Search

Fishmeal (FM) is the main protein source in fish feed. However, it is quite expensive due to its limited resources. Therefore, finding a dietary alternative to the FM to sustain fish production is crucial, and the current study was performed to assess the impact of poultry offal silage (POS) with or without betaine supplementation; as an effective and cheaper alternative to FM; on feed efficiency, growth performance, spleen morphology and intestinal morphometry of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fingerlings. Four dietary treatments were formulated: (1) FM based diet, (2) FM-B; FM diet +0.7% betaine, (3) POS diet and (4) POS-B; POS diet +0.7% betaine. Each dietary treatment consisted of three replicates (n = 10/replicate), and the experiment was continued for 16 weeks. By the end of the experiment, spleen and intestine specimens were collected from 15 fish (n = 5/replicate) for histopathological assessment. The results were statistically analysed using GLM procedures of SAS 9.4. Feed efficiency increased in both POS-B and FM-B groups (p = 0.01), while body weight and body weight gain showed only weak tendencies towards an increase (p = 0.10 and 0.12, respectively). The villi length was the highest in POS-B fed group (p

The interest in biodiesel production from oil-bearing seeds rather than soybean necessitates the scientific validation of other good quality protein sources that could substitute soybean meal in animal diets, particularly, broiler chickens where soybean meal constitutes a large portion of their diet. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of sun-dried Azolla leaf meal (ALM) as an unconventional dietary protein source in broiler chicken diet on growth performance, meat quality, skeletal muscle cell growth and protein synthesis through regulation of ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6 kinase α). A total of 120 male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment had four cages (i.e. replicates) with 10 birds/cage. The control group was fed with a corn–soy-based diet, the AZ5 group was supplemented with 5% ALM and the AZ10 group was supplemented with 10% ALM for 37 days. A 5-day trial was also conducted to measure the apparent nutrient digestibility. Growth performance parameters were measured weekly. At the end of the experiment, 12 birds from each group (3/cage) were euthanized and used for samplings. Inclusion of ALM tended to improve BW gain (P = 0.06) and increased feed intake (P < 0.01). Additionally, ALM decreased the percentage of breast meat cooking loss linearly (P < 0.01). In addition, ALM at a dose of 5% increased the production of propionate in the cecum (P = 0.01). Activation of breast muscle p70S6 kinase was higher when ALM was included in a dose-dependent manner (P < 0.01). The inclusion of ALM increased breast meat redness (P < 0.01); however, the lightness was within the normal range in all groups. Findings from our study suggest that ALM could be included in a broiler chicken diet up to 5% without any major negative effect on meat quality or performance, and it regulates muscle protein synthesis through activation of mammalian target of rapamycin/6S kinase signaling.

The objective of this study was to test the possibility of improving the performance of peripartum ewes by feeding a combination of chicory silage and Se-yeast. Approximately four weeks prior to lambing, 36 pregnant Polypay ewes were moved into single pens and randomly assigned to one of four groups to be fed either grass or chicory silage and supplemented or not with 3.6 mg Se/day (DiaMune, Diamond V). Daily dry matter intake (DMI), water intake, body weight gain of lambs and body weight changes of the ewes, milk yield using a weigh-suckle-weigh system, and milk components were recorded. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS v9) with time, silage, and Se interaction as fixed effects and ewe as random effect. Significance was declared with P ≤ 0.05. The DMI was lower in ewes fed chicory compared to grass silage with no effect of Se. Water intake was greater in ewes that were fed chicory silage than grass silage but lower in those supplemented with Se. Milk production of ewes and BW gain of the lambs were not affected by the treatments, but the gain efficiency (G:F) of lambs was larger in animal fed chicory vs. grass silage. Few differences were observed in milk components between the treatments. Protein content and SNF tended to be reduced by feeding Se (P = 0.08) while feeding Se increased C18:0 and preformed fatty acids in milk. Feeding chicory+Se tended to increase percentage of de novo-derived fatty acids in milk compared to feeding grass+Se. Somatic cell count (SCC) was not affected by the treatments. Overall, our data indicated that performance of the animals as well as milk components were not affected by feeding chicory and/or Se despite a lower feed intake when chicory was fed. Higher feed efficiency by using chicory is suggested by the DMI/gain of lambs.

The 2018 Farm Bill removed hemp (Cannabis sativa) from the Controlled Substances Act, classifying it as an agricultural product. The process of cannabidiol extraction from hemp yields large quantities of spent hemp biomass (SHB) that may potentially be included in animal diets. However, the use of SHB in animal diets has not been approved by FDA yet since its effect on animal health, production and product quality is still unknown. Thus, a feeding study was carried out to investigate the effects of varying levels of SHB and a four-week withdrawal period on feed intake and liveweight gains of weaned lambs. A total of 35 weaned, male Polypay lambs kept in single pens were randomly assigned to five feeding treatments (n=7) and fed diets containing either no SHB (CON) or SHB at 10% (LH1) or 20% (HH1) for 4 weeks with 4 weeks withdrawal from SHB, or SHB at 10 (LH2) or 20% (HH2) for 8 weeks. The nutritive analysis of the SHB indicated a high-quality feed, with 20% (DM) crude protein and 27% NDF. Dry matter (DM) intake of lambs was negatively affected by 20% SHB during the first period. In the second period, DM intake was larger in lambs fed 10% SHB vs. CON, with the largest feed intake observed in HH1 lambs. In contrast, none of the performance data, including liveweight gains, were different across the groups and periods. Feeding 20% SHB decreased plasma cholesterol, NEFA, BHBA, Ca, and Cl and increased urea and Mg, while 10% SHB increased glucose, cholesterol, and NEFA. Our findings indicated that 10% SHB can be included in ruminant diets without causing any detrimental effect on performance with a possible positive effect on feed intake. The long-term feeding of 20% SHB strongly affects the metabolism.

Our objective was to test the effect on milk yield and quality of feeding a combination of chicory-plantain and Se-yeast in lactating ewes subjected to intramammary infection (IMI). For this purpose, we enrolled 28 Polypay ewes from a prior study where they received chicory (CS) or grass (GC) silage and supplemented with 3.6 mg of Se/day as Se-yeast (DiaMune, Diamond V) (Y) or not (C) for 2 months. For the present study, ewes were kept on the original dietary regiment except the CS group received a chicory-plantain silage (50% each). Ewes were milked twice daily and milk was collected for analysis of components and somatic cell count (SCC). IMI was induced by injecting 2×107 CFU of Strep. uberis in both glands. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS) with time, silage, and Se and their interactions as the fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared P ≤ 0.05. SCC increased 8-fold 24h post-IMI and remained at that level until the end of the experiment with higher values pre-IMI in GC-Y animals but no difference post-IMI. Milk yield drastically decreased post-IMI but was not affected by treatments. Protein, fat, solids, amount of de novo fatty acids, and amount of C16:0 were larger in milk of ewes fed chicory-plantain compared to grass silage. Supplementation of Se had minor effect on milk components with a tendency (P = 0.07) to decrease fat, solids, and amount of de novo fatty acids. Amounts of C18:0, C18:1, and preformed fatty acids in milk were increased by Se supplementation in ewes fed grass while decreased in ewes fed chicory. The use of Strep. uberis was effective in inducing IMI in ewes with chicory-plantain improving several milk components while Se supplementation had minor effects. The combination of chicory and Se did not improve the response to IMI.

The objective was to test the effect on the immune status by feeding a combination of chicory-plantain and Se-yeast in lactating ewes subjected to intramammary infection (IMI) with 2×107CFU of Strep uberis in both glands. For the purpose we enrolled 28 Polypay lactating sheep from a prior study where they were randomly allocated to receive chicory (CS) or grass (GC) silage and either 3.6 mg of Se/day as Se-yeast (DiaMune, Diamond V) (Y) or isoenergetic-isonitrogenous alfalfa meal (C) for 2 months. For the present study, ewes were kept on the original dietary regiment except the CT group received a chicory-plantain silage(50% each). Blood was collected prior to and for 10 days after IMI for a complete blood count(VetScan HM5), leukocytes migration, and rectal temperature (RT). Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS)with time, silage type, and Se and their interactions as the fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared at P ≤ 0.05. RT was lower in chicory vs. grass before IMI and Se limited the RT increase after IMI. Total WBC levels tended (P = 0.06) to increase in animals fed with Se after IMI, which was driven by a larger number of lymphocytes. Hematocrit, red blood cells, and hemoglobin were strongly decreased by IMI. The mean cell volume was overall larger in ewes fed with chicory-plantain silage while mean cell hemoglobin was larger in animal fed with grass silage. The platelet distribution width was affected by silage*Se interaction due to a positive effect by Se in grass-fed but negative in chicory-plantain-fed ewes. Migration of neutrophils was larger in animals fed with chicory-plantain before IMI but similar between groups after IMI. Overall, these findings indicate that Se supplementation can increase lymphocytes with no effect on neutrophils while activity of neutrophils is positively affected by feeding chicory-plantain silage.

Rapidly growing human populations and the increased need for high nutritive value meat in terms of low fat, high protein, and low sodium content are the driving reasons for the increase in rabbit meat production. However, dietary protein alternatives to sustain rabbit meat production, without competing with humans for strategic crops are needed. Therefore, the current study was conducted to investigate the effect of Azolla leaf meal (ALM) as a dietary protein source on growth performance, meat quality, and abundance and activation of Ribosomal protein S6 kinase β1 (p70S6K1), a downstream target of mammalian target of rapamycin signalling pathway and, thus, a key player in the regulation of protein synthesis and muscle mass. For this purpose, 60 weaned male V-Line rabbits were blocked for the initial BW and randomly allotted into four dietary treatments, with 15 replicate per treatment (n = 15/group) as follows: (1) CON group was fed on basal diet contains 0% of ALM, (2) AZ10 group fed on diet containing 10% ALM, (3) AZ20 group fed on diet containing 20% ALM, and (4) AZ30 group fed on diet containing 30% ALM. Rabbits were raised individually, and the experimental period was 42 days. At the end of the experiment, rabbits were euthanised and blood and skeletal muscle samples were collected. Body weight and BW gain were the highest in AZ10 group (P = 0.01), while feed intake was the highest in AZ30 (P = 0.01), feed conversion ratio was the lowest in AZ10 and highest in AZ30 (P = 0.01). Dressing % was the highest in AZ10 and lowest in AZ30 groups (P = 0.01). Muscle cross-sectional area was low in both AZ20 and AZ30 groups compared to CON (P = 0.01). The lysine concentration of Longissimus lumborum muscle increased (P = 0.03) while isoleucine tended to decrease in AZ10 vs CON (P = 0.09). The phosphorylation ratio of skeletal muscle p70S6K1 increased in AZ10 and AZ20 groups (P = 0.05). Therefore, ALM could be included in a growing rabbit diet, up to 10%, while higher doses negatively alter production performance, meat quality, and feed efficiency of growing rabbits.

Immune status is critical for peripartum animals. Immune cells are highly affected by the oxidative status and level of Se. The use of forages with high content of antioxidants in combination with Se-yeast can improve the immune status in peripartum ruminants. The objective of this study was to test the possibility of improving the immune system of peripartum ewes by feeding a combination of chicory silage and Se-yeast. Approximately one month prior to lambing, 36 pregnant Polypay sheep were moved into single pens and randomly assigned to one of four groups to be fed either grass or chicory silage and supplemented or not with 3.6 mg Se/day (DiaMune, Diamond V). Blood was collected throughout the study to assess the complete blood count (VetScan HM5). Secondary compounds in silages were analyzed via LC-MS/MS. Data were analyzed using GLIMMIX (SAS) with day, silage type, Se and their interactions as fixed effects and ewe as random effect with significance declared at P≤0.05. Compared to grass silage, among measured secondary compounds only resveratrol was larger in chicory vs. grass. Total white blood cell count was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Silage type and Se-yeast supplementation had little effects on the other measured parameters. The average hemoglobin inside red blood cells was larger in animals fed grass vs. chicory silage. Only tendencies (P between 0.08 and 0.09) were observed for the effects of Se supplementation, including increased hematocrit and number of circulating monocytes but, the latter, only in grass-fed ewes, and decreased red blood cell volume. Platelet size distribution tended (P=0.08) to increase in grass-fed ewes supplemented with Se but the opposite was observed in ewes fed chicory silage. Together, these data indicate a minimum-to-no effect of the type of silage or Se supplementation on complete blood cell count on peripartum ewes.