Translational Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"National Beef Quality Audit – 2022: Transportation, mobility, live cattle, and hide assessments to determine producer-related defects that affect animal welfare and the value of market cows and bulls at processing facilities","authors":"Sydni E Borders, Trent E Schwartz, Thachary R Mayer, K. Gehring, D. Griffin, Christopher R Kerth, K. Belk, L. Edwards-Callaway, J. Scanga, Mahesh N Nair, J. Brad Morgan, Jarrett B Douglas, M. Pfeiffer, G. Mafi, Keayla M Harr, T. Lawrence, T. Tennant, L. Lucherk, T. O’Quinn, Erin S. Beyer, Phil D Bass, Lyda G. Garcia, Benjamin M. Bohrer, J. Pempek, A. Garmyn, R. Maddock, C. Chad Carr, T. Dean Pringle, Tracy L Scheffler, J. Scheffler, A. Stelzleni, John M. Gonzalez, Keith R. Underwood, Bailey N Harsh, Crystal M Waters, J. W. Savell","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae033","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA)-2022 serves as a benchmark of the current market cow and bull sectors of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. From September 2021 through May 2022, livestock trailers (n = 125), live animals (n = 5,430), and post-slaughter hide-on animals (n = 6,674) were surveyed at 20 commercial beef processing facilities across the U.S. Cattle were transported in a variety of trailer types for an average distance of 490.6 km and a mean transport time of 6.3 h. During transit, cattle averaged 2.3 m2 of trailer space per animal indicating sufficient space was provided according to industry guidelines. Of all trailers surveyed, 55.3% transported cattle from an auction barn to a processing facility. When surveyed, 63.6% of all truck drivers reported to be Beef Quality Assurance certified. The majority (77.0%) of cattle were sound when evaluated for mobility. Mean body condition scores (9-point scale) for beef cows and bulls were 3.8 and 4.4, respectively, whereas mean body condition scores (5-point scale) for dairy cows and bulls were 2.3 and 2.6, respectively. Of cattle surveyed, 45.1% had no visible live animal defects, and 37.9% had only a single defect. Of defects present in cows, 64.6% were attributed to an udder problem. Full udders were observed in 47.5% of all cows. Nearly all cattle were free of visible abscesses and knots (97.9% and 98.2%, respectively). No horns were observed in 89.4% of all cattle surveyed. Beef cattle were predominantly black-hided (68.9% and 67.4% of cows and bulls, respectively). Holstein was the predominant dairy animal observed and accounted for 85.7% of the cows and 98.0% of the bulls. Only 3.1% of all animals had no form of identification. Findings from the NBQA-2022 show improvements within the industry and identified areas that required continued education and research to improve market cow and bull welfare and beef quality.","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140253061","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An updated meta-analysis of the anti-methanogenic effects of monensin in beef cattle","authors":"R. Cooke, Lidiane R Eloy, Sheila C Bosco, P. V. F. Lasmar, José M C de Simas, Tiago Leiva, S. R. de Medeiros","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae032","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Meta-analyses were performed to quantitatively summarize the effects of monensin on in vivo methane (CH4) production in beef cattle, and differentiate these outcomes according to dietary management, dose of monensin, and length of monensin supplementation. Data from 11 manuscripts describing 20 individual studies were used, and CH4 was converted to g/d when required. Studies were classified according to dose of monensin (mg/kg of diet dry matter), length of monensin supplementation prior to the last CH4 measurement, feeding management (ad libitum vs. limited-fed) and diet profile (high-forage or high-concentrate diets). Variance among studies were assessed using a χ² test of heterogeneity and calculated using I² statistics. Inclusion of monensin decreased (P < 0.01) CH4 production by 17.5 g/day when all studies are analyzed together. A moderate (P < 0.01) heterogeneity (I² = 55%) was detected for CH4 production estimates between studies; thus, meta-analyses were performed within classes. The reduction in CH4 differed (P < 0.01) according to dose of monensin, as it decreased (P < 0.01) by 25.6 g/d when the high recommended dose range was used (32 to 44 mg/kg), and tended to decrease (P ≤ 0.07) by 9.7 and 13.5 g/d when the moderate (≤ 31 mg/kg) and above recommended (≥ 45 mg/kg) doses were used, respectively. The reduction in CH4 also differed (P < 0.01) according to length of monensin supplementation. Monensin decreased (P ≤ 0.05) CH4 production by 24.3 g/d when supplemented for < 15 d, by 15.4 g/d when supplemented from 23 to 33 d, by 24.3 g/d when supplemented from 52 to 79 d, and tended to decrease (P = 0.06) CH4 production by 3.21 g/d when supplemented from 94 to 161 d. The reduction in CH4 did not differ (P = 0.37) according to diet profile, despite a 30% difference in reduction when monensin was added to high-forage (20.89 g/d) compared with high-concentrate diets (14.6 g/d). The reduction in CH4 tended to differ according to feeding management (P = 0.08), decreasing by 22.9 g/d (P < 0.01) when monensin was added to diets offered ad libitum, and by 11.5 g/d (P = 0.05) in limit-fed diets. Collectively, this study provides novel insights and further corroborates monensin as CH4 mitigation strategy in beef cattle operations. The most effective responses were observed during the first 79 d of monensin supplementation, and when monensin was included between 32 to 44 mg/kg of diet, was added to high-forage diets, and added to diets fed ad libitum.","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140256167","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Timing of dietary zinc additions during gestation for improved piglet survival.","authors":"Kelsey L Hammers, Pedro E Urriola, Mark Schwartz, Moon-Suhn Ryu, Andres Gomez, Lee J Johnston","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae030","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txae030","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objectives of this study were to determine a practical approach to feeding elevated dietary zinc (Zn) to gestating sows in a commercial setting and to confirm preweaning mortality could be reduced by feeding high Zn to sows during different periods of gestation. The study was conducted at a commercial sow farm in the upper Midwest. Mixed parity sows (<i>n</i> = 267) over three consecutive weekly farrowing groups (sows farrowing within 1 wk) were assigned randomly to one of the three dietary treatments within parity. Treatments consisted of: (1) control sows fed a corn-soybean meal diet containing 206 mg/kg total supplemental Zn supplied by zinc hydroxychloride; (2) breed-to-farrow: as control + 147 mg/kg supplemental Zn as ZnSO₄ (353 mg/kg total supplemental Zn) fed from 5 d after breeding to farrowing; and (3) day 110-to-farrow: as control fed from breeding to farrowing + 4,079 mg/kg supplemental Zn as ZnSO₄ (4,285 mg/kg total supplemental Zn) starting day 110 of gestation until farrowing. At farrowing, individual piglets were weighed and identified within 12 h of birth. Data were analyzed using PROC GLIMMIX of SAS and the model considered the fixed effect of dietary treatment and random effect of farrowing group. Dietary treatments did not affect number of total pigs born per litter. For breed-to-farrow sows, there was an increase in the percentage of pigs born alive compared to sows fed the control and day 110-to-farrow treatments (<i>P</i> < 0.001). The number of stillborn pigs expressed as a percentage of total litter size at birth decreased for breed-to-farrow sows (<i>P</i> < 0.001) compared with control or day 110-to-farrow sows. Mortality of low birth weight piglets from birth to weaning did not differ among dietary treatments (<i>P </i>= 0.305); however, a trend for decreasing post-natal mortality (<i>P </i>= 0.068) of normal birth weight pigs was observed for pigs born to sows fed elevated Zn 5 d before farrowing. In conclusion, feeding elevated Zn to sows throughout gestation increased the proportion of pigs born alive suggesting that elevated gestational Zn intake makes piglets more robust to endure the stresses of farrowing and decreases intrapartum mortality. Under the conditions of this study, elevated Zn intake of sows did not influence piglet post-natal survival. However, feeding high zinc throughout gestation may decrease piglet mortality during the parturition process.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10953792/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140176625","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":"Cattle, carcass, economic, and estimated emission impacts of feeding finishing steers lubabegron or ractopamine hydrochloride.","authors":"T B McAtee, D G Renter, T Murphy, N B Betts, B E Depenbusch","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lubabegron (Experior; Elanco, Greenfield, IN, USA) is the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved feed additive for reducing gas emissions from feedlot animals or their waste; it does not have live or carcass performance claims. Our primary objective was to determine the effect of lubabegron on feedlot performance and carcass traits in finishing beef steers compared to ractopamine hydrochloride (Optaflexx; Elanco, Greenfield, IN, USA). A commercial feedlot trial using cross-bred beef steers (<i>n</i> = 2,117; 373 ± 15 kg initial body weight [BW]) was completed with a randomized complete block design. Treatments consisted of two feed additives: (1) OPT targeted to deliver 300 mg/animal/d of ractopamine hydrochloride for 28 ± 7 d out from harvest and (2) EXP targeted to deliver 36 mg/animal/d of lubabegron 56 ± 7 d out from harvest and a 4-d preslaughter withdrawal period. Twenty 70 to 142 hd pens with 10 pens per treatment were used. Cattle were weighed at arrival processing and at harvest and fed for an average of 167 d. Data were used to calculate production metrics, partial budgets, and estimated greenhouse gas emissions using published methods, and were analyzed using linear mixed models with pen as the experimental unit and block as a random intercept. A statistical significance threshold of <i>α</i> = 0.05 was determined a priori. There was no evidence for statistically significant differences between treatments for initial BW (<i>P</i> = 0.70), health-related outcomes (<i>P</i> values ≥ 0.43), or mobility scores <i>(P</i> = 0.09). Cattle-fed EXP had increased final BW, ADG, G:F, and decreased dry matter intake (<i>P</i> values ≤ 0.01) compared to OPT. Carcasses were 11 ± 1.76 kg (hot carcass weight) heavier in EXP group (<i>P</i> < 0.01), and differed between treatments for both yield grades (YG) and quality grades distributions <i>(P</i> values ≤ 0.01). Cattle-fed EXP had a shift toward more YG 1 and 2, select and sub-select carcasses compared to OPT, which had as shift toward more YG 3, 4, 5, prime and choice carcasses. With increased beef production and efficiency compared to OPT, the estimated CO₂ equivalent emissions from production were reduced by 6.2% per unit of carcass weight for EXP (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.01). Estimated net returns/animal shipped were $56.61 ± 9.37 more for EXP than OPT (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.01). In conclusion, when cattle were fed for the same total number of days, feeding EXP compared to OPT increased net returns, feedlot performance, and efficiency, but resulted in carcass yield and quality characteristics that may impact marketing programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11067785/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140870023","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":"Establishing the relationship between wildfire smoke and performance metrics on finished beef cattle in Western Rangelands.","authors":"Arturo Macias Franco, Aghata Elins Moreira da Silva, Graham Holton, Tio Brody, Mozart Alves Fonseca","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae022","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txae022","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Identifying causal relationships is complicated. Researchers usually overlook causality behind relationships which can generate misleading associations. Herein, we carefully examine the parametric relationship and causality between wildfire smoke exposure and animal performance and behavior metrics over a period of 2 yr in Reno, Nevada. The animals in the 2020 smoke season were grain-finished (<i>n</i> = 12) and grass-finished (<i>n</i> = 12), whereas the animals during the 2021 season were fed under the same diet but finished with either a hormonal implant (<i>n</i> = 9), or without (<i>n</i> = 9). The dataset included daily records of feed intake (<b>FI</b>), body weight (<b>BW</b>), water intake (<b>WI</b>), average daily gain (<b>ADG</b>), and WI behavior (time spent drinking [<b>TSD</b>]; water intake events [<b>WIE</b>]; no-WIE [<b>NWIE]</b>). Variable tree length Bayesian additive regression trees (<b>BART</b>) were utilized to investigate the relationships between air quality index (<b>AQI</b>), particulate matter 2.5 μm (<b>PM</b>_<b>2.5</b>) and 10 μm (<b>PM</b>_<b>10</b>), NO₂, SO₂, Ozone, and CO levels in the air (sensors < 1.6 km from animals) with the animal data. Additionally, linear mixed models with a 7-d lag were used to evaluate parametric relationships among the same variables. All statistical analyses were performed on R Statistical Software (R Core Team 2023). Under the linear mixed model with a 7-d lag, significant positive and negative associations were found for all parameters examined (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Negative associations were found between FI, WI, ADG, BW, WIE, NWIE, TSD, and PM_2.5 (<i>P</i> < 0.05) for at least one animal group. Positive linear associations between wildfire smoke parameters and the metrics evaluated were more variable and dependent on year, treatment, and smoke parameters. When examining the credible intervals and the variable importance in the BART, relationships were more difficult to identify. However, some associations were found for Ozone, AQI, NO₂, CO, and PM₁₀ (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Overall, our results carefully examine the relationship between smoke parameters and cattle performance and present interesting pathways previously unexplored that could guide early culling/finishing of animals to avoid economic losses associated with performance decrease in response to wildfire smoke exposure. Though interesting associations are found under linear mixed models, causality is difficult to establish, which highlights the need for controlled exposure experiments.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10943418/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140144127","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":"Effect of exogenous melatonin on the cellular response of Holstein heifer calves during vaccination","authors":"Allie E Martin, V. S. Machado, R. Rathmann, W. Crossland","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae028","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae028","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 Despite rigorous vaccination protocols, calf morbidity is the primary contributor to economic loss in the calf sector of the dairy industry. Melatonin has modulated immune response in other mature animal species. We hypothesized that exogenous melatonin may improve the cellular response to vaccination in dairy calves. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of exogenous melatonin on polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) function in Holstein heifer calves during immunization. Sixty neonatal Holstein heifers were enrolled by birth cohort (block) and randomized to one of four treatments: control (CON), vaccination of 0.5 mg ovalbumin on d 0 and 21 (VAC), implantation of 24 mg melatonin on d 0 (MEL), or both melatonin and vaccine treatments (MVAC). Jugular blood was collected on days 0, 21, 42, and 63 to measure circulating melatonin, anti-ovalbumin immunoglobulin-G, and PMN function. Calves implanted with melatonin had greater circulating melatonin than non-implanted on day 21 (P<0.01). Anti-ovalbumin IgG was greater for vaccinated than non-vaccinated calves (P<0.01). Anti-ovalbumin IgG was greater for MVAC than VAC calves on day 63. Percent of cells and mean florescence intensity of cells performing oxidative burst decreased from day 0 to day 63 (P <0.01) but were not affected by treatment (P ≥ 0.26). There was a tendency (P=0.10) for an interaction of melatonin, vaccination, and day for the mean florescence intensity of cells performing phagocytosis where MVAC was greater than all other treatments on d 42. Exogenous melatonin may alter PMN function of calves during vaccination. Further research is needed to define the effect of melatonin on development of antigen-specific IgG during programmed vaccination protocols.","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140081381","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of dietary net energy on grow-finish performance and carcass characteristics of market gilts managed with immunological suppression of ovarian function and estrus (Improvest®)","authors":"B. M. Bohrer, Y. Wang, J. Landero, M. Young, B. Hansen, D. S. Pollmann, M. A. Mellencamp, L. Van De Weyer, A. Aldaz","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae026","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae026","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The objective was to determine the effects of net energy (NE) during the grow-finish period on live performance and carcass characteristics of market gilts managed with immunological suppression of ovarian function and estrus (Improvest®; IMP) compared with market gilts not managed with Improvest (CON). The 104-day study began when 1,008 gilts (11 weeks old; average starting weight of 30.8 kg) were allocated by weight to 48 pens with 21 gilts per pen. Half of the pens were randomly selected to be managed with Improvest while the other half of the pens were not managed with Improvest. Three dietary programs differing in their NE were formulated over five dietary phases (according to standardized ileal digestible lysine requirements) to provide an average of 2,218 kcal/kg (Low NE), 2,343 kcal/kg (Medium NE), or 2,468 kcal/kg (High NE). The experiment was designed as a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of Improvest management and NE. For the overall study period, there were no significant interactions (P ≥ 0.20) for average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), or Gain:Feed (G:F). There were also no significant interactions between Improvest management and NE (P ≥ 0.30) for carcass characteristics. However, IMP gilts consumed more feed (6.8% greater ADFI; P < 0.01), grew faster (5.0% greater ADG; P < 0.01), were less efficient (1.8% lower G:F; P < 0.01), heavier (3.5 kg hot carcass weight; P < 0.01), and fatter (1.9 mm greater backfat thickness and 1.26% less predicted lean carcass yield; P < 0.01). No difference (P = 0.21) in carcass dressing percentage between IMP and CON gilts was reported. For the overall study period, gilts fed Low NE and Medium NE diets consumed more feed compared with gilts fed High NE diets (6.8% more ADFI for Low NE and 5.7% more for Medium NE; P < 0.01), and gilts fed Low NE diets grew 2.5% slower (P < 0.01) than gilts fed Medium NE diets, while gilts fed High NE diets were intermediate and not different from the other NE treatments. This resulted in gilts fed Low NE diets being the least efficient (3.8% lower G:F than Medium NE and 7.1% lower G:F than High NE; P < 0.01). Overall, these data indicate that typical Improvest response levels were sustained at each of the NE treatments evaluated in this study as there were no significant interactions for Improvest management and NE; however, consideration should still be provided to the known production impacts of low NE diets.","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140090428","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effects of dietary net energy on grow-finish performance and carcass characteristics of male market pigs managed with immunological castration (Improvest®)","authors":"B. M. Bohrer, Y. Wang, J. Landero, M. Young, B. Hansen, D. S. Pollmann, M. A. Mellencamp, L. Van De Weyer, A. Aldaz","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae027","url":null,"abstract":"\u0000 The objective was to determine the effects of dietary net energy (NE) during the grow-finish period on live performance and carcass characteristics of intact male pigs managed with immunological castration (Improvest®) compared with physically castrated (PC) male pigs. The 101-day study began when 1,008 pigs (504 intact male pigs and 504 PC male pigs; 10 weeks old) were allocated by weight to 48 pens with 21 intact males or 21 PC males per pen. Three dietary NE treatments were fed to pigs using five dietary phases (dietary programs were formulated according to standardized ileal digestible lysine requirements of Improvest males or PC males) to provide an average of 2,212 kcal/kg (Low NE), 2,337 kcal/kg (Medium NE), or 2,462 kcal/kg (High NE). The experiment was designed and analyzed as a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of Improvest management and NE. For the overall study period, there were no significant interactions between Improvest management and NE (P ≥ 0.19) for average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), or Gain:Feed (G:F). There were also no significant interactions between Improvest management and NE (P ≥ 0.06) for carcass characteristics. Improvest males consumed less feed (5.3% lower ADFI; P < 0.01), grew faster (5.1% greater ADG; P < 0.01), and were more efficient (11.2% greater G:F; P < 0.01) compared with PC males. Hot carcass weight (HCW) did not differ (P = 0.16) between Improvest males and PC males (attributed to 1.6 percentage unit lower dressing percentage for Improvest males; P < 0.01); however, Improvest males were leaner (0.9 mm less backfat and 0.65% greater predicted lean yield; P < 0.01) compared with PC males. For the overall study period, pigs fed Low NE and Medium NE diets consumed 7.5% and 4.6% more feed (P < 0.01) than pigs fed High NE diets, respectively, and pigs fed Low NE diets grew 1.7% slower (P < 0.02) than pigs fed Medium NE and High NE diets. This resulted in pigs fed Low NE diets having 4.4% lower G:F compared with pigs fed Medium NE and 8.6% lower G:F compared with pigs fed High NE diets (P < 0.01). Pigs fed Low NE had 3.0 kg lighter (P < 0.01) HCW compared with Medium NE, while High NE had intermediate HCW that did not differ from the other two treatments. Overall, typical Improvest response levels for live performance and carcass characteristics when compared with PC males were achieved for each of the NE treatments evaluated in this study.","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140085145","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Almond hulls and shells as an alternative fiber source in limit-fed growing beef cattle diets.","authors":"Zachary M Duncan, Zachary L DeBord, Madison G Pflughoeft, Kyler J Suhr, William R Hollenbeck, Frank K Brazle, Haley K Wecker, Chad B Paulk, Evan C Titgemeyer, K C Olson, Dale A Blasi","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae025","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txae025","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Almond hulls and shells are a by-product of almond production that can be incorporated as a feed ingredient in beef cattle diets. Three experiments were conducted to determine the effects of hammermill screen size on almond hull and shell bulk density and inclusion of ground or non-ground almond hulls and shells in limit-fed growing diets on growth performance, diet digestibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics of beef cattle. In experiment 1, almond hulls and shells were ground with a laboratory-scale hammermill using no screen, a 11.1-mm screen, a 19.1-mm screen, or a 25.4-mm screen. Each screen-size treatment was ground at three separate time points (<i>n</i>= 3 replications/treatment). Grinding almond hulls and shells with no screen increased bulk density by 111% and minimized proportions of fine particles; therefore, almond hulls and shells ground using no screen were included as a treatment in the following experiments. In experiment 2, 364 steers (initial body weight [BW]: 257± 20.7 kg) were blocked by truckload (<i>n</i> = 4), stratified by BW, and assigned to pen within block. Pens were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental diets (<i>n</i>= 10 pens/treatment). The control diet (CON) contained (DM basis) 39.5% dry-rolled corn, 7.5% supplement, 40% wet-corn gluten feed, and 13% prairie hay. Non-ground (13AH) or ground (13GAH) almond hulls and shells replaced prairie hay and were fed at 13% of diet DM or non-ground almond hulls and shells were fed at 26% of diet DM and replaced 13% prairie hay and 13% dry-rolled corn (26AH). Diets were limit-fed at 2.2% of BW daily (DM basis) for 56 d. Overall average daily gains (ADG) were greater (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.05) for CON, 13AH, and 13GAH compared with 26AH. In addition, ADG from days 14 to 56 were greater (<i>P</i>= 0.03) for 13GAH and tended to be greater (<i>P</i> = 0.09) for 13AH compared with CON. Experiment 3 was a 4 × 4 replicated Latin square in which 8 ruminally cannulated heifers (initial BW = 378 ± 44.0 kg) were fed diets from experiment 2. Apparent dry matter digestibility did not differ (<i>P</i> = 0.21) among treatments. Total ruminal volatile fatty acid concentrations were greater (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.03) for 13GAH and 13AH compared with 26AH and tended (<i>P</i> = 0.06) to be greater for 13GAH compared with CON. Overall, almond hulls and shells can be utilized as an alternative to prairie hay in limit-fed growing diets without negatively influencing rates of gain or diet digestibility.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10949434/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140176624","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 effects of genotype-by-environment interactions on body condition score across three winter supplemental feed environments in a composite beef cattle breed in Montana.","authors":"Ashley S Ling, El Hamidi Hay","doi":"10.1093/tas/txae024","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txae024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cattle operations in the Northern Great Plains region of the United States face extreme cold weather conditions and require nutritional supplementation over the winter season in order for animals to maintain body condition. In cow-calf operations, body condition scores (BCS) measured at calving and breeding have been shown to be associated with several economically important health and fertility traits, so maintenance of BCS is both an animal welfare and economic concern. A low-to-medium heritability has been found for BCS when measured across various production stages, indicating a large environmental influence but sufficient genetic basis for selection. The present study evaluated BCS measured prior to calving (late winter) and breeding (early summer) under three winter supplementation environments in a multitrait linear mixed model. Traits were discretized by winter supplementation and genetic correlations between environments were considered a reflection of evidence for genotype-by-environment interactions between BCS and diet. Winter supplementation treatments were fed October through April and varied by range access and protein content: 1) feedlot environment with approximately 15% crude protein (CP) corn/silage diet, 2) native rangeland access with 1.8 kg of an 18% CP pellet supplement, and 3) native rangeland access with a self-fed 50% CP and mineral supplement. A total of 2,988 and 2,353 records were collected across multiple parities on 1,010 and 800 individuals for prebreeding and precalving BCS, respectively. Heifers and cows came from a composite beef cattle breed developed and maintained by the USDA Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory near Miles City, Montana. Genetic correlations between treatments 1 and 2, 1 and 3, and 2 and 3 were 0.98, 0.78, and 0.65 and 1.00, 0.98, and 0.99 for precalving and prebreeding BCS, respectively. This provides moderate evidence of genotype-by-environment interactions for precalving BCS under treatment 3 relative to treatments 1 and 2, but no evidence for genotype-by-environment interactions for prebreeding BCS. Treatment 3 differed substantially in CP content relative to treatments 1 and 2, indicating that some animals differ in their ability to maintain BCS up to spring calving across a protein gradient. These results indicate the potential for selection of animals with increased resilience under cold weather conditions and high protein, restricted energy diets to maintain BCS.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2024-02-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10959479/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140207596","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}