An extended milking interval of 24 h (24-h milking interval (24h-MI)) constitutes the acute phase of cow adaptation to once-daily milking (ODM). A recent trial including 724 24h-MI challenges demonstrated that milk yield responses to this acute phase of ODM are highly variable (from+22% to −52% of milk yield when switching to the 24h-MI, mean=−25.3%) and that factors such as stage of lactation parity and milk yield level influenced cows’ responses but did not account for all individual variability. Additional traits related to physiological, immune and behavioural adaptation were measured on a subset (96 observations) of this data set. This study aimed to determine (1) the relationship of these traits with cows’ milk yield responses, (2) their ability – combined with previously identified traits – to help predict milk yield responses to 24h-MI (adaptive profiles). The 24h-MI challenge consisted of three successive periods: one control week of twice-daily milking (cTDM), one single day of 24h-MI and then 13 days of TDM (pTDM). Milk yield responses to the 24h-MI (corrected for effects of stage of lactation, parity, milk yield level and milk yield) were related to physiological traits measured during cTDM (milk flow rate, presence or absence of interleukin-8) and to their changes during the 24h-MI (absolute increase in milk flow rate and relative udder distension). Analysis of associations between milk yield responses, stage of lactation, parity, milk yield level, proteolysis, udder expansion and immune traits found three adaptive cow profile clusters. Cows in cluster 1 had a less compliant udder than cows in cluster 2, and they lost more milk during the 24h-MI than cluster-2 and cluster-3 cows. After resuming twice daily-milking (TDM), cluster-2 cows fully recovered the milk they had lost during the 24h-MI. On the opposite, cluster-3 cows did not recover the milk they lost, likely due to udder inflammation during cTDM, as suggested by elevated concentrations of interleukin-8 in their milk. These results combining new traits with stage of lactation, parity and milk yield level constitute a first step towards predicting individual cow responses to a 24h-MI.

Grain-rich diets often lead to subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) impairing rumen and systemic cattle health. Recent data suggest beneficial effects of a clay mineral (CM)- based product on the rumen microbiome of cattle during SARA. This study sought to investigate whether the CM supplementation can counteract SARA-induced perturbations of the bovine systemic health. The study used an intermittent diet-induced SARA-model with eight dry Holstein cows receiving either no additive as control or CM via concentrates (n=8 per treatment). Cows received first a forage diet (Baseline) for 1 week, followed by a 1-week SARA-challenge (SARA 1), a 1-week recovery phase (Recovery) and finally a second SARA-challenge for 2 weeks (SARA 2). Cows were monitored for feed intake, reticular pH and chewing behavior. Blood samples were taken and analyzed for metabolites related to glucose and lipid metabolism as well as liver health biomarkers. In addition, a targeted electrospray ionization-liquid chromatography-MS-based metabolomics approach was carried out on the plasma samples obtained at the end of the Baseline and SARA 1 phase. Data showed that supplementing the cows’ diet with CM improved ruminating chews per regurgitated bolus by 16% in SARA 1 (P=0.01) and enhanced the dry matter intake during the Recovery phase (P=0.05). Moreover, the SARA-induced decreases in several amino acids and phosphatidylcholines were less pronounced in cows receiving CM (P≤0.10). The CM-supplemented cows also had lower concentrations of lactate (P=0.03) and biogenic amines such as histamine and spermine (P<0.01) in the blood. In contrast, the concentration of acylcarnitines with key metabolic functions was increased in the blood of treated cows (P≤0.05). In SARA 2, the CM-cows had lower concentrations of the liver enzymes aspartate aminotransferase and γ-glutamyltransferase (P<0.05). In conclusion, the data suggest that supplementation of CM holds the potential to alleviate the negative effects of high-grain feeding in cattle by counteracting multiple SARA-induced perturbations in the systemic metabolism and liver health.

The present study aimed to identify the factors that affect immediate (within 24 h after farrowing onset) postnatal piglet mortality in litters with hyperprolific sows, and investigate their associations with behaviour of postpartum sows in two different farrowing housing systems. A total of 30 sows were housed in: (1) CRATE (n=15): the farrowing crate closed (0.80×2.20 m) within a pen (2.50×1.70 m), and (2) OPEN (n=15): the farrowing crate open (0.80×2.20×1.80 m) within a pen (2.50×2.40 m) with a provision of 20 ls of hay in a rack. A total of 518 live born piglets, produced from the 30 sows, were used for data analyses during the first 24 h after the onset of parturition (T24). Behavioural observations of the sows were assessed via video analyses during T24. Total and crushed piglet mortality rates were higher in OPEN compared with CRATE (P<0.01, for both). During T24, the OPEN sows tended to show higher frequency of postural changes (P=0.07) and duration of standing (P=0.10), and showed higher frequencies of bar-biting (P<0.05) and piglet trapping (P<0.01), when compared with the CRATE sows. During T24, the mortality rates caused by crushing were correlated with the piglet trapping event (r=0.93, P<0.0001), postural changes (r=0.37, P<0.01), duration of standing (r=0.32, P<0.01) and frequency of bar-biting behaviour (r=0.51, P<0.01) of the sows (n=30). In conclusion, immediate postnatal piglet mortality, mainly due to crushing, may be associated with potential increases in frequency of postural changes, duration of standing and incidence of piglet trapping in postpartum sows in the open crate system with large litters.

Tail damage within the production of finisher pigs is an animal welfare problem. Recent research suggests that removal of known risk factors may not be enough to eliminate tail biting, especially in undocked pigs, thus a different strategy is worth investigating. This could be early detection of tail biting, using behavioural changes observed before tail damage. If these early stages of tail biting can be detected before tail damage occurs, then tail damage could be prevented by early interventions. The first step in developing such a strategy is to identify the types of behaviour changes that emerge during early stages of tail biting. Thus, the aim of the current study was to investigate whether pen level activity and object manipulation evolved differently during the last 7 days before the scoring of tail damage (day 0) for pens scored with tail damage (tail damage pens) and pens not scored with tail damage (matched control pens). The study included video recordings for twenty-four tail damage pens and thirty-two matched control pens. Activity level and object manipulation were observed the last 7 days before day 0 during the morning (0600 to 0800 h), afternoon (1600 to 1800 h) and evening (2200 to 2400 h, only activity level). Both activity level and object manipulation were analysed using generalised linear mixed effects models with a binomial distribution for activity level and a negative binomial distribution for object manipulation. The probability of being active was higher in tail damage pens compared to control pens during the afternoon the last 5 days before day 0 (P<0.001). This was seen due to a decrease in activity level in the control pens, which makes it difficult to identify future tail damage pens from this difference. Object manipulation was lower in tail damage pens compared to the control pens on all 7 days before day 0, but only in pens with undocked pigs (P<0.01). Thus, it is still unknown when this difference in object manipulation initiated. It was concluded that both activity level and object manipulation seemed related to ongoing tail biting and should be investigated through more detailed observations and for a longer time to establish the normal behaviour pattern for a particular pen. Thus, it is suggested that future research focusses on developing automatic monitoring methods for pen level activity and object manipulation and applies algorithms that establish and detect deviations from the normal behaviour pattern of the pen before tail damage.

LiGAPS-Beef (Livestock simulator for Generic analysis of Animal Production Systems – Beef cattle) is a generic, mechanistic model designed to quantify potential and feed-limited growth, which provides insight in the biophysical scope to increase beef production (i.e. yield gap). Furthermore, it enables identification of the bio-physical factors that define and limit growth, which provides insight in management strategies to mitigate yield gaps. The aim of this paper, third in a series of three, is to evaluate the performance of LiGAPS-Beef with independent experimental data. After model calibration, independent data were used from six experiments in Australia, one in Uruguay and one in the Netherlands. Experiments represented three cattle breeds, and a wide range of climates, feeding strategies and cattle growth rates. The mean difference between simulated and measured average daily gains (ADGs) was 137 g/day across all experiments, which equals 20.1% of the measured ADGs. The root mean square error was 170 g/day, which equals 25.0% of the measured ADGs. LiGAPS-Beef successfully simulated the factors that defined and limited growth during the experiments on a daily basis (genotype, heat stress, digestion capacity, energy deficiency and protein deficiency). The simulated factors complied well to the reported occurrence of heat stress, energy deficiency and protein deficiency at specific periods during the experiments. We conclude that the level of accuracy of LiGAPS-Beef is acceptable, and provides a good basis for acquiring insight in the potential and feed-limited production of cattle in different beef production systems across the world. Furthermore, its capacity to identify factors that define or limit growth and production provides scope to use the model for yield gap analysis.

Mineral composition and relative deposition rates in the pig’s body are used to assess the mineral net requirements for growth and input–output balances. The study aimed to examine the dynamics of changes in mineral composition and deposition rates in the empty body (EB) from birth to 140 kg BW depending on dietary protein supply. In the experiment, 66 entire male, 58 castrated and 66 female Swiss Large White pigs were used to determine body composition at birth, 10, 20 kg and at 20 kg intervals from 40 to 140 kg BW. From 20 kg BW, they had either ad libitum access to a control grower and finisher diet or a grower and finisher diet containing 80% CP, lysine, methione+cystine, threonine and tryptophan of the control diet. Each EB fraction (carcass, organs and empty intestines, blood and bile) was weighed and analyzed for water, ash, calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, potassium, sodium, copper, iron, manganese and zinc contents. Allometric relationships between the amount of each mineral in the EB and the EB weight (EBW) were fitted. The R2 of the allometric equations was above 0.92, except for copper and manganese (below 0.33), revealing the EBW as an excellent explanatory variable of the analyzed amounts. The copper and manganese composition in the EB were extremely low and variable which explain the low R2. Except for zinc, all mineral relative deposition rates decreased with increasing EBW. The amount of ash, calcium and phosphorus in the EB was not affected by the diet, but when expressed relative to body protein these minerals were increased when pigs were fed the low protein diet. This suggests an independent protein deposition and bone mineralization when animals are fed diets limiting in protein content. The diet also affected the amount of potassium in the EB which was greater when the low protein diet was fed. The gender only affected the amounts of potassium and sodium in the EB which were greater in entire males. Entire males had also greater amounts of water in the EB, which may explain the observed effect of gender on these two electrolytes. Finally, gender and dietary protein did not affect to a sufficient relevant way the body mineral composition and deposition rates in the EB, suggesting that their distinction may not be necessary to assess, on BW basis, the mineral net requirements for growth and the exported amount of minerals in input–output balances.

Trace minerals have important roles in immune function and oxidative metabolism; however, little is known about the relationships between supplementation level and source with outcomes in dairy cattle. Multiparous Holstein cows (n=48) beginning at 60 to 140 days in milk were utilized to determine the effects of trace mineral amount and source on aspects of oxidative metabolism and responses to intramammary lipopolysaccharide (LPS) challenge. Cows were fed a basal diet meeting National Research Council (NRC) requirements except for no added zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) or manganese (Mn). After a 4-week preliminary period, cows were assigned to one of four topdress treatments in a randomized complete block design with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of treatments: (1) NRC inorganic (NRC levels using inorganic (sulfate-based) trace mineral supplements only); (2) NRC organic (NRC levels using organic trace mineral supplements (metals chelated to 2-hydroxy-4-(methythio)-butanoic acid); (3) commercial inorganic (approximately 2×NRC levels using inorganic trace mineral supplements only; and (4) commercial organic (commercial levels using organic trace mineral supplements only). Cows were fed the respective mineral treatments for 6 weeks. Treatment effects were level, source and their interaction. Activities of super oxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase in erythrocyte lysate and concentrations of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in plasma were measured as indices of oxidative metabolism. Effects of treatment on those indices were not significant when evaluated across the entire experimental period. Plasma immunoglobulin G level was higher in cows supplemented with organic trace minerals over the entire treatment period; responses assessed as differences of before and after Escherichia coli J5 bacterin vaccination at the end of week 2 of treatment period were not significant. Cows were administered an intramammary LPS challenge during week 5; during week 6 cows fed commercial levels of Zn, Cu and Mn tended to have higher plasma TAC and cows fed organic sources had decreased plasma TBARS. After the LPS challenge, the extent and pattern of response of plasma cortisol concentrations and clinical indices (rectal temperature and heart rate) were not affected by trace mineral level and source. Productive performance including dry matter intake and milk yield and composition were not affected by treatment. Overall, results suggest that the varying level and source of dietary trace minerals do not have significant short-term effects on oxidative metabolism indices and clinical responses to intramammary LPS challenge in midlactation cows.

Surplus accounting is a method for evaluating trends in how a firm’s productivity factors (intermediate inputs, capital, land, labour) are performing and how the productivity gains are redistributed between agents in the economy. Here the surplus accounting method was applied on a database of 164 Charolais-area suckler cattle farms running from 1980 to 2015. Over this 36-year period – with differences per sub-period – the cumulative productivity surplus (PS) increased at a low rate of +0.17%/year (i.e. cumulative volume of outputs produced increased slightly more than cumulative volume of inputs used). This timid increase in PS is linked to the constant expansion in labour productivity whereas other factor productivities have shrunk. The observable period-wide macrotrends are that commercial farm businesses struggle to protect their revenues, we also observe a slight fall in input prices, land rent and financing costs, and a huge climb in direct support-policy payments. The bulk of the cumulative economic surplus has been captured downstream – 64% downstream of the cattle value chain as a drop in prices, and 22% downstream of other value chains (chiefly cereals). It emerges that the productivity gains in beef cattle farming mostly benefit the downstream value chain (packers–processors, distributors and consumers), whereas it is mainly government money backing this drop in prices of agricultural output. Here we see the principal of the 1992 ‘MacSharry’ reform at work, with a transfer from the taxpayer through direct support-policy payments through to the consumer via lower prices. The simple fact that farmers’ incomes are stagnating is a clear indication that they are net losers in this distribution of productivity gains, despite the improvement in labour factor productivity.

Ruminant-based food production faces currently multiple challenges such as environmental emissions, climate change and accelerating food–feed–fuel competition for arable land. Therefore, more sustainable feed production is needed together with the exploitation of novel resources. In addition to numerous food industry (milling, sugar, starch, alcohol or plant oil) side streams already in use, new ones such as vegetable and fruit residues are explored, but their conservation is challenging and production often seasonal. In the temperate zones, lipid-rich camelina (Camelina sativa) expeller as an example of oilseed by-products has potential to enrich ruminant milk and meat fat with bioactive trans-11 18:1 and cis-9,trans-11 18:2 fatty acids and mitigate methane emissions. Regardless of the lower methionine content of alternative grain legume protein relative to soya bean meal (Glycine max), the lactation performance or the growth of ruminants fed faba beans (Vicia faba), peas (Pisum sativum) and lupins (Lupinus sp.) are comparable. Wood is the most abundant carbohydrate worldwide, but agroforestry approaches in ruminant nutrition are not common in the temperate areas. Untreated wood is poorly utilised by ruminants because of linkages between cellulose and lignin, but the utilisability can be improved by various processing methods. In the tropics, the leaves of fodder trees and shrubs (e.g. cassava (Manihot esculenta), Leucaena sp., Flemingia sp.) are good protein supplements for ruminants. A food–feed production system integrates the leaves and the by-products of on-farm food production to grass production in ruminant feeding. It can improve animal performance sustainably at smallholder farms. For larger-scale animal production, detoxified jatropha (Jatropha sp.) meal is a noteworthy alternative protein source. Globally, the advantages of single-cell protein (bacteria, yeast, fungi, microalgae) and aquatic biomass (seaweed, duckweed) over land crops are the independence of production from arable land and weather. The chemical composition of these feeds varies widely depending on the species and growth conditions. Microalgae have shown good potential both as lipid (e.g. Schizochytrium sp.) and protein supplements (e.g. Spirulina platensis) for ruminants. To conclude, various novel or underexploited feeds have potential to replace or supplement the traditional crops in ruminant rations. In the short-term, N-fixing grain legumes, oilseeds such as camelina and increased use of food and/or fuel industry by-products have the greatest potential to replace or supplement the traditional crops especially in the temperate zones. In the long-term, microalgae and duckweed of high-yield potential as well as wood industry by-products may become economically competitive feed options worldwide.

Sheep rearing on mountain pastures is an ancestral tradition in northwestern Slovenia. The indigenous Bovec sheep are widespread there and are well adapted to the rough Alpine rearing conditions. Every year, after weaning, the sheep start grazing in the lowlands (L) and then gradually move to mountain pastures, and finally, to the highland (H) pastures of the Alps. Grazing positively affects the fatty acid (FA) composition in sheep milk fat with increased availability of polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) in grass, and subsequently, in milk. Consequently, the objective of this work was to study the FA profile in sheep milk during grazing in four geographical areas in the Alps. A total of 15 ewes of the Bovec sheep breed were randomly selected and milk samples from these ewes were taken at four different pasture locations that differed with regard to altitude: the L pasture location at an altitude of 480 m, the mountain pastures (M1 and M2) at altitudes of 1100 to 1300 m and 1600 to 1900 m, respectively, and the H pastures at altitudes of 2100 to 2200 m. Milk samples from the ewes were taken during the grazing season from April to September. The chemical and FA composition of the milk samples from each pasture location were determined. There were significant differences in the concentrations of FA among the L, M1, M2 and H milk samples. We observed decreases of the concentrations of saturated FA (SFA) in milk from L to H pastures. The concentration of α-linolenic FA, monounsaturated FA (MUFA), PUFA and n-3 PUFA in milk were increased significantly with pasture altitude. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was reduced by the change of pasture altitude with the lowest value at the M1 pasture (1.5). The concentrations of total SFA decreased significantly and was lowest at the L pasture. Our results underline the importance of the effect of grazing in the Alpine region associated with pasture altitude on the FA profile of sheep milk. The first variation in FA concentration in sheep milk occurred between L and M1, although it was more evident on H pastures in the Alpine mountains. Changes of the FA profile in sheep milk due to pasture altitude were related to variation in FA concentration in the pasture and the botanical composition of the pasture location.

Light colors may affect poultry behaviors, well-being and performance. However, preferences of layer pullets for light colors are not fully understood. This study was conducted to investigate the pullet preferences for four light-emitting diode colors, including white, red, green and blue, in a lighting preference test system. The system contained four identical compartments each provided with a respective light color. The pullets were able to move freely between the adjacent compartments. A total of three groups of 20 Chinese domestic Jingfen layer pullets (54 to 82 days of age) were used for the test. Pullet behaviors were continuously recorded and summarized for each light color/compartment into daily time spent (DTS), daily percentage of time spent (DPTS), daily times of visit (DTV), duration per visit, daily feed intake (DFI), daily feeding time (DFT), feeding rate (FR), distribution of pullet occupancy and hourly time spent. The results showed that the DTS (h/pullet·per day) were 3.9±0.4 under white, 1.4±0.3 under red, 2.2±0.3 under green and 4.5±0.4 under blue light, respectively. The DTS corresponded to 11.7% to 37.6% DPTS in 12-h lighting periods. The DTV (times/pullet·per day) were 84±5 under white, 48±10 under red, 88±10 under green and 94±8 under blue light. Each visit lasted 1.5 to 3.2 min. The DFI (g/pullet·per day) were 27.6±1.7 under white, 7.1±1.6 under red, 15.1±1.1 under green and 23.1±2.0 under blue light. The DFT was 0.18 to 0.65 h/pullet·per day and the FR was 0.57 to 0.75 g/min. For most of the time during the lighting periods, six to 10 birds stayed under white, and one to five birds stayed under red, green and blue light. Pullets preferred to stay under blue light when the light was on and under white light 4 h before the light off. Overall, pullets preferred blue light the most and red light the least. These findings substantiate the preferences of layer pullets for light colors, providing insights for use in the management of light-emitting diode colors to meet pullet needs.

Growth rate is a major component of feed efficiency when estimating residual feed intake (RFI). Quantile regression (QR) methodology can be used to identify animals with different growth trajectories. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of QR to identify phenotypic and genetic differences in pigs selected for low RFI. Using performance data on 750 Yorkshire pigs selected for low RFI, individual average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), RFI and Gompertz growth curve parameters (asymptotic weight (a), inflection point (b) and decay parameter (c)) were estimated for each pig. Using QR methodology, three Gompertz growth curves were estimated for the whole population for three quantiles (0.1, 0.5 and 0.9) of the BW data. Each animal was classified into one of the quantile regression groups (QRG) based on their overall Euclidian distance between each observed and estimated BW from the quantile growth curves. These three curves were also estimated using only part of the data (generations −1 to 3, and −1 to 4) in order to evaluate the agreement classification rate of animals from later generations into QRGs. We evaluated the effect of QRG on growth parameters and performance traits. Genetic parameters were estimated for these traits, as well as for QRG. In addition, genetic trends for each QRG were estimated. Three distinct growth curves were observed for animals classified into either quantiles 0.1 (QRG0.1), 0.5 (QRG0.5) or 0.9 (QRG0.9). When only part of the data was used to estimate quantile growth curves, all animals from QRG0.1 were correctly classified in their group. Animals in QRG0.1 had significantly lower ADFI, ADG and RFI, and greater a, b and c than animals in the other groups. Quantile regression groups analysed as a trait was highly heritable (0.41) and had high (0.8) and moderate (0.46) genetic correlations with ADG and RFI, respectively. Selection for reduced RFI increased the number of animals classified as QRG0.1 in the population. Overall, downward genetic trends were observed for all traits as a function of selection for reduced RFI. However, QRG0.1 was the only group that had a positive genetic trend for ADG. Altogether, these results indicate that selection for reduced RFI changes the shape of growth curves in Yorkshire in pigs, and that QR methodology was able to identify animals having different genetic potential for feed efficiency, bringing a new opportunity to improve selection for reduced RFI.

Very recently, we added water to a dry texturized starter diet and found substantial improvements in calf performance during summer, leading to the hypothesis that the wet starter diet would also benefit calf performance during winter. Forty-five 3-day-old male Holstein calves (BW 43.4±3.4 kg) were blocked by initial BW and distributed randomly to one of three starter diets (1 calf per pen; 15 pens per treatment) that differed only in moisture content as 90%, 75% and 50% dry matter (DM; DM90, DM75 and DM50, respectively). The starter diet comprised 55.1% ground ingredients (soybean meal, barley and corn gluten meal), 21.9% whole corn, 10% rolled barley and 10% chopped alfalfa hay. The mean ambient temperature averaged 2.1±0.9°C during the 70-day experiment. Calves were weaned at day 50 of the study. Although starter feed intake remained unaffected by treatment, the calves receiving DM75 and DM50 consumed more starter feed (DM basis) than those receiving DM90 diet during the first 20 days of the experiment. Body weight at weaning exhibited a quadratic response with the heaviest weaning weight (76.8 kg) occurring when calves consumed DM75 diet. Adding water to the dry starter diet tended to linearly increase final BW. Average daily gain during the pre- (0.67 kg/day) and post-weaning (1.22 kg/day) periods was the greatest for calves receiving DM75 and DM50, respectively. Although feed efficiency during the pre-weaning and overall periods did not differ across the treatments, a quadratic effect was detected in the post-weaning feed efficiency, with the lowest value being observed with DM75 diet. No difference was noted on skeletal growth parameters measured on days 50 and 70. Adding water to the dry starter diet linearly increased total volatile fatty acids concentration in the rumen. No difference among treatments existed in calf behavior recorded on days 35 and 70. As moisture content of the starter diet increased, the extent of sorting for long particles (>2 mm) and against fine particles (<0.125 mm) decreased. During the 70-day winter trial, adding water to the dry texturized starter diet with 10% chopped alfalfa hay resulted in a higher feed intake during the first weeks of life, a quadratic tendency toward improved growth rate during the pre-weaning period, and possibly a more functional rumen fermentation. A wet starter diet with 75% DM in the physical form offered in this study can be recommended to improve calf performance during winter.

The replacement of the finite and costly resource fish oil is an important task for aquaculture nutrition. A promising approach could be the use of plant bioactives that may have the potential to influence the metabolism and the synthesis of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially EPA (20:5n-3) and DHA (22:6n-3). In this study, the two phytochemicals resveratrol (RV) and genistein (G) were investigated for their effects on fish growth, nutrient utilization and body nutrient composition alongside their effects on whole body fatty acid (FA) composition. In a feeding trial lasting 8 weeks, rainbow trout (initial BW: 81.4±0.5 g) were held in a recirculating aquaculture system and fed six experimental diets with varying fish oil levels as plain variants or supplemented with 0.3% of dry matter (DM) of either RV or G. The six diets were as follows: diet F4 had 4% DM fish oil, diet F0 had 0% DM fish oil, diets F4+RV, F4+G, F0+RV and F0+G were equal to the diets F4 and F0, respectively, and supplemented with the phytochemicals RV and G. The feeding of the F0+RV diet resulted in reduced feed intake, growth rate and slightly reduced whole body lipid levels. At the same time, the amount of polyunsaturated FA and the n-3/n-6 ratio were significantly increased in whole body homogenates of rainbow trout fed diet F0+RV in comparison to the F0 control. The feeding of the F0+G diet led to reduced feed intake, slightly increased protein utilization but did not significantly affect the whole body FA composition. Overall, feeding the fish oil-free diet supplemented with the phytochemicals resulted in more pronounced effects on fish performance and FA composition than the single factors per se (dietary fish oil level or phytochemical). Present data indicate that G might not be of profitable use for trout nutrition. In terms of FA composition, RV could be a potentially useful complement for fish oil. However, the impairment of growth and performance parameters as observed in the present study discourages its use in trout diets.

Puberty attainment in dairy heifers has been widely studied from a hormonal point of view, but few studies have focussed on puberty–blood profile relationships during growth. We led experiments to determine the effects of feeding treatments on growth parameters, age at puberty and plasma biochemical profiles, and the relationships between age at puberty and metabolic profiles at 6, 9, 12 and 15 months (mo) of age. Blood samples were collected from 67 Holstein heifers, born between September 2011 and February 2012, every 10 days from 5.5 mo of age until heifers were considered pubertal (plasma progesterone concentration greater than 1.0 ng/ml) or oestrus synchronisation (November 2012; 11 to 15 mo of age). Heifers born before 30 November were fed either a standard diet (SD, n=27) or an intensive-plane diet (ID1, n=27) from 0 to 6 mo of age. This strategy aimed to reach 190 to 200 kg (SD) or 220 to 230 kg (ID1) BW at 6 mo of age. All heifers born after 1 December received an intensive-plane diet (ID2, n=13) from birth until oestrus synchronisation, in order to reach a similar BW at first insemination as heifers born before 1 December. Only 56 heifers reached puberty before oestrus synchronisation, at an average age of 10.3±2.2 mo (6.2 to 14.4 mo) and a BW of 296±40 kg (224 to 369 kg). There was no difference among the three feeding treatments until 6 mo, but at 9, 12 and 15 mo of age, ID2 (n=11) heifers weighed 37, 52 and 30 kg more than SD (n=22) and ID1 (n=23) heifers (P<0.001), respectively. Glucose, non-esterified fatty acids, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase, calcium, phosphorus, potassium and iron decreased with age, whereas β-hydroxybutyric acid, total cholesterol, creatinine, the creatinine : albumin ratio, alanine aminotransferase and chloride increased. The feeding treatment significantly affected creatinine, the creatinine : albumin ratio, and phosphorus and sodium levels, which were higher for ID2 heifers compared with SD and ID1. A logistic regression based on plasma metabolites at 6 mo of age to explain puberty attainment before or at 12 mo of age showed a positive relationship with plasma cholesterol (odds ratio=9.05). In conclusion, the feeding treatment had minor consequences on plasma metabolites, but it did affect growth performance.

Learning and mental abilities of farm animals are important for their adaptation to new environments and could serve as an indicator for welfare and performance. This study assessed the learning ability and memory retention of broiler breeders through a T-maze test with a reward v. no reward set-up. Feed supplemented with or without meal worms served as a reward. Two trials were conducted with either parent stock (PS) breeders or pure line A (PL) breeders and with the same dietary treatment namely a control (C) group fed with standard commercial diets and a reduced balanced protein (RP) group fed with RP diets (25% reduction of CP and amino acids). To maintain similar target BW, the RP group received on average 10% more feed. A tonic immobility (TI) test was performed to estimate the fearfulness of PS breeders. Most breeders were capable of completing the T-maze tests, but the C group needed less time compared with the RP group when their own feed was given as a reward. However, when meal worms were provided as an extra incentive, the RP group completed the maze significantly faster than the C group. Compared to the C breeders, the RP breeders remained longer in a TI state, indicating a higher level of fearfulness. Long-term memory retention in the T-maze test was observed in both groups. It is concluded that the RP diet had no influences on the learning ability of the reward v. no reward discrimination test and its memory retention of broiler breeders. The increased amount of time the RP breeders needed to solve the test was probably due to a higher sense of fear. Furthermore, the RP diet enhanced the motivation of breeders to obtain an alternative feed such as meal worms.

Hydrogen is an important intermediate that is produced during carbohydrate fermentation to volatile fatty acid and utilized by methanogens to produce methane in the rumen. Ruminal volatile fatty acid and dissolved methane concentrations are more than 500 times greater than dissolved hydrogen concentration. Therefore, we hypothesized that dissolved hydrogen might have a higher sensitivity in response to dietary changes compared with volatile fatty acid and dissolved methane. Using goats, we investigated the effects of increasing dietary starch content (maize replaced with wheat bran) and supplementing with rhubarb rhizomes and roots on the relationships among dissolved hydrogen, dissolved methane and other fermentation end products. The study was conducted in a replicated 4×4 Latin square with a 2×2 factorial arrangement of four treatments: two starch levels (220 v. 320 g/kg dry matter (DM)), without and with rhubarb supplement (0% v. 2.8% of total mixed ration). Increased dietary starch and rhubarb supplementation did not alter volatile fatty acid concentrations or methane emissions in terms of g/day, g/g DM intake and g/g organic matter digested. However, goats fed the high-starch diet had greater dissolved hydrogen (P=0.005) and relative abundance of Selenomonas ruminantium (P<0.01), and lower (P=0.02) copy number of protozoa than those fed the low-starch diet. Rhubarb increased ruminal dissolved H2 (P=0.03) and total volatile fatty acid concentration (P<0.001), but decreased copies of bacteria (P=0.002). In conclusion, dissolved hydrogen appears to be more sensitive to dietary changes with starch content and rhubarb supplementation, when compared with volatile fatty acid concentrations and methane production.

Data on production traits of the only Slovenian autochthonous pig breed, the Krškopolje pig, is very scarce. Krškopolje pigs are reared in conventional and organic production systems, which were compared in the present study. After weaning, 24 barrows were assigned within litter to either conventional (CON) or organic (ECO) rearing system. Group CON (n=12) was housed indoors in two pens (7.5 m2) with partly slatted floor. Group ECO (n=12) was held in a sty with sheltered area (concrete floor, bedded with straw, 16 m2) and outdoor paddock area (100 m2). The trial started when pigs had 68±8 kg BW and 157±6 days of age. Two diets were formulated with equivalent ingredients and composition. For ECO diet the ingredients used were ecological. Group ECO received a diet with 12.4 MJ metabolisable energy (ME) per kilogram and 12.9% CP and group CON a diet with 12.7 MJ ME/kg and 13.6% CP. Feed distribution was limited to 3.5 kg per pig daily. In line with the rules for organic production, ECO pigs were additionally given alfalfa hay ad libitum. After 73 days on trial, the pigs were slaughtered and carcass, meat and fat quality was evaluated. Meat quality traits (pH, colour, water holding capacity), fatty acid composition, lipid and protein oxidation, collagen content and solubility were analysed in longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. Fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation, and vitamins A and E concentrations were determined in backfat. There were no significant differences in growth rate and carcass traits between ECO and CON pigs, however, ECO pigs tended (P<0.10) to have higher daily gain and lower dressing percentage, higher (P<0.001) pH 45 min and lower (P<0.01) pH 24 h postmortem, affecting (P<0.10) also water holding capacity and objective colour parameters (P<0.05) of LL muscle. There were no differences in intramuscular fat (IMF) content of LL muscle, however, IMF of ECO pigs had lower (P<0.05) proportion of saturated and higher (P<0.01) proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids accompanied by higher (P<0.001) values of thiobarbituric reactive substances (TBARS). In backfat, ECO pigs showed lower (P<0.05) vitamin E content, higher (P<0.001) TBARS, higher (P<0.01) degree of unsaturation (percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids), and also higher (P<0.05) vitamin A concentration than CON pigs, which can be related to alfalfa hay supplementation of ECO pigs. In brief, organic rearing of Krškopolje pigs did not affect performances but had an effect on meat and fat quality.

In order to control and optimize chicken quality products, it is necessary to improve the description of the responses to dietary amino acid (AA) concentration in terms of carcass composition and meat quality, especially during the finishing period. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of Lysine (Lys, i.e. a limiting AA used as reference in AA nutrition) and AA other than Lys (AA effect). In total, 12 experimental diets were formulated with four levels of digestible Lys content (7, 8.5, 10 and 11.5 g/kg) combined with either a low (AA−), adequate control (AAc) and high (AA+) amount of other essential AA (EAA) expressed as a proportion of Lys. They were distributed to male Ross PM3 from 3 to 5 weeks of age. No significant AA×Lys interaction was found for growth performance or carcass composition. Body weight and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved by addition of Lys but were impaired in broilers receiving the AA− diets, whereas breast meat yield and abdominal fat were only affected by Lys. No additional benefit was found when the relative amount of other EAA was increased. There was a significant AA×Lys interaction on most of the meat quality traits, including ultimate pH, color and drip loss, with a significant effect of both AA and Lys. For example, AA− combined with reduced Lys level favored the production of meat with high ultimate pH (>6.0), dark color and low drip loss whereas more acid, light and exudative meat (<5.85) was produced with AA+ combined with a low Lys level. In conclusion, growth performance, carcass composition and meat quality are affected by the levels of dietary Lys and AA in finishing broilers. In addition, interactive responses to Lys and AA are found on meat quality traits, leading to great variations in breast pHu, color and drip loss according AA balance or imbalance.