Tropical animal health and production最新文献

{"title":"Balancing livestock free grazing and ecosystem functionality: investigating the carrying capacity of grazing land in the Eastern Savannah of Rwanda.","authors":"Mupenzi Mutimura, Athanase Mukuralinda, Jean Damascene Ndayambaje, Thomas Gakwavu, Jean Claude Bambe, Ermias Betemariam, Olivier Habimana","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04547-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04547-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study focused on investigating the carrying capacity of individual grazing lands in the Eastern Province of Rwanda. We collected data on above-ground biomass of natural pasture from 63 farms during the wet and dry seasons to capture the seasonal variation of forages. Since the grazing system is based on individual farms, we clustered farm size into three clusters, namely ≤ 10.9 ha (small); 11-20.9 ha (medium) and ≥ 21 ha (large). Dry matter and chemical composition of biomass samples was determined. Additionally, as crop residues are a significant feed resource for farmers, we also estimated their production for the year 2023 because of the availability of reliable data over the corresponding two agricultural seasons. Dry matter exhibited significant difference (p < 0.0001) across both farm sizes and seasons. Similarly, crude protein showed significant difference (p < 0.0001) across farm sizes and seasons. The neutral detergent fibre (NDF) showed only significant difference across the seasons (p < 0.0001). Acid detergent fibre (ADF) showed significant difference (p < 0.05) across both farm sizes and seasons. The interaction between farm size and season was significant difference (p < 0.0001) for NDF and ADF (p = 0.0085). Furthermore, the tropical Livestock Unit (TLU), showed that the available biomass in the medium farm could feed only the TLU for a period of 58 days while the small farm could only feed for 42 days whilst the crop residues could meet the dry matter intake of 171,750 TLU annually. The findings suggest the effective crop residue utilization and highlight that proper grazing land management strategies should be applied for optimizing cattle productivity, ensuring sustainability, and climate resilience.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"361"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144812456","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":"Exploring dawri-damaa (Pentas schimperiana) leaf meal as a supplementary feed for sheep: chemical composition and feeding effects in Southwestern Ethiopia.","authors":"Gubil Bekele Dillo, Taye Tolemariam, Asrat Guja Amejo","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04594-2","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04594-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study is among the first to evaluate dawri-damaa (Pentas schimperiana) leaf meal (DDLM) as a supplementary feed for sheep in Southwestern Ethiopia, addressing the underexplored potential of this locally sourced, high-protein feed in smallholder systems. Twenty yearling male Dawuro lambs were assigned to four treatments in a randomized complete block design: T1 (0% DDLM, control), T2 (30% DDLM), T3 (50% DDLM), and T4 (70% DDLM), with grass hay as the basal diet and 100 g/day ground maize. In a 10-day digestibility trial and 90-day feeding period, DDLM showed higher crude protein (CP, 17.74%) than grass hay (7.98%) and maize (8.40%) (P < 0.01). Total dry matter (DM) intake rose from 631.68 g/day (T1) to 957.39 g/day (T4) (P < 0.01), with nutrient absorption increasing from 57.10% (T1) to 71.40% (T4) (P < 0.05). Diets with 50% and 70% DDLM improved organic matter, CP, and fiber absorption (P < 0.05). DDLM's high protein content, local availability, and low cost reduce feed expenses, yielding a net return of ETB 183.38 per sheep (Dillo et al. 2024). Further research should investigate higher inclusion levels, reproductive performance, and carcass quality.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"355"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804945","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":"Genetic parameters estimation for egg quality traits of four chicken breeds using a full diallel cross.","authors":"Philimon Teshome, Gebeyehu Goshu, Wondmeneh Esatu, Tadelle Dessie","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04612-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04612-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to estimate heterosis effects (H^e), general combining ability (GCA), specific combining ability (SCA), reciprocal effects (RE), and maternal effects (M^e) for egg quality traits in a 4 × 4 diallel cross involving four chicken breeds: Improved Horro (H), Sasso (S), Potchefstroom Koekoek (K), and Dz-white feathered (D). A total of 480 eggs from 4 purebreds and 12 crossbreds were evaluated for traits like egg weight (EWT), egg length (EL), egg width (EW), shell weight (SWT), shell thickness (ST), shell ratio (SR), albumen height (AH), albumen width (AW), yolk height (YH), yolk width (YW), yolk weight (YWT), yolk ratio (YR), and hugh unit (HU). Results showed positive H^e for most traits. GCA were significant (p < 0.001) for EWT, EL, EW, AW, YW, YWT, and YR. Variation due to SCA was high (p < 0.001) for all traits. K×S cross showed positive RE for EWT and AW. D×S cross had the highest positive RE for ST. Both additive and non-additive gene actions play significant roles in controlling egg quality traits. EWT and YWT were primarily influenced by additive genetic effects, while EL, EW, ST, and YR were dominated by non-additive effects. M^e exhibited significant variation across genotypes for most traits. In conclusion, future breeding strategies aiming for additive genetic gains should prioritize breeds S and K in recurrent selection programs, while crosses such as S×D, K×D, and H×K can be utilized to exploit heterosis for targeted traits. Additionally, maternal lines should be optimized to reduce M^e and enhance overall performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"353"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804958","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 yeast cell wall, bacterial supplement, and thistle extract on performance, organ health, cardiac factors, and immunity in broilers exposed to aflatoxin and ochratoxin.","authors":"Ali Zanganeh, Farzad Bagherzadeh-Kasmani, Alireza Hesabi-Nameghi, Mahmoud Ghazaghi, Reza Majidzadeh-Heravi","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04604-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04604-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the impact of aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) and ochratoxin A (OTA) on growth performance, organ health, lipid profiles, and immunity in broiler chickens. It also assessed the potential of dietary additives, a commercial toxin binder (1000 mg/kg), yeast cell wall (YCW; 1000 mg/kg), Lactobacillus fermentum (LF; 1000 mg/kg, a total bacterial count of 1 × 10⁹ CFU/kg), and milk thistle extract (MTE; 200 mg/kg), to mitigate the harmful effects of AFB₁ and OTA. A total of 280 one-day-old broiler chicks were assigned to seven treatments: negative control (NC), positive control (PC, fed a diet contaminated with AFB₁ and OTA), PC + a commercial toxin binder, PC + YCW, PC + LF, PC + MTE, and PC + (YCW + LF + MTE). The experiment lasted for 42 days. Results indicated that AFB₁ and OTA significantly reduced growth performance parameters, increased liver and kidney biomarkers, such as serum aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, and creatinine levels (P < 0.05), indicative of organ damage. Blood lipid profiles were also adversely affected, as demonstrated by increased serum low-density lipoprotein, and decreased high-density lipoprotein levels (P < 0.05). Immune function was compromised by AFB₁ and OTA, as indicated by lower serum total protein and globulin concentrations, and relative weights of Bursa of Fabricius (P < 0.05). Dietary supplementation with YCW, LF, and MTE effectively mitigated these adverse effects, improving growth performance, organ health, lipid profiles, and immune function in broilers exposed to AFB₁ and OTA. In conclusion, this study highlights the potential of LF, YCW, and MTE as dietary supplements to counteract the harmful effects of AFB₁ and OTA in broiler chickens, suggesting their use as natural alternatives for mycotoxin mitigation in poultry production.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"359"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804943","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":"Response of broiler chickens to pineapple and orange-based diets under a single-phase feeding.","authors":"O J Alabi, M J Shaibu, E F Mbajiorgu, O J Makinde, J W Ng'ambi, A Ayo, A Ogbiko","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04606-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04606-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the effect of partial replacement of maize meal with peels from pineapples and oranges on growth indices, apparent nutrient digestibility, carcass characteristics and sensory attributes of broiler chickens. Day old unsexed Ross 308 broiler chickens (n = 480) were allocated randomly into four diets in a completely randomized design. Each diet had six (6) replicates of twenty birds. The four dietary treatments were: control (0 g kg^- 1 peels); 50 g kg^- 1 pineapple peels (PP); 50 g kg^- 1 orange peels (OP); and 25 g kg^- 1 each of pineapple and orange peels (POP). Feed and fresh water were offered ad libitum. The experiment lasted for 56 days. Results showed that the dietary treatments influenced all the growth parameters measured with birds on the control diet doing better (P < 0.05) than the treated diets. The apparent nutrient digestibility results showed that birds fed the pineapple/orange mixed peels diet were similar to the control group in crude protein (71.53 vs. 76.22%) and ash digestibility (64.01 vs. 59.12%). The birds fed the mixed peels diet had higher DM (83.55 vs. 83.03%) and NFE (95.89 vs. 93.26%) digestibility values than those fed the control diet. The carcass results indicated that the control diets did better than the other treatments only in the live weight (1410.25 g) of the birds. In the dressing percentage (73.73 vs. 69.00%) and drumstick weight (10.01 vs. 8.99%), birds on the pineapple/orange mixed peels did better than those on the control, while there were no differences between them and those on the control diet in most of the other carcass parameters measured. Meat from birds fed the pineapple/orange mixed peels had better aroma and tenderness than that of the control group. It was concluded that 50 g kg^- 1 of maize could be replaced with an equal mixture of pineapple and orange peels in the diet of broiler chickens.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"358"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804960","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":"Low protein diet with amino acid supplementation maintains laying performance and egg quality while reducing ammonia emissions in Hy-line brown hens.","authors":"Usman Ali, Kye Jin Lee, Demin Cai, In Ho Kim","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04611-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04611-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ammonia (NH₃) emission from commercial poultry farms significantly contributes to atmospheric pollution, highlighting the need for effective mitigation strategies. This study investigated the effects of a low crude protein (CP) amino acid-balanced diet on performance, egg quality, nutrient digestibility, and excreta gas emissions in laying hens. A total of 252 Hy-line brown laying hens (43 weeks old) were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments for 12 weeks: 17% CP (control, CON), 16% CP (low protein, LP), and 16% CP supplemented with amino acids (LPS). The LPS diet was fortified with methionine, lysine, threonine, and tryptophan, to match the amino acids (AAs) profile of the CON diet. Body weight was recorded at start, 2nd, and 12th weeks, while egg production and quality were analyzed weekly. Fecal samples collected in the 7th week were evaluated for nutrient digestibility and gas emission. Reducing dietary CP from 17 to 16% significantly decreased egg production and feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the later weeks (weeks 5 to 12 and 7 to 12, respectively), whereas the LPS diet-maintained performance comparable to the CON group. Egg quality traits, including eggshell color, Haugh unit, yolk color, albumin height, eggshell strength, and eggshell thickness, were unaffected by dietary treatments. Nutrient digestibility (dry matter, nitrogen, gross energy, calcium, phosphorus) remained unchanged. Notably, the LPS diet significantly reduced NH₃ emissions from excreta, while hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) emissions were unaffected. These findings demonstrate that reducing dietary CP with supplemented AAs can effectively mitigate NH₃ emissions without compromising production performance or egg quality in Hy-line brown laying hens.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"354"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804959","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 protective role of propolis against road transport stress in sheep before slaughter.","authors":"İsmail Seven, Sabriye Kiliç, Seda Iflazoğlu Mutlu, Muhsin Mutlu, Abdullah Aslan, Miray Sıla Çiçek, Sultan Günaydin, Pınar Tatli Seven","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04581-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04581-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study was conducted to minimize and prevent yield losses due to stress situations during animal transport. Thirty-six 12-month-old male yearling Akkaraman sheep were divided into three groups: Control, P75 (75 mg/kg body weight), and P150 (150 mg/kg body weight); a single oral dose of propolis was administered 12 h before transport. The animals' live weights were weighed before and after transport (381.7 km, approximately 8.5 h). It was determined that the live weight losses in the Control, P75, and P150 groups due to transportation were statistically significant (P < 0.05). It was determined that there were statistically significant differences within the group in the blood glucose, cholesterol, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and creatine kinase (CK) of all groups, malondialdehyde (MDA) of Control and P75 groups, triglyceride of Control and P150 groups, total protein and creatinine of P75 and P150 groups, urea of Control group, gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) of P75 group, and very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) of P150 group (P˂0.05). Additionally, it was determined that there were statistically significant differences between the groups in glucose, triglyceride, AST, CK, creatinine, and MDA values due to transportation stress (P˂0.05). The MDA, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase values of liver tissues taken from yearlings after slaughter were statistically different from the Control group in the P75 and P150. In contrast, the catalase values were statistically different from each other in all groups. The fatty acid composition and pH analysis of muscle tissues showed insignificant group differences. As a result, it was determined that the different doses of propolis used in this study significantly reduced the transportation stress of Akkaraman sheep.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"360"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804961","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 feeding Aspergillus oryzae on intestinal and fecal methane emissions, and performance of simmental crossbred steers.","authors":"Hongrui Zhang, Kaijia Sun, Tong Fu, Liyang Zhang, Hongxia Lian, Gaiying Li, Tengyun Gao","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04582-6","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04582-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study aimed to assess the impact of Aspergillus oryzae supplementation on CH₄ emissions and the production performance of beef cattle. Sixteen healthy Simmental crossbred steers (552.4 ± 35.5 kg) were randomly assigned to either a control group (CG, basal diet) or an A. oryzae group (AO, basal diet + 6 g A. oryzae per head daily). CH₄ emissions from enteric fermentation and manure, growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility, rumen fermentation variables, and microbial populations were evaluated. A. oryzae supplementation did not affect average daily gain (ADG) or dry matter intake (DMI), though ADG increased by 11.1%. AO steers exhibited a 36.4% increase (P < 0.05) in apparent NDF digestibility, a reduction (P < 0.05) in NH₃-N, and elevated rumen fungi and Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens populations while reducing protozoa and methanogens. CH₄ emissions from enteric fermentation and maure decreased by (P < 0.05) 18.8% and 56.6%, respectively. It was concluded that supplementation with A. oryzae effectively lowered CH₄ emissions in both enteric fermentation and manure without compromising beef cattle growth rate.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"356"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804942","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":"Enteric methane emissions and thermal comfort indexes of Nellore steers in a livestock-forestry system in the Amazon biome.","authors":"Alyce Monteiro, Flabiele S Silva, Adibe L Abdalla, Maguy Eugène, Luciano Barreto-Mendes, Renato A R Rodrigues, Ciro A Magalhães, Bruno C Pedreira","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04607-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04607-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Livestock-forestry (LF) systems enhance the delivery of ecosystem services and sustainability by providing shade, increasing diversity, and improving carbon sequestration. Despite these benefits, more evidence is needed to establish LF systems as a viable alternative for reducing enteric CH₄ emissions and improving thermal comfort in beef cattle production. We aimed to evaluate the impact of the forestry component into a forage-based livestock system on animal performance, thermal comfort, and its consequences on enteric CH₄ emissions. The experimental design was a randomized complete block with two systems: livestock (L) and LF, each with four replicates. During both seasons, microclimate variables such as relative humidity, photosynthetically active radiation, black globe temperature, and black globe temperature-humidity index were greater in the L system. Plant-part and chemical compositions did not differ between the systems, except for a 10% greater leaf proportion in LF during the rainy season. During the dry season, the LF system showed a 47% greater total gain per ha and 33% greater stocking rate. There was no system effect on CH₄ production (g/day). However, in the dry season, LF presented greater CH₄ emissions per area. These results indicate that integrating trees into forage-based livestock systems can improve thermal comfort and animal productivity without increasing individual CH₄ emission, enhancing long-term productivity and sustainability.</p>","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"357"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144804944","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":"Superovulation for in vivo embryo production reduces the prevalence of clinical and cytological endometritis in Girolando cows.","authors":"Rafaela Cavalcanti Teixeira, Emmanuel Ahrnold, Jose Renato Chiari, Sanara Cabral, Vitor Junqueira, Maria Clara Lobo, Rhaquel Teixeira Dos Santos, Juliana Gonçalves de Souza, Maria Lucia Gambarini","doi":"10.1007/s11250-025-04597-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-025-04597-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":23329,"journal":{"name":"Tropical animal health and production","volume":"57 7","pages":"351"},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2025-08-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144790125","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}