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Survival of piglets until weaning is a major contributor to the rentability of pig production systems. Large litters are often associated with complications and prolongation of the farrowing duration causing piglet mortality. The vitamin D status of the pregnant female is known to play a role in parturition problems. The present experiment investigated the effect of Solanum glaucophyllum in the diet of sows on farrowing duration and progeny survival and growth. Solanum glaucophyllum was distributed in a feed supplement to gestating sows from one week before farrowing until weaning of the piglets. Control sows received the same feed supplement but without S. glaucophyllum. Sows at an earlier gestation stage and piglets did not receive S. glaucophyllum. From 108 farrowing events and litters, on average 14.3 total born and 12.7 liveborn piglets were observed. Solanum glaucophyllum had no positive effect on the farrowing duration (222 vs. 219 min for experimental vs. control sows, respectively), average piglet expulsion interval (17.2 vs. 17.3 min), piglet vitality at birth, piglets death during nursing (2.03 vs. 1.74 piglets/litter) and piglets average daily gains (both 274 g). The proportion of stillborn piglets was even higher in sows receiving S. glaucophyllum than in control ones. Nevertheless, further studies on hyperprolific sows having no access to direct sunlight and with diets clearly deficient in either vitamin D or calcium are needed to show whether S. glaucophyllum is effective in parturient sows or not., Journal of Animal and Feed Sciences, 31 (1), ISSN:1230-1388

To increase the sustainability of egg production, alternatives to soybean in poultry nutrition are intensively searched for. Black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) could have a great potential, but the comparative protein value to soybean is not well known. The main objective of this study was to facilitate this comparison by using experimental diets clearly limited in calculated supply of sulphurous amino acids and lysine. Fifty laying hens (Lohmann Brown Classic), aged 40 weeks, were fed one of five diets for 7 weeks (n=10). Two diets were based on soybean cake and oil (SS, SS-) as protein and energy sources, and three diets contained partially defatted BSFL meal and fat from two different origins (AA-, AB-, BB-). Different from SS, all other diets were designed to be deficient in methionine and lysine in relation to requirements by >20%. The realised supply with total sulphurous amino acids and lysine was indeed superior with SS even though this diet was analysed to be more deficient in methionine than the BSFL-based diets. Despite the calculated deficiency in limiting amino acids, laying performance of the hens of all groups was similar and ranged between 93 and 97%. Similarly, egg mass, daily feed intake and feed efficiency were not influenced by the BSFL-based diets. The yolks of group BB- were more intensely coloured compared to the others indicating a difference between BSFL origins. Yolks of SS-, but not of the BSFL-based diets, had lower contents of dry matter and ether extract than those of SS. Including BSFL into the diet did not influence the odour of the eggs tested in scrambled form. The results show that soybean-based feeds for laying hens may be completely replaced by BSFL- based feeds and suggest that the recommendations for amino acid supply of laying hens might need revision.

Reducing the dependence on imported soybeans in poultry feed requires the use of alternative protein and energy sources of similar high quality that can be produced locally in large quantities. One alternative could be the larvae of the black soldier fly, as they have many advantages compared to crops. The larvae in this project were grown on different substrates under controlled conditions and then integrated into poultry feeds with the aim of completely replacing soybean-based ingredients. The detailed information on the entire production chain will help determine the value of larvae as a sustainable alternative to soy, contributing to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals of the UN Agenda 2030, especially climate change mitigation. To this end, performance, protein, and energy utilization, as well as carcass, meat and egg quality and the transfer of potential contaminants from the substrate to the food via the larvae were investigated. Overall, the protein value of the larval meal was found to be equivalent to, and in some cases better than, that of soybeans. Performance and product quality were not negatively affected. Contamination of eggs and meat with heavy metals and aflatoxin via the spiked substrate was limited but must be closely monitored.

BACKGROUND: Water kefir is a beverage with potential benefits for weaned piglets, including increasing feed intake and being a source of probiotics and organic acids. However, experimental confirmation of this potential is lacking. The aim of this pilot experiment was to develop a method for producing and delivering water kefir to weaned piglets at farm scale, assess its palatability and identify potential side effects in piglets varying in weight. RESULTS: The method described here is applicable to farm practice, as it could produce >50 L water kefir per day with little investment and time. The lactic acid concentration and pH in the water kefir remained stable between batches, while the acetic acid concentration was more variable. Piglets consumed the total quantity offered, which represented about 1 L per piglet per day. No clinical signs of disease were observed requiring medication administration to the piglets. However, a trend of reduced growth was observed when water kefir was offered, especially in the lighter piglets. CONCLUSIONS: In addition to its applicability on farms, the water kefir production method facilitates experiments in young livestock under farm-scale conditions. The health-promoting potential of water kefir may be increased by elevating the nutrient supply in the culture medium. No critical issue was identified that would prevent the distribution of water kefir to weaned piglets. However, the reason for the trend toward reduced growth and whether this trend would be reversed in situations with greater disease pressure remain unclear.

Ruminant livestock are important sources of human food and global greenhouse gas emissions. Feed degradation and methane formation by ruminants rely on metabolic interactions between rumen microbes and affect ruminant productivity. Rumen and camelid foregut microbial community composition was determined in 742 samples from 32 animal species and 35 countries, to estimate if this was influenced by diet, host species, or geography. Similar bacteria and archaea dominated in nearly all samples, while protozoal communities were more variable. The dominant bacteria are poorly characterised, but the methanogenic archaea are better known and highly conserved across the world. This universality and limited diversity could make it possible to mitigate methane emissions by developing strategies that target the few dominant methanogens. Differences in microbial community compositions were predominantly attributable to diet, with the host being less influential. There were few strong co-occurrence patterns between microbes, suggesting that major metabolic interactions are non-selective rather than specific.