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Dynamics of bone mineralization in primiparous sows as a function of dietary phosphorus and calcium during lactation Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 J. Heurtault, S. Hiscocks, M.P. Létourneau-Montminy, P. Schlegel
To maximize the efficiency of dietary P utilization in swine production, understanding the mechanisms of P utilization in lactating sows is relevant due to their high P requirement and the resulting high inorganic P intake. A better knowledge of the Ca and P quantities that would be mobilized from bones during lactation, which would then be recovered during following gestation, would allow the development
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Genome-wide association study of growth curve parameters reveals novel genomic regions and candidate genes associated with metatarsal bone traits in chickens Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 S.Z. Wang, M.D. Wang, J.Y. Wang, M. Yuan, Y.D. Li, P.T. Luo, F. Xiao, H. Li
The growth and development of chicken bones have an enormous impact on the health and production performance of chickens. However, the development pattern and genetic regulation of the chicken skeleton are poorly understood. This study aimed to evaluate metatarsal bone growth and development patterns in chickens via nonlinear models, and to identify the genetic determinants of metatarsal bone traits
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The effect of first-lactation calving season, milk production, and morphology on the survival of Simmental cows Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 G. Buonaiuto, G. Visentin, A. Costa, G. Niero, L. Degano, D. Cavallini, L.M.E. Mammi, A. Palmonari, A. Formigoni, N. Lopez-Villalobos
Longevity in dairy and dual-purpose cattle is a complex trait which depends on many individual and managerial factors. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the survival () rate of Italian Simmental dual-purpose cows across different parities. Data of this study referred to 2 173 primiparous cows under official milk recording that calved between 2002 and 2020. Only cows linearly classified
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Measuring bioavailability, utilization, and excretion of rumen protected lysine in lactating cows using an isotope technique Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 L.R. Rebelo, C. Lee
Supplementing a diet with rumen protected amino acids () is a common feeding strategy for efficient production. For a cost-effective use of rumen protected AA, the accurate bioavailability of rumen protected amino acids should be known and their metabolism after absorption needs to be well understood. The current study determined the bioavailability, absorption, utilization, and excretion of rumen
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Effects of manganese glycine on eggshell quality, eggshell ultrastructure, and elemental deposition in aged laying hens Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-12 J. Lu, D.C. Jiang, M. Ma, Q. Wang, J. Guo, X.G. Wang, T.C. Dou, Y.F. Li, Y.P. Hu, K.H. Wang, L. Qu
Poor eggshell quality of eggs laid by aged laying hens is the major problem affecting the length of the rearing period in the laying hen industry. Trace elements are required and play vital roles in eggshell quality of laying hens. Appropriate dose of organic microelements is environmentally friendly and sufficient to satisfy the needs of hens because of their greater bioavailability and lower excretion
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Review: Aspects of digestibility and requirements for minerals and vitamin D by growing pigs and sows Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-03-08 H.H. Stein
Some of the biggest changes in mineral nutrition for pigs that have occurred due to recent research was caused by the understanding that there is a loss of endogenous Ca and P into the intestinal tract of pigs. This resulted in development of the concept of formulating diets based on standardized total tract digestibility () rather than apparent total tract digestibility because values for STTD of
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A field approach to observing changes in behavioural welfare indicators over two years in stabled horses Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 A. Ruet, J. Lemarchand, C. Briant, C. Arnould, L. Lansade
In stabled horses, several behaviours are considered to be important indicators of the state of welfare at the individual level: stereotypies, aggressive behaviours towards humans and the “withdrawn”, alert, sternal, lateral and observation postures. Until now, these behaviours have been extensively studied in relation to different horse management practices. However, little is known about their changes
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Review: Phenotypic and molecular evidence of inter- and trans-generational effects of heat stress in livestock mammals and humans Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-29 J. Laporta, H. Khatib, M. Zachut
Internal and external factors can change an individual's phenotype. A significant external threat to humans and livestock is environmental heat load, a combination of high ambient temperatures and humidity. A heat stress response occurs when an endothermal animal is exposed to a heat load that challenges its’ thermoregulation capacity. With the ongoing climate change trends, the incidence of chronically
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Behavioural responses of beef cattle to different grazing systems and the influence of these responses on water productivity of livestock in a tropical savannah Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-28 M. Pereira Barsotti, R. Giolo de Almeida, M.C. Motta Macedo, P. Zawada, J. Werner, U. Dickhoefer
Environmental conditions and available forage on pastures greatly differ between different farming systems, which can affect the behaviour of grazing cattle. The interplay between environment-, forage-, and animal-related variables may affect the use of feed and water resources in grazing-based systems. Hence, our objectives were (i) to study the differences between grazing-based systems and seasons
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A comparison of genetic and genomic breeding values in Saanen and Alpine goats Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-27 A. Negro, A Cesarani, M. Cortellari, A. Bionda, P. Fresi, N.P.P. Macciotta, S. Grande, S. Biffani, P. Crepaldi
Nowadays, several countries are developing or adopting genomic selection in the dairy goat sector. The most used method to estimate breeding values is Single-Step Genomic Best Linear Unbiased Prediction () which offers several advantages in terms of computational process and accuracy of the estimated breeding values (). Saanen and Alpine are the predominant dairy goat breeds in Italy, and both have
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Training of transport drivers improves their handling of pigs during loading for transport to slaughter Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 S. Wilhelmsson, P.H. Hemsworth, M. Andersson, J. Yngvesson, L. Hemsworth, J. Hultgren
Pig transport drivers’ (s’) handling actions are of great importance as these drivers handle a large number of finishing pigs during stressful situations. Poor handling techniques can have negative consequences for working conditions, pig welfare and meat quality. We studied the effects of a training intervention on Swedish TDs’ attitudes towards pigs and their handling actions during loading for transport
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Genomic structure analysis and construction of DNA fingerprint for four sheep populations Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-22 Ke-Yan Ma, Juan-Juan Song, Deng-Pan Li, Yi Wu, Chun-Hui Wang, Zi-Long Liu, Tao-Tao Li, You-Ji Ma
The Yongdeng Qishan sheep () is a sheep population found locally in China. To gain in-depth knowledge of its population characteristics, three control groups were chosen, comprising the Lanzhou fat-tailed sheep (), TAN sheep (), and Minxian black fur sheep (), inhabiting the nearby environments. This study genotyped a total of 120 individuals from four sheep populations: QS, LFT, TAN, and MBF. Using
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Impact of different cooling solutions on autonomic modulation in horses in a novice endurance ride Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-19 T. Wonghanchao, K. Sanigavatee, C. Poochipakorn, O. Huangsaksri, M. Yalong, K. Poungpuk, K. Thanaudom, P. lertsakkongkul, K. lappolpaibul, N. Deethong, M. Chanda
Cooling down is essential for horse recovery before veterinary inspection during an endurance ride. As salt potentially decreases water temperature, we tested whether adding salt to the water used to cool horses could aid their recovery. Twelve healthy Arabian horses participating in a novice endurance ride were divided evenly into two groups. Heart rate variability () variables, including time and
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Influence of copper source and dietary inclusion level on growth performance of weaned pigs and expression of trace element related genes in the small intestine Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 J. van Baal, L. Kruijt, G.P. Binnendijk, S. Durosoy, A. Romeo, P. Bikker
Copper is routinely supplemented to weanling pig diets at concentrations above nutritional requirement to enhance growth performance. We hypothesized that this effect depends on the source of Cu and its dietary concentration. We tested this in weaned pigs (26 d of age) over a 35-d period using a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two Cu-sources (CuSO and CuO, monovalent copper oxide, CoRouge®) and three
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Faecal cortisol metabolites, body temperature, and behaviour of beef cattle exposed to a heat load Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 M. Idris, M. Sullivan, J.B. Gaughan, T. Keeley, C.J.C. Phillips
Feedlot cattle are at times exposed to high environmental temperatures. Faecal cortisol metabolites were related to possible indicators of heat stress that could be measured under field conditions: respiratory dynamics (respiration rate), body surface temperature and adaptive behaviours, such as water consumption, posture (standing, lying), and activity (eating, drinking and rumination). Twelve (12)
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Factors affecting N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase as an indicator for mastitis detection in dairy sheep Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-15 Y. Miralles, V. Fornés, A. Roca, R. Muelas, J.R. Díaz, G. Romero
The study of new indirect methods for mastitis detection is of great relevance both at the economic level of the farm and dairies, and in terms of consumer health, and animal welfare. These methods help us to monitor the disease and speed up the decision-making process on treatment of the affected animal and the destination of the milk. The main aim of this work was to study the effect of intramammary
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Short Communication: Correlation of methane production, intensity, and yield with residual feed intake throughout lactation in Holstein cows Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-13 S. Fresco, D. Boichard, R. Lefebvre, S. Barbey, M. Gaborit, S. Fritz, P. Martin
The environmental impact of dairy production can be reduced in several ways, including increasing feed efficiency and reducing methane () emissions. There is no consensus on their relationship. This study aimed at estimating the correlations between residual feed intake () and CH emissions expressed in g/d (), g/kg of fat- and protein-corrected milk (), or g/kg of DM intake () throughout lactation
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Effect of sire type and a by-product based diet on performance and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-09 E. Kowalski, M. Aluwé, B. Ampe, S. Janssens, N. Buys, S. De Smet, S. Millet
For many years, pig production has focused on maximizing performance by selecting for maximal muscle growth and feeding diets that allow the animals to express their genetic potential. However, it is unclear whether this selection for muscle deposition has affected the capacity of pigs to cope with by-product based diets, which rely on fat as the primary energy source instead of starches and sugars
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Animal Board Invited Review: The contribution of red meat to adult nutrition and health beyond protein Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 C.H.S. Ruxton, S. Gordon
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Contribution of herd management, biosecurity, and environmental factors to the risk of bovine tuberculosis in a historically low prevalence region Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 P. Pozo, J. Isla, A. Asiain, D. Navarro, C. Gortázar
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The effects of feeding sows at onset of farrowing supplemental energy (blend of carbohydrates and glycerol) on farrowing kinetics and piglet vitality Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-08 R.F. Carnevale, B.B.D. Muro, D.F. Leal, L.K.S. Alves, M.S. Monteiro, N.A.C. Gomes, F.A. Pereira, F.N.A. Ferreira, C.S.S. Neta, T.T.N. Watanabe, G.W. Almond, C.A.P. Garbossa
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Animal Board Invited Review: Improving animal health and welfare in the transition of livestock farming systems: towards social acceptability and sustainability Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 C. Ducrot, M.B. Barrio, A. Boissy, F. Charrier, S. Even, P. Mormède, S. Petit, M.-H. Pinard-van der laan, F. Schelcher, F. Casabianca, A. Ducos, G. Foucras, R. Guatteo, J.-L. Peyraud, M. Vayssier-Taussat, P. Veysset, N.C. Friggens, X. Fernandez
The need to integrate more clearly societal expectations on livestock farming has led the authors of this article to consider that livestock farming systems must be redesigned to position health and welfare at the heart of their objectives. This article proposes a vision of the advances in knowledge required at different scales to contribute to this transformation. After defining health and welfare
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Heritability and Genetic Correlations of Rumination Time with Milk-Yield and Milking Traits in Holstein-Friesian Cows Using an Automated Milking System Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 B. Sitkowska, H.M. Yüksel, D. Piwczyński, H. Önder
Knowledge of the values of genetic parameters is a prerequisite for conducting a breeding program. This is especially important for rumination, which is considered an indicator of cow’s health. Exploring the genetic relations between rumination time, milk yield, and milking traits could make it a valuable tool in dairy cattle breeding strategies. The objective of the research was to estimate heritability
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High-throughput phenotyping to characterise range use behaviour in broiler chickens Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-02 Julie M. Collet, Claire Bonnefous, Karine Germain, Laure Ravon, Ludovic Calandreau, Vanessa Guesdon, Anne Collin, Elisabeth Le Bihan-Duval, Sandrine Mignon-Grasteau
A key characteristic of free-range chicken farming is to enable chickens to spend time outdoors. However, each chicken may use the available areas for roaming in variable ways. To check if, and how, broilers use their outdoor range at an individual level, we need to reliably characterise range use behaviour. Traditional methods relying on visual scans require significant time investment and only provide
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Loss of a grooming enrichment impacts physical, behavioural, and physiological measures of welfare in grazing beef cattle Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Emily J. Dickson, Jessica E. Monk, Caroline Lee, Paul G. McDonald, Edward Narayan, Dana L. M. Campbell
Pasture-based beef cattle are raised in a range of production environments. Some paddocks may contain trees and other objects that allow for grooming, hence being naturally enriching, whilst others may be barren without these opportunities. Additionally, it is not uncommon for cattle to move between these enriched and barren environments as part of routine management. While the benefits of enrichment
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Short communication: Temporal profiles of colostrum and milk haptoglobin and substance P in early lactation multiparous Holstein cows Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 S.J. Hendriks, E. Santillan-Urquiza, A. Valldecabres, A.S. Hancock, L. Dalton, L. Boyle, B. O'Brien
Milk markers have the potential to aid in the detection of cow disease in early lactation if the automation of milk analysis becomes commonplace. Characterising temporal profiles of milk markers in dairy cows will improve the understanding of basal concentrations in clinically healthy cows. The objective of this observational study was to characterise the variation and temporal profiles of colostrum
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Effect of light intensity on behaviour, health and growth of growing-finishing pigs Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 A.J. Scaillierez, S.E. van Nieuwamerongen - de Koning, I.J.M.M. Boumans, P.P.J. van der Tol, S.K. Schnabel, E.A.M. Bokkers
The effect of light intensity has been explored in relation to endocrine functions and reproduction in pigs, but effects on health and behaviour are scarcely documented. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different light intensities on behaviour, health and growth of growing-finishing pigs. An experiment was conducted on a commercial farm equipped with light-emitting diode-based
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Ad libitum feeding systems for lactating sows: effects on productivity and welfare of sows and piglets Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 Sarah C. Gorr, Christine Leeb, Werner Zollitsch, Christoph Winckler, Thomas D. Parsons
The nutritional requirements of sows change during lactation and thus require adapted and dynamic feeding regimes that consider the sows’ behavioral needs and production traits. The present study evaluated the effect of four different feeding systems on productivity and aspects of the welfare of 61 sows and their piglets during lactation. A non- system () was compared with two computer-monitored (
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Behavioural responses related to increasing core body temperature of grazing dairy cows experiencing moderate heat stress Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-02-01 A. Pontiggia, A. Münger, L. Eggerschwiler, M. Holinger, D. Stucki, S. Ammer, R.M. Bruckmaier, F. Dohme-Meier, N.M. Keil
Exposure to direct solar radiation, high ambient temperature, lack of wind movement, coupled with own metabolic heat production, makes grazing dairy cows vulnerable to heat stress. In pastures, it would be beneficial to monitor heat stress by observable changes in behaviour. We hypothesised that grazing dairy cows exhibit behavioural changes due to increasing heat load in temperate climate. Over two
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Positive selection footprints and haplotype distribution in the genome of dromedary camels Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 H. Bahbahani, A. Alfoudari, A. Al-Ateeqi, M. Al Abri, F. Almathen
Dromedary camels are a domestic species characterized by various adaptive traits. Limited efforts have been employed towards identifying genetic regions and haplotypes under selection that might be related to such adaptations. These genetic elements are considered valuable sources that should be conserved to maintain the dromedaries’ adaptability. Here, we have analyzed whole genome sequences of 40
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Behavioural variability, physical activity, rumination time, and milk characteristics of dairy cattle in response to regrouping Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 J.L. Marumo, D. Lusseau, J.R. Speakman, M. Mackie, A.Y. Byar, W. Cartwright, C. Hambly
In the commercial dairy industry worldwide, it is common practice to periodically regroup cows as part of their management strategy within housed systems. While this animal husbandry practice is intended to improve management efficiency, cows may experience social stress as a result of the social environment changes, which may have an impact on their behavioural patterns, performance, and welfare.
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Effect of extended heat stress in dairy cows on productive and behavioral traits Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 Daniela Lovarelli, Giulietta Minozzi, Alon Arazi, Marcella Guarino, Francesco Tiezzi
This study evaluates the response of dairy cows to short and extended heat stressing conditions (from 1 to 28 days), as expressed in changes in their behavior. Due to climate change, heat stress and strong heat waves are frequently affecting productivity and behavior of dairy cows. In the five years under study from 2018 to 2022, two were characterized by extremely strong heat waves occurring in the
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Use of fidget and drinking behaviour in combination with facial infrared thermography for diagnosis of bovine respiratory disease in a spontaneous model Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 H.J. Perez Marquez, A.L. Schaefer, C.J Bench
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a highly prevalent multi-pathogen infectious disease (70 to 80%) in newly received feedlot cattle, causing significant economic losses and reduced animal welfare. Current BRD diagnosis involves stressful and invasive methods that can increase the incidence and transmission of BRD. An alternative is the use of an automated infrared thermography (IR) platform that
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Novel phenotypes of feeding and social behaviour and their relationship with individual rabbit growth and feed efficiency Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-30 M. Piles, M. Mora, I. Kyriazakis, L. Tusell, M. Pascual, J.P. Sánchez
Due to the lack of a recording system for individual consumption of group-housed rabbits, published studies about feeding behaviour are based on information recorded at the group- and not at the individual level and periods covering only a few days or, in some cases, only part of a day. Such information could be used to inform rabbit management systems but cannot be used for genetic selection. We aimed
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Effects of socialising piglets on sow and piglet performance and behaviour of entire male piglets Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-26 L. Rydhmer, K. Andersson
Entire male pigs show more aggressive behaviour and mounting than female pigs. By sorting growing pigs into male and female pens, at least half of the pigs are protected from the aggressive behaviour and mounting of the entire males. Mixing of unknown pigs provoke them to perform such behaviours which increase the risk for injuries. The idea behind socialising piglets is to create groups of piglets
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Short communication: Accuracy of whole-genome sequence imputation in Angus cattle using within-breed and multi-breed reference populations Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-26 N. Kamprasert, H. Aliloo, J.H.J. van der Werf, S.A. Clark
Genotype imputation is a standard approach used in the field of genetics. It can be used to fill in missing genotypes or to increase genotype density. Accurate imputed genotypes are required for downstream analyses. In this study, the accuracy of whole-genome sequence imputation for Angus beef cattle was examined using two different ways to form the reference panel, a within-breed reference population
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GrassGroTM simulation of pasture, animal performance and greenhouse emissions on low and high sheep productivity grazing systems: 1-year validation and 25-year analysis Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-26 M.J. McPhee, C. Edwards, S. Harden, T. Naylor, F.A. Phillips, C. Guppy, R.S. Hegarty
Globally there is a focus on reducing the absolute methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide emissions, and the emissions intensity (EI, kg CO2e/kg animal product) of livestock production. Increasing the productivity of mixed pasture systems has the potential to increase food (e.g., lamb) and textile fibre (e.g., wool) production while reducing the EI of those products from grazing livestock. The objective of
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Editorial: The 10th international Workshop on Modelling Nutrient Digestion and Utilization in Farm Animals (MODNUT) Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-27 A. Cannas, V.E. Cabrera, H.C. Dougherty, J.L. Ellis, A. Gallo, P. Huhtanen, I. Kyriazakis, M. McPhee, K.F. Reed, N.K. Sakomura, J. van Milgen
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Effects of group size on agonistic interactions in dairy cows: a descriptive study Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Joseph Krahn, Borbala Foris, Kehan Sheng, Daniel M. Weary, Marina A. G. von Keyserlingk
Group-housed cattle may engage in agonistic competition over resources such as feed, which can negatively affect aspects of welfare. Little is known about how contextual factors such as group size influence agonistic behavior. We explored the frequency of agonistic interactions at the feeder when cattle were housed in different sized groups. We also explored the consistency of the directionality of
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Multifaceted analysis of temporal and spatial distribution and risk factors of global poultry HPAI-H5N1, 2005-2023 Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 Yuepeng Li, Qi An, Zhuo Sun, Xiang Gao, Hongbin Wang
The purpose of this study is to analyze the characteristics of occurrence and spread of highly pathogenic avian H5N1 (HPAI-H5N1) globally, understand its spatiotemporal characteristics, investigate the risk factors influencing outbreaks, and identify high-risk areas for disease occurrence. We collected the data on global poultry HPAI-H5N1 outbreaks from January 2005 to April 2023, and conducted a thorough
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Impact of 48-h water and feed deprivation and hydroxychloride sources of copper and zinc on the metabolism and performance of grazing Nellore cattle during the dry period Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-24 M.J.I. Abreu, I.A. Cidrini, I.M. Ferreira, L.H.C. Batista, G.H.M. Bisio, M.Q.S. França, I.A. Reis, A.N. Rodrigues, A.C.M. Queiroz, J.M.C. Neto, D.B. Araújo, M.A.F. Porcionato, F.D. Resende, G.R. Siqueira
Procedures such as transport and marketing can subject animals to water and feed deprivation and impair animal health and performance. Maintaining the mineral status of animals under these conditions can bring benefits to health and performance. The use of hydroxychloride mineral sources can improve mineral status, nutrient digestibility and performance. Two studies were conducted to investigate how
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Understanding the effect of sex on energy requirements of hair sheep Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 C.J.L. Herbster, A.P. Oliveira, A.S. Brito Neto, E.S. Justino, I.A.M.A. Teixeira, J.A.G. Azevedo, S.A. Santos, L.P. Silva, M.I. Marcondes, R.L. Oliveira, L.R. Bezerra, E.S. Pereira
Differences and/or similarities in the influence of sex class for hair sheep requirements remain inconclusive. Knowledge of energy requirements allows well-formulated diets to be provided which is crucial for improving animal production. We aimed to determine the effect of sex class on the net energy requirements of growing hair sheep in a multi-study approach. We used a data set composed of individual
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Genome-wide association studies of parasite resistance, productivity and immunology traits in meat in Scottish Blackface sheep Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 A. Pacheco, G. Banos, N. Lambe, A. McLaren, T.N. McNeilly, J. Conington
Gastrointestinal parasitism represents a global problem for grazing ruminants, which can be addressed sustainably by breeding animals to be more resistant against infection by parasites. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic architecture underlying traits associated with gastrointestinal parasite resistance, immunological profile and production in meat sheep, and identify and characterise
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Persistence of autozygosity in crossbreds between autochthonous and cosmopolitan breeds of swine: a simulation study Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-22 Maria Chiara Fabbri, Emmanuel Lozada-Soto, Francesco Tiezzi, Marjeta Čandek-Potokar, Samuele Bovo, Giuseppina Schiavo, Luca Fontanesi, Maria Muñoz, Cristina Ovilo, Riccardo Bozzi
Crossbreeding might be a valid strategy to valorize local pig breeds. Crossbreeding should reduce homozygosity and, as a consequence, yield hybrid vigor for fitness and production traits. This study aimed to quantify the persistence of autozygosity in terminal crossbred pigs compared with purebreds and, in turn, identify genomic regions where autozygosity’s persistence would not be found. The study
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Feeding predictability as a cognitive enrichment protects brain function and physiological status in rainbow trout: a multidisciplinary approach to assess fish welfare Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 A. Kleiber, J. Roy, V. Brunet, E. Baranek, J.M. Le-Calvez, T. Kerneis, A. Batard, S. Calvez, L. Pineau, S. Milla, V. Guesdon, L. Calandreau, V. Colson
Cognitive enrichment is a promising but understudied type of environmental enrichment that aims to stimulate the cognitive abilities of animals by providing them with more opportunities to interact with (namely, to predict events than can occur) and to control their environment. In a previous study, we highlighted that farmed rainbow trout can predict daily feedings after two weeks of conditioning
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Biometric identification of dairy cows via real-time facial recognition Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 N. Bergman, Y. Yitzhaky, I. Halachmi
Biometrics methods, which currently identify humans, can potentially identify dairy cows. Given that animal movements cannot be easily controlled, identification accuracy and system robustness are challenging when deploying an animal biometrics recognition system on a real farm. Our proposed method performs multiple-cow face detection and face classification from videos by adjusting recent state-of-the-art
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Intramammary administration of lipopolysaccharides at parturition enhances immunoglobulin concentration in goat colostrum Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 M. González-Cabrera, A. Torres, M. Salomone-Caballero, N. Castro, A. Argüello, L.E. Hernández-Castellano
In newborn ruminants, transfer of passive immunity is essential to obtain protection against pathogens. This study aimed to increase the permeability of the blood-milk barrier using intramammary lipopolysaccharides (LPS) in goats at parturition to modulate colostrum composition. Twenty multiparous Majorera dairy goats were randomly allocated in one of the two experimental groups. The LPS group (n = 10)
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Impacts of trace mineral source and ancillary drench on steer performance during a 60-day backgrounding phase Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2024-01-18 J.F. Cordero, K.M. Harvey, M.E. Drewery, M.G. McKnight, B.B. Karisch, L.S. Durst, E.A. Colombo, R.F. Cooke, J.R. Russell
Nutritional approaches to optimize cattle health and performance during the receiving period are warranted. This experiment evaluated the impacts of supplementing organic complexed Cu, Co, Mn, and Zn on productive and health responses of high-risk beef cattle during a 60-day backgrounding phase. Crossbred steers (120) were purchased at auction and transported to the experimental facility, where BW
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Macro- and micro-genetic environmental sensitivity of yearling weight in Angus beef cattle Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-27 M.D. Madsen, J.H.J. van der Werf, S. Clark
Australian beef cattle experience variable conditions, which may give rise to genotype-by-environment interactions depending on the genotypes’ macro- and/or micro-genetic environmental sensitivity (GES). Macro-GES gives rise to genotype-by-environment interactions across definable and shared environments, while micro-GES causes heritable variation of phenotypes, e.g., the performance of progeny from
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Severe body condition loss lowers hepatic output of IGF1 with adverse effects on the dominant follicle in dairy cows Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-26 Teshome Wondie Alemu, Yasmin Schuermann, Ejimedo Madogwe, Audrey St. Yves, Naomi Dicks, Rodrigo Bohrer, Valerie Higginson, Rafael G Mondadori, Mariana Priotto de Macedo, Milena Taibi, Bushansingh Baurhoo, Vilceu Bordignon, Raj Duggavathi
The severe loss of body condition score (BCS) during the early lactation period has been associated with infertility in cows. However, the mechanisms are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of BCS loss on liver health, and ovarian functions in cows during early lactation. Retrospectively multiparous cows from two farms were categorized based on units of BCS (1–5 scale)
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Influence of prepartum feed levels on colostrum production and farrowing performance in highly prolific sows in a tropical environment Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 Y.K. Adi, P. Taechamaeteekul, J. Ruampatana, M. Malison, J. Suwimonteerabutr, R.N. Kirkwood, P. Tummaruk
Currently, there is a lack of data on the effects of altering feed levels on sow performance and piglet characteristics during the transition period in tropical environments. The present study determined the effect of sow feed levels during the transition period on colostrum yield, colostrum immunoglobulin (Ig) G, colostrum intake of piglets, farrowing duration, proportion of stillborn piglets per
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Exploring genetic variation in potential indicators of resilience in sheep using fibre diameter measured along the wool staple Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 E.G. Smith, S.F. Walkom, S.A. Clark
Production animals are increasingly exposed to a wide variety of disturbances that can compromise their productivity, health and well-being. As a result, there is a growing need to be able to select animals that are more resilient to environmental disturbances. Fibre diameter variation measured along a wool staple is expected to contain information about how resilient sheep are to the disturbances
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Global antimicrobial use in livestock farming: an estimate for cattle, chickens, and pigs Animal (IF 3.7) Pub Date : 2023-12-21 Zahra Ardakani, Maurizio Aragrande, Massimo Canali
Livestock farming substantially contributes to the global economy and food security. However, it poses crucial environmental, animal welfare, and public health challenges. The main objective of this study is to quantify the global antimicrobial use (AMU) in cattle, chicken, and pig farming. This information is important for understanding the potential impact of farm AMU on the emergence and spread