Animal最新文献

{"title":"Comparison of predictive ability of single-trait and multitrait genomic selection models for body growth traits in Maiwa yaks","authors":"Y. Liu ,&nbsp;M. Zhang ,&nbsp;B. Yue ,&nbsp;H. Wang ,&nbsp;X. Li ,&nbsp;W. Peng ,&nbsp;M. Jiang ,&nbsp;J. Zhong ,&nbsp;Y. Kangzhu ,&nbsp;J. Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101350","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101350","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Yaks are grazed extensively on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which has a long history of semi-domestication. The predicted weight of yaks over consecutive years helps make strategic decisions when selecting yak calves for breeding. To achieve more accurate predictions of genomic estimated breeding values, we used a dataset comprising the genotype and weight records of 396 Maiwa yaks collected from 2015 to 2020. We compared the predictive accuracy of the genome best linear unbiased prediction (<strong>GBLUP</strong>) model with that of six other models. Based on the GBLUP model, we applied two prediction strategies. In the first strategy, the year was treated as a fixed effect in the GBLUP model, and the kinship from all individuals and the markers were treated as random effects. In the second strategy, all individuals were divided into six age groups, with GBLUP performed for each group, and the phenotypes of the closest age groups were treated as fixed effects. Although the GBLUP model provided better prediction accuracy than other single-trait models, most of the predictive capacity was derived from the best linear unbiased estimation. Additionally, incorporating the phenotype of the closest age group as a factor in multitrait prediction enhanced the accuracy of the model. Our findings provide a robust and credible strategy for predicting continuous economic traits in the presence of strong correlations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 11","pages":"Article 101350"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resolving and functional analysis of RNA editing sites in sheep ovaries and associations with litter size","authors":"X.F. Ma ,&nbsp;A.J. Liu ,&nbsp;Z. Zheng ,&nbsp;B.X. Hu ,&nbsp;Y.X. Zhi ,&nbsp;C. Liu ,&nbsp;S.J. Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101342","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101342","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Sheep litter size is a critical trait in mutton production. While litter size regulation in relation to DNA transcription have been rigorously investigated, the function of RNA editing remains less explored. To elucidate the mechanisms controlling sheep fecundity at the RNA editing level and identify pivotal RNA editing sites, this study scrutinised RNA editing sites (<strong>RESs</strong>) in follicular and luteal phases of ovaries from sheep with high and low fecundity, and the functions of population-specific RESs were subsequently analysed. A total of 2 182 475 RESs, 74.61% of which were A-to-I and C-to-U sites, were identified. These RESs were fairly evenly dispersed over the chromosomes, with 46.8% showing close clustering (inter-site distance &lt; 300 bp). Notably, 93% were primarily situated in intronic and intergenic regions. In the follicular phase, pivotal RESs were found in the introns of genes including LPS responsive beige-like anchor, MCC regulator of Wnt signalling, and RWD domain containing 3, among others, and in the exon region of EvC ciliary complex subunit 2. In the luteal phase, RESs were observed in the introns of genes such as H/ACA ribonucleoprotein assembly factor and SDA1 domain-containing 1, and the exon and 3′UTR regions of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 15 and ilvB acetolactate synthase-like, respectively. High-fecundity sheep showed RESs in the follicular phase in genes such as fibrillin 1, cyclin−dependent kinase 6, and roundabout 1, and in genes such as autophagy−related 2B and versican in the luteal phase. Thirteen RESs specific to the follicular phase and eight specific to the luteal phase were identified in high-fecundity sheep ovaries. These RESs offer promising molecular targets and enhance understanding of multiple births in sheep from the perspective of posttranscriptional alterations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 11","pages":"Article 101342"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142548760","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The birthday problem: repeated sampling of animal populations and ethics of experimental design","authors":"D.M. Green ,&nbsp;C.G. Mitchell","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101352","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101352","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Researchers who use animals in science must balance statistical power with the need to satisfy the three Rs, whereby researchers are required to <em>reduce</em> numbers of animals, <em>refine</em> what they experience, and use alternatives to (<em>replace</em>) higher animals where possible. In repeated sampling over time-series studies, there is potential loss of power as well as ethics implications posed by repeated sampling of individual animals, where this cannot be managed or avoided. Here, we consider the mathematics of repeated sampling from three perspectives: that of the population at large, from the experience of the individual, and the conditional probability of sampled individuals being sampled again. The calculations are illustrated using four theoretical case studies across veterinary epidemiology with different practical implications and a provided R Shiny tool for researchers. Despite the availability of exact calculations, it is necessary to also consider the biological factors which may affect capture and recapture rates in sampling studies such as animal personality and response to capture. Researchers must also choose their question carefully to avoid inappropriate framing of ethical concerns around repeated sampling.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 11","pages":"Article 101352"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chlorella and vegetable oil inclusion in diets for growing rabbits: effects on growth, digestibility, plasma metabolites, and caecal fermentations and microbiota","authors":"F. Bordignon ,&nbsp;A. Trocino ,&nbsp;P.J. Marín García ,&nbsp;T. Larsen ,&nbsp;G. Zardinoni ,&nbsp;M. Molin ,&nbsp;M. Birolo ,&nbsp;P. Stevanato ,&nbsp;G. Xiccato","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101365","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101365","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The inclusion of microalgae in livestock diets has been shown to enhance animal productivity, immune response, and meat quality. However, the role of chlorella (<em>Chlorella vulgaris</em>) in growing rabbit nutrition has been scarcely explored, with available studies focusing on low inclusion levels (&lt;1%) and their effects on rabbit growth and immune response. This study evaluated the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, plasma metabolites, caecal fermentative activity, and caecal microbiota composition of growing rabbits fed diets with different inclusion levels of chlorella and crude fat. A total of 648 mixed-sex Grimaud crossbred rabbits (33 d of age; 841 ± 140 g live weight) were fed six experimental diets (96 rabbits per diet for the growth trial) based on a bifactorial design with three dietary inclusion levels of chlorella (0, 1, and 2%) and two levels of crude fat (3 and 5%) obtained by the inclusion of soybean oil (1 and 3%, respectively). The trial lasted 38 days until slaughter. From 47 to 51 days of age, 72 rabbits (12 per diet) were submitted to a digestibility trial. At 51 days of age, samples of plasma and caecal content were collected from 36 rabbits (six rabbits per diet) to analyse plasma metabolites, caecal fermentations, and caecal microbiota. Rabbit live weight at 71 days of age (2 700 g, on average), weight gain (48.8 g/d) and feed conversion ratio (3.27) were unaffected by chlorella inclusion, while feed conversion ratio improved (−5%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) with an increase of crude fat from 3 to 5%. The digestibility of ADF (23.2 vs 20.9%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and crude fat (83.8 vs 85.6%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) improved with the inclusion of chlorella at 2%, as well as the digestibility of crude fat (82.4 vs 86.9%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and gross energy (57.3 vs 58.7%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) with crude fat inclusion at 5%. Plasma non-esterified fatty acids decreased (−19%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) in diets with 5% crude fat. Neither chlorella nor crude fat inclusion levels affected other plasma metabolites, caecal fermentations, or caecal microbiota. Overall, the inclusion of chlorella up to 2% in diets for growing rabbits did not significantly affect diet nutritional value, animal performance, or caecal activity. On the other hand, increasing crude fat to 5% improved the overall feed efficiency.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101365"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142701811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Particle size of straw and gelation of pectin influence gastric mixing and emptying in pigs","authors":"C. Lannuzel ,&nbsp;R.J. Veersma ,&nbsp;G.M. Bornhorst ,&nbsp;G. van Erven ,&nbsp;M.A. Kabel ,&nbsp;W.J.J. Gerrits ,&nbsp;S. de Vries","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101362","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101362","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Physicochemical properties of fibres can strongly impact gastric processes such as emptying and sieving. This study evaluated the influence of particle size of insoluble fibres, and gelation of soluble fibres when added to insoluble fibres, on gastric emptying of digesta phases from the proximal and distal stomach of pigs. Twenty-four boars (51.6 ± 4.90 kg) were assigned to one of four diets, containing either 150 g/kg coarse or finely milled wheat straw (median particle area of 5.4 vs 0.3 mm²), or 270 g/kg wheat bran without or with the addition of 100 g/kg low-methylated pectin. Tracers were used to quantify the mean retention time (<strong>MRT</strong>) of digesta liquids (Co-EDTA), fine solids (TiO₂), and fibrous particles (Chromium-mordanted fibres). For all diets, digesta pH was lower in the distal stomach than in the proximal stomach (−1.1 – 2.1 units; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In the proximal stomach, particle size reduction of straw tended to decrease digesta pH (−0.8 units; <em>P</em> = 0.072), reduced the MRT of fine solids (−117 min; <em>P</em> = 0.009) and the separation between fine solids and liquids (−88 min; <em>P</em> = 0.030). When particle size of straw was reduced, the MRT of liquids was no longer greater in the proximal stomach compared with the distal stomach (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.10), while in both regions, the MRT of fibrous particles (−213 – 238 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and the difference between fibrous particles and fine solids were reduced (−96 – 181 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Accordingly, sieving of nutrients, such as starch and non-starch polysaccharides was reduced. In the proximal stomach, the greater water holding capacity and resistance to deformation conferred by the addition of pectin decreased the MRT of fine solids (−138 min; <em>P</em> = 0.003), and fibrous particles (−227 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), reducing the difference between fine solids and liquids (−148 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), and between fibrous particles and fine solids (−89 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In the distal stomach, pectin addition reduced the MRT of fibrous particles (−203 min; <em>P</em> = 0.007), and the difference between fibrous particles and fine solids (−154 min; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). Concomitantly, sieving of nutrients across stomach regions was reduced. In conclusion, particle size reduction of straw and pectin addition accelerated the emptying of fine and coarse solids, and reduced sieving of digesta phases and nutrients in the proximal and distal stomach of pigs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101362"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142701810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The effect of protease supplementation in broiler chicken diets containing maize from different batches on growth performance and nutrient digestibility","authors":"V.A.B. Zavelinski,&nbsp;V.I. Vieira,&nbsp;L.S. Bassi,&nbsp;L.M. de Almeida,&nbsp;V.G. Schramm,&nbsp;A. Maiorka,&nbsp;S.G. de Oliveira","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101363","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101363","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Maize is the primary energy source in poultry diets. Nutritional and physical traits related to maize composition can affect nutrient utilization, as well as the efficacy of exogenous enzymes. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of maize from different batches and protease supplementation on growth performance and ileal nutrient digestibility of broiler chickens from 1 to 40 days of age. A total of 1 920-day-old Ross 308 male chicks were assigned in a complete randomized design distributed into a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement comprising maize from two different batches (A and B) without and with protease (0 and 200 g/t), totaling 4 treatments and 12 replicates of 40 broiler chickens each. Experimental diets were divided into starter, grower I, grower II, and finisher phases. Both maize types were analyzed for nutritional composition, hardness, and structural differences in the starch granules via scanning electron microscopy. Feed intake, weight gain (<strong>WG</strong>), and feed conversion ratio (<strong>FCR</strong>) were evaluated. Ileal digesta was collected at 35 days to determine the apparent ileal digestibility (<strong>AID</strong>) of DM, CP, and ileal digestible energy (<strong>IDE</strong>). Hardness was higher in maize grains from batch A (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), which may be associated with the denser and compact starch granules observed in electron microscopy. Broiler chickens fed maize from batch B and supplemented with protease showed greater WG and better FCR from 9 to 19 days (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). From 1 to 40 days, birds fed the maize B diet had greater WG and lower FCR compared to those fed the maize A diet (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In the total period, protease supplementation reduced FCR (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). No differences were found for AID of DM and CP, but broilers fed maize B diets had greater IDE (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, although nutrient ileal digestibility was unaffected by treatments, the use of maize B led to superior growth performance and energy utilization due to its softer endosperm and starch composition, and protease supplementation reduced FCR and increased IDE regardless of maize batch.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101363"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142683207","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Early addition of enzyme-treated soybean in the diet improves amino acid absorption and protein digestibility by promoting digestive enzyme activity in broilers","authors":"C.L. Ma ,&nbsp;Z.C. Yin ,&nbsp;X.Y. Zhang ,&nbsp;C.X. Zhang ,&nbsp;W.Y. Zhang ,&nbsp;Y.X. Li ,&nbsp;X.J. Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101364","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101364","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early nutritional regulation has become a research hotspot. The present study was undertaken to assess dietary early addition enzyme-treated soybean meal (<strong>ESBM</strong>) on nutrient digestibility, amino acid absorption, and intestinal development of broilers. Four hundred and fifty 1-day-old broilers were divided into three groups with 10 replicates of 15 broilers and fed with a basic diet, 2.5 or 5% ESBM during 1–10 days. Then, all groups were fed the same basic diets until 42 d. The obtained results indicated that supplementation of ESBM in early stage resulted in heavier BW and a better feed conversion ratio during the experimental periods compared with the control group. Supplementing the broiler’s diet with 5% ESBM led to enhance digestibility of DM, CP and decrease abdominal fat yield (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Meanwhile, 5% ESBM in the early diet increased villus height (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05, d 21) and reduced the crypt depth in jejunum and ileum (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05, d 42). Dietary 5% ESBM supplementation improved enzyme activity and upregulated nutrient transporters expression in jejunum, increased plasma amino acid (<strong>AA</strong>) concentrations (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05, d 10). In conclusion, our data demonstrated that supplementation ESBM promote intestinal development, upregulate AAs and peptide transporters gene expression for physiological absorption of AAs, and improve protein digestibility caused by intestinal enzyme activity, thereby improving growth performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101364"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142701808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Yellow mealworm: effects of adults breeding density on adults and larvae performances from an industrial perspective","authors":"B. Palumbo,&nbsp;M. Cullere,&nbsp;Y. Singh,&nbsp;E. Pontalti,&nbsp;A. Dalle Zotte","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101360","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101360","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A key aspect to optimise the <em>Tenebrio molitor</em> (<strong>TM</strong>) farm productivity is to find an optimal breeding density for adults. To this purpose, this study investigated, from an industrial perspective, the impact of four breeding densities (<strong>D1, D2, D3</strong> and <strong>D4</strong>, equal to 0.8, 1.1, 1.3 and 1.6 adults/cm², respectively) on mortality and reproductive performances of TM adults and larvae. Two weeks after pupae emergence, TM adults were randomly assigned to the four groups and housed in 48 breeding crates (60 × 40 × 14.5 cm; 12 crates/group). The trial consisted of 4 consecutive weeks of adult breeding (each week represented one oviposition), and 8 weeks of larvae growth. From each week of oviposition, a batch of larvae was obtained for a total of four batches of larvae (48 crates/batch). Larvae of each batch were grown until 8 weeks of age, corresponding to the period required to reach the selling size. Larvae were kept in the original crates until the 5^th weeks of age, after which they were divided into additional crates to ensure a density of 4.2 larvae/cm² and a final weight of 1 500 g of larvae/crate (0.6 g of larvae/cm²). For each oviposition week, TM adult’s mortality, egg hatchability, BW, feed intake, chemical composition and fatty acid profile were evaluated, while ovary weight was measured at weeks 1 and 4. The number of larvae was monitored at week 5 of age while their chemical composition was determined at week 5 and 8. Larvae feed intake and BW were monitored over the 8-weeks growth period. Individual feed intake and BW of adults increased with increasing breeding density (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.0001 and <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05, respectively). With increasing adult breeding density, the number of larvae per crate increased (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) while the grams of larvae/gram of adults decreased (R² = 0.8856). Larvae from groups D2, D3 and D4 showed higher feed intake per crate and higher individual and total final BW than D1 (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). However, the feed conversion ratio (<strong>FCR</strong>) worsened with increasing breeding density (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). D4 larvae had higher percentages of protein (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), lipids (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and cholesterol (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) compared to larvae from other groups. Concluding, a breeding density of 0.8 adults/cm² maximised both grams of larvae produced/grams of adults and larvae FCR. However, breeding densities above 0.8 adults/cm² resulted in a higher number of produced larvae per crate with a greater final mass weight making a density of 1.6 adults/cm² the preferable choice from and industrial perspective.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101360"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649700","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How does finishing duration on lucerne pasture influence the muscle and fat spectro-colorimetric properties and dorsal fat firmness in lambs?","authors":"S. Prache,&nbsp;B. Graulet,&nbsp;L. Rey-Cadilhac","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101361","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101361","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>There are a number of differences in the meat and carcass quality traits between pasture-raised and concentrate-raised lambs that may further be used to trace back the diet, but the extent to which these differences are modulated by pasture-finishing duration is unknown. In this study, we investigated the changes in <em>longissimus thoracis et lumborum</em> muscle and fat spectrocolorimetric properties, and dorsal fat firmness, in lambs switched from a stall-fed concentrate-based diet to grazing on lucerne for various durations (0, 21, 42, 63 days) pre-slaughter. Stall-fed lambs from the different treatment groups were managed in a single group and lucerne pasture-finished lambs from the different treatment groups also co-grazed in a single group. The level of concentrate fed to stall-fed lambs was adjusted to maintain a similar mean pattern of growth between lucerne pasture-fed and stall-fed lambs. The trial used a total of 141 lambs over two successive years. Dorsal fat was firmer in lambs finished on lucerne pasture, even for the shortest finishing duration (21 days), the difference being of commercial importance. Dorsal fat colour and carotenoid content showed changes at 21 days on lucerne pasture but did not change further for longer lucerne pasture-finishing durations. In contrast, perirenal fat lightness, yellowness, chroma and carotenoid content showed changes at 21 days on lucerne pasture and increased consistently with lucerne pasture-finishing duration. Although these changes in fat spectrocolorimetric properties were not, or barely, visible to the naked eye, they could be of interest for authenticating the duration of lucerne pasture-finishing. Muscle redness increased consistently with the duration of lucerne pasture-finishing, the change becoming significant from 42 days on lucerne pasture and being visible to the naked eye. We observed a consistent decrease in muscle hue angle and perirenal fat redness and a consistent increase in perirenal fat hue angle with lucerne pasture-finishing duration, but these changes only became significant from 63 days on lucerne pasture. The pattern of change in the lamb carcass and meat quality traits measured according to lucerne pasture-finishing duration therefore varied between the tissues and quality traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101361"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142649698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"“Should we just stop fighting the beast?”: Tackling the wicked problem of surplus dairy calf management using a participatory framework","authors":"S.E. Bolton ,&nbsp;K.E. Koralesky ,&nbsp;M.A.G. von Keyserlingk","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101359","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101359","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Early life killing of male and female dairy calves not needed as replacements for the lactating herd poses a threat to the social sustainability of the dairy industry. However, implementing sustainable alternatives to this common practice is a complex challenge exhibiting many characteristics of a ‘wicked problem’. Addressing these problems requires understanding the needs of a wide range of actors including farmers, their advisors, beef and dairy value chain stakeholders, the public, and the animals. The aim of this study was to describe how Australian dairy farmers and advisors understand the factors affecting surplus calf management and examine how this understanding changed following interventions where participants were exposed to community and value chain stakeholder perspectives. To achieve this, we utilized a participatory framework that included longitudinal focus groups, where the same groups were reconvened multiple times, periodically revisiting the same issue, as a practical method for achieving deliberative engagement. We analyzed participants’ responses before and after the interventions were applied using thematic analysis. Responses were organized into two themes: (1) economic and practical aspects of surplus calf management; and (2) social aspects of surplus calf management. We conclude that farmers and their advisors see surplus calf management as complex and without simple solutions. Farmers are faced with numerous challenges when it comes to breeding, rearing, and marketing calves for economically viable beef markets and are often impacted at a personal level by this burden. Participants often positioned the public as naïve to the plight of the farmer, requiring education to understand and accept farming practices. However, exposing participants to community views, particularly those which included some common ground with which participants could identify, resulted in some suggesting that preserving public trust may instead require adapting farming practices to align production systems with public values. In contrast, sharing value chain perspectives had less impact. Our findings indicate that participatory processes offer a promising approach for working toward sustainable management of surplus dairy calves in a local and global context.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"18 12","pages":"Article 101359"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142689570","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}