Abstract There are no published data on the risk factors associated with morbidity, mortality and passive transfer failure in Chianina beef-suckler calves. To implement prevention strategies in beef enterprises, gaining management information and identifying risk factors are essential. This cross-sectional study aimed to identify calf-level management practices and farm characteristics associated with

Abstract Two trials were conducted to investigate the effects of different corn conditioning temperature and enzyme supplementation on nutrient utilisation, growth performance, and small intestine morphology in broiler chickens. In trial one, nutrient utilisation were determined in basal diets. These diets contained unconditioned or conditioned corn (temperatures 55, 70 and 85 °C) supplemented with

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of earthworm meal (EW) and vermi-humus (VH) in broiler diets. A total of 225 day-old male broilers were divided into 5 treatment groups with 3 repetitions of 3 birds each. The treatment groups were: T1 – control (no EW or VH; T2 − 1.0% EW and 0% VH; T3 − 1.0% EW and 1.0% VH; T4 − 1.0% EW and 1.5% VH; and T5: 1.0% EW and 2.0% VH. The birds

Abstract The objective of this study was to estimate lamb birth weight based on body dimensions. We monitored 101 lambs (61 Charollais lambs, 27 Kent lambs, and 13 their crossbreds) at a selected commercial flock. Birth weight, chest circumference (CC), head circumference (HC), and shin circumference (SC) were measured immediately after birth using a tape measure. Correlation analysis indicated the

Abstract This study was performed to investigate the effects of curcumin supplementation on intestinal barrier function, serum biochemical index, amino acid profile, and mRNA expression of nutrient transporters in laying hens fed soybean meal with heat-induced protein oxidation. A total of 288 40-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were allocated into one of three treatments with eight replicates of

Abstract The use of probiotics, prebiotics and antioxidants could be found beneficial for dogs with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The aim of our case-control study is to evaluate the synergistic effect of a diet integrated with a supplement containing probiotics (Lactobacillus acidophilus), prebiotics (fructoligosaccharides) and antioxidants (Olea Europaea extract) on the nutritional status and on

Abstract In endangered donkey populations, reproductive performance is one the most important areas to study, provided its connection with conservation opportunities. Among reproductive traits, the knowledge on the evolution of seminal qualitative and quantitative parameters may achieve a particular relevance given its implication with improved or more efficient fertility and fecundation chances. The

Abstract The aim of this study was the determination of changes in the fatty acid profile, oxidation parameters [peroxide value (PV), and malondialdehyde (MDA)] of wet and dry types of premium (PC) and economic class (EC) commercial dog foods at different stocking temperatures (+4 °C, +21 °C, +40 °C) and different stocking times (1, 3, 6, and 12 months). At the time of purchase, the PV and MDA concentrations

Abstract This study was conducted to determine the effects of grower diet (d11-24) digestible sulphur amino acids (SAAs) levels on performance traits, blood metabolites, and immune responses to Newcastle disease (ND) and avian influenza (AI) vaccination in the broiler chickens. Additionally, digestible SAAs requirements were determined based on nutrient dose-response data. A total of 360, 11‐day‐old

Abstract The present study aims to understand the influence of a reduced amount of straw litter on goats’ lying comfort and hygienic characteristics of milk and straw. Lying behaviour (frequency, lying posture, location and social context) of 24 Alpine goats subjected to two different straw treatments (Regular: 2 kg/straw/head + 1 kg straw/head/day, n = 12; Scarce: 1 kg straw/head + 0.5 kg straw/head/day

Abstract Thyroid hormones physiologically regulate the semen quality, by altering testosterone concentrations, and different seminal parameters, as well as sperm motility, viability and semen volume. Serum thyroxine (T4), free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and testosterone (T) concentrations were measured in 26 adult Labrador Retriever dogs (n. 20 normospermic and n. 6 azoospermic

Abstract The current study aimed to estimate (co)variance components and heritability for pre-weaning body weight traits and Kleiber ratio in Sangsari sheep. Data used in this research were collected over 30 years (1986–2016) at the breeding station of Sangsari sheep. Traits considered were birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), pre-weaning daily gain (PWDG), and Kleiber ratio (KR). Genetic parameters

Abstract Several local sheep breeds of the Alpine regions are in danger of extinction as a result of mountain farms being abandoned. Three fattening trials were carried out on 4 breeds of the Veneto region (Foza, Lamon, Alpagota, and Brogna) on a total of 115 ewes and suckling lambs, weaned lambs and heavy lambs slaughtered at 1356 ± 267, 104 ± 24, 219 ± 26, and 342 ± 14 d of age, respectively. The

Abstract The effects of in ovo injection of Arthrospira (Spirulina) Platensis on hatchability, antioxidant and immunity-related genes expression, and hatchling performance of broilers and Japanese quails was assessed in 2 separate experiments. In experiment 1, a total of 240 fertilised quail eggs were divided into six groups: control (without injection), sham control (0.02 CC distilled water/egg),

Abstract The development of specific actions to increase animal health and welfare is indicated as a strategy to improve the efficiency and sustainability of many livestock systems, including sheep farming. In this paper, efficiency measures are provided to confirm the hypothesis that farms that are higher-performing in terms of animal welfare and management are also more technically efficient. A two-stage

Abstract The livestock sector constitutes 14.5% of global green-house gas (GHG) emissions and soil and water pollution due to nitrogen excretion. Methane and nitrogen excretions in ruminants can be mitigated by specific feeding strategies, and tannins reduce methanogenesis and ammonia syntheses. In our study, two kinds of condensed tannins (Mimosa and Gambier) and two kinds of hydrolysable tannins

Abstract The main aim of our study was to assess changes in the somatic cell count (SCC) and total bacterial count (TBC) in the raw milk of White Short-haired (WSH) goats (n = 13) during lactation and their relationships to daily milk yield (DMY), basic milk components, the acidity of milk and California mastitis test (CMT). All monitored goats were in the second lactation and throughout the study

Abstract Metabolomics provides a description of the phenotype of an organism and complementary biochemical information to genomics and proteomics. The purpose of this research was to depict the metabolite profile of faecal samples from dogs fed three different diets through NMR spectroscopy analysis. Samples were collected from 14 dogs fed a commercial extruded diet, 18 dogs fed a homemade diet and

Abstract The objective of the present study was to determine the effect of feed restriction systems, herbal mixture and their interactions on growth performance, carcass traits, and microbial aspects of growing New Zealand White (NZW) rabbit kept from 5 to 13 weeks of age. A 3 × 4 factorial arrangement was performed, including three feed restriction systems (ad-libitum, 90%, and 80% of ad-libitum)

Abstract Intrauterine laparoscopic insemination is diffuse in sheep breeding, yet requires veterinary expertise and expensive equipment. Our aim was to evaluate the time required, reproductive outcome and post-operative complications of mini invasive laparotomic intrauterine insemination, as an alternative approach to laparoscopy. A total of 115 Sopravvissana breed ewes were enrolled, including 75

Abstract In the past, taurine was not considered essential in poultry diet; however, heavy reliance on plants derived feed ingredients and environmental stresses have compelled its application inevitable. Six hundred day old male broilers (Hubbard) were supplementation with taurine at the level of 0 (TAN0), 2.5 (TAN2.5), 5 (TAN5) and 7.5 g/kg (TAN7.5) in drinking water during heat stressed conditions

Abstract The aim of this study was to determine the effect of vitamin E (α-Toc) and Otostgia persica leaf extract (OPLE) on the performance, immune response, and oxidative status in broiler chicken fed oxidised oil. A total of 350 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly attributed to seven dietary treatments. Broilers were fed diets containing fresh oil or oxidised oil without supplement, and

Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the most predictive traits of fresh maize and the most appropriate multivariate approach for estimating silage fermentation quality. The use of near infrared (NIRs) instruments allowed rapid, accurate and cheap analysis. Samples of fresh maize plant (n = 822) from hybrids (Class Cultivar) of early and late classes, were harvested at three maturity stages: early

Abstract This study aimed to determine the effect of rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) essential oil (REO) in lamb fattening diets on blood, rumen parameters, fattening performance and meat quality. Thirty Norduz male lambs weaned at 4 months of age with average body weight 22.0 ± 4.41 kg were used. Lambs were divided into three groups: no rosemary oil (control, R0), with 250 mg/kg DM (R250) and with

Abstract Hypothesis is that dietary ajwain (Trachyspermum copticum L.), a phytogenic feed additive, could improve the performance of broiler chickens. On a total of 200 Ross 308 male broilers, during the 42-d growing period (starter: day 1–14; grower: day 15–28 and finisher: day 29–42), varying levels of ajwain alcoholic extract (0, 150, 350 and 450 ppm) were added to the drinking water. A control

Abstract This study assessed the ability of honeybees as environmental indicators for atmospheric Lead and Cadmium concentrations through regression analyses. For this purpose, honeybees sampling was performed from June to November 2017, in three apiaries in Milano, and in two apiaries in Lodi and in Magenta. Heavy metals were detected on bees through atomic absorption and related to the respective

Abstract The aim of this study was to extend the shelf life of raw buffalo meat by coating with high solubility bioactive peptides (BPs). In this work, BPs (11S) of pea and red kidney beans were obtained by different isolation techniques. Alcalase-red kidney bean hydrolysate (RBAH) successfully obtained after 60 min enzymatic hydrolysis for red kidney bean protein isolate (RPI) by Alcalase (E/S ratio

Abstract Data about diet and digestion process of cattle are important for the fine-tuning of the diet and from an environmental point of view. Given the capacity of the near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to provide easily, quickly and cheap data its ability in predicting dietary and faecal chemical composition, fibre-bound N and total-tract apparent digestibility (ttaD) of beef cattle were

Abstract The aim of this research was to evaluate of the productive responses of cows fed a dry hay based total mixed ration (TMR) in which sorghum (SOR) or corn (COR) meal (8 kg/h/d) were the main source of starch. The study involved two dairy herds located in the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO area, for a total of 1,400 cows (30% primiparous and 70% pluriparous). Each herd was fed alternatively SOR or COR

Abstract With the appeals for antibiotic-free production and the attention to natural feed additives in poultry. The effects of fresh lemon (FM) supplementation on older laying hens (79–96 weeks) and its comparison with citric acid (CA) and flavomycin (FLA) were evaluated in the present study. Female Jingfen chickens (n = 540) were randomly distributed into 5 dietary treatments: 0 (control), 20 g/kg

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of including marine and freshwater algae in rabbit diets on their performance, digestibility, carcass characteristics, and blood metabolites. One hundred growing male rabbits, aged 30 d and weighing 783.5 ± 2.01 g initial body weight, were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (n = 20 rabbits). Five comparable dietary groups were formulated

Abstract The aim of this study is to model the growth samples of four varieties (White, Black, Partridge, Franciscan) of Spanish Utrerana hen breed, which is endangered, by using Brody, Von Bertalanffy, Verhulst, Logistic and Gompertz models. For this purpose, a total of 16,235 weight data observations from 2004 animals reared in free range system were collected. Logistic was the best suited model

Abstract The study was conducted with the objective of evaluating the nutrient content, fermentation characteristics, microbial counts, and ruminal degradability of two mixtures of Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and winter cereal silages. Two mixtures (mixture A: Italian ryegrass, triticale, oats, wheat and barley; and mixture B: Italian ryegrass and oats) were wilted and ensiled in laboratory‐scale

Abstract In bovine milk, Ca and P are partitioned between micellar (MP) and soluble phase (SP), both having important effects on coagulation properties. In particular, greater mineral content in the MP translates into better milk coagulation ability. Nevertheless, the high analytic costs of gold standard methods hamper the possibility to deepen partition of minerals in MP and SP on a large scale. In

Abstract There are few data about early thermal conditioning (TC) and its effect on later life in rabbits. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the impact of exposing two rabbit breeds to early age short-term heat stress (EA-STHS) on physiological parameters and hepatic expression levels of some genes. Rabbits from New Zealand White (NZW) and Baladi Black (BB) rabbit breeds were reared

Abstract The objective of the present study was to determine the dietary effect of different growth stages of rapeseed (Brassica rapa L.) on nutrient intake and digestibility, nitrogen balance, and rumen fermentation kinetics in sheep. Four dietary treatments were utilised. A basal control diet based on alfalfa hay, oat hay, soybean meal and corn grain. Then alfalfa hay was replaced with 300 g/kg DM

Abstract Non-esterified fatty acids (NEFAs) and Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1) concentrations are modified after the induction of a "male effect". The present study examined the effect of the introduction of males into a group of females that were previously isolated from males, during different phases of the sexual cycle, to determine the changes to the NEFAs and IGF-1 concentrations. Sixty-four

Abstract Date palm pollen (DPP) has been widely tested in vitro in preservation of spermatozoa of different farm animals except in rabbits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of various concentrations (20, 40, 80 mg/mL) of DPP aqueous extract on epididymal and ejaculated rabbit spermatozoa during in vitro incubation at 37 °C during 120 min. NaCl Pollen Extender (NPE) and TRIS Base

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the dietary mineral and vitamin supplementation on the hematological, the circulating biochemical parameters, and the reproductive performance of cyclic mares aged 4–12 years old. Purebred Arabian (PAB, n = 8) and East-Bulgarian (EBB, n = 12) breeds were equally divided into treated and control groups. The nutritional supplement was given orally (50 g daily/animal/day)

Abstract In total, 144 Arbour Acres broiler chickens were distributed among four treatment groups (six replicates per treatment; six chickens per replicate) during days 20–40 of age. The chickens were offered iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous diets containing four dietary oil levels (DOL): 0 (oil non-supplemented diet, control), 2, 4, and 6% in a relatively low-energy diet (12.4 MJ ME/kg diet). During

Abstract This study was carried out in an attempt to evaluate the impact of Broussonetia papyrifera as a roughage substitute at different levels on carcase traits, growth performance, meat quality and immune performance in Hu ram lambs. Sixty Hu rams (5 months of age, 26.70 ± 2.14 kg body weight) were randomly divided into four groups. The treatments comprised B. papyrifera supplementation at levels

Abstract Negative energy balance (NEB) is an important risk factor for the dairy cow’s anoestrus. The purpose of the experiment is to screen out differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) in the follicular fluid (FF) of cows with anoestrus caused by NEB and oestrus from positive energy balance (PEB). NEB and PEB holstein cows were selected 14–21 days postpartum according to the serum concentrations of

Abstract Staphylococcus aureus is a gram-positive bacterium, commonly found in the nostrils, on the skin and on the hair of warm-blooded animals, including humans. It can produce a wide variety of virulence factors, including staphylococcal enterotoxins (SEs). In literature, 24 different SEs and many variants have been identified; among these, only five (the so-called classic enterotoxins) have been

Abstract This study evaluated the influence of dietary supplementation of onionskin waste (OW) and synthetic additives on growth, oxidative status, blood chemistry, caecal bacteria, carcase, immune indices and meat quality in broilers. One day old Ross 308 chicks (n = 280) were randomly allotted to basal diets containing either no additive, B-1; 0.5 g/kg oxytetracyline + 0.13 g/kg tert-butylhydroxyanisole

Abstract Heat stress is one of the most important problems that dairy cows have to face and the use of cooling systems is becoming more and more important. The first reaction that has the animal to cope with the environmental variations is to modify its behaviour. This study was aimed to investigate the effect of heat stress and a cooling system on the feeding behaviour of Italian Holstein Friesian

Abstract Milk somatic cell count (SCC), an indicator of udder health and milk hygiene, has not been implemented either in milk payment systems or in the current selection index of Italian buffalo so far. As a matter of fact, there is room to improve udder health through genetic and management strategies in this species. Repeated milk SCC test-day (TD) records on the same animal are useful to derive

Abstract Long-term physical restriction may lead to affective and physiological disorders in sows; pupillary light reflex (PLR) characteristics might be a good indicator to diagnose these symptoms. Accordingly, the physiological and psychological states of sows with different PLR characteristics were investigated in this study. Gestating sows of three parities (parity 0, 2, and 5) were divided into

Abstract The aim of this study was to test the feasibility of genomic selection in the Italian Mediterranean water buffalo, which is farmed mainly in the south Italy for milk, and mozzarella, production. A total of 498 animals were genotyped at 49,164 loci. Test day records (80,417) of milk (MY), fat (FY) and protein (PY) yields from 4127 cows, born between 1975 and 2009, were analysed in a three-trait

Abstract We evaluated the preventive effects of the oral administration of chestnut tannins (Castanea sativa) together with its potential metabolic effect on calf diarrhoea. Forty Italian Friesian female calves were included and divided into Group C (control group) and Group T (tannin-treated group). From the third day of life (T0) for the following 56 days (T56), calves from Group C received 2 L of

Abstract The objective was to elucidate the effects of dietary guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) supplementation on broiler performance, serum enzymes, oxidative biomarkers, mitochondrial activities, carcase traits, gross lesion of cardiac muscle and liver histopathology in broilers challenged with T3-hormone. A total-of-192 one-day-old mixed sexed broilers were randomly assigned in a two factorial design

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculants on fermentation quality and subsequent in vitro gas production, ruminal fermentation parameters, cellulolytic bacteria and their activities of alfalfa silage. Primary growth of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) was harvested at 50% flowering stage, inoculated without (control) or with Lactobacillus

Abstract In ruminants, the role of melatonin in the control of reproductive seasonality is well reported, but it is still little known about its action on milk traits and on the immune system. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of melatonin on milk yield and composition, somatic cell count (SCC), some cytokine blood concentration and reproductive resumption in sheep. One hundred lactating

Abstract An experiment was done to evaluate the effects of diet nutrients density on performance and egg quality in laying hens during the post-peak production phase of the first laying cycle under subtropical climate. A total of 768, 49-weeks-old Hy-Line-W36 laying hens were assigned in a completely randomised design with six treatments, eight replicates, and 16 birds each. Experimental treatments

Abstract Beet and cane molasses mainly contain mono- di-, and tri-saccharides, composed by hexoses, as well as pentoses in traces. However, rationing software consider sugars as only one entity, with a rate of digestion ∼20% h−1. The aim of this initial study was to investigate and evaluate the in vitro digestion dynamics and rates of the sugar fraction in molasses. Three beet and three cane molasses

Abstract This study was aimed to investigate the effects of dietary fat sources and green tea extract (GTE) on gene expression associated with lipid metabolism and inflammation in broiler chicken. A total of 300 female Ross 308 broiler chicks were allocated to six dietary treatments in a completely randomised design with a factorial arrangement of two levels of GTE (0 and 500 mg/kg diet) × three levels

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) coated on zeolite on performance, gastrointestinal microflora, heterophile to lymphocyte ratio and humoral immune system responses of broiler chickens. Three hundred seventy-five chicks (Cobb 500) in a completely randomised design were distributed to five diets: 1) basal diet, 2) basal diet

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate consumers’ perception of beef appearance in two photographic camera configurations and the images’ relationships with the willingness to purchase (WTP) and consumer characterisation. Photographic surveys were used to evaluate the visual perception of beef colour, visible fat, and overall appearance. This information was then related to WTP and consumer segmentation

Abstract In this study, we compared three popular textural tests: the compression, Meullenet–Owens razor blade (MORS), and Allo–Kramer (AK) tests, which are used to detect the wooden breast (WB) and spaghetti meat (SM) myopathies. A total of 209 fillets (71 WB, 71 SM, 67 normal) were selected from three different flocks at a large commercial plant. Thawed fillets were subjected to 20% compression tests

Abstract Pain alleviation associated with castration of piglets is a debated welfare issue. This study compares practical aspects, resource efficiency and economic implications of two protocols involving both analgesia and anaesthesia compared to a control group: conventional castration without pain relief (CTRL); joint administration of azaperone and meloxicam (AZA-MEL), i.m.; procaine (PROC-MEL)

Abstract This study determined the effects of deep bedding floor and fermented feed supplement on the growth performance, carcase, meat quality, and fatty acid profile of crossbred pigs. Thirty-two ((Thai native × Meishan) × Duroc) crossbreds were organised in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomised design. Factor A was a deep bedding floor (DB) or solid bedding of concrete floor (SB)