor sows׳ activity before, during and after farrowing using sensor data. The progress of parturition is analysed from video recordings for a total of 19 sows, of which half was provided with straw (S), and half received no straw (NS). The pre-partum high active behaviour is defined as the hours when the sows performed more than 50% active behaviour per hour, allowing for 1 h of resting. It is characterised by its duration, intensity and its last hour as compared to the onset of parturition. No difference is observed for the duration and last hour of pre-partum high activity for Group S and Group NS. Nevertheless, the intensity indicates that Group S tends ( p =0.07) to be more active (80%) than Group NS (70%) during the pre-partum high activity. The last hour of the pre-partum high active behaviour and the increase of the Lying Active behaviour characterise the onset of farrowing; and a reduction of the number of activity shifts characterises the end of farrowing. No difference of activity is observed for sows farrowing at night vs. in the daytime. Finally, results indicate that sows with a long pre-partum high activity also have more of long birth intervals (more than three times the median) during farrowing. In conclusion, the methods appear promising to monitor the activity around farrowing, and is less time consuming than video analyses. A better monitoring of these phases can potentially result in a better welfare and a reduction of piglet mortality.

Wolf, B. T., McLean, B. M. L., Davies, O. D., Griffith, J. B. (2014). Performance of purebred Welsh Mountain and cross bred ewes in a hill environment. Livestock Science, 165, 181-188 Paper submitted 9-8-13

Seasonal low-input milk production receives increasing interest in Alpine regions. In contrast to typical pasture-based, seasonal milk production regions such as Ireland or New Zealand, the harsher climatic conditions in the Alps require a 5–6 months barn feeding period. In addition, the dairy cow types commonly used in Alpine regions have not been selected under low-input conditions. Among others, this raises the question of the optimum calving season for different Alpine dairy cow types in low-input systems. The aim of this paper was therefore to investigate the effect of calving season on diet composition and productivity of two different cow types in an Alpine low-input and pasture-based production system. Thirty four lactations of Brown Swiss (BS) and 39 lactations of a special strain of Holstein Friesian (HFL) were compared in a seasonal, low-input system. The BS cows represented the average Austrian BS population and were primarily selected for high milk yield. HFL is a local strain of Holstein Friesian and was primarily bred for lifetime performance under low-input conditions. The dataset comprised cows which calved during the barn feeding period (late October/early November until late March/early April); the grazing period lasted from April until October. The date of calving was expressed relatively to the date of turn out to pasture and was included as a continuous covariable in a mixed model. As expected, moving calving dates towards spring increased the proportion of pasture in the diet and decreased concentrate consumption for both breeds. A significant interaction between breed and calving date was found for milk and milk solid yield per lactation, which decreased for BS when comparing autumn and spring calving, while it remained relatively stable for HFL. However, the larger quantities of concentrates fed to cows calving in autumn, did not reduce body weight loss of BS. The results indicate that for HFL spring calving is likely to be more suitable in order to yield the full economic benefit, while moving calving dates towards autumn might support BS to exploit its greater genetic merit for milk production.

This technical note describes the development of a novel spreadsheet-based financial simulation model that estimates the cost of pig production in five free-farrowing systems in comparison to standard sow housing in a farrowing crate. The model was developed to address the recognised deficiency in financial information on free-farrowing systems, and assist pig producers in estimating the cost of producing pigs in such systems. The model is available online at http://www.ncl.ac.uk/afrd/research/project/4378. Users can select from eight different types of farrowing accommodation and four gestation housing systems, with additional variations on floor type and feeding system. Input data on herd size and productivity are entered into one active sheet and, using built-in data on housing and other input costs, the model computes the cost of producing a weaner pig (8 kg at 4 weeks of age) in each gestation/farrowing system combination selected. Sensitivities to input or output changes can also be evaluated by altering herd performance. The use of this model provides pig producers, policy makers and other stakeholders with a means to estimate the likely cost of pig production prior to any investment in a new housing system. An example of the applications of the model is given in this paper.

The aim of this paper is to review existing literature concerning the impact of lameness and claw lesions on welfare, health and production of sows. When using the five freedoms, a common method to conceptualize animal welfare, to assess the impact of lameness, it appears that lameness as a single disease, may affect all of the freedoms. There is a wide variability with respect to the impact of claw lesions on welfare of sows, because only a proportion of animals are affected. Lameness affects welfare due to physically reduced locomotion ability, pain or general discomfort and sickness behavior. Cross-sectional studies show that the within-herd prevalence of sow lameness is quite high and may range from 8.8% to 16.9%. There are several reasons for lameness and claw lesions and they are very difficult to be identified during herd-level clinical examinations. Therefore, many researchers have studied the sows post-mortem and quite often found more than one lesion likely to cause lameness. Not all lesions are associated with lameness, but the location and severity of the lesions are important factors. Lameness can also affect the general health of the sow and predispose to loss of body condition, shoulder lesions and urogenital infections. Longevity of lame sows is decreased when compared with that of healthy-legged animals. Acutely and severely lame sows are removed immediately from the herd, and chronic, less severe lameness can affect the performance of sows and thus indirectly lead to culling. However, only few articles report about production or fertility figures of lame vs non-lame sows, except for ample data on longevity. In conclusion, lameness of sows is an important welfare and health problem and may also severely affect the profitability of sow herds.

Monitoring animal production results in real time is a challenge. Existing management information systems (MIS) in pig production are typically based on static statements of selected key figures. The objective of this paper is to develop a dynamic monitoring system for litter size at herd and sow level, with weekly updates. For this purpose, a modified litter size model, based on an existing model found in the literature, is implemented using dynamic linear models (DLMs). The variance components are pre-estimated from the individual herd database using a maximum-likelihood technique in combination with an Expectation–Maximization (EM) algorithm applied on a larger dataset with observations from 15 herds. The model includes a set of parameters describing the parity-specific mean litter sizes (herd level), a time trend describing the genetic progress (herd level), and the individual sow effects (sow level). It provides reliable forecasting with known precision, on a weekly basis, for future production. Individual sow values, useful for the culling strategy, are also computed. In a second step, statistical control tools are applied. Shewhart Control Charts and V-masks are used to give warnings in case of impaired litter size results. The model is applied on data from 15 herds, each of them including a period ranging from 150 to 800 weeks. For each herd, the litter size profile, the litter size over time, the sow individual effect and sow economic value, are computed. Perspectives for further development of the model can take into account indices including conception rate, service rate, mortality rate etc. Such a model can be used as a basis for developing a new, dynamic, management tool.

Linear programming has long been used in pig production to generate diets, subject to nutritional constraints, with minimum cost. More recently, the development of accurate animal growth models and the development of effective nonlinear optimisation techniques, in conjunction with linear programming, have allowed us to address the bigger problem of building feeding schedules that maximise profitability. A feeding schedule is defined as the number of diets fed, together with the energy and amino acid content, the quantity and the length of time each diet is fed. Profitability is measured as gross margin. This paper looks at the effects of three factors on such optimal feeding schedules for grower-finisher pig herds: pig type (genotype), feed costs and carcass payment scheme, and dietary restraints (ad libitum and restricted feeding). Our research has three findings. Firstly, optimal feeding schedules vary with pig type; the benefit of considering pig type, when developing feeding programs, is very substantial. Secondly, level changes in ingredient costs have a minor impact on optimal dietary nutrition and growing period while level changes in carcass payment schemes have a minor impact on optimal dietary nutrition but a major impact on the optimal growing period. Finally, feeding schedules that maximise lean growth do not necessarily result in maximised profit.

The aim of this paper is to review the existing literature concerning environmental enrichment for suckling piglets and lactating sows and the effects on behaviour and mortality. Most research considering environmental enrichment still focuses on weaner, grower and finisher pigs. However the European Union Directive 2001/93/EC states that all pigs should have access to a sufficient quantity of material to enable proper investigation and manipulation activities. Fortunately, research on environmental enrichment and alternative housing for piglets and sows is growing and results show important beneficial effects on welfare of both piglets and sows, by providing opportunities to engage in explorative behaviour, nest-building and social interactions and improving maternal responses. Social enrichment, increased space allowance and/or straw provide promising results on welfare but are not always practical to implicate and bring forth other potential risks and concerns. Therefore, it would also be interesting to further examine the potential of other types of enrichment, such as objects or sensory enrichment (e.g. pheromones), as possible applications and their effects on piglet and sow welfare. Other aspects which need more clarification are the relation between environmental enrichment during the farrowing period and weaning age and the relation between painful procedures, such as castration and tail docking, and environmental enrichment on the behaviour of piglets.

The amounts and composition of saliva produced in parotid glands can be influenced by dietary biologically active substances. Among phenolic compounds naturally present in some feedstuffs, particularly condensed tannins and hydrolysable tannins and derivates appear to play a role for the induction of Proline Rich Protein secretion in the parotid saliva of some animal species: this might be considered as a first evolutionary defence mechanism against the protein precipitating activity of tannins, preferably bond to proline and histatins in saliva. This is the first paper to report the preliminary results on the effects of full ripe acorns ( Q. pubescens ) polyphenols measured as Tannic Acid Equivalents on the parotid gland of growing pigs. A total of 8 growing pigs were divided into 2 experimental groups (each n = 4): the control group was fed a conventional complete diet for pigs (pelleted; 890 g DM/kg; based on cereals and soybean extraction meal). The acorn-fed group was offered a combined diet, 70% of ripe whole acorns shred (612 g DM/kg of fresh matter, 0.516 g TAE/kg DM) and 30% of the complete diet. One additional pig was fed the experimental diet for 24 h only. All 8 animals from the 2 experimental groups were sacrificed at 1 week after consumption, the additional pig, 24 h after consumption. Both parotid glands of each pig were removed and weighed. Maximum length and width were measured and the right parotids were used in toto to determine dry matter, crude protein and total proline content. Each left parotid gland was processed for microscopic check. Increased size (+ 53.8% length; + 19.9% width), mass (+ 68.5% fresh weight) and proline content (+ 33.8% based on DM) were observed in animals fed the 70% acorns diet after 7 days. These results inspire to perform further investigations on the rapid adaption of pigs to counteract the effects of tannins in whole acorns as found after only one day of exposure.

Breeding objectives for meat sheep in Ireland have been defined and used in the development of selection sub-indices to provide commercial producers with an economic comparison of animals for specific performance trait groups. Using trait-by-trait bio-economic models and a range of methodologies, economic weights (in € per lamb born per genetic standard deviation in the trait) have been calculated for maternal and terminal sire performance traits as follows: production traits; −€1.41 for days to slaughter, €0.35 for carcase conformation class, −€0.52 for carcase fat class, lambing traits; −€0.69 for lambing difficulty for single-bearing ewes, −€0.37 for lambing difficulty for multiple-bearing ewes, €1.15 for lamb survival, maternal traits; €0.83 for number of lambs born, −€1.49 for ewe mature weight, health traits; −€0.09 for lamb foot rot, and −€0.82 for ewe foot rot. Results indicate the significant value of improving the ability of lambs to survive to weaning, without increasing number of lambs born. The highly negative economic weight for both days to slaughter and mature size represents a powerful unfavourable relationship between the two traits. Economic values for lambing difficulty and foot rot represent the significant costs these traits have in the Irish sheep production system. In the early stages of the development of the genetic improvement program for sheep in Ireland the breeding objective defined in this paper provides directed emphasis for trait recording, selection strategies, and mating systems. In addition the economic weights provide indications as to how much genetic improvement in a specific trait would be worth paying for. The proposed formulation of the total economic index as sub-indices provides the ability for commercial farmers to adjust breeding emphasis towards specific market outcomes or address key production aspects in their particular farming system.

This paper reports on calving data from a cow family in New Zealand which is elite for triplet calving ability. The foundation cow (named ‘Treble’) was born in 1993 and her calvings included three sets of triplets. A triplet son (named ‘Trio’), born in 1996, was used for matings in two New Zealand herds, producing 44 daughters which were retained for breeding, and these had a total of 109 calvings by 2008. Thirteen of the daughters produced a total of 15 twin and 6 triplet sets, 19% multiples (including twins and triplets). Five cows calved the 6 triplet sets; triplet calvings were 29% of all multiple calvings. This herd should provide a resource for DNA studies to identify a genetic mechanism whereby rare triplet calvings are produced.

There is growing interest in the environmental benefits of grazing by cattle, yet little information is available regarding the levels of production that might be achieved on semi-natural rough grazing (SNRG). The overall aim of this research was to assess the performance of native and ‘improved’ breeds of cattle when grazing grass/clover swards and SNRG in order to explore potential genotype × nutritional environment interactions. This paper reports the findings of three experiments conducted over three years. The first experiment assessed the performance of autumn-born Welsh Black (WB) and Charolais cross (CX) cattle aged approximately 9 months when grazing ryegrass/white clover-dominated improved permanent pasture (PP) and Molinia caerulea-dominated SNRG. Both genotype and pasture type had significant effects on liveweight gain, with growth rates higher for WB steers than CX steers (P

Acornweight, size, shape and composition varya great deal among evergreen oaks (Quercus ilex rotundifolia); however these characteristics remain constant for a tree throughout the fruiting period. The number of consumed acorns under the canopy of a tree could be an indicator of preference for its acorn characteristics. This paper analyses the characteristics of the acorns selected by free-ranging Iberian pigs at the start (November) and end (February) of the montanera or acorn mast-feeding season, when these are sustained fattened. At these two stages, acorn samples were taken from 20 oak trees (Q. ilex rotundifolia) that had been rejected by the pigs (onlyeating between 2 and 9 acorns from the ground underneath the tree) and from 20 oak trees that were actively sought out by the pigs (eating at least 40 acorns). The differences observed between the sought out and rejected acorns at the start and end of the montanera season are too great to be only a matter of chance, suggesting that Iberian pigs must form associationsbetweenvariableswhenchoosingtoeatorrejecttheacornsfromaspecificoaktree. The results show that pigs tend to select heavier acorns at the start of the montanera season, while at the end their selection is based more on the composition of the acorns. The greatest number of significant differences between the groups of acorns were found in the sought out acorns in November and February, owing to all the variables related with the composition of the acorns: crude fat (10.8±0.3 vs. 7.4±0.3), starch (58.3±1.0 vs. 50.3±0.4), sugars (6.8±0.4 vs. 13.2±0.3); most of the fatty acids; dimensions: length (38.1±0.8 vs. 31.9±0.7) and diameter

This paper deals with the efficiency of Iberian pigs when shelling acorns ( Quercus ilex fruits) during the free ranging fattening period in the dehesa . The amount of kernel wasted per acorn (18.9 ± 1.2%) presents a high degree of variation influenced by differences in the morphology and size of the acorns. A positive correlation is observed between the weight of the waste kernel and the weight of the whole acorn, and the diameter. However, the percentage of waste correlates negatively with the weight of the kernel and its DM percentage, with the ratio kernel weight/shell weight, and with the percentage of kernel. On the other hand, the percentage of kernel wasted, correlates positively with the percentage of kernel. Oppositely to the traditional knowledge and opinion of farmers, it has been found that the bitterness of the kernel, assessed sensorially by humans, does not influence the amount of kernel wasted. The results indicate that it is possible to make predictions about wastage based on two simple linear regression models: dry kernel wasted = 0.404 × fresh shell weight ( R 2 = 0.898; P = 0.000) and percentage of fresh kernel wasted = 0.893 × percentage of fresh shell ( R 2 = 0.875; P = 0.000). It would be necessary to consider the kernel wastage in acorn conversion rate calculations. Also in the processes of acorn selection for tree repopulation in dehesas for pig finishing it would be convenient to consider the correlations between the characteristics of the acorns and the amount of kernel waste, using the regression models defined.

An experiment was carried out to study direct and indirect responses to selection in the Angora rabbit. There were two selection lines, one selected for high fleece weight and the other for low fleece weight. Data from 669 female rabbits born in 1994–2001 and having produced a total of 2923 harvest of wool were analysed to quantify the correlated responses to selection. By 2001, there had been eight cohorts of selection. The correlated responses analysed included compression, resilience, fleece quality traits (bristle and down length, average fibre diameter, comfort factor, bristle diameter) and secondary to primary follicle ratio ( S / P ). Genetic correlations were obtained by restricted maximum likelihood techniques. In response to selection, a positive difference of 0.92, 0.21 and 0.55 genetic standard deviation were observed for bristle length, comfort factor and S / P , respectively. No correlated response was observed on down length while negative differences of 1.00, 1.31, 0.38 and 0.50 genetic standard deviations were observed for compression, resilience, bristle diameter and average fibre diameter, respectively. Selection for increasing total fleece weight results in an increase of qualitative component traits of wool production in the French Angora rabbit. The quantitative traits were examined in the first (published) part of the paper.

This paper deals with the effects of hair coat characteristics on the sweating rate of Brazilian Braford cows and estimation of heritabilities and genetic correlations of these traits. Data ( n = 1607) on hair length, coat thickness, hair diameter, number of hairs per unit area, coat reflectance and sweating rate were recorded from heifers and cows of a commercial herd managed on range under extensive system. The data were analyzed considering the following effects on the model for hair coat traits: classes of sires and contemporary groups; linear effects of month and genotype; linear and quadratic effects of age. The effect of sire was important ( P P P P P P h 2 ) and broad ( H 2 ) sense for single-trait analyzes: hair thickness ( h 2 = 0.16; H 2 = 0.26); hair length ( h 2 = 0.18; H 2 = 0.39); number of hairs ( h 2 = 0.08 ± 0.07; H 2 = 0.08 ± 0.07); hair diameter ( h 2 = 0.12 ± 0.07; H 2 = 0.12 ± 0.07); coat reflectance ( h 2 = 0.30; H 2 = 0.42); and sweating rate ( h 2 = 0.10 ± 0.07; H 2 = 0.10 ± 0.07). In general, the genetic correlations between the adaptive traits were favorable as for the direction to select for adaptation in tropical environment; however, they presented high standard errors. The results of this study imply that hair coat characteristics and sweating ability are important for the adaptability to heat stress and they must be better studied and further considered for selection for genetic progress of adaptation in tropical environment.

The application of n -alkanes as faecal markers to estimate feed intake and apparent digestibility (DMD ap ) of equines and cattle was studied. Additionally, the effect of using different data on diet composition, known proportions of the diet components (DC1) and those estimated using the alkane markers (DC2), on the accuracy of intake and DMD ap estimates was evaluated. Six mature horses, divided in two groups of three animals (H1 and H2), and three adult non-lactating cows of Asturiana de los Valles breed ( C ) were housed in individual stalls. H1 and C groups were fed on a diet composed of Lolium perenne L . (70%) and heather (30%) and H2 received L. perenne (40%), heather (30%) and Ulex gallii Planchon (30%). The dietary component heather represented the field proportions of different plant species of heathland, namely Erica umbellata L., Erica cinerea L. and Calluna vulgaris L., at this experimental period. All animals received a daily dose of paper pellets containing C 24 , C 32 and C 36 n -alkanes as external markers with the purpose of using different n -alkane pairs of adjacent chain length for feed intake estimations. The results indicated that a period of 3 and 5 days was sufficient for these external markers to reach a steady concentration in faeces of cattle and equines, respectively. In contrast to the results obtained in cattle, the alkane faecal recovery in equines was unrelated to the carbon chain length. Diet composition only affected the faecal recovery of the alkanes C 24 ( P 31 ( P 32 ( P 36 ( P n -alkanes in the digesta. In equines, DMD ap estimates were not affected by the n -alkane (C 27 , C 29 , C 31 and C 33 ) used in the calculations, contrasting with the significant ( P ap estimates. Feed intake estimates were affected by the alkane pair used in the calculations in H1 ( P P C ( P P C . The differences from the known intake values were lower when using C 31 :C 32 alkane pair, overestimating intake in only an average of 4.5, 13.0 and 1.3% in H1, H2 and C , respectively, using DC1 or DC2. The results obtained in this study confirm the accuracy of the n -alkane markers to estimate simultaneously feed intake, apparent digestibility and diet composition of equines and cattle grazing these type vegetation communities.

Livestock production and ruminants in particular are an integral part of the organic mixed farming concept. In this paper, the feeding patterns of 26 organic dairy farms in two different regions in Germany are analysed, with particular emphasis on the amount and proportion of concentrates and purchased feed related to the dairy performance expressed per cow and hectare. Calculated on an energy basis (MJ NEL), the annual average milk yield of 6737 kg cow − 1 is derived from roughage (74%), concentrates and cobs (23%), and commercial processing by-products (e.g., spent grains) (3%). Per cow and year, 937 kg dry matter (DM) (range: 0–2724 kg) of concentrates are fed with an intensity of 135 g kg − 1 milk (range: 0–378 g kg − 1 ). Approximately 65% of the concentrates and commercial processing by-products are purchased. The area-related milk yield is almost 7000 kg ha − 1 . For fodder production, 0.96 ha per cow is needed, of which 0.85 ha is farm land. The equivalent production area for purchased fodder is 0.11 ha. In the analysed region in northwestern Germany, most correlations between milk yield and analysed feeding parameters are close and significant. This is in contrast to the region in the south, where the variability of amount and proportion of the different feed types is predominantly independent of the milk yield. Intensification of dairy production to increase milk performance using a higher proportion of concentrates and purchased feed at some of the analysed farms needs to be carefully assessed according to the organic farming profile.

The present study aimed to evaluate the reliability of the n -alkane technique for estimating herbage intake in beef cattle receiving two different feeding levels (low and high) and to test the effect of different faeces sampling procedures (total faeces samples or rectal grab samples at 8 h intervals) on the n -alkane faecal recoveries and hence on intake estimates. Two consecutive experiments were performed with 11 non-lactating beef cows of “Asturiana de los Valles” breed, fed with lucerne hay at two feeding levels: 1.0 or 1.7 kg DM/100 kg body weight (BW). Animals received a daily dose of paper pellets containing C 24 , C 32 and C 36 n -alkanes as external markers with the purpose of using different n -alkane pairs of adjacent chain length (C 23 /C 24 , C 25 /C 24 , C 31 /C 32 , C 33 /C 32 , C 35 /C 36 ) for intake calculations. A 5-day equilibrium period was sufficient for external marker concentrations and n -alkane pair ratios to reach steady state in faeces. There was no effect of different sampling times (every 8 h) on the faecal excretion of n -alkane pairs C 31 /C 32 and C 33 /C 32 . Grab samples obtained at the time of dosing (0830 h) gave the best estimate of n -alkane pair ratios in total faeces collection. There was a general trend of increasing n -alkane faecal recoveries with increased chain length, although n -alkanes C 30 , C 31 and C 33 showed lower faecal recoveries than expected. n -Alkane recoveries were in general lower at the low feeding level, where an increase in individual variability of natural n -alkane recoveries was observed. At both feeding levels, the n -alkane pairs C 23 /C 24 and C 35 /C 36 gave accurate estimates of the treatment average intake, although the natural n -alkane (C 23 or C 35 ) faecal recoveries showed high individual variability, which could be in part due to analytical bias caused by their extremely low concentration in the diet and faeces. However, the n -alkane pairs C 31 /C 32 and C 33 /C 32 gave the greatest deviations of intake estimates, due to the high discrepancy between the faecal recoveries of natural and dosed n -alkanes. These results demonstrate that in beef cattle, feeding level may have some influence on the relative faecal recoveries of the n -alkane pair used for intake calculations. This effect, together with the high individual variability of n -alkane recoveries, especially under low feeding level, may produce significant deviations of the individual intake estimates.

The authors regret that there were errors in Table 1 in the original article. The analyzed composition of some nutrients (total ash, crude protein, ether extract and neutral detergent fiber) of diets and also the calculation of the ideal protein were erroneous. They were initially expressed in dry matter and they should be expressed in fresh matter which does not affect the rest of the paper. Correct Table 1 is shown below. The authors would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.