Animal - Open Space最新文献

{"title":"Age at first gestation in bovine influences female progeny post-weaning growth and reproductive development","authors":"S. López-Valiente ,&nbsp;A.M. Rodriguez ,&nbsp;N.M. Long ,&nbsp;S. Maresca","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100072","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100072","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigated the impact of the age at which heifers conceive for the first time on the growth and reproductive development of their female offspring. A total of seven heifers pregnant at 15 months of age (<strong>15M</strong>), nine heifers pregnant at 27 months of age (<strong>27M</strong>) and seven multiparous pregnant cows (<strong>Adult</strong>) were used in the present trial. All dams were pregnant by AI from a single sire and managed in a single group during gestation, lactation and rearing stages. After weaning heifer calves were stocked on natural pastures. Progeny of heifers that gestated for the first time at different ages did not present differences in growth; however, progeny of 15 and 27M dams had reduced BW, longissimus muscle area and 12th fat thickness compared to progeny of adult dams (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Diameter of the largest follicle was greater in progeny born to Adult compared to progeny born to 15 and 27M (<em>P</em> = 0.04). Reproductive tract score (<strong>RTS</strong>) in heifers born to Adult at 399 days of age was greater compared to heifers born to 27M, and this category presented greater development than heifers born to 15M (<em>P</em> = 0.02). At 435 days of age, the heifers born to Adult had a greater percentage defined as pubertal compared to the progeny of 15 and 27M (<em>P</em> = 0.04). At 495 days of age, the weight of uterus, ovaries and corpora lutea were not affected by the age of dams at calving (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.25). These data indicated that the age at which heifers received their first service affects female offspring growth RTS at early ages, but it does not have any impact in organ development after diet with a high energy level.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100072"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694024000128/pdfft?md5=b874a260ee84a95d394bd73a8b6e00fe&pid=1-s2.0-S2772694024000128-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141480810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Method: Protocol for in-ovo stimulation with selected pro-/prophy-biotics to mitigate Campylobacter jejuni in broiler chickens","authors":"R.N. Wishna-Kadawarage ,&nbsp;R.M. Hickey ,&nbsp;M. Siwek","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100077","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100077","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Broiler chickens are a natural reservoir for <em>Campylobacter</em> which is largely responsible for the highest reported zoonotic infection within the Europe, Campylobacteriosis. However, despite extensive scientific investment, the broiler industry is still in need of effective intervention strategies to control this pathogen in broiler production. <em>In-ovo</em> modulation has been studied extensively as a method to positively modulate the gastrointestinal microflora in broiler chickens. However, the efficacy of an <em>in-ovo</em> method against <em>Campylobacter</em> has not been studied to date to the best of our knowledge. Therefore, the current study was conducted to validate the efficacy of a protocol for <em>in-ovo</em> stimulation of ROS308 broiler chicken eggs with <em>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</em> B/00288 strain alone (probiotic) and in combination with garlic aqueous extract (prophybiotic) in reducing the abundance of <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> in ceca. On 12th day of incubation, the selected doses of the probiotic and prophybiotic were injected into the air cell of the eggs as treatments. Two control groups (Negative control: without injections and positive control injected with physiological saline) were also included in the experiment. The impact of the protocol on hatch parameters (hatchability, chick length, chick weight and Pasgar score), BWs and feed conversion ratio was recorded. When the chickens were 21 days old, an infection challenge with <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> was performed. A quantitative PCR method was used to quantify the <em>Campylobacter</em> relative abundance in faeces (one week postinfection) and in the cecal content (at the age of 35 days). The probiotic treatment significantly (<em>P-</em>value = 0.0020) reduced the <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> numbers in the ceca while the prophybiotic treatment resulted in a statistical tendency (<em>P-</em>value = 0.0691) in reducing the abundance of <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> in ceca. Both treatments had no adverse effects on the hatch or production parameters studied. In conclusion, <em>in-ovo</em> stimulation with the probiotic <em>Leuconostoc mesenteroides</em> demonstrated potential in reducing <em>Campylobacter jejuni</em> colonisation in the ceca of ROSS308 broiler chickens infected at 3 weeks of age.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100077"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320382","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Method: effect of different ileal content collection methods on ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients determination in broiler chickens","authors":"S. Sasia ,&nbsp;C. Vogel ,&nbsp;I. Raymond ,&nbsp;C. Coker ,&nbsp;S. Grooms ,&nbsp;W. Bridges ,&nbsp;M. Arguelles-Ramos","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100073","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100073","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study compared two collection methods (<strong>CMs</strong>) to obtain ileal content from broiler chickens to determine apparent ileal amino acid digestibility coefficients (<strong>AIAAD</strong>). CM1 consisted of collecting the digesta by gently squeezing the ileum, while in CM2, the ileal digesta was flushed with distilled water. A total of 130 one-day-old male chicks were randomly distributed among 10 cages, using five replicate cages per CM. Birds were fed <em>ad libitum</em> with a standard starter diet from 0 to 18 d of age. At 18d, the diet switched to a corn-based semi-purified diet with 0.5% titanium dioxide (<strong>TiO2</strong>) as the indigestible marker. At 21d, birds were euthanized, and ileal digesta was collected using one of the two CMs. Bird performance was monitored; feed and lyophilized ileum content samples were analyzed to determine amino acids (<strong>AAs</strong>) and Ti content to determine AIAAD. A two-sided T-test and an F-test two-sided were performed to determine differences among the CMs’ means and variances, respectively. All significant differences were considered at a <em>P-</em>value &lt; 0.05. Bird performance was similar for both groups throughout the experiment (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). No significant differences between CMs were observed in the AIAAD coefficients for any of the amino acids analyzed (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). The variances were significantly different for 6 AA (Iso, Lys, Thr, Ala, Asp, Glu; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In addition, four AAs approach significance (Leu, Met, Val, Pro; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.1). The numeric values of the AAs variances were consistently higher when the sample was obtained using CM1. Squeezing may increase variability by enhancing endogenous losses like sloughed cells and mucin, underestimating digestibility in some samples. Using CM2 (flushing with distilled water) would provide more consistent and uniform results. This approach not only diminishes the likelihood of errors but also contributes to the standardization of methodologies applied in digestibility trials within the poultry research field.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100073"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S277269402400013X/pdfft?md5=9706468055962fbe2807f4b76481858b&pid=1-s2.0-S277269402400013X-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141594295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Heat tolerance in hair sheep: individual differences on physiological, endocrine, and behavioral responses","authors":"M.H.A. Pantoja ,&nbsp;G.B. Mourão ,&nbsp;M.C.S. Ferreira ,&nbsp;E.A.L. Titto ,&nbsp;R.F. Strefezzi ,&nbsp;S.B. Gallo ,&nbsp;C.G. Titto","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100067","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100067","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Heat stress is a major factor affecting animal productivity in tropical countries, with effects on physiological, hormonal, and behavioral responses. This study aimed to assess the differences in these responses between heat-tolerant and less heat-tolerant hair sheep during heat stress. Twenty-four Santa Ines sheep were selected from a group of 80 sheep, with 12 identified as heat-tolerant and 12 as less heat-tolerant based on thermotolerance assessment. The animals were exposed to heat stress in a climatic chamber at an average temperature of 36 °C (1000–1600 h) for 8 days and maintained at 28 °C (1600–1000 h). The rectal temperature, respiration rate, sweat rate, ocular surface temperature, body surface temperature, tympanic temperature, triiodothyronine level, and insulin level were measured. Skin samples were collected on the last day of the cycle for histological analysis. The results showed that the less heat-tolerant sheep had higher rectal and body surface temperatures (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Although no differences in skin morphology were observed between the groups, less heat-tolerant sheep continued to sweat for a longer period after the end of the thermal challenge to lose heat (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Less heat-tolerant animals also presented higher rectal temperatures during cooler hours and required more time to dissipate the excess heat. These findings suggest that there are individual differences in the thermoregulatory responses within the same breed under the same environmental conditions, and that breeding programs could be employed to produce more heat-tolerant, but still productive animals in tropical conditions.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100067"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694024000074/pdfft?md5=21e2907c4bde89df438aaae9e2065665&pid=1-s2.0-S2772694024000074-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140290459","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Method: Standard operating procedure for the administration of swallowable devices to study pig’s gut content in a non-invasive way","authors":"I. García Viñado ,&nbsp;G. Bee ,&nbsp;P. Trevisi ,&nbsp;C. Ollagnier","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100076","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100076","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Due to the evolution of welfare laws and the search for novel methods to study pig microbiota, the development of precise and non-invasive sampling methods is key to studying the microbial communities that inhabit the guts of pigs. Administering swallowable devices to pigs is always a challenge due to factors such as anatomy, the requirement for specific materials, and the need to restrain the animals. In this study, we describe a step-by-step protocol on how to administer Capsule for Sampling (<strong>CapSa</strong>), a biocompatible non-invasive device to study pig’s microbiota without harming the animals. The validation of the protocol was done through two different studies. In Study 1, 92 Swiss Large White pigs (BW: 6.45–71.3 kg) were administered two capsules each and monitored for the following 3 days for capsule retrieval. On day 3, all pigs were euthanised to locate the missing capsules directly from their gastrointestinal tracts. In Study 2, 16 Swiss Large White pigs were selected at weaning and administered CapSas at five different timepoints (T1: 52 ± 3; T2: 70 ± 3; T3: 83 ± 3; T4: 110 ± 3; T5: 126 ± 3 days of age). To retrieve the capsules in the faeces, pigs were monitored 3 days postadministration. At T5, the pigs were slaughtered, and CapSas that were not found in the faeces, termed as missing CapSas, were retrieved from their gastrointestinal tracts. The protocol entails acclimation of the animals, housing modifications, administration of a prokinetic agent (prucalopride) to facilitate gastric emptying, and oesophageal intubations to overcome challenges related to administration, gastric blockage, and retrieval of the capsules. In Study 1, 46.74% of the administered CapSas were found in the faeces within 72 h postadministration, with 47.67% retrieved within the first 24 h, and 28.26% were located in the stomach. The CapSa retrieval was lowest in light pigs (&lt;12 kg). In Study 2, 75.6% of CapSas were recovered in the faeces within 72 h postadministration, with 51.23% retrieved within the first 24 h. The CapSa retrieval rates varied depending on the administration time point being lowest at T1 and T3 and highest at T2 with intermediate values at T4 and T5. In both studies, the pH levels were affected by transit time (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01), resulting in a more acidic content when capsules were expelled after 36–40 h. To the contrary, the volume of the CapSa content was never affected by transit time (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In both studies, postmortem observations showed no health-related issues except one pig from Study 2 excluded due to respiratory distress. The present study describes a valid procedure for administering CapSa or any other swallowable devices in pigs. Moreover, this procedure is applicable to singular and repetitive administrations over the lifespan of pigs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100076"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694024000165/pdfft?md5=26a003f9a20c65825262624884b71be1&pid=1-s2.0-S2772694024000165-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142167502","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of age on D20, D40 and live foal rates in the Clydesdale mare","authors":"J.B. Thomas ,&nbsp;M.C.G. Davies Morel ,&nbsp;B. Lancaster","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100082","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100082","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reproductive performance is an important aspect of the equine industry. Breeders ideally want to increase the number of successful or valuable horses, whether these horses are racehorses, eventers, or show horses. This is especially important for breeds like the Clydesdale given the significant decline in breed numbers over the last century from over 20 000 registered horses in the 1920 s to less than 5 000 worldwide today. Mare age is a factor which has been shown to influence reproductive success in Thoroughbreds. However, limited work has been done on other breeds to investigate whether a similar association exists. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of mare age on (1) Day 20 pregnancy rates, (2) Day 40 pregnancy rates, and (3) live foal rates. Breeding records (n = 441) for 135 Clydesdale mares (aged 3–22) were reviewed. Generalised linear mixed models were used to determine the Day 20, Day 40, and live foal rates. Rates for country and farm were determined for live foal rates only. Mare was added as a random effect in all models to account for the fact that mares had multiple pregnancies. Mare age was categorised into four age groups: 3–6 years, 7–10 years, 11–14 years, &gt;14 years and included as a fixed effect to look for differences across the age groups. Of the 441 pregnancies, 26 involved the use of hormone treatment. As a result, all models were re-run excluding any pregnancies where hormones were used to ensure consistency of results. The overall foaling rate (mean ± ) was 71% (66–76%). There was considerable variation in overall foal rate across farms (35% (13–65%) to 87% (66–96%)) but there was no significant difference (<em>P</em> = 0.177). Country was significant (<em>P</em> = 0.029). Mare age had a significant (<em>P</em> = 0.021) effect on live foaling rates. Mares aged over 14 years had a decrease of 65% in the odds of having a successful pregnancy compared to a horse 3–6 years of age. In conclusion, age was a significant factor for reproductive success in Clydesdales, with mares 14 years of age or younger having the highest reproductive success.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100082"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142722811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"News from animal – open space","authors":"Giuseppe Bee","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100068","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100068"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694024000086/pdfft?md5=2b21f42c2cb1a7bef3326ea3c8c28406&pid=1-s2.0-S2772694024000086-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140190933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Behavioural patterns of lambs detected with tri-axial ear-mounted accelerometers while grazing endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass","authors":"Bowen Fan,&nbsp;Racheal Bryant,&nbsp;Andrew Greer","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100071","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100071","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The infection of the endophytic fungus (<em>Epichloë festucae</em> var. <em>lolii</em>) within perennial ryegrass (<em>Lolium perenne</em>) pastures can produce toxic alkaloids, including lolitrem B and ergovaline which can negatively impact animal welfare and behaviour through causing ryegrass staggers as well as poor growth and increased sensitivity to heat stress. Wearable 3-axis acceleration sensors can provide an alternative to automatically monitor individual grazing livestock who need essential treatment to minimise the impact of grazing pastures infected with an endophyte. The objective of this study was to categorise changes in ruminating, eating and other behavioural activities of grazing lambs exposed to endophyte-infected perennial ryegrass via commercial accelerometer sensors. Lambs were fitted with the ear-mounted accelerometer sensors (CowManager SensOors, Agis, Harmelen, the Netherlands) and allocated randomly within live-weight strata to graze either endophyte-free (Control) or wild−type endophyte-infected (Endophyte) perennial ryegrass pasture. Live weight change, behaviour and incidence of staggers were monitored over a 2-month grazing period. Moderately severe staggers (score 4/5) occurred in 40% of lambs in the Endophyte treatment with a mean staggers score of 2.33 ± 0.41 across the group. Compared with control lambs, endophyte-infected lambs compensated for reduced eating (−36.0 min/day) and inactive (−43.7 min/day) duration in favour of increased ruminating (+40.2 min/day) and active (+29.9 min/day) duration. The sensors also identified diurnal adaptations in behaviour of lambs which were affected by endophyte staggers, presenting significant effects of endophyte challenge by hour interaction on the diurnal eating duration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), diurnal ruminating duration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), diurnal inactive duration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), diurnal active duration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and diurnal highly active duration (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, these sensors were able to detect subtle changes in the behaviour of grazing sheep that can be used to detect subclinical symptoms of ryegrass staggers when consuming ryegrass staggers.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100071"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772694024000116/pdfft?md5=c1a54fa09352465bf33ad26486b259fb&pid=1-s2.0-S2772694024000116-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141486281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Data paper: Dataset describing the effects of environmental enrichment and sows’ characteristics on the peripheral blood mononuclear cell transcriptome","authors":"M.M. Lopes ,&nbsp;A. Vincent ,&nbsp;F. Thomas ,&nbsp;C. Clouard ,&nbsp;R. Comte ,&nbsp;M. Brien ,&nbsp;J. Chambeaud ,&nbsp;F. Hérault ,&nbsp;E. Guichoux ,&nbsp;C. Boury ,&nbsp;R. Resmond ,&nbsp;E. Merlot","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100078","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100078","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Blood immune cells transcriptome can be used as a tool to investigate molecular mechanisms or identify biomarkers of several physiological processes. Factors such as reproductive status, age, or physical and mental states resulting from social and non-social environmental aspects can influence the activation and phenotype of immune cells. This data paper describes the gene expression levels in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (<strong>PBMCs</strong>) of multiparous sows, using RNA sequencing. Sows of various parity ranks were housed during gestation in a stable social group either in a conventional environment on a slatted concrete floor (<strong>C</strong>) or in an enriched environment with deep straw litter and a bigger space allowance (<strong>E</strong>). Videos were recorded between days 99 and 104 of gestation (<strong>G;</strong> G99 and G104) to determine the sows’ dominance status. Blood samples were collected at 98 days of gestation (<strong>G98</strong>) and 12 days of lactation (<strong>L12</strong>), and the PBMC fraction was isolated. Then, total RNA was extracted from PBMC and submitted to next-generation sequencing using the Illumina NextSeq 2000 system. Quality control, mapping, and annotation were performed using the Dragen RNA v3.8.4 software. The differential analysis was performed using the R package DESeq2. Differentially expressed genes (<strong>DEGs</strong>) were identified using a criterion of adjusted <em>P</em>-value (<strong>p-adj</strong>) cut-off &lt;0.1 and fold-change &gt;1.2 or &lt;0.83 to identify up-regulated and down-regulated genes. For each time point (G98 and L12), the following contrasts were used for the differential analysis: sows housed in the enriched environment compared to the conventional environment [E vs C], dominant (<strong>Dom</strong>) sows compared to subordinate (<strong>Sub</strong>) sows [Dom vs Sub], and high parity sows <strong>(HP:</strong> 4th gestation or higher) compared to low parity sows (<strong>LP</strong>: 2nd and 3rd gestation) [HP vs LP]. The identified DEGs were used for functional analysis using the Database for Annotation, Visualisation, and Integrated Discovery software. To our knowledge, this is the first dataset allowing the investigation of the simultaneous effects of housing environment, dominance status, and parity on the PBMC transcriptome of adult sows. These data could also be used to compare the transcriptomes of pregnant and lactating females.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100078"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142320381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impact of the amount of milk replacer offers to Holstein dairy heifers on pre- and postweaning growth","authors":"J. Philion ,&nbsp;L. Laflamme-Michaud ,&nbsp;D.E. Santschi ,&nbsp;É.R. Paquet ,&nbsp;É. Charbonneau","doi":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100081","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.anopes.2024.100081","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The whole milk or milk replacer (<strong>MR</strong>) intake by dairy heifers during their preweaning period is known to have an impact on their early and long-term development, growth, and productivity. The objective of this study was to assess whether providing <em>ad libitum</em> access to MR in comparison to the Canadian milk feeding recommendation would impact growth performance during the preweaning period, and if those impacts would be maintained in the postweaning period, near puberty at around 11 months of age. On a commercial farm located in Quebec, Canada, 179 Holstein heifers were randomly assigned to two treatments where they were offered (1) <em>ad libitum</em> access to MR (<strong>AdLib</strong>, n = 93) or (2) a maximum amount of MR corresponding to 20% of their birth weights as currently recommended by the Canadian Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Dairy Cattle (<strong>ReCan</strong>, n = 86). Weaning started at 52 and 64 d of age for AdLib and ReCan, respectively, and was completed at 76 d of age for both treatments. Milk replacer (28% CP, 16% fat, 15% DM) was offered using an automated feeding system, and the amount of MR was gradually reduced at weaning, over 24 and 12 d for AdLib and ReCan, respectively, with an identical program for the last 12 d. Data were collected for individual heifers to obtain live BW, heart girth circumference, withers height, hip height, and hip width during the preweaning (55 d) period and around puberty (around 11 mo). Mean MR intake at peak consumption between 46 d and 52 d was 11.8 L/d for AdLib vs 8.3 L/d for ReCan. Our results show that heifers on the AdLib treatment had significantly higher BW at 55 d of age and around puberty compared to heifers on the ReCan treatment. At weaning, no significant differences were observed for heart girth circumference, withers height, hip width, or average daily gain (<strong>ADG</strong>). Near puberty, the BW and hip height are significantly higher for the AdLib heifers and, when considering only heifers consuming a minimal amount of 7.5 L/d at the peak of consumption for the analysis, heart girth circumference, and ADG are significantly higher as well. Our results indicate that preweaning body conformation gains associated with an AdLib feeding program are maintained until puberty and this is even when compared to the current Canadian milk feeding recommendation of 20% of live weight in MR.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100083,"journal":{"name":"Animal - Open Space","volume":"3 ","pages":"Article 100081"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142655412","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}