Animals最新文献

{"title":"Rat Calvarial Defect Models in Bone Regeneration Research: A Narrative Review of Critical Size and Micro-Computed Tomography Outcome Reporting.","authors":"Klemen Aleš Pilih, Uroš Kovačič","doi":"10.3390/ani16193142","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193142","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The rat calvarial defect model supports the preclinical evaluation of bone-regenerative approaches relevant to craniofacial reconstruction, including recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) and bone substitutes. However, its invasive nature requires study-specific harm-benefit assessment and application of the 3Rs. This narrative review used a structured PubMed search to examine spontaneous healing in defects smaller than 5 mm and μCT outcome reporting in untreated or control defects. Twenty-four studies of sub-5 mm defects and 45 μCT studies were included. Complete spontaneous healing was not reported in the sub-5 mm studies; only two μCT studies reported regeneration of at least 50% according to their respective outcome measures. Healing generally increased with longer observation periods and smaller defects, although methodological heterogeneity limited comparisons. Inconsistent reporting of acquisition parameters, segmentation thresholds, regions of interest, and numerical outcomes restricted reproducibility and data reuse. Within this PubMed-indexed evidence base, the findings support 5 mm defects as a practical model of incomplete spontaneous healing and indicate that smaller defects also do not reliably heal completely within the observation periods studied. These findings do not directly establish clinical benefit. Future studies should justify the least burdensome model capable of answering the research question, implement replacement, reduction, and refinement, and report standardized bone volume fractions, relevant measures of defect bridging, reproducible imaging methods, and reusable numerical data.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663530/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190745","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":"Balanced Animal Nutrition for Better Feeds, Healthy Animals, Safe Food, and a Healthy Planet: A One Health Perspective-An Invited Review.","authors":"Eric N Ponnampalam, Gauri Jairath, Rebecca Paul Weka, Tersur Theophilus Akpensuen, Hasitha Priyashantha, Charlotte Lauridsen, David Dazhia Lazarus, Gorakh Mal, Antonella Dalle Zotte, Sujatha Premaratne, Pam Dachung Luka","doi":"10.3390/ani16193138","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193138","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Livestock production is increasingly expected to deliver not only higher output, but also better animal health and welfare, safer and more nutritious food, viable livelihoods, and lower environmental pressure. This invited review examines balanced animal nutrition within a One Health framework, linking feed resources with animal health, food quality and safety, community well-being, and environmental sustainability. Evidence from studies on improved forages, agro-industrial by-products, alternative feed resources, precision nutrition, feed safety, preventive healthcare, antimicrobial stewardship, manure management, and climate-resilient production was considered across the feed-animal-food-community-environment pathway. Nutritionally balanced and safe feeding strategies can support animal health and productivity, improve nutrient utilisation and modify selected quality characteristics of animal-derived foods. Their effects on disease occurrence, antimicrobial use, food safety and environmental outcomes depend on livestock species, physiological stage, dietary composition and production-system characteristics, as well as appropriate veterinary care and food-chain management. The review identifies differences among livestock species and production systems, as well as nutritional, economic and environmental trade-offs that influence the suitability of feeding strategies. Although evidence supports several individual relationships between animal nutrition, animal health, food quality and resource use, the complete sequence of downstream One Health outcomes has rarely been assessed within the same experimental or analytical framework. Integrated evaluation of these outcomes is therefore necessary to determine the wider benefits and limitations of nutritional interventions across livestock production systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663420/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190773","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":"Physiological, Histological, and Molecular Responses of White Trevally (<i>Pseudocaranx dentex</i>) to Acute Hypoxia.","authors":"Xiatian Chen, Nan Zhang, Xiaoming Zhang, Jialing Luo, Fenglin Wang, Yudong Jia","doi":"10.3390/ani16193137","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193137","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key environmental factor affecting the survival and development of farmed fish. However, the hypoxia responses of white trevally (<i>Pseudocaranx dentex</i>) remain poorly understood. In this study, we determined the DO tolerance thresholds and integrated physiological, histological, and molecular responses of white trevally to hypoxic stress. Smaller fish exhibited higher values for critical oxygen tension (3.50 ± 0.18 mg/L) and loss of equilibrium (LOE, 0.92 ± 0.14 mg/L), whereas larger fish showed lower values. Hypoxia significantly elevated serum cortisol, glucose, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase levels, which peaked at LOE. Under hypoxia, histological analysis revealed lamellar clubbing, hypertrophy, and hyperplasia in gills, and vacuolization and nuclear migration in liver sections. In the liver, superoxide dismutase and catalase activities and malondialdehyde content increased, while glutathione peroxidase activity decreased. Upregulation was observed for stress-related genes (<i>HSP70</i>, <i>HSP90</i>, mineralocorticoid receptor, and glucocorticoid receptor) and pro-apoptotic genes (<i>p53</i>, <i>BAX</i>, and <i>Caspase-3</i>), while <i>Bcl-2</i> was downregulated. Principal component analysis indicated that hypoxia triggered stress responses, tissue damage and apoptotic signaling; smaller fish were the most vulnerable, emphasizing the need for size-specific management in aquaculture. Collectively, these findings provide baseline data that may support the healthy development of traditional white trevally aquaculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663521/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190972","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":"Nicarbazin-Based Fertility Control for Urban Pigeon Management: A Review of Experimental, Regulatory and Operational Evidence.","authors":"Marco Pellizzari, Paolo Pietro Albonetti, Yassine Hankaz","doi":"10.3390/ani16193140","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193140","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High urban pigeon densities can generate conflicts related to building and heritage damage, public-health concerns, nuisance, and the need for socially acceptable population-management strategies. The management of feral pigeon (<i>Columba livia</i>) populations in urban environments requires approaches that are effective, sustainable, publicly acceptable, and legally compliant. Among available non-lethal options, fertility control based on nicarbazin, originally developed in the 1950s as a poultry anticoccidial before being adapted for urban bird management, has become one of the most extensively investigated strategies. This narrative review synthesizes the scientific literature and regulatory experience concerning nicarbazin-based fertility control, including products authorized as veterinary medicinal products in Europe (Ovistop^®, ACME DRUGS Srl, Cavriago, Italy and R12^®, ACME Srl, Cavriago, Italy) and as an EPA-registered pesticide product in the United States (OvoControl^® P, Innolytics, LLC, CA, USA), covering its historical development, mechanism of action, regulatory frameworks, experimental evidence, long-term field studies, and post-marketing experience. The available evidence indicates that the effectiveness of nicarbazin is supported by multiple independent sources, including laboratory investigations, pharmacokinetic studies, long-term field evaluations, regulatory assessments, and more than two decades of operational use, although successful population management depends not only on biological efficacy but also on program implementation, monitoring, and long-term management. Based on the evidence reviewed, a Three-Pillar Framework integrating population monitoring, fertility control, and environmental and social management is proposed. Remaining evidence gaps concern the standardization of monitoring and outcome assessment, the influence of population connectivity, and the economic evaluation of long-term programs, identifying priorities for future research. Overall, nicarbazin-based fertility control emerges as a scientifically validated, reversible, and humane tool for the long-term management of urban pigeon populations within a structured, adaptive framework.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663504/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190867","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":"Water Temperature and Practical Feeding Regimes Interact to Affect Growth, Enzyme Activities, and Histological Characteristics in Juvenile and Sub-Adult Chinese Mitten Crab (<i>Eriocheir sinensis</i>).","authors":"Min Wei, Yuyan Sun, Xinran Yin, Yijin Zhu, Yansong Zhang, Yi Xu, Zhongwei Li, Chao Guo","doi":"10.3390/ani16193141","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193141","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Chinese mitten crab (<i>Eriocheir sinensis</i>) is commonly cultured using compound feed or iced fresh fish, but its performance may vary with water temperature and developmental stage. This 28-day indoor study evaluated the interactive effects of feeding regime and water temperature on growth, pooled survival (reported descriptively), apparent feed disappearance, tissue enzyme activities, and qualitative intestinal and gill histology in juvenile and sub-adult <i>E. sinensis</i>. Crabs were assigned to compound-feed or iced-fresh-fish regimes at 20, 24, 28, or 32 °C. Significant feeding regime × temperature interactions were detected for growth traits in both developmental stages. Under the present experimental conditions, the highest numerical juvenile body-weight gain was observed under the compound-feed regime at 28 °C, whereas the highest numerical sub-adult body-weight gain was observed under the compound-feed regime at 24 °C. Apparent feed disappearance was generally higher in the iced-fresh-fish regime but did not consistently correspond to greater growth. Linear mixed-effects models revealed tissue- and stage-specific enzyme responses, including significant feeding regime × temperature × time interactions for selected metabolic, ion-transport, and immune-related activities. Qualitative histological observations showed treatment-associated structural changes in the intestine and gill. Because the two regimes differed fundamentally in moisture content and nutrient density, our results reflect responses to commercial feeding practices rather than an evaluation of nutritionally equivalent diets.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663415/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190940","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":"Neurobiology of Pet Loss Grief: A Review from a One Health Perspective.","authors":"Thanh Huu Phan Ngo, Jiwon Oh, Hyeong Jun Kim, Wan Lee","doi":"10.3390/ani16193129","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193129","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The loss of a companion animal can provoke grief whose intensity rivals human bereavement, yet its biological basis remains largely uncharted. This structured narrative review synthesizes neurobiological, endocrinological, immunological, and psychosocial evidence into a mechanistic framework offered not as established fact but as a source of testable hypotheses. We trace the substrates of the human-animal bond across six interacting systems and propose how disruption of each upon an animal's death may drive grief. Three carry comparatively robust analogical support (oxytocinergic signaling, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal [HPA] axis regulation, and neuroinflammatory activation) and three are more exploratory (dopaminergic, serotonergic, and endocannabinoid pathways). Integrating extracted study-level data into transparent prioritization heuristics, we identify the HPA axis, assessed with its coupled oxytocinergic partner, as the most defensible first target for a direct biomarker study, a conclusion robust across three methodologically independent analyses. No direct pet-loss evidence yet supports any proposal, and this gap is the review's central motivation. As applied context, we address euthanasia-related guilt, disenfranchised grief under East Asian norms (a tentative \"double disenfranchisement\" hypothesis that we put forward for testing), assessment instruments, evidence-graded therapies, priorities for developing Korean-language tools, and One Health research priorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663545/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190884","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":"Balancing Prolificacy and Lamb Meat Production: Links Among Litter Size, Prenatal Development, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality in Sheep.","authors":"Song Guan, Dexin Zhao, Haoliang Chai, Linfeng Zhou, Weiqi Peng, Hongzhi Wu","doi":"10.3390/ani16193128","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193128","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Prolificacy can increase lamb output per ewe, but its productive value depends on the survival, growth, and carcass performance of each additional lamb. This review examines the pathway from genetic control of ovulation to realized litter size, prenatal development, neonatal viability, postnatal growth, carcass traits, and meat quality. Major fecundity genes, including <i>BMPR1B</i>, <i>BMP15</i>, <i>GDF9</i>, and <i>B4GALNT2</i>, alter ovulation rate, although evidence for direct effects of these loci on muscle development or meat quality remains scarce. Most phenotypic differences are more plausibly mediated through fetal number and the maternal environment. Compared with singletons, multiple-born lambs generally have less placental tissue per fetus, lower birth weight, reduced neonatal vigor, and slower preweaning growth. Prenatal restriction may alter myofiber formation, adipogenesis, and connective tissue development, but its later expression depends strongly on postnatal nutrition and slaughter endpoint. Across studies, litter size has a clearer and more consistent association with survival, growth trajectory, and carcass readiness than with ultimate pH, color, water-holding capacity, tenderness, intramuscular fat, fatty acid composition, or sensory quality. Reported contrasts vary with age, diet, carcass weight, and fatness; adjustment can attenuate some observed differences, but it may also remove effects mediated through growth. An effective production strategy therefore targets optimum rather than maximum prolificacy. Genetic selection should be integrated with pregnancy diagnosis, fetal-number-specific nutrition, colostrum management, rearing allocation, targeted finishing, and carcass feedback, with performance evaluated as saleable carcass output per ewe. The evidence is primarily observational for natural birth-type comparisons, while controlled nutritional models support selected prenatal mechanisms rather than equivalence to natural multiple pregnancy.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663492/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190775","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":"Measuring Production Efficiency and Structural Factors in Sheep Farming: Empirical Evidence from North-Eastern Anatolia, Türkiye.","authors":"Ayşe Karadağ Gürsoy, Bahri Karlı","doi":"10.3390/ani16193131","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193131","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluates the technical efficiency and structural factors influencing sheep farming enterprises operating in the TRA2 sub-region (Ardahan, Kars, Ağrı, and Iğdır provinces) of North-Eastern Anatolia, Türkiye. Primary data were collected from 138 sheep farms selected through a stratified random sampling method. The technical efficiency of the enterprises was evaluated using a dual methodological framework combining Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). Input-output variables integrated into the efficiency frontier model included the gross production value of sheep farming as the output, alongside roughage expenditure, concentrate feed expenditure, family labor, and veterinary/medicine costs as input variables. The empirical findings yielded a mean technical efficiency score of 0.657, supported by a Likelihood Ratio (LR) test statistic of 20.569 (<i>p</i> < 0.01), confirming significant technical inefficiency across the sampled farms. To identify the socio-economic determinants of efficiency, a Tobit regression analysis was performed; while operator age exhibited a positive relationship, sheep farming experience, household size, and formal education duration showed negative associations with efficiency scores, though none reached statistical significance. Additionally, Factor Analysis was employed to uncover the underlying structural multidimensional factors shaping sheep production dynamics in the region. The findings highlight key managerial and operational constraints, providing actionable insights for policymakers to promote sustainable smallholder livestock development in mountainous agro-ecological zones.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663536/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190706","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":"Seropositivity and Antigen-Specific Seroreactivity to <i>Leptospira</i> spp. In Equids from Three Regions of Veracruz, Mexico.","authors":"Alejandro Taylor Estrada-Coates, Juan Manuel Pinos-Rodríguez, Jorge Genaro Vicente-Martínez, Isaac De Gasperin-López, Jessica Yamilete Rodríguez-Flores, Miriam Alva-Trujillo","doi":"10.3390/ani16193130","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193130","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Information on <i>Leptospira</i> spp. exposure in Mexican equids remains limited. This cross-sectional study evaluated seropositivity and antigen-specific seroreactivity in 313 apparently healthy equids enrolled by convenience sampling in Los Tuxtlas (<i>n</i> = 119), Sotavento (<i>n</i> = 108), and Capital (<i>n</i> = 86), Veracruz, Mexico, from 2 October 2023 to 6 March 2024. Sera were examined by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) against 13 antigens; titers ≥ 1:100 defined seropositivity. Overall seropositivity was 57.5% (180/313; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 52.0-62.9), with regional proportions of 49.6%, 65.7%, and 58.1%, respectively (unadjusted <i>p</i> = 0.048). Modified Poisson models with robust variance were fitted separately for region with species and region with sex. For Sotavento versus Los Tuxtlas, the adjusted prevalence ratio was 1.33 after adjustment for species (95% CI: 1.06-1.67) and 1.33 after adjustment for sex (95% CI: 1.06-1.66). Antigen-specific seroreactivity was most frequent for Australis (63/313; 20.1%), Bratislava (62/313; 19.8%), and Pyrogenes (57/313; 18.2%); these are overlapping antigen responses, not mutually exclusive serogroup estimates. Environmental and management exposures were not measured at the animal level. The findings support surveillance at the animal-human-environment interface but do not demonstrate active shedding or zoonotic transmission.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663475/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190813","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 Broiler-Targeted Lighting Programs on Productivity, Health, and Welfare.","authors":"Parker B Watson, Emily Jiral, Melinda Grimes, Gregory S Archer","doi":"10.3390/ani16193127","DOIUrl":"10.3390/ani16193127","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Poultry are highly sensitive to lighting photoperiod, intensity, and color, yet little research has combined these components into a single broiler-targeted lighting program. This study evaluated an integrated dynamic LED lighting program and a further red-light dawn/dusk addition on broiler productivity, health, and welfare.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In Experiment 1, 960 male Cobb 500 broilers were reared for 42 d under a conventional white-LED program (CON) or a dynamic blue-emphasis LED program with declining intensity and a gradually shortening photoperiod (i.e., a lengthening dark period; DYN). In Experiment 2, 960 broilers were reared for 35 d under DYN or DYN with a gradual red-light dawn/dusk transition (RDW). Growth performance, tibia strength and ash, intestinal morphology, blood corticosterone, the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, physical asymmetry, tonic immobility, and inversion were measured, and an illustrative income-over-feed-cost analysis was performed.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>DYN broilers had higher body weight and lower feed conversion ratio than CON broilers (<i>p</i> = 0.016 and <i>p</i> = 0.003, respectively), together with a lower heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio, corticosterone, and composite asymmetry (<i>p</i> < 0.05). RDW broilers had greater tibia breaking strengths and lower corticosterone, heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratios, and asymmetry than DYN broilers (<i>p</i> < 0.05), with similar growth performance. Illustrative economic analysis suggested a modest income-over-feed-cost advantage for DYN over CON.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>An integrated, broiler-targeted dynamic lighting program improved growth, intestinal morphology, and stress/fear indicators relative to a conventional program, and adding a red dawn/dusk transition further improved skeletal and stress outcomes without compromising growth, supporting the practical, commercial-scale use of programmable LED technology to improve broiler welfare and productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":7955,"journal":{"name":"Animals","volume":"16 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2026-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13663325/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149190951","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}