Search

We evaluated the effects of breed and mineral sources on heifer performance during periods of nutrient restriction and grazing. On day -7, ½ Angus × ½ Nelore (ANE) and Nelore (NE) heifers (12 heifers per breed; body weight, BW = 264 ± 35 kg; age = 15 ± 1 mo) were assigned to individual drylot pens to receive ad libitum Tifton 85 (Cynodon sp.) hay and white salt for 7 d. On day 0, within each breed, heifers were randomly assigned (2 × 2 factorial arrangement) to receive protein supplementation (0.20% of BW; dry matter, DM) added with sulfate (SUL) or hydroxychloride (HYD) sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn from days 0 to 49. From days 0 to 34, hay DM intake was restricted to 50% of the ad libitum intake recorded from days -7 to -1. On day 35, heifers were transferred to individual pastures to graze Tifton 85 forage at the early vegetative stage until day 49. No effects of breed × mineral source × day and breed × mineral source were detected (P ≥ 0.11). Nelore heifers had greater (P ≤ 0.02) average daily gain (ADG) from days 0 to 35 and days 0 to 49 compared to ANE heifers. Cumulative diarrhea incidence, fecal pH, and total days of diarrhea symptoms did not differ (P ≥ 0.19) between breeds. Nelore heifers had greater (P ≤ 0.05) serum concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) from days 35 to 45 but had less (P ≤ 0.05) serum concentrations of cortisol and haptoglobin on days 42 and 45, respectively. Serum concentrations of urea N were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for NE vs. ANE heifers on days 0 and 42 and were less (P ≤ 0.05) for NE vs. ANE on days 38, 45, and 49. Heifers supplemented with HYD had (P ≤ 0.05) greater ADG from days 0 to 35, lower cumulative diarrhea incidence and percentage of heifers exhibiting ≥ 2 d of diarrhea from days 36 to 49, less serum concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) on day 35, and less serum concentrations of NEFA, cortisol, and urea N on day 38 compared to SUL heifers. In summary, breed influenced serum concentrations of haptoglobin, cortisol, urea N, insulin, and IGF-1, and the growth of beef heifers during nutrient restriction, but did not impact growth and incidence of diarrhea during periods of grazing forage at the early vegetative stage. Regardless of breed, replacing sulfate with hydroxychloride sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn led to minimal reductions in serum concentrations of NEFA, cortisol, and urea N, enhanced growth during nutrient restriction, and reduced diarrhea incidence during grazing of early vegetative forage., (© The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study evaluated the effects of different sources (sulfate vs. hydroxychloride) of Cu, Mn, and Zn during feed restriction and a high-starch diet on heifer growth performance. On day 0, Nelore heifers (n = 40) were stratified by body weight (BW = 238 ± 38 kg) and age (21 ± 1 mo), and individually allocated into 1 of the 40 drylot pens. The study was divided into periods of pen acclimation (days 0 to 27), nutrient surplus (days 28 to 55), nutrient restriction (days 56 to 83), and step-up adaptation to a high-starch diet (days 84 to 112). Heifers had free choice access to Tifton hay (Cynodon sp.) and salt from days 0 to 27. On day 28, 20 heifers/treatment were randomly assigned to receive free choice access to Tifton hay and protein supplementation at 0.10% of BW (dry matter, DM) added with sulfate (SUL) or hydroxychloride (HYD) sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn from days 28 to 112. From days 56 to 83, heifers were offered 50% of the average hay DM intake obtained from days 50 to 55. From days 84 to 112, each respective protein supplement was mixed with a starch-based total mixed ration and the concentrate DM amount was gradually increased every 7 d (starting with 35% concentrate and 65% hay on day 84 and ending with 80% concentrate and 20% hay from days 106 to 112). Effects of treatment × day and treatment were not detected (P ≥ 0.37) for heifer BW, fecal pH, average daily gain (ADG), and DM intake, except for ADG from days 28 to 56, which was less (P = 0.05) for SUL vs. HYD heifers. Effects of treatment × day were detected (P = 0.02) for plasma concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and haptoglobin. Plasma concentrations of IGF-1 were greater (P ≤ 0.05) for HYD vs. SUL heifers on days 56, 70, 77, 84, and 91. Plasma concentration of haptoglobin was greater (P = 0.05) for SUL vs. HYD heifers on day 63. Effects of treatment × day of the study and treatment were not detected (P ≥ 0.35) for plasma concentrations of cortisol, ß-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) and non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA). Thus, Nelore heifers offered hydroxychloride sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn exhibited greater plasma concentrations of IGF-1 and a temporary increase in ADG during nutrient surplus compared to those receiving sulfate sources. While hydroxychloride supplementation reduced the acute phase response early in nutrient restriction, it did not improve growth and plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, cortisol, NEFA, and BHBA during nutrient restriction and adaptation to a high-starch diet., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This study evaluated the effects of breed on voluntary preferential intake of two sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn when added to white salt-based trace mineral supplement (days 0 to 55; experiment 1) and protein supplement (days 56 to 112; experiment 2). On day 0, Nelore and ½ Angus × ½ Nelore heifers ( n  = 20/breed) were stratified by breed, body weight (BW = 347 ± 82 kg), and age (12 to 30 mo), and randomly allocated into 1 of the 40 drylot pens (1 heifer/pen). Both experiments were divided into washout (days 0 to 27 in experiment 1 and days 56 to 83 in experiment 2) and preferential intake periods (days 28 to 55 in experiment 1 and days 84 to 112 in experiment 2). During the respective preferential intake period, heifers were provided simultaneous free-choice access to sulfate (SUL) and hydroxychloride (HYD) sources of Cu, Mn, and Zn mixed into salt-based trace mineral supplements from days 28 to 55 (experiment 1) and then protein supplements from days 84 to 112 (experiment 2). Heifers were provided free-choice access to Tifton 85 ( Cynodon sp. ) hay from days 0 to 112. Effects of breed × source × day of the study were detected ( P  ≤ 0.05) for daily trace mineral intake from days 28 to 56 and days 84 to 112. Angus × Nelore heifers consumed a greater amount of SUL vs. HYD supplements on days 31 to 33 ( P  = 0.02) and HYD vs. SUL supplements on days 37 to 42 ( P  ≤ 0.02), whereas Nelore heifers consumed more HYD vs. SUL supplements on days 31 to 33 and 43 to 51 ( P  ≤ 0.05). Both breeds consumed ( P  ≤ 0.05) a greater amount of protein supplement containing HYD vs. SUL from days 84 to 112, but the differences in protein supplement intake increased ( P  ≤ 0.04) in greater magnitude for Nelore vs. Angus × Nelore heifers. Supplement intake coefficient of variation (CV) from days 28 to 41 and days 84 to 97 tended ( P  = 0.06) to be greater for Nelore vs. Angus × Nelore heifers. Effects of breed × source were detected ( P  = 0.02) for supplement intake CV from days 84 to 112. Intake CV of supplements added with HYD did not differ ( P  ≥ 0.40) between Nelore vs. Angus × Nelore heifers but was greater ( P  < 0.01) for Nelore vs. Angus × Nelore heifers fed SUL supplements. Overall, Nelore heifers had greater preferential intake for mineral and protein supplements containing hydroxychloride vs. sulfate sources compared to Angus × Nelore heifers. Hydroxychloride sources encouraged voluntary intake and reduced variation in supplement consumption compared to SUL sources of the same metals., Competing Interests: Davi B. Araujo is employed by the company funding this project (Trouw Nutrition) and contributed to experimental design and interpretation of research results. All other authors of this manuscript have no additional conflict of interest to report., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of supplementation with different levels of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), using two mineral sources (sulphate and hydroxy forms), on the bone characteristics, skin strength/elasticity, and haematological parameters of broilers. A total of 1792 1-day-old male Cobb-500 broiler chickens were randomly distributed among eight dietary treatments, using Cu sulphate (CSM) or hydroxychloride (CHC), and Zn sulphate (ZSM) or hydroxychloride (ZHC). The dietary treatments were as follows: (1) low-CSM/high-ZSM, (2) high-CSM/high-ZSM, (3) low-CHC/low-ZHC, (4) low-CHC/medium-ZHC, (5) low-CHC/high-ZHC, (6) high-CHC/low-ZHC, (7) high-CHC/medium-ZHC, and (8) high-CHC/high-ZHC. On Day 42, blood samples were collected from one bird/pen to analyze the haematological parameters. Finally, two birds/pen were slaughtered, and the tibia and femur were collected to analyze the quality of bone and skin. The means were subjected to ANOVA and, when significant, compared by Tukey's test (p < 0.05) or Dunnett's (p < 0.05) test. The haematological parameters were not influenced by mineral supplementation. However, the inclusion of low ZHC enhanced the skin strength compared to high ZHC (p = 0.046). Furthermore, the bone mineral density of the tibia proximal epiphysis, tibia ash and tibia mineral content were positively improved with supplementation of low-CHC/medium-ZHC compared to high-CHC/medium-ZHC. This study demonstrated that hydroxy compounds are potential alternatives for replacing sulphate supplements in broiler diets. Moreover, among the Cu and Zn levels, the low CHC (15 mg/kg) and medium ZHC (100 mg/kg) improved bone development and skin integrity, suggesting that the combination of Cu and Zn can be a nutritional strategy to prevent the incidence of leg disorders in broilers., (© 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels and sources of Cu and Mn (sulfate or hydroxychloride - H) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat and skin quality, footpad dermatitis severity, litter quality, liver and plasma mineral content, and ileal mineral absorption. A total of 1,920 one-day-old male Cobb 500 broiler chicks were assigned randomly to one of 2 × 3+2 factorially arranged treatments: CuH (15 and 150 ppm) × MnH (40, 80, 120 ppm) + 15 ppm Cu Sulfate with 80 ppm Mn Sulfate (control 1) or 150 ppm Cu Sulfate with 120 ppm Mn sulfate (control 2) for 42 d. Each treatment consisted of 8 replicates of 30 birds. At 42-day-old were slaughtered for carcass yield and meat quality analyses. At 43-day-old, it was determined the apparent ileal absorption of minerals and the concentration of Cu and Mn in the liver and plasma. The resistance and elasticity of the skin, and footpad dermatitis severity were also evaluated. The level 150 ppm CuH improved the FCR compared to the 15 ppm CuH and 15 ppm Cu Sulfate level. Broilers fed diets containing 150 ppm CuH showed higher breast yield compared to those fed diets containing 15 ppm. Breast yield was positively influenced by the inclusion of 40 ppm MnH. There was an interaction between the CuH and the MnH for skin elasticity, and the highest elasticity was found when the supplementation levels were 150 ppm CuH and 40 ppm MnH. High levels of copper decreased the incidence of footpad dermatitis. The hydroxychloride source determined a higher mineral concentration in the liver and plasma and greater apparent ileal absorption of Cu and Mn. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with 150 ppm CuH and 40 or 80 ppm MnH enhance breast yield and improves skin resistance. The inclusion of 150 ppm CuH has the possibility to improve the FCR and decrease leg injuries. Furthermore, the hydroxychloride source seems to be more bioavailable than the sulfate source., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) hydroxychloride cosupplementation on the growth performance, diarrhea frequency, carcass, meat quality, and antioxidant activity in grower-finisher pigs. A total of 256 pigs were used from 70 to 154 days (d) of age, distributed in four treatments, with eight pigs in each pen and eight replications per treatment. Diets were provided to grower pigs from 70 to 112 days old and in the finisher, 112 to 154 days old. Copper was considered the low level at 100 mg Cu/kg and 90 mg Cu/kg, respectively, and 150 mg Cu/kg in both periods as high in the grower and finisher periods. In the grower and finisher period, zinc was cosupplemented in the diet at 80 mg Zn/kg and 70 mg Zn/kg, respectively. In the diets, T1 and T2 groups are the traditional inorganic sources for minerals (copper sulfate, CuSO 4 ; zinc oxide, ZnO) and T3 and T4 hydroxychloride sources (copper hydroxychloride, CHC, and zinc hydroxychloride, ZHC). The flavomycin was associated with treatments with low Cu content in the inclusion of 50 g/ton. The experimental design was in randomized blocks, the data were submitted to analysis of PROC MIXED in SAS, the PDIFF test analyzed the treatment effect. At the finisher period, pigs fed both minerals from hydroxychloride source had a higher BW 154 d, average daily gain (ADG) 70 to 154 d, the hot and cold carcass weight and frequency of normal feces than those fed 150 mg Cu/kg and Zn from a traditional inorganic source ( P < 0.05). The animals fed low Cu levels of the sulfate source had a higher ADG 70 to 154 d than those fed high Cu levels of the same source ( P < 0.05). Pigs fed 150 mg Cu/kg cosupplemented with Zn from a hydroxychloride source had the highest carcass length ( P < 0.05). There was no difference among the treatments for meat quality ( P > 0.05). Pigs fed 150 mg Cu/kg and Zn from a traditional inorganic source had a higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity than the other treatments ( P < 0.05). Animals fed low Cu levels from hydroxychloride had a higher malondialdehyde (MDA) formation than those fed sulfate source, regardless of the Cu levels and those fed high Cu levels of hydroxychloride ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, 150 mg Cu/kg as copper sulfate cosupplemented to zinc oxide in the diet of growing and finishing pigs impairs the growth performance, carcass and increases diarrhea frequency, and copper and zinc hydroxychloride cosupplementation improves these characteristics., (© The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science.)

1. This study investigated the effects of hydroxy trace minerals (HTM) compared to sulphate trace minerals (STM) supplementation on growth performance, carcase parameters and mineral retention in broilers.2. A total of 1792 male Cobb 500 d-old were allocated in a completely randomised trial design to one of eight dietary treatments with eight replicates per treatment. The HTM sources used were two levels of Cu hydroxychloride (CHC) (low and high), combined with three levels of Zn hydroxychloride (ZHC) (low, med and high) and two additional treatments STM; Cu sulphate monohydrate (CSM) (low and high) combined with high Zn sulphate monohydrate (ZSM). At 21 and 42 d-old growth performance was evaluated. Additionally, at 42 d-old the carcase traits, meat quality, apparent ileal absorption and activity of antioxidant enzymes were accessed.3. A data showed that broilers receiving high-CHC had higher body weight, weight gain and better feed conversion ratio as compared to low-CHC at 21 d-old. On day 42, the feed conversion ratio was improved for birds supplemented with high-CHC in diets containing med-ZHC, as compared to low-CHC.4. Dietary Cu increased the redness of breast colour at the level of high-CHC compared to low-CHC. Greater results were observed on carcase traits for the med-ZHC group as compared to low- or high-ZHC. The ceruloplasmin activity in serum increased in the high-CSM diets containing high-ZSM as compared to low-CSM. The AIA of Cu was higher in broilers supplemented with high-CHC containing med-ZHC as compared to low-CHC. Otherwise, the AIA of Zn increased in broilers fed low-CHC containing low- or med-ZHC as compared to high-CHC.5. The trial showed that mineral trace supplementation of broilers diets with high-CHC (150 mg/kg) and low-ZHC (80 mg/kg) was a good alternative to replace sulphate mineral sources in diets.