Translational Animal Science最新文献

{"title":"Effects of feeding a <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> fermentation product compared to a direct-fed microbial in finishing diets of beef × dairy crossbred steers fed in the Pacific Northwest.","authors":"Sydney M Bowman-Schnug, Bradley J Johnson, O Abe Turgeon, Joaquin Figueroa, Craig R Belknap, Zebadiah T L Gray, Thomas S Edrington","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf098","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf098","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i> fermentation product (SCFP) compared to a direct-fed microbial (DFM) on growth performance, health, carcass characteristics, and liver abscess prevalence in beef × dairy crossbred steers. Two thousand steers [50% beef, 25% Holstein, 25% Jersey genetics; initial shrunk body weight (SBW) = 288.2 ± 8.0 kg] were blocked by arrival date and randomly assigned to receive 1 of 2 treatments: 1) SCFP supplied in the starter diet at 12 g per steer daily and then 9 g per steer daily in the finishing diet (NS; NaturSafe™, Diamond V, Cedar Rapids, IA) or 2) DFM fed at 50 mg per steer daily throughout the feeding period (BD; Bovamine Defend, Chr. Hansen, Milwaukee, WI). Pen served as the experimental unit (200 steers/pen), with 5 pens per treatment. Data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design in R 4.2.2. with the main effect of treatment and random effect of block included in the model. Results were reported on a deads-in basis unless otherwise stated. Cattle were fed for a total of 275 ± 6.2 d. Initial and final SBW did not differ (<i>P</i> ≥ 0.84) by treatment. Initial treatment pulls were observed more frequently for NS compared to BD cattle (29.43% vs. 21.67%; <i>P</i> < 0.01). However, NS cattle had a lesser rate of repulls as a proportion of initial pulls (10.08% vs. 16.61%; <i>P</i> = 0.03). Fewer (<i>P</i> < 0.01) bullers were reported amongst NS cattle. Cattle supplemented with NS had a lower case fatality rate (6.08% vs. 11.96%; <i>P</i> < 0.01) and tended to have a lower total mortality rate (1.60% vs. 2.70%; <i>P</i> = 0.09) than BD. With deads included, average daily gain (ADG) tended (<i>P</i> = 0.06) to be greater for NS cattle. Dry matter intake did not differ (<i>P</i> = 0.99) by treatment; however, NS cattle had a numeric advantage in feed efficiency (G:F) nearing a tendency (0.132 vs. 0.130; <i>P</i> = 0.11). On a deads-out basis, ADG and G:F were similar (<i>P </i>≥ 0.85). Dressing percentage tended (<i>P</i> ≤ 0.10) to be greater for NS carcasses. Cattle fed BD had a greater (<i>P</i> = 0.03) proportion of USDA Prime carcasses. While treatment had no impact on liver abscess severity or total abscess occurrence, NS cattle tended to have less A- abscesses (1.72% vs. 3.87%; <i>P</i> = 0.10). In this large-pen comparison, SCFP supplementation improved feedlot cattle health and positively influenced performance compared to a DFM.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf098"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12314598/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144776253","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":"Is hemp (<i>Cannabis sativa</i>) safe to feed pregnant sheep?","authors":"Benedict T Green, Dale R Gardner, Clinton A Stonecipher, Kevin D Welch, Stephen T Lee, Tina Sullivan, F Mitchell Westmoreland, Daniel Cook","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf093","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf093","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Cannabis sativa</i> (varieties for industrial use or animal feed are termed hemp), and its extracted byproducts are being considered for animal feed due to their high protein content. However, if hemp disrupts fertility and reproduction in livestock, it should not be used as a feed source. We hypothesized that the phytocannabinoids in hemp would disrupt fertility and reproduction, cause craniofacial defects (cyclops, cleft palate, misshapen head), and low birth weight in lambs. To test this hypothesis, 22 timed pregnant ewes were dosed with hemp in the form of dried ground hemp plant material at 150 mg/kg body weight per day total cannabinoids, and from gestational days 10 to 20 and a separate 22 timed pregnant ewes were dosed similarly with dried ground grass hay as a control. The most prevalent cannabinoids in the plant material were cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) at a concentration of 23.2 mg/g, and cannabidiol (CBD) at a concentration of 5.8 mg/g. Delta 9-tetrahydrocannabidiol was present in the plant material at a concentration of 0.3 mg/g. The hemp used in this study had crude protein concentrations of 15.6%, neutral detergent fiber concentrations of 42.2%, and in vitro true digestibility concentrations of 83.6%. After 10 d of dosing with hemp, a serum sample was obtained from each of the ewes, CBDA was measured at a concentration of 652 ± 38 ng/mL and CBD was measured at 16 ± 0.9 ng/mL. THC was not detected in the serum. The average gestation length for lambs from the hemp treated ewes was 148 ± 0.38 d, and the average gestation length for lambs from the grass hay treated ewes was 149 ± 0.38 d (P = 0.23). The numbers of male and female lambs did not significantly vary from expected (50:50) (P = 0.32). There were no significant fetal deformities (P > 0.05) or weight differences between the treatment groups (P > 0.05), and as expected, the lamb weights significantly increased over time (P < 0.05). These results suggest that <i>Cannabis sativa</i> may have the potential with further research to be a suitable protein source for gestating sheep.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf093"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12314597/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144776254","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":"Effects of oral meloxicam on physiological and behavioral outcomes of weaned calves following band castration.","authors":"J D Garcia, B K Whitlock, P D Krawczel, J A Carroll, N C Burdick Sanchez, J W Dailey, J A Daniel, J F Coetzee","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf094","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Castration detrimentally affects weaned calves, and painful procedures in production animals are a public concern. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of castration (by banding) with or without administration of meloxicam (Mel), a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug in weaned beef calves. Forty-eight (62 d post-weaning) beef calves [8.2 ± 0.1 (mean ± SE) mo old; 319 ± 10 kg BW] were blocked by age and body weight and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments (n = 16 calves per treatment): 1) intact bulls (BULL), 2) castration by banding (BAN), or 3) castration by banding with orally-administered Mel (3 mg per kg BW on d 0 and 14; BAN + M). Within each treatment group, calves were randomly assigned to 8 pens (2 calves per treatment within each pen). Body weight and plasma haptoglobin and fibrinogen concentrations were determined on 0, 3, 7, 14, and 28 d after treatment administration. Rectal temperature was recorded at 5-min intervals for the first 14 d by dataloggers. Behaviors [mean lying time (h/d), mean lying bouts (n/d), and steps (n/d)] were recorded at 1-min intervals for 27 d by dataloggers. Ethogram data was recorded on 8 d for two hours with collection times of every 10 min. Behaviors recorded from the ethogram included eating, ruminating, not ruminating, drinking, location within the pen, and body position (standing or lying down). Data were tested for effects of treatment, day, pen, and treatment by day interaction using mixed models accounting for repeated measures. BULL gained more (0.69 ± 0.12 kg/d; P < 0.05) than BAN (0.15 ± 0.11 kg/d) or BAN + M (0.14 ± 0.11 kg/d) over 28 d. There was an effect of treatment (P < 0.001) and treatment by time interaction (P < 0.001) on mean rectal temperature during the 14 d after treatment administration. Over 14 d, BAN + M had the greatest mean rectal temperature (39.47 ± 0.006 °C), BAN had the second greatest temperature (39.42 ± 0.006 °C), and BULL had the lowest temperature (39.41 ± 0.005 °C). BULL increased time lying (P < 0.05) and decrease steps (P < 0.05), compared to BAN, Days 2, 3, 16, and 17, and compared to BAN and BAN + M Days 18 and 19 post-castration. Mel administration had an insignificant effect on pen-level behaviors recorded with the ethogram. Decreased weight gain indicates that castration by banding during the post-weaning period was painful regardless of attempts and pain abatement with Mel. While benefits of Mel were not evident from changes in growth or inflammatory response, behavior and rectal temperature were affected by Mel administration.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf094"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12342475/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144837822","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":"Post-weaning weight gain in pigs is not affected by moderate duration transport at 20 days of age.","authors":"Isabel B Walpole, Alyssa A Smith, Kaylyn G Rudy, Dayeon Jeon, Sarah M Innis, Brian T Richert, J Scott Radcliffe, J Alex Pasternak","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf100","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Transportation at weaning is an integral component of the American swine industry. However, the long-term effects on growth performance have not been well characterized. Previous research suggests transportation causes weight loss immediately following weaning, but few studies have followed this effect further than 7 d post-weaning, with transport causing decreased body weight in those that have. In experiment 1, average weight pigs at 20 ± 1.3 d of age were weaned and either 1) transported for 9 hour without feed and water (TR), 2) had their feed and water restricted for 9 hour (FR), or 3) were weaned and provided immediate access to feed and water (WN). Subsequent weight gain was tracked to market. No differences in body weight (BW) or average daily gain (ADG) were observed among treatment groups. In experiment 2, low (LBW), average (ABW), and high body weight (HBW) pigs at 20.7 ± 1.2 d of age were weaned and either transported for 9 hour (TR) or weaned without transport (WN) and placed in a nursery with access to feed and water to determine if the response to weaning and transport stressors was influenced by weaning weight. While TR pigs regardless of weight class did lose a larger percentage of their weight after 9 hour (P < 0.001), by 7 d post-weaning that effect had disappeared (P > 0.10). The BW gap between ABW and HBW pigs as a proportion of BW decreased with age, but LBW pigs remained lighter than the other two weight classes (P < 0.01). Additionally, ADG was lower in the nursery period (P < 0.05) and tended to be lower in the grow-finish period (P = 0.062) for LBW pigs at weaning, causing them to continue to fall behind their larger counterparts. While this research found no effect of transportation on long-term growth, it suggests that weaning weight is a meaningful predictor of future body weight in the grow-finish phase.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf100"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12409123/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145016258","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":"National Beef Quality Audit - 2022: Instrument grading assessments of carcass characteristics of fed steers and heifers.","authors":"Thachary R Mayer, Sydni E Borders, Trent E Schwartz, Kerri B Gehring, Davey B Griffin, Christopher R Kerth, Keith E Belk, John A Scanga, Mahesh N Nair, Morgan M Pfeiffer, Gretchen G Mafi, Keayla M Harr, Ty E Lawrence, Travis C Tennant, Loni W Lucherk, Travis G O'Quinn, Erin S Beyer, Phil D Bass, Lyda G Garcia, Benjamin M Bohrer, Jessica A Pempek, Andrea J Garmyn, Robert J Maddock, C Chad Carr, T Dean Pringle, Tracy L Scheffler, Jason M Scheffler, Alexander M Stelzleni, John M Gonzalez, Keith R Underwood, Bailey N Harsh, Crystal M Waters, Jeffrey W Savell","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf097","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf097","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The instrument grading assessment portion of the National Beef Quality Audit <b>(NBQA)</b>-2022 allowed for the evaluation of beef carcass traits over a 12-mo period. One week of instrument grading data was collected each month from 6 major beef processing companies from July 2021 to June 2022 (<i>n</i> = 4,418,768 carcasses). The sample pool was composed of 58.0% steer carcasses and 42.0% heifer carcasses, and the breed type distribution was 98.0% native, 1.6% dairy, and 0.3% <i>Bos indicus</i>. Means for USDA Yield Grade <b>(YG)</b> and YG factors were YG, 3.26, adjusted fat thickness, 1.55 cm, HCW, 400.6 kg, ribeye area, 91.6 cm², and KPH, 2.1%. Frequency distribution of USDA YG was YG 1 = 7.87%, YG 2 = 31.70%, YG 3 = 40.03%, YG 4 = 17.07%, and YG 5 = 3.35%. Mean marbling score was Modest¹⁶, and the distribution of USDA quality grades was Prime = 8.19%, Choice = 74.84%, Select = 15.68%, and other = 1.31%. Frequency of carcasses grading Prime on Monday (10.89%), a 3.27%-point increase compared to the Prime average for the other days of the week (7.72%), demonstrates the potential advantage of additional postmortem chilling over the weekend from Friday and/or Saturday slaughter days. Comparisons of breed type and sex class revealed differences (<i>P</i> < 0.05) in marbling with dairy heifers (Modest⁵⁵) > native heifers (Modest³¹) > dairy steers (Modest¹²) > native steers (Modest⁰³), and ribeye area with native steers (93.3 cm²) > native heifers (90.9 cm²) > dairy steers (81.8 cm²) > dairy heifers (80.3 cm²). Month-to-month frequency distributions in beef carcass traits revealed numerical differences in marbling, USDA quality grade distribution, HCW, and adjusted fat thicknesses. Percentage distribution of dark cutting carcasses revealed numerically higher incidences during the summer and fall seasons compared to winter and spring. Findings from the instrument grading assessment of the NBQA-2022 provide the beef industry with the most comprehensive and current beef carcass quality and yield information available.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf097"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12311919/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144761447","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 the drinker model on growth performance, water use and manure volume for piglets during the nursery phase.","authors":"Gustavo Schlindwein, Sarah Ribeiro Krasilchik, Natalia Rigo, Caroline Pellis, Juliana Bona Preisler, Natália Rampon Cendron, José Cristani, Sandra Davi Traverso","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf084","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf084","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The water fasting period and the volume of water wasted during the nursery phase are directly related to the type of water fountain used. Therefore, this study aimed to compare different water fountain models regarding total water consumption, waste production, and growth performance of piglets on a commercial farm during the nursery phase. A total of 1,104 animals were divided into 3 experimental treatments: Treatment 1-Automatic bowl drinker (ABD2) model containing 2 drinkers per pen. Treatment 2 - (ABD4) the same model as T1, but with 4 drinkers per pen. Treatment 3-Swing nipple drinker (SND4) model with 4 drinkers per pen. Water usage at the drinkers (L/pig/day) was higher in SND4 than in ABD2 and ABD4 (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). The water-to-feed ratio was higher in SND4 than in ABD2 and ABD4 (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). The water-to-weight gain ratio was also higher in SND4 than in ABD2 and ABD4 (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). Regarding waste production, ABD2 and ABD4 presented lower volumes than SND4 (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). Additionally, liquid manure in ABD2 and ABD4 had a higher total solids content than SND4 (<i>P</i> < 0.0001). The coefficient of variation in body weight at the end of the experiment was lower in ABD4 than in SND4 (<i>P</i> < 0.05) and equal to ABD2 (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Daily weight gain was higher in SND4 than in ABD2 (<i>P</i> < 0.05) and equal to ABD4 (<i>P</i> > 0.05). The ABD used in this study resulted in lower total water consumption, and consequently lower manure volume produced. Additionally, the animals reached their final weight more uniformly in the pen, and there was no difference in growth performance when the number of animals per drinker was the same among treatments.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf084"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12290279/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144733454","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":"Essential oils combined with exogenous enzymes and vitamin D improved carcass characteristics of confined steers.","authors":"Mikael Neumann, André Martins de Souza, Fabiano Marafon, Rogerio Semchechem, Fernando Braga Cristo, Bruno José Venancio, Luísa da Costa Venancio, Ellen Baldissera, Paulo Eduardo Piemontez de Oliveira, Victor Valério de Carvalho","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf076","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf076","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The experiment was conducted at the Animal Production Center (NUPRAN), Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Sector, Midwestern Parana State University (UNICENTRO), aiming to evaluate the effect of a blend of natural additives compared to a mix of antibiotics commonly used as ruminal fermentation modifiers on the weight gain performance, dry matter intake, feed efficiency, dry matter apparent digestibility and carcass performance of feedlot finished steers. The experiment lasted 112 d, with 28 d for adaptation and 84 d for evaluation, divided into three periods of 28 d each. Thirty-six crossbred steers (Angus × Nellore in equal proportions), whole males, with an average initial weight of 400 ± 14.0 kg and an average age of 12 ± 1 mo, were used. Steers were allotted in 18 pens (2 steers/pen) under a complete randomized block design experiment (9 replications/treatments). Treatments consisted of a basal diet 35:65 forage to-concentrate supplemented as follows: 1- diet with sodium monensin + Virginiamycin (MO + VM), and 2-diet with a blend containing essential oils + exogenous α-amylase + 25-hydroxy-vitamin-D3 (EO + ENZ + HYD). There were no differences between additives tested on the use of different food additives did not change animal performance, which at the end of 84 d of confinement showed an average daily gain of 1.354 kg (P = 0.1709), dry matter intake of 10.39 kg day^-1 (P = 0.7811) and 2.12% of live weight (P = 0.5133), and feed efficiency of 0.137 kg. Steers that receive EO + ENZ + HYD reduced 24% fecal starch (P = 0.0001) and improved the apparent digestibility of DM (1.40%, P = 0.0210), NDF (5.55%, P = 0.0007) and starch (1.30%, P = 0.0001). Animals supplemented with EO + ENZ + HYD showed greater (P = 0.0456) rump fat thickness (12.22 mm) than those supplemented with MO + VM (10.42 mm) at slaughter, and greater marbling and rump fat thickness gain (0.58 points and 5.93 mm) than those supplemented with MO + VM (0.32 points and 7.50 mm) after 84 d of confinement. The blend of essential oils + exogenous α-amylase + 25-hydroxy-vitamin-D3 was effective in replacing the combination of sodium monensin + Virginiamycin on productive performance, apparent digestibility of DM, NDF, and starch, as well as for the disposition of fat in the carcass of steers finished in confinement.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf076"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12302352/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144733455","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":"Ohio horse industry survey: feeding and housing management practices.","authors":"Elizabeth R Share, Sara L Mastellar, Joy N Rumble, Maurice L Eastridge","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf072","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf072","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Equine industry housing and feeding management strategies vary widely. Management choices are important as horses spend most of their time in housing environments and demonstrating ingestive/foraging behavior. As of 2023, over 1.4 million Ohioans identified as horse owners and/or enthusiasts. The objectives of this survey were to determine demographics of the Ohio horse industry, commonly used sources of information, knowledge gaps regarding equine management practices, and to explore what may influence equine management choices. Using Qualtrics (Provo, UT), a 52-question online, anonymous survey was made available to Ohio horse owners and industry personnel through local horse organizations and social media from October to December 2023. Data were summarized using descriptive statistics (mean, percentage, frequency) and relationships between variables were explored using Pearson chi-square tests or Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann-Whitney U tests in SPSS (Armonk, NY). A total of 1,011 usable survey responses were collected. Most respondents had between 1 to 10 yr of horse experience (64%) and identified as primarily white (63%), females (61%), between 35 to 44 yr of age (31%). Quarter Horses (29%) were the most represented breed. Overall, the primary sources of equine management information were internet (15%), veterinarians (14%), and personal contacts (12%). There were differences between respondents' main source of equine information based on horse owners' experience level (X² = 60; P < 0.01) and awareness of resources provided by Ohio State University (OSU) Extension (X² = 80; P < 0.01). Respondents' familiarity/use of body condition scoring differed based on awareness of OSU Extension resources (H = 234; P < 0.01). For housing management, most respondents either stalled horses with unlimited turnout (31%) or group housed horses on pasture (32%). For feeding management, most respondents fed concentrates (96%), primarily measuring concentrates either by weight (42%) or visual estimation (46%). However, forages were more commonly fed by visual estimation (52%) rather than by weight (18%). Feeding forage twice per day was most common, regardless of access to pasture (49%) or not (30%). Concentrates were more commonly provided once per day (41%) with 21% feeding twice per day. The results from this study can be used to assist in developing educational opportunities and resources and to design horse management research to benefit Ohio's equine stakeholders.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf072"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12260154/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144643563","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":"Effects of the proportion of the litter cross-fostered and number of source litters used to create a cross-fostered litter on piglet pre-weaning performance.","authors":"Katherine D Vande Pol, Alicia Olivo, Heath Harper, Caleb M Shull, Catherine B Brown, Michael Ellis","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf074","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf074","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The objective of this study was to determine the effects of the proportion of a litter that was cross-fostered and the number of source litters used to form a cross-fostered litter on piglet pre-weaning performance. The study was carried out at 2 commercial farrowing facilities using a RCBD with 53 blocks (265 litters, 3675 piglets). Sows within a block were of similar parity, body condition score, and functional teat number that farrowed at the same facility on the same day. Litters within a block were the same size after cross-fostering (13 or 14 piglets), with similar average and CV of piglet birth weight. Treatments involved the percentage of piglets in the litter that were cross-fostered (0% = none; 50% = half from birth sow, half from other litters; 100% = all from other litters) and number of source litters (sows to which piglets were born) contributing piglets to the cross-fostered litter. The 5 cross-fostering treatments (% of litter cross-fostered/number of source litters) were: 1) 0%/1 (all piglets from birth sow); 2) 100%/1 (all piglets from one other sow); 3) 100%/multiple (all piglets from 6 to 11 other sows; mean 6.8); 4) 50%/multiple (half piglets from birth sow; half piglets from 4 to 8 other sows; mean 5.5); 5) 50%/2 (half piglets from birth sow; half piglets from one other sow). Piglets were weighed and allotted to treatment 24 hour after birth and weighed at weaning (WW; 19.2 ± 0.97 d); pre-weaning mortality (PWM) was recorded. Data were analyzed using SAS; models accounted for the fixed effect of cross-fostering treatment and random effects of farrowing facility and block within farrowing facility. There were no interactions (<i>P</i> > 0.05) between farrowing facility and cross-fostering treatment. There were no differences (<i>P</i> > 0.05) between 0%/1 and 100%/1 treatments for PWM or WW, indicating no effect of cross-fostering per se. There were no differences (<i>P</i> > 0.05) between 100%/multiple and 50%/multiple treatments for PWM or WW, indicating no effect of proportion of the litter cross-fostered. Pre-weaning mortality for the 0%/1 and 100%/1 treatments was greater (3.2 to 5.7 percentage units; <i>P</i> ≤ 0.05) compared to the other 3 treatments, which were similar (<i>P</i> > 0.05). Neither cross-fostering per se nor the proportion of the litter cross-fostered affected piglet performance; however, cross-fostered litters created with piglets from multiple sources had lower pre-weaning mortality than those created with piglets from a single litter.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf074"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12260151/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144643642","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":"Improved genomic prediction accuracy by genetic relatedness using a crossbred pig population.","authors":"Euiseo Hong, Yoonji Chung, Suyeon Maeng, In-Cheol Cho, Seung Hwan Lee","doi":"10.1093/tas/txaf095","DOIUrl":"10.1093/tas/txaf095","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genomic prediction is crucial in animal breeding because it facilitates the selection of superior individuals based on genotype data. The success of genomic prediction is determined by its accuracy, which depends on the size of the reference population and relatedness between the reference and test populations. However, not all populations have large, highly genetically related reference populations. In this study, we evaluated the genomic prediction accuracy of three crossbreds and seven purebred populations using crossbred animals as a reference population and determined whether crossbred could be used as a reference population for small purebred populations. Genomic prediction accuracy was assessed using the genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) for backfat thickness and carcass weight traits. Data from 29 Bisaro, 91 Duroc, 50 Duroc × Korean Native Pig (DK), 36 Iberian, 34 Korean Native Pig (KNP), 85 Landrace, 50 Landrace × Korean Native Pig (LK), 50 Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc (LYD), 37 Meishan, and 49 Yorkshire pigs were used as test populations, whereas data from 245 DK, 964 LK, and 967 LYD crossbreds were used as the reference population. The findings indicated that the prediction accuracy of purebreds was higher when they were genetically related to the crossbred population, with accuracies ranging from 0.36 to 0.53 for backfat thickness and from 0.26 to 0.46 for carcass weight. In contrast, unrelated breeds showed lower accuracies, ranging from 0.16 to 0.48 for backfat thickness and from 0.13 to 0.40 for carcass weight. These results suggest that using crossbred populations related to the purebred population being predicted can improve prediction accuracy, especially for breeds with limited data. The prediction accuracy increased as the size of the reference population increased, regardless of genetic relatedness. Notably, small reference populations yielded higher accuracy when they were genetically related to the target animals, underscoring the importance of genetic similarity in addition to population size. These results highlight that using crossbred animals for reference populations is advantageous for genomic predictions because large populations can be rapidly established.</p>","PeriodicalId":23272,"journal":{"name":"Translational Animal Science","volume":"9 ","pages":"txaf095"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12342970/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144837823","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}