The effect of a multi-carbohydrase (E) and its combination with an enzymatically modified yeast cell wall (Y) on the ileal and cecal microbiota and on gut function of turkeys was studied. The experimental diets, including the control (C), C + E, and C + E + Y, were fed to seven replicate pens of four birds from 22 to 56days of age. The addition of E + Y resulted in a significant decrease in the relative abundance of Firmicutes and a significant increase of Actinobacteria in ileal digesta. A significant decrease in the abundance of Firmicutes was not followed by the abundance of Ruminococcaceae, one of the butyrate-producing bacteria. This coincided with a significantly increased concentration of butyrate in the ileal digesta and the proportion of butyrate within the total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). As opposed to the ileum, the addition of E or E + Y did not affect the relative abundance of Firmicutes in ceca. The higher content of SCFA in the cecal digesta than in the ileum would reflect differences in microbial activities in both compartments, and possible increased SCFA absorption from the ileum. Overall, the positive effects of enzyme and yeast bioactive supplements on bacterial communities appeared to be more pronounced in the small intestine.

A total of 120 21-day-old weaned piglets ((Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc) were used to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of diacylglycerol (DAG) on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal noxious gas emission, and hematology parameters in a 42-day experiment. All pigs were randomly assigned to three groups based on the initial body weight (6.47 ± 0.45kg). There were eight replicate pens per treatment and five pigs (three barrows and two gilts) per pen. The DAG in the levels of 0%, 0.05%, or 0.10% was used as supplement to the corn–soybean meal-based basal diet. Piglets fed the diet supplemented with graded levels of DAG linearly increased the average daily gain (ADG) during days 22–42 (P = 0.027) and 1–42 (P = 0.048). In addition, a tendency in the linear reduction of fecal ammonia (P = 0.095), hydrogen sulfide (P = 0.078), and methyl mercaptan (P = 0.085) emission was observed by increasing the DAG levels in the diet. However, feeding pigs with DAG-containing diet had no significant effects on the nutrient digestibility and hematology parameters. Therefore, the suitable dose of DAG used in the diet of weaned piglets was at 0.10% to improve ADG and reduce fecal gas emission.

To date, no selective actions have been taken to improve milk traits in dairy donkeys, and the characteristics of the udder are not well defined in relation to the productive characteristics. This study aimed at increasing knowledge on Amiata dairy donkey body conformation, udder traits, and their relationship with milk yield and quality. Morphological, udder, and teat measurements and milk evaluations of 45 pluriparous jennies were carried out. The average wither height of the jennies was 126 cm and the chest girth was 148 cm; a large standard deviation of some body measurements was found. Forty-nine percent of the animals showed a moderately developed udder, while most of the jennies had symmetrical half-udders (96%) and the intermammary cleft was clearly visible in 53% of subjects. Correlation analysis indicated that bigger animals tend to have bigger udders, higher teat diameter, and greater distance between teat tips. A positive correlation between the teat length and the milk fat was found (p < 0.01), which suggests that jennies with longer teats have a better ability to release milk fat. The results of this paper may be useful to define the characteristics of the milking device and address selective choices of the animals.

This study evaluated the effects of including soluble and insoluble dietary fiber sources in soybean oil-containing diet for broiler chickens on coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of amino acids, coefficient of apparent retention (AR) of nutrients, and nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn). A total of 180 broilers were divided into 30 groups and fed 3 diets from day 14 to 21 of age. The diets were corn–soybean meal containing 6.8% soybean oil without or with soybean hulls (SBH) or sugar beet pulp (SBP) at 8.0% as sources of insoluble and soluble fiber, respectively. The SBH and SBP contained 6.0% and 14.7% of soluble dietary fiber and 60.5% and 37.0% of insoluble dietary fiber, respectively. The AID of indispensable amino acids was decreased (P < 0.05) due to dietary inclusion of SBH, but not of SBP. Dietary SBH and SBP reduced the AR of gross energy (by 14% and 8%, respectively) and AMEn (by 20% and 14%, respectively). Overall, inclusion of SBH or SBP at 8.0% in a corn–soybean meal-based diet for broilers that contains high level of soybean oil might not improve nutrient digestibility. However, SBP has less detrimental effects on nutrient digestibility than SBH.

This experiment was accompanied to determine the use of yeast and garlic extract mixture in broiler diets on growth performance, nutrient absorption, excreta microbiota, blood profiles, and meat quality. A total of 792 male Ross 308 broilers (1-day-old, body weight 41 ± 0.5 g, and 5 weeks trial) were randomly allocated. Birds were arbitrarily assigned to one of four nutritive treatments (11 replicates; 18 birds/replicate). A basal diet (CON) was supplemented with 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% yeast–garlic mixture (YGM). Body weight gain linearly increased during the overall period and tended to increase from day 21 to day 35, while feed intake showed a tendency to increase during the overall period by YGM inclusion. However, Salmonella counts linearly decreased, but Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli counts remained unaffected. Excreta CO₂ emissions were linearly reduced; nevertheless, other noxious gas emissions were not affected. Furthermore, YGM supplementation elicited a tendency for improved lymphocytes and linearly increased IgG. However, feed conversion ratio, mortality, nutrient utilization, and meat quality were not influenced. YGM addition (0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3%) linearly improved broiler growth performance by decreasing microbiota and gas emission and increasing blood parameters. So, the proper dose of YGM was 0.3%.

One hundred twenty crossbred steers were allotted to six weight blocks. Within each block, steers were allotted to one of four pens in a randomized complete block design (5 head per pen, 24 total pens). Treatments were low forage control diets (LFC) or high forage diets supplemented with soybean oil (HFO), without or with anabolic implant in 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. As compared with LFC, HFO reduced dry matter intake and average daily gain, without affecting the gain:feed ratio. Feeding HFO also decreased dressing yield and backfat thickness, with no impact on the longissimus dorsi area and Warner-Bratzler shear force. Meat from steers fed HFO contained greater relative proportion of cis-9, cis-12 18:2, cis-9, trans-11 18:2, and cis-9, cis-12, cis-15 18:3 as compared with LFC. Implanted steers had greater dry matter intake, average daily gain, and gain:feed ratio. Implants improved dressing yield, tended to increase the longissimus dorsi area, decreased backfat thickness, and increased meat Warner-Bratzler shear force. Meat from implanted steers contained greater relative concentration of cis-9, cis-12 18:2 and cis-9, cis-12, cis-15 18:3, without affecting cis-9, trans-11 18:2, as compared with non-implanted animals. No interaction of diet by implant was observed for these variables.

This study investigated the effects of dietary lupin (LP) as a replacement for soybean meal (SBM) on the performance, meat quality, and blood parameters of broilers. A total of 960 1-day-old Ross 708 broilers were divided into four dietary groups. The four diets were formulated with different levels of dehulled LP content in place of SBM; LP0: 0, LP50: 50, LP100: 100, and LP200: 200g/kg. There was a trend (P < 0.10) for reduced weight gain in the LP200 group compared with other groups. The feed conversion ratio was higher (P < 0.05) in the LP200 group than in the LP0 and LP50 groups. Concerning breast meat characteristics, the lightness color (L^*) was lower (P < 0.05) in the LP200-fed group compared with the LP0 group. Polyunsaturated fatty acids were higher (P < 0.05) in LP100- and LP200-fed chickens than in LP0-fed chickens. Serum HDL cholesterol was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the group fed LP200 compared with the groups fed LP0 and LP50. A higher serum concentration of interleukin (IL)-2 was found in groups fed LP100 and LP200 than in groups fed LP0 and LP50. Our results suggest that LP could be a dose-dependent SBM substitute, and that the optimal level of LP inclusion is approximately 100g/kg.

In a previous study (Assessment 1), an on-farm assessment tool was used to establish a standard across 60 Quebec dairy farms using animal-, stall-, and management-based measures of cow comfort. The objective of the present follow-up study (Assessment 2) was to perform a reassessment using an identical cow comfort assessment tool on a subset of the original farms expected to benefit most from applying the recommended changes, and to determine the effects of the modifications on cow comfort. From the subsample of farms, 24 reported applying stall modifications based on recommendations from Assessment 1 with the aim of promoting cow comfort (Adopters), while the remaining 10 farms did not (Non-adopters). The assessment tool included 19 target areas, grouped into 9 critical areas based on measures of cow comfort that considered housing, feed-water, health, and welfare. The on-farm report of Assessment 1 was found to increase producer awareness of issues in cow comfort measures on farms, as shown by an improvement in stall design according to recommendations based on cow body dimensions and reduced injury prevalence. Routine reassessment of cow comfort measures may be important to use in supporting target achievement improvements as part of welfare improvement strategies.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of flavonoid supplementation to a low-protein diet (LCP) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, excreta bacterial count, and excreta gas emission of broilers. In total, 800 one-day-old Ross 308 broilers (BW; 42.90±1.43g) were randomly sorted into one of the 4 dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment; 20 birds/pen). Treatment diets were high-protein diet (HCP), basal diet; LCP, basal diet−2.5% protein; TRT1, LCP+0.025% quercetin; and TRT2, LCP+0.050% quercetin. Experimental diets were provided to broilers from days8 to 35. HCP, TRT1, and TRT2 showed higher body weight gain (BWG) than the LCP group during days8–21 and in the overall experiment. However, feed conversion ratio of the HCP group was improved than that of the LCP group during days8–21 and in the overall period. The increasing level of quercetin supplementations brought a linear increase in BWG. Lactobacillus, Escherichia coli, and Salmonella counts in excreta samples of the experimental groups showed no significant difference. Flavonoid supplementation (0.050%) reduced drip loss in breast muscle more than that in the LCP group and showed a linear reduction. Through improved digestion, quercetin addition to an LCP reversed the BWG.

Calf diseases remain a challenge for dairy producers from both an economic and welfare perspective. Genetically selecting for disease resistance in calves is a promising approach that could contribute to sustainable dairy farming. Genetic evaluations, however, require well-defined and consistently recorded phenotypes to be successful. Therefore, this study aimed to understand the current state of calf disease recording on Ontario farms. Calf disease records of respiratory illness and diarrhea were available from the national milk recording organization (Lactanet Canada, Guelph, Ontario, Canada) from 2009 to 2020. A case study was conducted to describe calf disease diagnoses and recording practices by surveying a subset of 13 Ontario dairy producers. The percentage of milk recorded farms that recorded calf respiratory illness and calf diarrhea increased from 2.6% in 2009 to 11.1% in 2020. Potential sources of data loss were identified along the information chain from farm to genetic evaluation database. Clear definitions and thresholds to diagnose calf disease, standard operating procedures for data recording, as well as a data transfer pipeline, which includes exchange formats, are needed to facilitate the inclusion of calf health traits in genetic evaluations.

In this study, the objectives were to (i) identify the magnitude of differences between dry heating, moisture heating, microwave irradiation, and no-heated treatments on chemical profiles, energy values, the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System fractions, rumen degradation, and intestinal digestion of newly developed oat (Avena sativa) varieties; (ii) investigate heating induced changes in the molecular structure of the grains with the use of vibrational attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy; and (iii) predict rumen degradability of the nutrients based on the molecular spectral profile obtained from ATR-FTIR. Duration and temperature for each processing treatment were established based on previous studies. Results showed that heat processing treatments altered CHO fractions with undegradable CHO fraction (CC) increased by moisture heating. The ATR-FTIR spectroscopy was successful in detecting the processing induced CHO molecular structure changes in oat grain. The CHO molecular profiles were correlated to chemical profile and in situ rumen degradation characteristics. Lastly, multiple regressions with best model variable selection for prediction of nutritional value were obtained. In conclusion, heat processing methods tended to affect both energy values and rumen degradation features. The CHO molecular structure spectral profiles could be used as potential predictors for heated oat grain degradation.

This study quantified the distribution of animals by farm size for portions of the dairy, beef, swine, and poultry sectors using the 2016 Census of Agriculture. Results showed that the distribution of farm sizes and animal populations were skewed or bimodal and varied by livestock type and by province. Thus, the average farm size has little meaning. Recognizing farm size diversity is important for developing effective policies and programs, conducting appropriate research, and developing practices and technologies to support farms of all sizes.