Cold Carcass Weight Research Articles

Performance, Carcass Characteristics, and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens Fed β-Mannanase and Two Levels of Energy

This study aimed at evaluating the response to supplementation of β-Mannanase with two levels of energy on performance, carcass yield, and meat quality of 1600 1-d-old straight run Indian River broilers which were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (10 replicates/treatment, 40 chicks per replicate) in a 35-d feeding trial. The trial consisted of 2 phases, starter (0 to 14 d) and grower (15 to 35 d). The experiment was designed in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. The first factor was the energy level of the ration consisted of 2 levels, i.e., a low energy level with 2.900 kcal ME/kg during the starter phase and 3.000 kcal ME/kg during the grower phase; and a normal energy level with 3020 kcal ME/kg during starter phase and 3120 kcal ME/kg during grower phase, with variations based on the content of feed grade soybean oil. The second factor was the level of β-Mannanase in the diet consisted of 2 levels, i.e., ration without β-Mannanase (BETAMINUS: 0%) and ration with 0.05% β-Mannanase (BETAPLUS: 0.05%). Feeding low ME increased feed intake (p<0.05) during the overall phase (0 to 35 d) and normal ME decreased (p<0.05) feed conversion ratio during the starter and overall phases. Birds fed normal ME exhibited higher (p<0.05) hot and cold carcass weights. There was a significant interaction between dietary ME level and β-Mannanase to breast meat pH (p= 0.006), meat redness (a*) (p= 0.01), and meat yellowness (b*) (p= 0.0001). In conclusion, the results of enzyme supplementation did not elicit any noticeable response pertaining to productive performance, carcass characteristics, or meat quality (except pH and meat color). Moreover, feeding low dietary ME and β-Mannanase did not compromise overall broiler chickens performance.

The Effect Medicinal Plants on Performance, Carcass Parameters and Meat Quality in Broiler Chickens

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adding dietary Garlic, Ginger, Turmeric and their powders mixture in broiler chicken’s diet on performance, carcass characteristic and meat quality. A total of 400 (200 male and 200 female) day-old Ross-308 broiler chicks were distributed into 5 dietary treatments; (T1) 0% powder, (T2) 0.5% Garlic powder, (T3) 0.5% Ginger powder , (T4) 0.5% Turmeric powder and (T5) 0.5% mixture of these powders with 4 replicates and each replicates included 10 man and 10 female having similar body weight. The results of this study showed that adding of this medicinal and aromatic plants powder in broiler chicken’s diet caused significant effect on broiler chickens performance at the 7, 14 and 21 days of age (P&amp;lt;0.05) and also have a beneficial effect on mortality. On the other hand, it was observed that the adding of 0.5% medicinal and aromatic plants in broiler chicken’s diet had no a significant effect on hot carcass, cold carcass, breast, thigh, wings and visceral organs weight (P&amp;gt;0.05), but have a significant effect on carcass yield (P&amp;lt;0.05). Also, adding of this medicinal and aromatic plants powder had a significant effect on meat breast colour values (P&amp;lt;0.05). İt may be concluded that adding of these medical and aromatic plants powder in broiler chicken’s diet have beneficial effects on performance, carcass characteristic and meat quality

AJUSTE DE MODELOS PARA PREDECIR EL RENDIMIENTO Y CARACTERÍSTICAS DE LA CANAL EN BASE A VARIABLES PRODUCTIVAS ANTEMORTEM DE OVINOS EN ENGORDA CON ALIMENTACIÓN INTENSIVA

&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background: &lt;/strong&gt;Instrumental evaluation of carcass characteristics, meat quality and sheep performance, require specialized equipment, therefore it is necessary to have available technological and economic resources, which sometimes result expensive throughout the meat chain production value of sheep. Prediction of sheep carcass characteristics based on mathematical models, is a good, economic, confident and repeatable method. &lt;strong&gt;Objective: &lt;/strong&gt;To adjust, through two methods of estimation, prediction equations of &lt;em&gt;postmortem&lt;/em&gt; variables by means of &lt;em&gt;antemortem&lt;/em&gt; productive variables of intensive fattening sheep slaughtered in the valley of Toluca, Estado de México. &lt;strong&gt;Methodology:&lt;/strong&gt; A total of 175 records of fattening sheep, slaughtered in small slaughterhouse of barbecue cookers in Capulhuac Municipality of the Estado de México were used. There were used 8 &lt;em&gt;antemortem&lt;/em&gt; variables, in order to estimate prediction equations of 18 variables associated with performance, morphometry, muscular conformation, and grade of sheep carcass greasy. Carcasses were classified according with their similarity and grouped in principal components (PC), then were carried out multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis over original variables and factorial loads with extraction methods of principal components (PC). &lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;The adjusted equations with MLR, showed a &lt;em&gt;R&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ≥ 0.42 for HCW (hot carcass weight), CCW (cold carcass weight), LP (leg perimeter), RW (rump width), TD (thorax depth), and CI (compactness index). The assumptions of MLR were verified and the statistics Tol, VIF, DFBETAS and DFFITS demonstrated multicollinearity between variables. For the regression analysis, the principal components (RPC), were obtained three PC that explained 82.78% of the σ&lt;sup&gt;2 &lt;/sup&gt;(variance), and the adjustment of MLR over factorial loads obtained equations for HCW, CCW, PL, RW and CI with &lt;em&gt;R&lt;/em&gt;&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ≥ 0.37, up to 0.73. It should be noted the importance of the adjusted equation for CCW because of its relation with carcass price and its weight as a predictor variable of primary and commercial cuts. &lt;strong&gt;Implications&lt;/strong&gt;: It is useful and necessary that the adjustment of prediction equations for performance variables in animal science, can be accompanied with results of their respective tests of the model assumptions of multiple regression analysis. Our findings, confirm the need to carefully examine the adjustment of prediction equations with the aim of estimating equations with less bias and higher confidence. &lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;The multiple regression analysis over original variables and vectors of principal components determined prediction equations with different grades of adjustment for performance variables (HCW, CCW, CI) and carcass quality (LP, RW, TD). In the adjusted equations over original variables, the betas with higher prediction power were for slaughter weight, initial live weight and final live weight. While for the adjustment of prediction equations with factorial loads of PC, the betas with higher power of prediction were for PC1 y PC2, characterized by having higher factorial loads. The values of multicollinearity and autocorrelation bias, determination coefficient and explained variance, showed that practical application of these prediction equations allowed to a real approximation to estimation of &lt;em&gt;postmortem&lt;/em&gt; variables; however, these values should be taken considering their reliability.&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

Crambe cake protein replacing soybean meal protein and its effects on performance, carcass traits and meat quality of lambs

ABSTRACT The objective was to evaluate different levels of crambe cake (CC) protein (0, 250, 500, 750 and 1000 g/kg DM) as a replacement for soybean meal protein in diets for lambs and their effect on performance, carcass traits and meat quality. Forty not castrated crossbred male lambs, weighing 20 ± 3.45 kg, were settled in a completely randomized design with eight replicates per treatment. Final body weight (BW), dry matter intake per kg BW (DMI), DMI over metabolic weight and average daily gain showed linear decreasing effect (p < 0.05), meanwhile, feed efficiency presented a quadratic effect for replacement levels. There was a quadratic effect with replacement levels of CC protein for hot carcass weight; cold carcass weight; cooling loss index; muscle fat thickness; leg perimeter; leg depth and carcass finishing. Hot carcass yield, carcass length; shoulder clods weight, rib weight and the leg weight showed a linear decrease within BW. Bones and muscle weight of shoulder clods showed a decreasing linear effect. Replacing up to 500 g/kg DM of protein of soybean meal protein for CC protein does not affect performance, carcass traits and meat quality.

Performance, carcass yield, and meat quality of buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) fed on diets with different levels of concentrate

The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of diets with increasing concentrate levels on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of Murrah buffaloes in feedlot. Twenty-four animals, with an initial body weight of 240 ± 50.5 kg and mean age of 9 months, were distributed to four treatments: 20%, 40%, 60% and 80% concentrate. After 114 days, the animals were weighed, slaughtered, and meat quality and performance data were submitted to analysis of variance and regression. The dry matter intake and average daily gain increased linearly. The final body, hot carcass, and cold carcass weights responded linearly to increases in concentrate level. The subcutaneous fat thickness, protein, and ether extract of meat increased linearly with an increase in concentrate level. The colour parameters, cooking losses, and shear force of the meat were not affected by increasing the concentrate. The inclusion of concentrate in feedlot diets increases performance, characteristics of carcass, and meat quality of Murrah buffalo in a feedlot.

Effects of oregano essential oil and capsicum extract supplementation on slaughter characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid composition of lambs

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oregano essential oil (OEO) and capsicum oleoresin extract (CAO) supplementation on lamb slaughter characteristics, meat quality, and fatty acid composition. In the study, 18 male and 18 female lambs were divided into three equal groups for a 56- day feeding period. The first group was fed the control diet, while the other groups were fed a control diet containing either 300 mg OEO/kg or 300 mg CAO/kg of diet. Feeding OEO or CAO had no effect on the slaughter and carcass quality of the fattening lambs. However, when compared to the female lambs, the male lambs were found to have higher slaughter weights, hot and cold carcass weights, and dressing percentage, while having lower back fat thickness. In addition, OEO substantially increased the intramuscular fat. Dry matter, protein, pH24, meat colour (L*, a*, and b*), drip loss, and cooking loss were not affected by dietary treatment or sex. The addition of OEO or CAO to the diets did not change the meat lipid oxidation or sensory quality characteristics at different storage times. However, meat from the female lambs was found to have thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values lower than that of the meat from the male lambs after 2 d and 4 d of storage. However, the female lamb meat was more preferred in terms of flavour and general acceptance. The ΣMUFA, ΣPUFA, ΣUFA, Σn-6, Σn-3, and Σn-6/Σn-3 contents of the lamb meat were not affected by the dietary treatment. As a result, the inclusion of 300 mg of oregano essential oil/kg of DM in lamb diets is considered appropriate because of its significant contributions to the fat composition of lamb meat.

Prevalence of carcass lesions and their effects on welfare, carcass composition and meat quality in slaughtered pigs

Abstract The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs and to quantify their relationships with different animal characteristics, pre-slaughter factors, blood measurements, performance indices, carcass composition and meat quality traits. Data was recorded for 30 journeys referring to 1080 market-weight pigs that originated from 15 commercial small-scale finishing farms. Carcass lesions were visually assessed on the slaughterline in different parts of the carcass, i.e., anterior, middle and posterior, using a three-point scale. Complete blood count was investigated. The following performance indices and carcass composition traits were measured: average lifetime daily weight gain, live, hot and cold carcass weights, cooler shrinkage, dressing percentage, backfat thickness and meatiness. Meat pH and temperature were measured 45 minutes postmortem. Of the 1080 pigs slaughtered in 30 batches, 70.28% displayed some degree of lesions on the carcass (moderate – 30.00%; severe – 40.28%). The carcass lesions were the most prevalent (50.20%) in the posterior part of the pig carcass. RYR 1 genotype, live weight, loading density, lairage time, lairage density and slaughter season affected the carcass lesion prevalence. The presence of carcass lesions, irrespective of severity, was associated with alterations in blood measurements in slaughtered pigs, indicating compromised animal welfare. The presence of severe carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs was significantly associated with increased meat pH45min, which led to the highest occurrence of dark, firm and dry pork. In contrast, there was strong evidence of association between the presence of moderate carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs and both decreased meat pH45min and increased meat T45min, which led to the highest occurrence of pale, soft and exudative pork among the carcass lesion groups. In conclusion, this study showed a high prevalence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs, whereby the risk of their occurrence was affected by both animal characteristics and pre-slaughter conditions. Also, the presence of carcass lesions in slaughtered pigs, irrespective of severity, was significantly associated with alterations in the blood measurements and pork quality.

Effects of glycerol supplementation to Awassi lambs diet on performance and carcass quality characteristics

This experiment was conducted to explore the efficacy of glycerol on growth performance and carcass quality characteristics in Awassi lambs. Twelve Awassi lambs were used with an average body weight of 24.43 ±0.43 kg. The animals were randomly assigned into three groups (4 lambs for each group ) The first group of lambs was considered as a control, whereas the second and the third treatment lambs were supplemented with two levels of glycerol oil(30 and 60 gm/day for each group lambs, respectively). The results revealed the following: The third treatment lambs had significantly higher - final live and empty body weights than the control group lambs. Significant differences between the second and third treatments were lambs over that of the control group lambs were obtained for the hot and cold carcass weights together with the dressing percentage calculated on the bases of an empty body weight.&#x0D; The fat thickness covering the eye muscle of treatment three was significantly higher than that of the control group. The weights of primal lamb cuts for the shoulder and the rib of the second and third treatments were significantly preferable as compared to the control group. lambs. Besides, the leg cut in treatment three showed a significantly higher value than that of the control group. The secondary cuts including brisket and neck for the second and third treatments were significantly higher than that of the control group. The physical dissection of the ribs(rack)cut showed significant differences between the second treatment and the control group lambs for the lean meat %. Besides, the fat% of the second treatment lambs surpassed significantly that of the control group lambs. Fat % between treatments exceeds significantly that of the control group. The percentage of fat between the second and third treatment were not significantly different.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs fed diets with different roughage: concentrate ratios supplemented with liquid residue of cassava

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of lambs fed two roughage: concentrate (R:C) ratios, with or without the liquid residue of cassava (LRC) on carcass traits and meat quantity. Forty lambs (19.5 ± 1.45 kg body weight), non-castrated, crossbred Santa Inês were distributed in a completely randomized 2 × 2 factorial design. There was no effect (p &gt; 0.05) of the inclusion of LRC on the variables. The roughage:concentrate ratio of 40:60 promoted higher values for empty body weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, subcutaneous thickness fat, cooling loss, Longissimus muscle area, carcass morphometric measurements, and commercial cuts. Higher weight of leg, muscles, fat, bone and other tissues, as well as for the ratio muscle:fat, and muscle:bone was observed in lambs fed 40R:60C. For the meat chemical composition, there was the effect (p &lt; 0.05) only for ether extract (EE) for lambs fed 40R:60C ratio. The redness (a*) of meat was greater (p &lt; 0.05) for lambs fed 80R:20C. The other physicochemical characteristics were not influenced. The roughage:concentrate ratio of 40:60 improves the carcass traits and commercial cuts, but does not promote changes in meat quality, independent of supplementation with liquid residue of cassava.

Impact of licorice and rosemary powder in the diet on several carcass characteristics of local goats

A total of 12 male goats were used at the age of four months; the animals were placed in adjacent and separated enclosures. Treatments as follows: T1 (control), T2 adding 5 g/kg of rosemary leaves to powder and T3 adding 5 g/kg of licorice root powder, T4 (the mixture treatment), adding 5 g/kg of rosemary goes to powder and 5 g of licorice root powder. The results showed that the T3 and T4 treatments were significantly superior in live weight, empty body weight, hot and cold carcass weight and the dressing ratio calculated based on empty weight compared to the control treatment. Also, T4 was significantly superior compared to T1 on the total percentages of major cuts. At the same time, there was a significant decrease in the total rates of secondary cuts in treatments T2, T3 and T4 compared to the control treatment T1. The treatments T2, T3 and T4 were significantly superior to the control treatment T1 in the shoulder ratio, while the neck ratio decreased significantly in T3 and T4 compared to the control treatment T1. The control treatment was significantly superior in the ulna segmental ratio compared to T4. Keywords: rosemary, licorice, carcass, local goats.

Effect of feeding pomegranate seed pulp on Awassi lambs' nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and carcass quality.

The use of alternative feeds in feeding livestock as an alternative to traditional feeds has been used for many years, on the one hand, to lower the price of feed and, on the other hand, to raise the profitability of raising livestock. The study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on the growth performance and carcass characteristics and the health of Awassi lambs. Twenty-four male lambs (16.9 ± 0.42 kg) were assigned randomly to one of two isonitrogenous (160 g/kg crude protein of dietary dry matter [DM]) treatment diets. The diets were the control (CON) and PSP-containing diet (100 g/kg of dietary DM; PSP100). The experimental period was 70 days preceded by 7 days of adaptation to diets. Feed intake was measured and lambs were weighed on day one and then biweekly. On day 49, eight lambs (four lambs per treatment) were chosen randomly and placed in metabolic cages for a digestibility trial. At the end of the trial, lambs were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics and meat quality. The data were analyzed using Proc Mixed procedures of SAS. The results revealed that nutrient intake was greater (p < 0.05) in lambs fed PSP100 than those fed the CON diet. Nitrogen intake and nitrogen retention were greater (p < 0.05) for lambs who consumed the PSP100 diet compared to CON. Final weight, total gain, and average daily gain were greater (p < 0.05) with lambs fed PSP100. Hot and cold carcass weights were higher (p < 0.05) by the PSP100 group than by the CON group. Carcass cut weight increased (p < 0.05) with feeding PSP100 diet. No differences were detected in blood parameters except high-density lipoprotein content, which was greater (p < 0.05) in the PSP100 group compared with the CON group. It could be concluded that adding PSP to lambs' diets improved growth and carcass measurements positively and did not negatively affect lambs' health; therefore, it is recommended to use PSP as an alternative to traditional feeds in lambs formulated rations.

Análise discriminante baseada nos escores de conformação e acabamento de carcaça de ovinos

ABSTRACT Carcass classification consists of grouping animals with similar carcass characteristics. When the groups are defined a priori, as in the case of conformation and finishing scores, the interest is to identify the contribution of each variable used in separating the groups. Therefore, discriminant analysis was used to discriminate Santa Inês animals according to the conformation and carcass finishing scores (score 2 = regular, score 3 = good) and to identify the variables that most contribute to the differentiation. The conformation and carcass finishing scores vary from 1 to 5. This study used scores 2 and 3, considering that the evaluated animals ranged between these two respective scales. The database consisted of information from 122 uncastrated Santa Inês sheep submitted to the confinement regime, of which 24 variables related to the carcass of the animals were recorded. Data were submitted to the Mardia test to verify multivariate normality, followed by the nonparametric k-nearest neighbor (k-NN) test. The stepwise procedure selected a particular subset of variables, and the Mahalanobis Distance (D2) was used to assess the separation of groups (p-value ˂ 0.05). The variables with the highest discriminatory power for the carcass conformation scores were cold carcass weight (CCW), external carcass length (ECL), and neck (NEC), for carcass finishing were live weight at slaughter (LWS), ECL, and thoracic perimeter (TP). The multivariate discriminant analysis proved efficient in allocating the animals in their groups of origin.

Growth performance, carcass, and meat quality traits of Tropical Milking criollo bulls fed with two energy-level diets.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two energy-level diets on the beef performance of Tropical Milking criollo bulls grouped by weight and age in three periods: initial, middle, and final. Evidence on intensive beef production from Tropical Milking criollo cattle breeds are unknown, and productive alternatives for dairy producers in the hot tropics are needed. Bulls were fed in each period with low (LE, 2.2 Mcal ME/kg DM) and high (HE, 2.9 Mcal ME/kg DM) energy diets and content phase feeding protein of 14.5, 12.0, and 10.3%, respectively. For each period, ten bulls were randomly assigned to diets. In all periods, growth performance for final body weight, average daily gain, feed intake, and feed conversion were all superior in HE (p ≤ 0.05). For the final period, slaughter body, hot and cold carcass weights, and dressing were also superior in HE (p ≤ 0.05); for meat quality traits, differences were observed in muscles Longissimus dorsi, Semimembranosus, Infraspinatus, and Serratus ventralis for pH and tenderness (p ≤ 0.05), although not for diets. For color L*, a*, and b* system, neither diet nor muscle had effect on L* (p > 0.05); however, the diet-muscle interaction was significant for a* (p ≤ 0.05), and only muscle effect was detected for b* (p ≤ 0.05). Tropical Milking bulls responded positively to a high-energy diet, despite not being a beef breed.

Influence of age at slaughter and sex on carcass characteristics and technological and sensory quality of Goliath chicken meat.

The Goliath chicken is a slow-growing chicken with a high slaughter weight but whose carcass characteristics and meat quality have not yet been documented. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of age at slaughter and sex on the carcass characteristics and technological and sensory meat quality of Goliath chickens raised in southern Benin. Data on the carcass characteristics and technological and sensory quality of meat were collected from 80 chickens raised in confinement and divided into two groups. The first group was reared for 12 weeks of age and the second group was for 20 weeks of age. The animals were individually weighed using an electronic balance (Terraillon 5000g) and then slaughtered. The different parts of the chicken carcass was weighed using the same method. The live, hot carcass, cold carcass, wing, thigh, and tail weights of males were significantly greater than those of females (p < 0.01). The wishbone muscle and thigh and tail assembly pH was lower in the 20-week-old chickens than in the 12-week-old chickens. The brightness and red index of the wishbone of the 20-week-old chickens were significantly higher than those of the 12-week-old chickens (p < 0.001). The red index of the wishbone and the yellow index of the thigh and tail assembly of females were lower than those of males. The meat of 20-week-old Goliath chickens was juicier than that of 12-week-old chickens. Thus, the carcass composition of Goliath chickens is better at 20 weeks of age, especially in males.

Effect of Adding Biochar to Ration on Productive Performance and Some Carcass Characteristics of Iraqi Awassi Lambs

This study was conducted at Department of Animal production farm College of Agriculture University of Tikrit from 6/12/2017 until 21/2/2018 (77days) . Sixteen Awassi lambs were used, aged 4-5 months and average weight 23.38±0.14 Kg . Lambs were divided in to four groups (four lambs at each group) according to their weight, treatments distributed randomly into the groups.Individual feeding was used which included four concentrate diet with different levels of biochar (0% ,1% , 2% and 3% ).Statistical analysis results showed that there was a significant increase (P&lt;0.05) in the final weight for second group (1% biochar) compared with fourth group, also result showed a significant increase (P&lt;0.05) for second group in the average daily gain and final body gain and feed conversion ratio compared with third and fourth groups. Also significant increase (P&gt; 0.05) in the second group in hot and cold carcass weight and in the percentage Dressing based on hot and cold weight, relative to live weight as well as empty body weight and in Rib-eye muscle area compared with the other groups.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Essential oil from Arnica montana on feedlot performance, ingestive behavior, carcass characteristics, rumen morphometrics characteristics and meat fatty acids profile of lambs

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Essential oil (EO) from Arnica montana as a feed additive on feedlot performance, ingestive behavior, carcass characteristics, rumen morphometrics characteristics and meat fatty acids profile of lambs. Forty Dorper × Santa Inês male lambs with 30.3 ± 5.76 kg (mean ± standard deviation) of initial body weight and 92 ± 9 days (mean ± standard deviation) of age were used. The experimental design was in a randomized complete block (5 treatments and 8 blocks). Lambs were fed a basal diet (160 ± 13 g/kg DM of CP; mean ± standard deviation) containing 90 % concentrate and 10 % forage (Coastcross hay). The experimental diets were: A0 - negative control (basal diet without additive); A450 - addition of 450 mg/kg DM of EO from Arnica montana; A900 - addition of 900 mg/kg DM of EO from Arnica montana; A1350 - addition of 1350 mg/kg DM of EO from Arnica montana; M25 - positive control (basal diet containing 25 mg/kg DM of sodium monensin). Increasing EO from Arnica montana content conferred a quadratic effect on dry matter intake (DMI) (P = 0.02), with higher DM in A450. The DMI was higher (P < 0.01) in diets with EO from Arnica montana compared to M25. The average daily gain (ADG), body weight at slaughter (BWS), hot and cold carcass weight (HCW and CCW) increased linearly with increasing EO from Arnica montana (P < 0.05). The lambs had higher ADG, BWS, HCW and CCW with EO from Arnica montana than M25 (P < 0.05). The oocyst/g feces decreased linearly (P < 0.0001) with increasing EO from Arnica montana in the diet. However, the M25 was more efficient in reducing the oocyst than the other treatments (P < 0.05). The number of meals and time spent feeding increased linearly (P < 0.05) with the increase of EO from Arnica montana. There was a quadratic effect (P < 0.05) on feeding rate (min/g DM), with the lowest rate in A450. Time spent ruminating (min/day) was affected quadratically (P = 0.01) by increasing EO from Arnica montana, this activity was higher in A900. Compared to M25, time spent ruminating and total chewing time were longer (P < 0.05) and the feeding rate and chewing rate (min/g of NDF) were lower (P < 0.05) in diets with EO from Arnica montana. The higher inclusion of EO from Arnica montana decreased linearly the C17:0; C18:0; C18:1 trans-11, C22:6 n3 and the sum of saturated fatty acids (ΣSFA), and linearly increased the C18: 2 cis-9, cis-12; C18:3 cis-9, cis-12, cis-15, the sum of polyunsaturated (ΣPUFA) and the sum of n6 (P < 0.05). Diets with EO from Arnica montana decreased the C16:0, C17:0, C18:0 and increased the C18:2 cis-9, cis-12, ΣSFA, Σn6 and the n6/n3 ratio (P < 0.05) compared to M25. Sodium monensin at a dose of 25 mg/kg DM can be replaced by EO from Arnica montana in high-concentrate diets to promote lamb performance, carcass characteristics and fatty acid profile in the meat. The use of 1350 mg/kg DM of EO from Arnica montana was the best dose in high-concentrate diets in feedlot lambs, due to positive effect on performance, carcass characteristics, and the fatty acid profile of the meat.

Effects of Beta Vinasse Supplementation on Performance, Meat Quality and Ilio- Caecal Microflora in Quail Rations

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of β-vinasse supplementation on the live weight (LW), live weight gain (LWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass yield, meat quality and ilio-caecal bacteriological flora of quails. A total of 240 5-d-old Japanese (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) quails, including both males and females, were divided into 3 groups 80 quails and treated as follow: a control group with 0 g β-vinasse/kg ration; (2) 15 g/kg β-vinasse and (3) 30 g/kg β-vinasse. The study lasted for 6 weeks. At the end of the experiment, suplementation with β-vinasse did not have significant effect on FI and FCR. Dietary supplementation with 30 g/kg β-vinasse significantly (P &lt; 0.05) increased LW (21 d) and LWG (5 to 21 d). The dietary treatment of quails with different levels of β- vinasse did not effect on hot carcass weight, cold carcass weights, hot and cold carcass yields and breast and thigh pH. The lightness (L*) and yellowness (b*) of breast values were significantly (P&lt;0.05) increased of 30 g/kg supplementation. Different levels of β-vinasse significantly increased Lactobacillus spp. in faeces. As a result, it was concluded that β-vinasse (by-product obtained from molasses) can be used in quail diets as an alternative feed source that will meet the nutritional needs of the animal and have positive effects on the digestive system, especially on the intestinal health ( an increase in Lactobacillus spp. counts).

Effect of dietary Marula (Sclerocarya birrea caffra) nut meal on the growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of Dorper lambs

Use of Marula nut meal (MNM) to replace Soyabean meal (SBM) as a dietary protein source in lamb fattening diets by determining effects on growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality was evaluated. MNM replaced SBM on a crude protein (CP) basis, in five diets, at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%, respectively. Forty 112-day old entire male Dorper lambs (average body weight: 22.1 ± 3.3 kg) were randomly allocated to the diets and fed ad libitum for 63 days. Weekly and final body weight (FBW), body weight gain (BWG), average daily gain (ADG), daily feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR), warm and cold carcass weight, dressing percentage, meat (physical and chemical attributes) quality were determined. Dietary MNM caused no significant difference in FBW, BWG, ADG, FI, FCR, carcass weight and the meat’s physical attributes compared to SBM. At 25% and 100% dietary substitution of SBM (CP basis), MNM significantly (P < 0.05) reduced meat protein content. Feeding MNM-based diets produced meat with higher fat content compared to the control SBM diet (P < 0.05). The meat’s total monounsaturated fatty acid content, dominated by oleic acid, increased with increasing dietary MNM. At 100% substitution of SBM, dietary MNM produced meat with the highest (P < 0.05) oleic acid content. The results obtained in the study showed that MNM can replace SBM in lamb fattening diets without compromising growth performance, feed utilisation efficiency, carcass yield and physical attributes of meat. MNM can potentially be utilised to improve lamb quality by increasing its oleic acid content.

Inclusion of Berberis vulgaris leaf in the diet of fattening lambs: Effects on performance, nutrient intake, rumen fermentation, and carcass traits.

This study was aimed to first, determine the nutritional value of Berberis vulgaris leaf (BVL), using in-vitro gas production technique and second, determine the effect of replacing alfalfa hay (AH) with BVL in lamb diets on nutrient intake, performance, and carcass traits. In-vitro rumen gas kinetics and fermentation profile were assessed using three fistulated lambs and 96h incubation of samples. For the in-vivo trial, twenty-one Baluchi male lambs of 5-6 months of age and 30.6 ± 1.28kg body weight (BW) were randomly assigned to three treatment diets containing BVL at 0% (CTRL), 7.5% (BVL7.5), and 15% (BVL15) of the total dry matter (DM) inclusion. The study lasted 84 days, which included 14 days for adaption and 70 days for sample collection. In-vitro results showed that BVL had lower gas yield (GY24, p ≤ 0.05) than AH. In-vivo trial revealed that DMI increased with BVL15 followed by BVL7.5 (p ≤ 0.05). Digestibility of DM, OM, NDF, and ADL decreased (p ≤ 0.05) with BVL15. Total weight gain (TWG), average daily gain (ADG), hot carcass weight (HCW), and cold carcass weight (CCW) were decreased (p ≤ 0.05) with BVL15, however, no differences were observed between the BVL7.5 and CTRL groups. Feed cost per kg BW gain decrease (p ≤ 0.05) by increasing the inclusion levels of BVL. In conclusion, BVL (up to 7.5 % DM of diet) have positive consequences on performance, nutrient intake, rumen fermentation without deleterious effects on fattening performance.

Dynamics of subclinical pneumonia in male dairy calves in relation to antimicrobial therapy and production outcomes.

Quick thoracic ultrasonography (qTUS) is increasingly used as an on-farm method to diagnose clinical and subclinical pneumonia in dairy calves. The primary objective of this prospective cohort study was to describe dynamics of lung consolidation in a purchase-dependent production system for male dairy calves in relation to antimicrobial therapy and respiratory diagnostics. In addition, we studied the association of cured and uncured pneumonia with average daily gain (ADG) and cold carcass weight (CCW). The third objective was to determine the effects of arriving with lung consolidation on the probability of developing chronic unresponsive pneumonia and reduced performance. A total of 295 male dairy calves were intensively followed by qTUS and clinical scoring on 7 strategic occasions (wk 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 12) during the production cycle. Of the calves, 17.6% (52/295) arrived with a lung consolidation ≥1 cm. At the first outbreak of respiratory disease (wk 1 after arrival), this incidence had risen to 30.8%. Initial therapy with tulathromycin and subsequently doxycycline appeared ineffective, resulting in a increase to 43.8% of calves having pneumonia in wk 4. At the start of the first outbreak (wk 1), the majority (86.8%) of the pneumonia cases were subclinical. At wk 4, the outbreak became more clinical, and treatment with amoxicillin resulted in a cure risk of 52.7%. Culture and nanopore sequencing diagnostics on nonendoscopic broncho-alveolar lavage (nBAL) samples identified bovine respiratory syncytial virus and Mycoplasma bovis as the dominant agents in the first outbreak. The isolated M. bovis strain showed mutations associated with macrolide resistance. The second outbreak was characterized by a Pasteurella multocida superinfection and isolation of multiple M. bovis strains from nBAL diagnostic testing. Evaluated over the complete observation period, 83.4% of the calves developed consolidations ≥1 cm on qTUS. Of these calves, 53.9% (135/246) were cured by antimicrobial therapy. Chronic pneumonia (≥30 subsequent days of pneumonia) was seen in 13.9% of the animals (n = 41). Calves with uncured or chronic pneumonia had a lower ADG (992 ± 174 g/d and 930 ± 146 g/d, respectively) compared with calves that never developed pneumonia (ADG = 1,103 ± 156 g/d). In contrast, calves that did fully cure trended toward a lower ADG than calves that never developed pneumonia, but differences were no longer significant. Also, the effect of uncured pneumonia was no longer significant for CCW. Calves with lung consolidation upon arrival had a lower ADG (981 ± 159 g/d vs. 1,045 ± 159 g/d) and were more likely to develop chronic pneumonia [odds ratio = 4.2; 95% confidence interval = 2.1-8.6] compared with calves without consolidation upon arrival. Animals with chronic pneumonia, in turn, had a lower CCW than animals without chronic pneumonia (10.3 ± 4.4 kg; 95% confidence interval: 1.6-19.1 kg). This study documents the consequences of subclinical pneumonia upon arrival and pneumonia developed later in the production cycle on production outcomes in a veal calf setting. Both qTUS and nBAL diagnostics provide important information, offering potential for better control and prevention of bovine respiratory disease in dairy calves.