Abstract This study documented behaviour of cats during veterinary examinations investigating possible associations between their behaviour and age, gender, temperament, clinical parameters and familiarity with pet carriers, car rides and veterinary clinics. Background information (i.e. temperament and familiarity with pet carriers, car rides and veterinary clinics), signalment, clinical parameters

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different levels of Lactobacillus species and yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) as a toxin binder in deoxynivalenol (DON) diet on immune parameters, gut morphology and jejunal gene expression in broiler chickens. Three hundred sixty-one-day-old female broilers were assigned into nine treatments with four replicates each in a completely randomised

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of betaine and pre-slaughter transport of broilers on meat quality, blood parameters, selected water channels (AQP) and stress-related transcripts. Ross 308 broilers (n = 336) were housed in 56-floor pens with seven replicates per treatment. In a 4 × 2 design, broilers were either supplemented with betaine in the feed (0.2%), in drinking water (1 or 2 mL/L)

Abstract Several studies have recently investigated the birth weight of puppies from different pure-bred dogs. In general, birth weight decreased with litter size but there has been limited investigation into factors influencing growth during early development. The first month of life includes three stages of puppy development: neonatal (0–13 days), transitional (14–20 days), and first week of socialisation

Abstract This study was performed to evaluate the effect of replacement different methionine (Met) levels and sources (DL or L) with betaine on blood metabolites, breast muscle morphology and immune response in heat-stressed broiler chickens. A total of 1200 unsexed day-old Ross-308 chicks were raised under the same condition in the first 10 days and then reared under normal or subnormal (32 °C) ambient

Abstract This study analysed potential associations between the prevalence of rumen, abomasum, liver, and claw disorders detected in 26 batches of Holstein veal calves through a post-mortem inspection at the slaughterhouse, and on-farm mortality and feeding management data. Organs of 15–16 calves per batch (16.5 rumens, 15.9 abomasa, 15.1 livers, and 31.1 claws) were inspected by 3 veterinarians in

Abstract The inclusion of by-products in composite pellet feeds could be a strategy to recycle nutritional components and a commercial opportunity for feeds industries. Aim of this study was to evaluate if the use of small amount of dried by-products containing polyphenols could alter rumen fermentation parameters and microbiota in dairy ewes. Thirty-six ewes (9 animals per group) were fed control

Abstract To assess the effect of dietary supplement levels of chromium-yeast (Cr-yeast) on growth performance, blood glucose and triglycerides, fatty acid (FA) profile in intramuscular fat, carcase and meat traits, iron, copper, chromium and zinc concentrations in liver and bone, 24 Rambouillet male lambs (29.2 ± 0.17 kg body weight) were randomly assigned to four diets with 0, 0.2, 0.4 and 0.6 mg

Abstract Acute heat stress (AHS) is known to affect rabbit production and well-being negatively. Yet, early acute heat stress effect on later physiological response is poorly studied. Our study aimed to provide more knowledge of rabbit physiological response to early acute heat stress in two distinguished rabbit breeds. A total of 120 males of New Zealand White (NZW) and Baladi Black (BB) rabbits five

Abstract This study aimed at determining the impact of dietary soy hulls (SH) addition on growth performance, digestive tract attributes, and apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter (DM), nitrogen, and phosphorus (P) in broiler chickens. Male broilers (Ross 308, n = 224) were assigned to one of four diets, including 0, 20, 40, or 60 g/kg SH, with eight replications per treatment from 0 to 21 d of

Abstract The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing inclusion levels of the mixture of Bacillus subtilis and essential oils (BSEO) on production, hatching performance, egg quality, serum antioxidant capacity, immune response, and hormone levels of laying hens. A total of 768 24-wk-old layers were randomly allotted into 4 treatments with 6 replicates of 32 birds each replicate. The

Abstract A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of phytase and carbohydrase on growth performance and ileal digestibility of nutrients in broilers fed low-density corn–soybean meal-based diets. A total of 280 one-day-old Ross 308 male broilers were randomly assigned to 7 dietary treatments, with 4 replicates of 10 birds. Dietary treatments were (1) full nutrient specification

Abstract The aim of this trial was to investigate the effects of a blend of monoglycerides of short- and medium-chain fatty acids (SMCFA) on health status and growth of preweaned male calves from 16 to 72 days of age. The in vivo study was conducted as a complete randomised block design. Twenty Italian Holstein calves received starter administered ad libitum and 6 L of milk replacer/day (12% powder

Abstract There has been a significant decrease in genetic diversity on a global scale for several livestock species, including beef cattle. Therefore, the aim of this study was to deliver fine-scale analysis of the genomic structure and to describe the diversity status of six beef cattle breeds, with a specific focus on genomic inbreeding and the trend of effective population size. The genome-wide

Abstract The background to determine the standard macro minerals requirement for geese is very important for growth, production and health. Until now, there are no clear standard mineral requirements for the local Egyptian geese. Consequently, the present experiment was aimed at estimating the influence of different dietary calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) concentrations on lipid profile, antioxidant

Abstract The aim of this work was to assess the interaction between MC1R and ASIP genes in determining coat colour variation in black and brown Peruvian alpacas. Skin biopsies were collected from 25 black alpacas and 15 brown alpacas. Genomic DNA was isolated, amplified and sequenced. Black alpacas were dominant homozygous (E/E) or heterozygous (E/e) at MC1R locus while brown alpacas were heterozygous

Abstract Heat stress jeopardised animal health by inducing oxidative stress and inflammation. This study was done to investigate the effects of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) on oxidative stress and inflammation response in liver and spleen of yellow-feather broilers under high ambient temperature. A total of 144 35-day-old female Chinese indigenous yellow-feather broilers (body weight 450.21 ± 10

Abstract To evaluate the protective effects of dietary resveratrol (RES) supplementation against oxidative stress in piglets, a total of 30 weaned piglets (aged 28 + 2 d) were randomly divided into five treatments (n = 6): C group (basal diet), NC group (basal diet + diquat challenge), and basal diet containing either 10, 30, or 90 mg/kg of RES administered to piglets injected with diquat. The trail

Abstract This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary digestible sulphur amino acids (DSAAs) level on growth performance, blood metabolites, and liver functional enzymes of broilers during 1–11 days of age. Additionally, DSAAs requirement was determined from dose nutrient response data. A total of 432 1‐day‐old male Ross 308 broilers were allocated to six dietary treatments, graded

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of sodium butyrate as a substitute for antibiotics on the production performance and intestinal barrier of meat rabbits. Six hundred healthy weaned rabbits were randomly divided into three groups (40 replicates per group): fed a basal diet (control), fed a basal diet containing 0.5% sodium butyrate (sodium butyrate), or fed a basal diet

Abstract In a scenario of climate change and risk of losing biodiversity, the safeguard of locally adapted breeds and their genetic reservoirs assumes a key role. Furthermore, these breeds are linked to their rearing territory maintenance also through the nutritional, economic or social value of their products. This study focussed on the analysis of milk protein genetic variability of the Piedmontese

Abstract This study was to investigate physicochemical characteristics, fatty acids, minerals and hematological alterations in broiler chickens artificially infected with 1 × 104 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella. Results revealed that pH values were decreased (p ˂ .05) in the infected group (IG) at 7 and 9 days post infection (dpi) than those at 5 dpi, although no significant differences between

Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary graded levels of Imbrasia belina at 0%, 4%, 8% and 12% of broiler diets on meat quality and sensory attributes. A total of 360 one-day-old broiler chicks, were fed graded I. belina diets and slaughtered on day 35. Body weight (BW), Average Daily Gain (ADG), Feed Intake (FI) and Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) were recorded. Breast muscles were

Abstract A total of 720 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly allotted into nine treatments to evaluate the effects of different levels of phytase (Phy, 0.0, 500, and 1000 FTU/kg) and benzoic acid (BA, 0.0, 0.5, and 1.0 g/kg) supplementation on performance, nutrients digestibility, tibia mineralisation, intestinal morphology and serum traits in broiler chickens fed nutrient deficient diets

Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of bile salts on the growth performance, carcase estimates, immunity and antioxidant measurements, some blood biochemical parameters, intestine enzyme activities and microbiology of broiler chickens. One hundred twenty 1 day old of Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments with 5 replicates of 6 chicks each for 42 days

Abstract Selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) is one measure suggested to reduce the use of antibiotics on dairy farms. This procedure may have a negative impact on dairy herds, affecting both milk yield and quality. The aim of this observational study was to evaluate the implementation of a SDCT protocol based on the treatment only of cows with SCC at last individual milk test before drying-off >100,000

Abstract This study assessed the effects of three tannin-based feed additives on the productive performance, foot-pad conditions, plasma metabolome, and caecal microbiota of meat-type chickens. A total of 2,340 male broilers were divided into 4 treatments (9 replicates each) fed either a commercial basal diet (CON) or the basal diet supplemented with one of the three tested products (A, B, or C) up

Abstract The application of Former Food Products (FFPs) as feed ingredients is already documented in swine, as well as their beneficial nutritional value. To date, FFPs extra-nutritional bioactive effect in feed has not been elucidated. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate and compare the total phenolic content and antioxidant capacity (AOC) in six samples of FFPs extracted by

(2020). Correction. Italian Journal of Animal Science: Vol. 19, No. 1, pp. 1393-1393.

Abstract Nowadays most of the Italian chickens’ breeds are replaced with commercial hybrids characterised by higher productive performance. However, the safeguard of biodiversity and consequently the genetic variability are a very important issue, and for this reason, it is fundamental to include local strains in preservation programs. In Italy, the poultry Genealogic Book has been recently constituted

Abstract Many alternatives are under investigation since 2006 when the European Union banned the use of antimicrobials in animal feed. The objective of this study was to find the effect of different feed additives in comparison with antibiotic on the performance and gut health in broiler infected with Salmonella during the starter phase. A total of 240 one day old male Ross 308 chickens were divided

Abstract Milk consumption has long been associated with better bone development in children, contrary to sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB); however, stronger evidence are needed. Therefore, this study aimed to use a pig model for growing children to evaluate the effect of milk vs. SBB consumption on the developing skeleton. For this, we used 24 pre-pubertal pigs (12 in Experiment 1, 8 males and 4 females

Abstract Fresh sausages are not always thoroughly cooked before consumption and can support the growth of pathogenic microorganisms, especially when stored at incorrect temperatures. The aim of this study was to verify the growth of Listeria monocytogenes in Italian salsiccia stored at 2 °C, 7 °C and 12 °C for 9 days (t9) with (PC+) and without (PC–) a commercial protective culture (Lactobacillus sakei

Abstract The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of bioactive peptides derived from cottonseed (BPC) on chicken performance, immunity, the total antioxidant activity of serum and intestinal morphology. A total of 280 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 1 of the following 7 experimental treatments (5 replicates per treatment with 8 broilers

Abstract In our experiment we studied the effect of dietary orange peel (OP) and grapefruit peel (GP) on broilers health and thigh meat quality. The experiment was conducted on 126 Cobb 500 broiler chicks, assigned to three dietary treatments with 42 broilers per group. Each treatment was conducted in 3 experimental growth boxes, corresponding to 6 replicate pens per treatment and 7 broilers per pen

Abstract This study was aimed to evaluate the impact of different monochromatic LED light colour (white ‘WL’, green ‘GL’, blue ‘BL’ and mixed green and blue ‘GL × BL’) and two levels of light intensity (5 lx and 20 lx) on growth performance, physiological responses (haematological and biochemical), behaviour and fear reactions in broiler. A 4 × 2 factorial treatment structure was used to evaluate the

Abstract This experiment aimed to establish the fatty acid profiles of oils from selected insect species and to evaluate their effects on in vitro rumen fermentation and methanogenesis. Insect samples, namely maggots, krotos, superworms, mealworms and crickets, were subjected to oil extraction using hexane in a Soxhlet apparatus. The fatty acid composition of the oils was subsequently determined. The

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare animal-related figures in milk and meat production and economic revenues from milk and animal sales over the last decade of the five most-common dairy cattle breeds in South Tyrol. Auction prices and milk performance control data were considered to calculate milk sales, animal sales and total revenue per cow of the respective breed between January

Abstract This study was carried out to study the beneficial role of organic acids and other beneficial compounds produced by Aspergillus japonicas and their effects on the egg production, egg quality, fertility, and hatchability as well as blood metabolites of quail breeders. A number of 150 mature 8-week of age Japanese quails (100 females and 50 males) were used and divided into 5 groups. The 1st

Abstract At present, in Italy no systematic recording of diagnostic data for improving animal health and welfare at farm level is available. A first approach towards a health recording system for cattle has been attempted in the Aosta Valley, recording the diagnoses of local Valdostana cattle between 2017 and 2018. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to evaluate the strengths and the critical

Abstract The objective of this trial was to determine the amount of alfalfa hay (AH) in low forage diets that could be replaced with dried corn gluten feed (DCGF) without negatively altering eating behaviour, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, and performance of lactating dairy cows. Eight multiparous Holstein cows were used in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment. Treatments

Abstract South African native chicken breeds are no exception to the declining of local domestic breeds that has long been recognised and found associated with the commercialisation of breeding in domestic animals. The aims of the study were: (i) to provide a comprehensive view of genetic variation in four KwaZulu-Natal indigenous chicken populations (Jozini, Newcastle, Pietermaritzburg, and Port Shepstone)

Abstract MicroRNA (miRNA) are single-stranded non-coding RNA of approximately 22 nucleotides estimated to regulate 60% of human and animal genes some of which are associated with cell differentiation, signal transduction and immune processes. Streptococcus agalactiae (S. agalactiae)-induced bovine mastitis is associated with up-regulation of miR-122 and down-regulation of erythropoietin (EPO) abundance

Abstract This study was carried out to investigate the effects of reduced dietary calcium (Ca) and non-phytate-phosphorus (NPP) levels on performance, carcase yield and bone mineralisation of modern broilers. 11,200 one-day-old chicks (Ross-308) were divided into 7 treatments and 8 replicates with standard recommended level and six different levels of Ca and NPP reduction with completely randomised

Abstract The present study was conducted to investigate the impacts of dietary supplementation of graded levels of herbal mixture powder (HMP) on growth performance, carcase traits, blood indices and meat quality of broilers. The herbal mixture consisted of (300 g [Capsicum annuum] Hot red pepper + 300 g Thymus vulgaris + 300 g Salvia rosmarinus + 150 g Pimpinella anisum + 150 g Mentha spicata + 300 g

Abstract The objective of this study was to use pedigree analysis to describe the population structure, genetic variability and inbreeding to quantify their effects on growth traits in Shall sheep. The analysis was based on the pedigree information of 64,964 animals. Data and pedigree information used in this study were collected from 1982 to 2012 by the Animal Breeding Centre of Iran. Growth traits

Abstract The expected future demand for highly nutrient animal food products will push the animal production system to search for new sources of high-quality protein feedstuffs. In this scenario, economic and environmental issues will have to be considered while reducing the competition with the plant-based human food chains. Legume grains and some oilseed cakes, by-products from the oil industry,

Abstract The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of enzymatically treated Artemisia annua L. (EA) on intestinal digestive function and immune capacity in weaned pigs. Firstly, a total of 300 21-day-old piglets were randomly allotted to five groups, including CON, EA1, EA2, EA3, and EA4 groups (basal diet supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4 g/kg EA, respectively). At 50 days of age

Abstract The effects of chitooligosaccharide (COS) supplementation in laying hen diets on egg production, egg quality, blood biochemistry, antioxidant capacity and immunity during the late laying period were investigated in this 10-week trial. A total of 3000 Fengda No.1 laying hens, 52 weeks of age, were randomly allocated to three treatment groups, each of which included five replicates of 200 hens

Abstract In rabbits’ reproductive performance, litter size, birth weight, growth, and mortality rate are among the most important indicators to define the productive potential and they are associated with parity order. Birth weight and little size are valuable parameters as related to mortality and weaning weight. Thus, it is important to study individual newborn and intra-litter homogeneity parameters

Abstract The present study aimed to investigate non-genetic sources of variation of milk production and quality traits of dual-purpose Original Brown (OB) cows farmed in Italian alpine region by using milk test-day records (n = 4034). Except for milk yield and somatic cell count, all phenotypes were predicted from milk mid-infrared spectra and included traditional composition traits, coagulation properties

Abstract Animal welfare assurance is of great importance as dairy farming is recently under increasing pressure to meet societal and commercial expectations. Therefore, this study aims to determine the current welfare situation of dairy cattle housed in tie-stalls and free stalls in South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps) in order to evaluate the need for establishment of an animal welfare assurance programme

Abstract The present study aimed to evaluate how dietary supplementation with a microencapsulated sodium butyrate (500 mg/kg; 30% Na-butyrate) in 768 male and female broiler chickens affected growth performance, jejunum gut morphology and caecal microbiome at different ages (11, 24, and 35 d), slaughter results, meat quality, and myopathy (white striping, wooden breast, and spaghetti meat) occurrence

Although selenium (Se) supplementation is a common practice in poultry, the best source and level has not been established yet. Thus, a 42-day experiment involving diets with three levels (0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 mg/kg) of supplemental Se from sodium selenite (SS), selenised yeast (SY) and nanoelemental Se (SN) was conducted to evaluate the possible differential responses of broiler chickens to inorganic

The effects of dietary Nanoparticles-Chromium, Chromium methionine, and Zinc-proteinate on performance, blood characteristics and meat quality of physiologically stressed quails were studied. The stress was induced by adding dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg BW) to diet when quails were between 17 and 22 days of age. Three hundred one-day chicks were randomly assigned to five groups comprising four replicates

The implementation of an animal welfare assurance programme for dairy cattle in South Tyrol (Eastern Italian Alps) faces particular feasibility constraints due to the outstanding volume of travel associated with routine on-farm audits of remote mountain farms. Therefore, this study aims to estimate the inter-rater reliability of the expert’s and farmers’ welfare outcome assessment regarding recommendations

Limited water intake affects livestock. Though small ruminants are more resilient to suboptimum water intake compared to other species of livestock, tolerance abilities differ among breeds. This study was aimed at investigating the effect of water deprivation levels on intake, growth performance and nutritional status of Nguni goats. Thirty-six Nguni goats (initial weight, 18 ± 3.2 kg) were assigned

This study investigated the effects of Artemisia argyi extract (AAE) on broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). A total of 96 Arbour Acres broilers (1-d-old) were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement with two dietary treatments (AAE at 0 or 1000 mg/kg) and two immunological challenge treatments (saline or LPS). On d 14, 16, 18 and 20, the broilers were injected intra-abdominally with

A total of 120 growing rabbits (7-weeks old) reared under high ambient temperature were divided into four equal groups, 30 rabbits each. The first group was received a basal diet without Phycocyanin (PC) (0 g/kg diet) and served as a control (PC0). The other three groups were received diets containing PC (50 (PC50), 100 (PC100), 150 (PC150) mg/kg diet, respectively). Live body weight (LBW) and feed

This work evaluated the reliability of the multivariate statistical analysis to discriminate the feeding system and the species of ruminants using their intramuscular fatty acids (FA) profile. FA composition of 53 meat samples (longissimus dorsi muscle) from animals of different species (sheep and cattle) raised with different feeding systems (pasture and stall-fed) (4 groups overall) was determined