Livestock Science最新文献

{"title":"Feed intake, milk production, and nutrient use efficiency with early lactating Norwegian Red dairy cows fed concentrates with varying levels of local ingredients","authors":"K.S. Eikanger ,&nbsp;M. Eknæs ,&nbsp;J.K. Sommerseth ,&nbsp;I.J. Karlengen ,&nbsp;I. Schei ,&nbsp;M. Silberberg ,&nbsp;A. Kidane","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105790","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105790","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We evaluated the effects of replacing imported soya protein and carbohydrate ingredients in concentrate feeds with alkalised barley in dairy cow diets with grass silage as a basal diet. Eight multiparous early lactation Norwegian Red dairy (NRF) cows with an initial daily milk yield (MY±SD) of 30.5 ± 5.94 kg were used in a 4 × 4 replicated Latin square design experiment of four 35-day experimental periods. Four roughly isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were included: a positive control with a higher share of imported ingredients, including soya as a protein source (Soya-F), two concentrates including alkalised barley (Alka-diets), differing in pre-pelleting particle size (i.e., Alka fine = Alka-F, and Alka coarse = Alka-C), and a negative control with the same basal ingredients as the Alka-diets but with untreated barley and added feed-grade urea replacing the alkalised barley (Urea-F). Grass silage was offered ad libitum and concentrate requirement for individual cows was calculated based on Soya-F. The Soya-F was then quantitatively replaced by the other three concentrate feeds. Feed intake, nutrient digestibility, milk production, nutrient use efficiency, and serum metabolites were measured. Replacing Soya-F with Alka-diets did not affect feed intake, digestibility, and milk production. However, Alka-diets supported a greater milk yield than Urea-F, which in turn improved feed utilisation efficiency for Alka-diets without altered N efficiency. A coarser pre-pelleting structure of Alka-C resulted in a lower starch digestibility compared to Alka-F. In conclusion, alkaline-treated barley has the potential to replace soya in concentrates for NRF dairy cows without compromising production efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 105790"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144829139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Methane mitigation in practically applicable dairy diets: Impact of diet composition and extruded linseed","authors":"J. Van Mullem ,&nbsp;D. Van Wesemael ,&nbsp;B. Ampe ,&nbsp;V. Fievez ,&nbsp;L. Vandaele ,&nbsp;N. Peiren","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105783","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105783","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Recognized strategies to mitigate methane (CH₄) emissions from dairy cows include increased levels of dietary starch or lipids. Most studies have tested extreme experimental diets that are rarely applied in practice, as farmers generally apply lower concentrations. In the present study we evaluated the effects of partial replacement of grass silage (GS) with corn silage (CS) and extruded linseed (EL) supplementation in optimized dairy cattle diets under conventional farming conditions. Three 15-week experiments were conducted in three periods: adaptation (3 weeks), pre-treatment (6 weeks), and treatment (6 weeks). A reference group receiving a control diet was compared to each treatment group. In EXP1, GS (65 % GS, 35 % CS) was partially replaced with CS (35 % GS, 65 % CS). In EXP2 and EXP3, EL (13.8 % of dietary DM, fat increased by 1.5 %) was added to a CS-based (EXP2) and to a GS-based diet (EXP3). No significant effect was observed on milk production and CH₄ emissions when replacing GS with CS. EL addition to the CS-based diet showed a trend toward a 9 % reduction in CH₄ production and yield (<em>p</em> = 0.097 and <em>p</em> = 0.074), while no significant effect of EL was observed for the GS-based diet. In summary, replacing GS with CS had no effect on production or CH₄ emissions, while adding EL to a CS-based diet showed potential for CH₄ mitigation. This study shows that recognized CH₄ mitigation strategies may not prove effective when diets are optimized based on practical guidelines for high-producing dairy cows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"300 ","pages":"Article 105783"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144653854","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of a simulated udder on survival and weight gain of neonatal piglets in a practical farm setting","authors":"C. Jensen ,&nbsp;E. Rønving ,&nbsp;V.A. Moustsen ,&nbsp;M. Hinge ,&nbsp;F. Hakansson ,&nbsp;I. Czycholl","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105757","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105757","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Hyperprolificacy in sows presents challenges for piglet nutrition and survival in modern pig production. This study investigated the potential to ensure the survival of one additional piglet by using a specifically designed simulated udder (test group, T-group) compared to the control group (C-group). The hypothesis further holds that there is no negative effect on piglet weight gain. The experiment involved 53 litters from 26 control-sows (C-group) and 27 test-sows (T-group), conducted over seven weeks on a Danish pig farm. In the T-group, litters were divided into sets of six based on birth order, rotation between nursing by the sow and the simulated udder, while the C-group piglets were nursed continuously by the sow. Numerically, in the T-group, 0.6 more piglets survived; however, this effect was not statistically significant. (<em>P</em> = 0.7). 69.8 % of the sows successfully nursed 17 piglets, with 74.1 % of these sows belonging to the T-group. 96.5 % of the piglets maintained or exceeded their birth weight, and 86.8 % experienced a weight gain of at least 10 % within 76 h <em>postpartum</em>. The weight gain in the T-group was 5.8 ± 1.3 kg and 4.9 ± 1.6 kg in the C-group. The utilization of a simulated udder did not result in significant changes in piglet survival, though it did have an impact on weight gain compared to sow nursing. However, the sample size in this study was too low to detect smaller effects. Importantly, no negative consequences were observed from the use of simulated udders.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105757"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523324","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nutritional protocols that alter ruminal fermentation and nutrient disappearance to increase marbling precursors in Nellore cattle","authors":"Mariana M. Squizatti ,&nbsp;Antonio M. Silvestre ,&nbsp;Luana D. Felizari ,&nbsp;Breno L. Demartini ,&nbsp;Leandro A.F. Silva ,&nbsp;Daniel M. Casali ,&nbsp;Lidiane S. Miranda ,&nbsp;Katia L.R. Souza ,&nbsp;Vanessa G. Gasparini ,&nbsp;Werner F. Schleifer ,&nbsp;Thaiano I.S. Silva ,&nbsp;Johnny M. Souza ,&nbsp;Garret Suen ,&nbsp;Danilo D. Millen","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105758","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105758","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The aim of this was to investigate the effects of various nutritional protocols on the marbling precursors of Nellore cattle, including high-moisture corn (HMC), calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) and organic zinc and chromium (ZnCr) in the finishing diet. Five Nellore steers fitted with ruminal cannulas were utilized in a 5 × 5 Latin square design, with each period lasting 28 days and a 7-day washout between periods. Animals were randomly allocated to one of five treatments in each period: T1) Finely-ground corn (FGC); T2) HMC; T3) FGC + CSFA T4) HMC + CSFA, and T5) HMC + CSFA + ZnCr. Sodium monensin was added to all treatments at a dosage of 25 ppm. The replacement of FGC with HMC reduced dry matter intake by 5.9 % (<em>P</em> = 0.02) and increased blood glucose concentrations by 24.6 % (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) without significantly altering (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) ruminal short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and pH. The addition of CSFA decreased (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) the ruminal degradability of nutrients such as dry matter, crude protein, and neutral and acid detergent fiber, without impacting propionate and SCFA concentrations in the rumen, as well as blood glucose and insulin levels (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). An increase (<em>P</em> = 0.02) in protozoa populations from the genera <em>Entodinium</em> and <em>Diplodinium</em> was observed when CSFA were added to the diet. The addition of ZnCr increased the molar proportion of propionate (<em>P</em> = 0.01) from 29.29 to 38.08 mol/100 mol, resulting in a greater concentration of SCFA 12 h after feeding (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Moreover, adding ZnCr to the diet elevated insulin levels by 53.5 % and decreased blood glucose by 34.2 %. The addition of CSFA did not affect marbling precursors in Nellore cattle, and HMC only increased blood glucose concentrations. However, incorporating organic Zn and Cr into diets may enhance the positive effects of HMC and CSFA on marbling precursors.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105758"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144523323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Improving generation and publication of protein abundance data in livestock physiology studies","authors":"Elke Albrecht,&nbsp;Steffen Maak","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105777","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105777","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In animal and livestock physiology, methods for detection and quantification of proteins become increasingly important to describe a physiological state of the animal. This Opinion Paper intends to point to the insufficient situation of protein data reproducibility due to the lack of information in scientific publications. Authors, reviewers and editors should take care of a few points that can improve the reliability and reproducibility of published studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105777"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587580","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Estimation of individual crossbreeding effects and growth curve analysis for growth traits of Dorper × local crossbred sheep in Ethiopia","authors":"Shanbel Besufkad ,&nbsp;Aschalew Abebe ,&nbsp;Zeleke Tesema ,&nbsp;Asfaw Bisrat ,&nbsp;Shenkute Goshme ,&nbsp;Tesfaye Zewdie ,&nbsp;Erdachew Yitagesu ,&nbsp;Derib Aydefruhm ,&nbsp;Firdawok Ayele ,&nbsp;Chekol Demis ,&nbsp;Enyew Aleminew ,&nbsp;Tadiwo Asfaw ,&nbsp;Yeshitla Wondiyfraw ,&nbsp;Mesfin Eshete ,&nbsp;Tesfa Getachew ,&nbsp;Liulseged Alemayehu ,&nbsp;Solomon Gizaw ,&nbsp;Tesfaye Getachew ,&nbsp;Berhanu Belay ,&nbsp;Mourad Rekik ,&nbsp;Aynalem Haile","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Growth data collected from 2011 to 2024 at Debre Birhan Agricultural Research Center sheep breeding station in Ethiopia was used to estimate crossbreeding parameters and describe the growth pattern of Dorper × Menz crossbred sheep. To estimate crossbreeding parameters, the coefficient of breed additive, heterosis and recombination effects in the lamb were fitted as covariates in the analysis. Growth curve model parameters were estimated using Levenberg-Marquardt’s iterative algorithm through the nonlinear regression (NLIN) procedure in SAS. Menz sheep were consistently lighter and gained lower weight than Dorper and their crosses. Relative to the mean value of Menz sheep, the Dorper additive contribution to the BWT, WWT, SMWT, YWT, ADG1, ADG2 and ADG3 of lambs were 47.4, 49.7, 53.4, 63.9, 49.7, 36.9 and 1.16% higher, respectively. The heterosis effects were significantly negative (P&lt;0.05) for BWT, WWT, SMWT and ADG1, but positive (P&lt;0.01) for YWT, ADG2 and ADG3. The estimates of the recombination loss were positive in all traits except for ADG2. The Brody model provided the best fit of growth curve in all lamb genotypes, males, females, single and twin. The present study confirmed that the breed differences, heterosis and recombination effects are important genetic factors affecting growth performance in the Dorper × Menz crossbreeding programs. Moreover, improvement of growth curve parameters could be possible through selection program and intervention of improved management during weaning to six months of age. Therefore, developing an improved management and selection strategy to achieve the desired shape of growth would be very important.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105780"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144587579","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationships between beef cow daily distance travelled, age, size, hide color, foraging optimization, and grazing distribution","authors":"Jacob D. Hennig ,&nbsp;J.Derek Scasta ,&nbsp;Jeffrey L. Beck ,&nbsp;J.D. Hill ,&nbsp;Barton Stam","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105764","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105764","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;Movement and foraging behavior can influence animal productivity. Free-ranging cattle incur a high energetic cost from walking, but individuals that move more may do so to access greater forage quality leading to increased weight gains and weaning weights. Understanding how movement rates correlate with preferred demographic and phenotypic traits can inform breeding programs and management decisions. Beef cattle size has steadily increased in North America over the past 50 years due to selection for growth traits, and concomitantly the proportion of black-hided cattle has also increased. Consequently, understanding how cattle size and color influence movement rates, and how they vary with production stages, is critical for managers to make breeding selection, supplementation, and grazing rotation decisions. To better understand beef cattle movement in the context of industry trends and production stages, we deployed GPS collars on &lt;em&gt;Bos taurus&lt;/em&gt; beef cows across a heterogeneous northern USA Great Plains rangeland to test 6 hypotheses related to individual movement variation: First, daily distance travelled varies with production stage due to different nutritional and physiological demands of each stage; second, older cattle are more experienced with their surroundings and move more per day to optimize resource acquisition; third, larger framed cattle have less capability to traverse rangelands and move less per day; fourth, red cattle receive less solar energy and move more during colder periods; fifth, individuals with greater movement distances use areas with greater forage quality; and sixth, individuals with greater daily movement distances are more optimally distributed across the range. Daily distance travelled varied by production stage with the shortest mean distance occurring during late-gestation (2730.97, 2671.54–2790.40) and longest mean distance during breeding (3089.85, 3017.71–3161.99). Mean daily distance travelled increased by 42.71 m (95 % CI = 0.17–85.24) per day for every additional year of cow age. At 0 degrees Celsius, red cattle moved an estimated 2758.93 m (95 % CI = 2670.32–2847.54) compared to an estimated 2584.90 m (2500.68–2669.13) for black cattle. Daily distance travelled did not vary with cow frame size. Mean daily distance travelled was positively related to both the maximum normalized difference vegetation index (β = 0.643, SE = 0.027, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.016) and instantaneous rate of green-up (β = 0.075, SE = 0.020, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001) values of areas used daily. Additionally, daily distance travelled increased by 18.18 m (95 % CI = 12.78–23.58) for each additional degree of maximum slope use, and 484.89 m (451.12–517.66) for each additional 1000 m maximum distance from water. Our work documents that cattle movement rates vary with production stage and provides evidence that black-hided cattle may be better adapted to northern latitudes. Furthermore, we show that increased daily movement is indeed r","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105764"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144549160","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Pasture management strategies to offer optimal sward structures for maximizing intake rate in continuous stocking","authors":"Lívia Chagas de Lima ,&nbsp;Thainá Silva de Freitas ,&nbsp;Arthur Pontes-Prates ,&nbsp;Alejandra Marín Gómez ,&nbsp;Jean Víctor Savian ,&nbsp;Paulo César de Faccio Carvalho","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding herbivore interaction with forage resources is crucial for effective grazing management. This study investigates the impact of sward management strategies on the foraging behavior of sheep under continuous stocking. Italian ryegrass pastures were maintained at an average sward height of 15 cm, which has been reported to be optimal for animal performance. The objective was to assess whether sheep modify their grazing behavior in response to different interventions to maintain the target sward height. Three treatments were applied: 1) put-and-take with weekly stocking density adjustments (P&amp;T); 2) as P&amp;T, plus targeted grazing to areas that exceeded 18 cm, and deferment by fencing in areas where sward height was &lt;12 cm (T&amp;D); and 3) as P&amp;T, plus mowing to 15 cm areas where average height exceeded 18 cm and deferment in areas below 12 cm (M&amp;D). Sheep selectively grazed sward heights between 13–18 cm, which provided the highest intake per unit of grazing time. Regular adjustment of stocking density effectively maintained sward height within the optimal range for grazing. Overall, our results indicated no major changes in short-term behavior variables, daily activities time, grazing patterns, or the sward's height ranges the sheep selected. The results emphasize the importance of managing sward height to optimize animal intake and demonstrate that labor-intensive methods of pasture intervention, rather than simply manipulating animal density over time, do not significantly influence sheep intake or behavior when resources are abundant.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105761"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of replacing timothy silage by red clover silage on environmental impacts, growth performance and carcass traits of finishing beef bulls","authors":"Arto Huuskonen ,&nbsp;Sanna Hietala ,&nbsp;Maiju Pesonen ,&nbsp;Katariina Manni","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105755","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105755","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of the study was to evaluate the effects of replacing timothy grass silage (GS) by red clover silage (RS) on environmental impacts, growth performance and carcass traits of finishing beef bulls. Total mixed rations (TMR) based on GS, RS and mixture of GS and RS (1:1 on dry matter (DM) basis; GRS) were fed <em>ad libitum</em> to sixty bulls. The proportion (g/kg DM) of the silages in the TMRs were as follows: (1) GS (600); (2) RS (600); (3) GS (300) and RS (300). Concentrate proportion was 400 g/kg DM with all treatments. Environmental impacts of the treatments were estimated using life cycle assessment approach with the following key impact categories: climate change, eutrophication, and acidification potential. As the red clover-grass modelling was acknowledged to have most uncertainty, it was completed with different scenarios of clover cultivation. Replacing GS by RS did not affect DM intake, gain, carcass weight or carcass conformation of the bulls. Carcass fat score of the bulls decreased with increasing RS proportion. As an average of the calculated scenarios the climate change impact was 17.8, 15.9, and 15.8 kg CO₂ equivalents/kg of produced carcass, eutrophic emissions 18.6, 15.0, and 9.9 g phosphate equivalents/kg of produced carcass and acidifying emissions 38, 35, and 35 g acid equivalents/kg of produced carcass for GS, GRS, and RS, respectively. It can be concluded that replacing GS partially or completely with RS reduced environmental impacts (climate change impact, eutrophic emissions, acidifying emissions) per kg of produced carcass.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105755"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144517920","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of supplementary feed on live weight and meat quality of grazing yaks on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau","authors":"Meisong Wang ,&nbsp;Yayu Huang ,&nbsp;Allan Degen ,&nbsp;Jean-François Hocquette ,&nbsp;Rongzhen Zhong ,&nbsp;Shujie Liu ,&nbsp;Zhongxin Yan ,&nbsp;Yang Xiang ,&nbsp;Lizhuang Hao","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examined the effects of supplemental feeding on the weight and meat quality of grazing yaks on the Tibetan Plateau. Thirty male yaks (2.5–3 years old) with similar characteristics were randomly assigned to two groups: the traditional grazing group (G) and the supplemental feeding group (SF). The SF group received 1.5 kg of supplemental feed daily. After 120 days, slaughter performance and meat quality were compared. The results showed that the SF group had significantly higher live weight (137.2 kg vs 175.3 kg, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) , carcass weight (63.6 kg vs 89.5 kg, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) , and net meat yield (34.0 % vs 40.2 %, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) compared to the G group. Moreover, the SF group exhibited lower cooking loss, drip loss, and shear force, indicating improved meat quality (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) . Amino acid analysis revealed that the SF group had higher total amino acids (TAA, 13.25 g/100 g vs 14.14 g/100 g, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and essential amino acids (EAA, 5.19 g/100 g vs 6.03 g/100 g, <em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) content, the ratios of EAA/TAA and EAA/NEAA increased by 4 % and 10 %, respectively. Additionally, compared to the G group, the SF group had lower saturated fatty acids (SFA, 43.25 vs 39.22, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and higher polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA 11.49 % vs 13.74 %, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), particularly ω-3 fatty acids (2.81 % vs 5.31 %, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), with a lower n-6/n-3 (2.88 % vs 1.44, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) ratio. Principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) confirmed the effects of supplementation on amino acids and fatty acids. In conclusion, supplemental feeding significantly improved yak growth and meat quality, particularly in amino acid and fatty acid composition, providing valuable insights for grazing management on the Tibetan Plateau.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"299 ","pages":"Article 105756"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597348","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}