Decrease In Average Daily Gain Research Articles

The effects of incorporating dried cashew apple in the diet of broiler chickens on growth performance, total tract digestibility, and gut health

A total of two hundred and ten one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were utilized in this study to investigate the effects of incorporating Dried Cashew Apples (DCA) in the diet of broiler chickens on growth performance, total tract digestibility, and gut health. The birds were weighed and randomly allotted to seven treatment groups with three replicates, each having 10 birds. The experimental design was a (2 X 3) + 1 augmented factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design. Diet D1 (control diet) was a maize-soybean meal-based; diets D2, D3, and D4 comprised 10, 20, and 30% DCA without exogenous enzyme supplementation, whereas diets D5, D6, and D7 included 10, 20, and 30% DCA treated with exogenous enzyme. Data were collected on growth performance, total tract digestibility, and gut morphology. Collected data were analyzed using SAS (2002) and separation of means was done using Duncan’s Multiple Range Tests of the same statistical software. The difference was set at p < 0.05. The study found that birds fed diets containing 10% DCA, with or without enzyme supplementation (D2 and D5), had a significantly higher Average Daily Gain (ADG) compared to those fed the control diet (D1). The ADG of birds fed diets D3 and D6 was similar to that of birds fed the control diet (D1). However, a significant decrease in ADG was observed as the dietary inclusion level of DCA increased to 30%, as seen in birds offered diets D4 and D7. In addition, a significant linear rise (p < 0.05) in Average Daily Feed Intake (ADFI) was seen when DCA was included in the diet. In addition, birds that were given diets containing DCA showed significantly higher nutrient digestibility (p < 0.05) compared to birds that were given the control diet (D1), except for birds that were given a diet containing 30% DCA without enzyme supplementation (D4), which showed significantly lower nutrient digestibility (p < 0.05) compared to birds that were given the control diet (D1). Ultimately, birds that were given meals containing DCA exhibited a significant enhancement in GIT development compared to birds on the control diet. Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that including DCA in the diet of broiler chickens at a level of up to 20% does not have any detrimental effects on their performance.

137 Impact of dietary soybean-mediated trypsin inhibitor concentrations on nursery pig performance

Abstract Antinutritional factors associated with soybeans and soy products, such as trypsin inhibitor proteins, have been shown to hinder amino acid bioavailability and, consequently, affect the growth performance of pigs. Thus, our objective was to assess the impact of dietary trypsin inhibitor units (TIU; expressed as TIU/mg of feed) on nursery pig performance and health. Sixty barrows [5.56 ± 0.65 kg body weight (BW), Camborough (1050) x 337, (PIC, Hendersonville, TN)], freshly weaned and 19 to 21 d of age were randomly selected and allotted across six dietary treatments (10 pigs/treatment) in a randomized complete block design. All pigs were individually penned with ad libitum access to water and feed. Diets were administered in two phases directly post-weaning, spanning 14 and 28 d, respectively, and the entire test period extended for 42 d. Within each phase, diets were formulated to be isocaloric, with uniform NDF and SID lysine concentrations. In both phases, TIU were incrementally adjusted by the inclusion of soybean meal, raw ground soybeans, soybean oil, and soyhulls to attain a target TIU/mg feed of 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6. All diets were analyzed for active TIU/mg. Pig BW and feed disappearance were measured at the start and end of each phase to compute average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Fecal consistency was assessed daily in phase 1. Pig was the experimental unit and data were analyzed with the effect of diet, including the linear and quadratic contrasts, evaluating dietary TIU levels. The average analyzed TIU/mg over both diet phases were 0.38, 0.54, 1.85, 3.16, 3.90, and 5.79 TIU/mg diet, respectively. Fecal consistency scores did not differ across diets. At the end of phase 1, BW decreased from 8.7 to 6.9 kg as TIU/mg diet increased from 0.38 to 5.79 (linear P < 0.05). Similarly, by d 42, BW decreased from 25.3 to 15.5 kg with the increase in dietary TIU/mg from 0.38 to 5.79 (linear P < 0.0001). Both phase 1 and 2 showed a decrease in average daily gain (ADG) and G:F as TIU increased (linear P < 0.05). ADFI exhibited a decreasing trend in phase 1 (linear P = 0.079) and a decrease in phase 2 (linear P < 0.05) as dietary TIU increased. No quadratic responses were reported for ADG and G:F. Overall, as TIU increased, ADG, ADFI, and G:F were reduced, with 5.79 TIU/mg feed resulting in a decrease of these parameters by 8 to 22% (linear P < 0.01). In conclusion, increasing TIU levels in the diet had detrimental effects on nursery pig performance. The most significant negative impacts on growth, feed intake, and feed efficiency were observed in diets containing 3.16 to 5.79 TIU/mg feed.

Polystyrene exposure induces lamb gastrointestinal injury, digestive disorders and inflammation, decreasing daily gain, and meat quality

Microplastics (MPs), recognized as an emerging environmental menace, have been extensively investigated in both marine and terrestrial fauna. This study is comprehensive to investigate how polystyrene (PS) affects ruminant animals. The experimental design comprised 24 individually housed lambs, divided into a CON group (diet without PS) and three PS-exposed (25 μm, 50 μm, 100 μm) groups, each with six lambs, the exposure of PS was 100 mg/day, and the duration of exposure was 60 days. The study yielded noteworthy results: (ⅰ) PS leads to a decrease in average daily gain along with an increase in feed conversion rate. (ⅱ) PS decreases rumen ammonia nitrogen. The rumen microbiota diversity remains consistent. However, the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Actinobacteria increased in the PS-exposed groups, while the relative abundance of Coriobacteriales_incertae_Sedis and Prevotellaceae_YAB2003_group decreased. (ⅲ) PS leads to decrease in hemoglobin, thrombocytocrit, and albumin levels in lamb blood, thus triggering oxidative stress accumulation, along with swelling of the kidneys and liver. (ⅳ) PS inflicts severe damage to jejunum, consequently impacting digestion and absorption. (ⅴ) PS reduces meat quality and the nutritional value. In conclusion, PS-exposure inhibited lambs’ digestive function, adversely affects blood and organs’ health status, reducing average daily gain and negatively influencing meat quality. PS particles of 50–100 μm bring worse damage to lambs. This research aims to fill the knowledge void concerning MPs’ influences on ruminant animals, with a specific focus on the meat quality of fattening lambs.

Dietary resveratrol supplementation on growth performance, immune function and intestinal barrier function in broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide

This study discusses the effects of resveratrol (RES) on the productive performance, immune function and intestinal barrier function of broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Two hundred and forty 1-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups of 6 replicates each, with 10 broilers per replicate. This experiment used a 2×2 factorial design with dietary factors (basal diets or basal diets supplemented with 400 mg/kg RES were administered from d 1 to 21) and stress factors (intraperitoneal injection of 0.5 mg/kg BW of saline or LPS at 16, 18 and 20 d of age). The results showed that LPS challenge had a significant adverse effect on average daily gain (ADG) in broilers at 16 to 21 d of age (P < 0.05), whereas the addition of RES to the diet inhibited the LPS-induced decrease in ADG (P < 0.05). RES also alleviated LPS-induced immune function damage in broilers, which was manifested by the decrease of spleen index (P < 0.05) and the recovery of serum immunoglobulin M and ileal secretory immunoglobulin A content (P < 0.05). The LPS challenge also disrupts intestinal barrier function and inflammation, and RES mitigates these adverse effects in different ways. RES attenuated LPS-induced reduction of villus height in the jejunum and ileum of broilers (P < 0.05). LPS also caused an abnormal increase in plasma D-lactic acid levels in broilers (P < 0.05), which was effectively mitigated by RES (P < 0.05). LPS challenge resulted in a significant decrease in mRNA expression of occludin in the intestinal mucosa (P < 0.05), which was mitigated by the addition of RES (P < 0.05). RES significantly decreased the mRNA expression of toll-like receptor 4, nuclear factor kappa-B and tumor necrosis factor alpha in the ileum tissue stimulated by LPS (P < 0.05). Taken together, this study shows that RES exerts its beneficial effect on broilers challenged with LPS by alleviating immune function damage, relieving intestinal inflammation and barrier damage, and thus improving growth performance.

An Artemisia ordosica extract: Effects on growth performance, immune, and inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide-challenged broilers.

Artemisia ordosica has been applied as a traditional Chinese/Mongolian medicine for treating csertain inflammatory ailments. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Artemisia ordosica alcohol extract (AOAE) supplemented in diets on growth performance, immune, and inflammatory response in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged broilers. A total of 240 one-day-old Arbor Acre male broilers were randomly allotted into 5 groups with 6 replicates (n = 8), which were basal diet group (CON), LPS-challenge and basal diet group (LPS), LPS-challenge and the basal diet added with low (500 mg/kg), middle (750 mg/kg), and high (1,000 mg/kg) dose of AOAE groups (AOAE-L, AOAE-M, and AOAE-H), respectively. On d 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28, all broilers were injected intra-abdominally either with LPS or an equivalent amount of saline. Results showed that dietary AOAE alleviated the LPS-induced decrease in average daily gain and average daily feed intake in the broilers (P < 0.05). Dietary AOAE supplementation reversed the increased spleen index and the decreased bursa index in LPS-challenged broilers (P < 0.05). Moreover, feeding AOAE could mitigate the elevation of IL-1β in serum, liver, and spleen, IL-2 in serum and liver, IL-6 in serum and spleen, and the decrease of IgG in spleen, IgM in serum, liver, and spleen, and IL-4 in serum of the LPS-challenged broilers (P < 0.05). This study also showed that AOAE supplementation alleviated the increase of mRNA expression of TLR4, MyD88, TRAF6, NF-κB p65, NF-κB p50, IL-1β, and IL-6, and the decrease of gene expression of IκBα and PPARγ in liver and/or spleen of broilers challenged by LPS (P < 0.05). We speculated that AOAE administration could effectively alleviate LPS-induced inflammation via decreasing over-production of proinflammatory cytokines, ultimately relieving the growth inhibition of broilers caused by LPS. In conclusion, 1,000 mg/kg AOAE has a strong capacity to enhance immunity and inhibit inflammation, and can be used as a potential novel feed additive with applications in treating inflammation-related diseases and bacterial infection in broilers.

161 The Impact of Sex, Birth Weight, and Nutrient Density on the Growth Restriction and Compensatory Gain of Finishing Hogs After a Three- or Six-Week Period of Nutrient Restriction

Abstract The objective of this analysis was to investigate the effect of pig phenotype on growth restriction and compensatory ability after receiving a nutrient-deficient (97% corn) diet for 3 or 6 weeks. Sixteen hundred and sixty mixed-sex pigs (DNA Genetics, Columbus, NE) were tagged with radio frequency identification tags (LeeO, Prairie Systems, Spencer, IA) at birth with litter information and body weight (BW) measured at birth, weaning, and the end of the nursery phase. At a starting BW of 73.5 ± 2.2 kg, pigs were blocked by BW to 140 pens and assigned to a 2:3:1 factorial. The seven treatments were comprised of a combination of 2 restriction lengths (3 weeks vs. 6 weeks) and 3 lysine inclusion levels at re-alimentation (Lys:ME of 100%, 110%, or 120% of the genetic margin over feed curve), and a control that remained nutrient unrestricted. Individual BW was measured on trial d 0, 21, 41, and market to calculate individual average daily gain (ADG) for each phase. Percent change in ADG between each phase was calculated using the previous ADG of each pig. Observational analysis was conducted in SAS 9.4 (Cary, NC) with pig as the observational unit. When fed the restrictive diet, gilts had a greater reduction in ADG (P &amp;lt; 0.01) than barrows (64 vs. 59 % decrease in ADG from previous period). Furthermore, pigs with lower birth weight, thus lighter starting trial weight, had a greater decrease (P &amp;lt; 0.01) in growth in response to nutrient restriction. Validating the biological requirements of finishing pigs, animals with a greater lysine requirement, gilts, and lighter weight pigs had a more severe reduction in growth than those with a decreased lysine requirement.

Effects of reducing the standardized ileal digestible lysine and tryptophan to lysine ratio to slow growth of finishing pigs.

The COVID-19 global pandemic greatly affected pork processing plants in the United States. These pork processing plants were forced to either temporarily close or operate at reduced capacity due to the increased number of health-related employee absences. Because finishing pigs could not be timely marketed, methods to reduce growth performance were required to keep pigs from becoming too heavy at slaughter weight. Therefore, our objective was to determine the extent that reducing dietary standardized ileal digestible (SID) Lys and tryptophan-to-lysine ratio (Trp:Lys) ratio would slow finishing pig average daily gain (ADG) in a commercial setting. A total of 1,080 finishing pigs (327 × 1050, PIC; initially 32.3 kg) were used in a 119-d growth trial. Pigs were allotted by initial body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments in a completely randomized block design with 27 pigs per pen and 10 pens per treatment. Three dietary regimes were formulated to contain either 100%, 90%, or 80% of the estimated SID Lys requirement for pigs in this facility, with a SID Trp:Lys ratio of 19%, with the exception of the last dietary phase formulated to 17% SID Trp:Lys. Seven different dietary phases were fed. The SID Lys concentrations in the 100% diets were: 1.10%, 1.01%, 0.91%, 0.83%, 0.79%, 0.71%, or 0.67% SID Lys from 32 to 40, 40 to 51, 51 to 72, 72 to 85, 85 to 98, 98 to 112, and 112 to 130 kg, respectively. A fourth regime was formulated to 80% SID Lys with a SID Trp:Lys ratio of 16% (80-16% SID Trp:Lys) throughout all phases. Overall from d 0 to 119, ADG (linear, P < 0.001), final BW (linear, P < 0.001), and gain-to-feed (G:F) decreased (linear, P = 0.087) as SID Lys decreased from 100% to 80% of the estimated requirement. Pigs fed the 80-16% SID Trp:Lys diets had an additional decrease in ADG (P < 0.05) and G:F (P < 0.10) compared with pigs fed 80% of the SID Lys requirement with the normal Trp:Lys ratio. The reduction in SID Lys (from 100% to 80%) and reduction in SID Lys and Trp:Lys ratio resulted in an 8.6 and 11.7 kg, respectively, decrease in final BW compared with pigs fed Lys and Trp at the requirement (100%). This study provides alternatives for pork producers to reduce growth rate of finishing pigs.

Chemical features of rejected taro tuber flour (Colocasia esculenta L. Schott) and its effect on productive performance in post-weaning pigs

This study evaluated the effect of the inclusion of rejected taro tuber flour (RTTF) on the productive performance in commercial hybrid pigs (Landrace × Duroc × Pietrain) during their post-weaning period. The experiment was established under a completely randomized design, comprising four treatments (0, 10, 20, and 30% inclusion of RTTF in the diet), using a total of 60 piglets with 15 repetitions each. The average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion (FC), final body weight (BW), presence of diarrheas, mortality, and production cost, were determined. RTTF showed a high dry matter content, nitrogen-free extracts, gross energy, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, potassium, iron, polyphenols, and antioxidant activity. RTTF inclusion in the diet of pigs in the entire period (30-58 d) did not cause diarrhea or deaths and showed a quadratic effect on BW (p &lt; 0.001) and ADFI (p &lt; 0.001) and produced a linear effect on ADG (p = 0.006), FC (p = 0.003) and production cost (p &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, the inclusion of RTTF in the diet of pigs after weaning (30-58 d) ranging between 0 and 30 % showed no effect on BW and ADFI, with a slight decrease in ADG and FC and a linear effect on production cost reduction.

214 Effects of Reducing Digestible Lysine and Tryptophan to Lysine Ratio on Growth Performance of Grow-finish Pigs

Abstract Due to packing plant closures or slow-downs, many producers needed to examine ways to reduce average daily gain (ADG) of finishing pigs. Therefore, a total of 1,080 pigs (L337 × 1050, PIC; initially 32.0 kg) were used in a 119-d trial to evaluate the effects of reducing dietary standardized ileal digestibility (SID) Lys and SID Trp:Lys ratio to slow growth of finishing pigs in a commercial setting. Pigs were randomly allotted in weight blocks to 1 of 4 dietary regimens with 27 pigs/pen and 10 replications/regimen. Pigs were fed a control regimen (100% of the estimated SID Lys requirement for pigs in this facility) formulated to contain 1.10, 1.01, 0.91, 0.83, 0.79, 0.71 and 0.67% SID Lys from 32 to 42, 42 to 51, 51 to 72, 72 to 85, 85 to 97, 97 to 112, and, 112 to 130 kg, respectively. Two other regimens contained 90 or 80% of the Lys estimate. These 3 regimes were formulated to a SID Trp:Lys ratio of 19% except for the last dietary phase that contained 17% SID Trp:Lys ratio. The fourth regimen contained 80% of the SID Lys estimate with 16% SID Trp:Lys in all phases. The statistical model included fixed effects of treatment, random effect of block, linear and quadratic effects of SID Lys and pairwise comparison of the two 80% treatments. Overall, decreasing SID Lys decreased (linear, P &amp;lt; 0.01) ADG and final body weight (BW) and tended (P &amp;lt; 0.10) to decrease gain:feed ratio (G:F). Reducing the Trp:Lys ratio decreased (P = 0.014) ADG and final BW compared to pigs fed diets with 80% SID Lys with higher SID Trp:Lys. In summary, decreasing SID Lys reduced ADG and feeding a reduced SID Trp:Lys ratio resulted in a further decrease in ADG of grow-finish pigs.

Severe tail lesions in finisher pigs are associated with reduction in annual profit in farrow-to-finish pig farms.

We investigated the financial impact of different prevalence levels of severe tail lesions (STL) during the finisher stage associated with changes in average daily gain (ADG) in farrow-to-finish pig farms. Prevalence of STL was estimated for 31 farrow-to-finish pig farms. Regression tree analysis was used to identify a threshold for STL associated with differences in ADG. Then, a financial analysis was carried using the Teagasc Pig Production model. A threshold of ≥0.86% prevalence of STL was associated with a 4.8% decrease in ADG which translated into pigs requiring 7 days more to reach target slaughter weight than in farms below the threshold. Reduced ADG meant that farms with higher prevalence of STL used 3.6% more weaner and 1.4% more finisher feed per year increasing feed costs by 1.5%. This reduced mean annual farm profit by 15.1% in farms with higher prevalence of STL. Our results provide an indication of the financial effects of STL in intensive pig production systems. The identified threshold for the prevalence of STL could provide a tangible target for farmers to focus on in developing strategies to reduce tail lesions and allow farmers to complete a cost benefit analysis of controlling STL.

Protective effects of Bacillus subtilis ASAG 216 on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, gut microbiota and tissues residues of weaned piglets fed deoxynivalenol contaminated diets

Deoxynivalenol (DON) poses a serious health threat to animals and humans consuming DON-contaminated food and feed. Biological means of detoxification of DON are considered as one of the effective strategies. The aim of the work was to study ameliorative effects of Bacillus subtilis ASAG 216 on DON-induced toxicosis in piglets. A decrease in average daily gain and average daily feed intake was observed in piglets fed DON-contaminated feed. In addition, DON exposure increased the serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, immunoglobulin A, diamine oxidase, endotoxin, and peptide YY. Moreover, DON exposure caused oxidative stress in the serum, liver and jejunum, induced intestinal inflammation, impaired the intestinal barrier, and disturbed the gut microbiota homeostasis. Supplementation of B. subtilis ASAG 216 effectively attenuated the aforementioned effects of DON on piglets. Moreover, DON and de-epoxy-DON (DOM-1) in the serum, liver and kidney were significantly decreased when B. subtilis ASAG 216 was added to DON-contaminated diet. Our results imply that B. subtilis ASAG 216 can protect against DON-induced toxicosis in piglets, and thus this strain has a potential to be used as an animal feed ingredient to counteract harmful effects of DON in animals.

Effects of Artemisia argyi flavonoids on growth performance and immune function in broilers challenged with lipopolysaccharide.

ObjectiveThis research aimed to study the effects of Artemisia argyi flavonoids (AAF) supplemented in diets on the growth performance and immune function of broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS).MethodsA total of one hundred and ninety-two 1-d-old broiler chicks were assigned into 4 treatment groups, which were, respectively, fed a basal diet (control), fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, fed a basal diet, and challenged with LPS, fed a diet with 750 mg/kg AAF, and challenged with LPS. Each treatment had six pens with 8 chicks per pen. On days 14, 16, 18, 20 (stress phase I) and 28, 30, 32, 34 (stress phase II), broilers were injected with LPS (500 μg/kg body weight) or an equivalent amount of saline.ResultsThe results demonstrated that dietary AAF significantly improved the body weight (d 21) and alleviated the decrease of average daily gain in broilers challenged with LPS on d 21 and d 35 (p<0.05). Dietary AAF increased bursa fabricius index, and dramatically attenuated the elevation of spleen index caused by LPS on d 35 (p<0.05). Furthermore, serum interleukin-6 (IL-6) concentration decreased with AAF supplementation on d 21 (p<0.05). Diet treatment and LPS challenge exhibited a significant interaction for the concentration of IL-1β (d 21) and IL-6 (d 35) in serum (p<0.05). Additionally, AAF supplementation mitigated the increase of IL-1β, IL-6 in liver and spleen induced by LPS on d 21 and 35 (p<0.05). This study also showed that AAF supplementation significantly reduced the expression of IL-1β (d 21) and nuclear transcription factor kappa-B p65 (d 21 and 35) in liver (p<0.05), and dietary AAF and LPS treatment exhibited significant interaction for the gene expression of IL-6 (d 21), toll like receptor 4 (d 35) and myeloid differentiation factor 88 (d 35) in spleen (p<0.05).ConclusionIn conclusion, AAF could be used as a potential natural immunomodulator to improve growth performance and alleviate immune stress in broilers challenged with LPS.

Effect of long-term feeding of graded levels of deoxynivalenol (DON) on growth performance, nutrient utilization, and organ health in finishing pigs and DON content in biological samples.

The prevalence of deoxynivalenol (DON) is a concern for swine producers, and although there has been extensive research into the effects of DON in pigs, focus has been in young pigs and/or in short-term studies. The objective of the study was to determine the effect of long-term exposure to DON-contaminated diets in finisher pigs. A total of 200 pigs (76.6 ± 3.9 kg initial weight) were group housed (five pigs per pen; n = 10 pens/treatment) in a 6-wk trial. Pigs were fed a wheat-barley-soybean meal-based control (CONT) diet with no DON or the basal diet in which clean wheat was replaced by DON-contaminated wheat and wheat screenings to provide DON content of 1, 3, or 5 ppm (DON1, DON3, and DON5, respectively). Individual BW and pen feed intake were recorded weekly to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Blood was collected on days 0, 14, and 43 and analyzed for indicators of liver and kidney health. Nitrogen (N)-balance was conducted immediately following the growth performance period to determine the effect of DON on nutrient utilization. Blood and urine samples collected during N balance were analyzed for DON content. Feeding DON reduced (P < 0.05) ADFI and ADG from days 0 to 28 compared with CONT, after which there was no effect of diet on ADFI and ADG. The G:F was lower (P < 0.05) in DON5 fed pigs compared with all treatments during days 0 to 7; however, no treatment effects on G:F was observed from days 8 to 42. Nitrogen retention was lower (P < 0.05) in DON3 and DON5 compared with DON1-fed pigs. Nitrogen retention efficiency was higher (P < 0.05) in DON1 compared with DON3 and DON5 and protein deposition for DON1 pigs was higher (P < 0.05) than all treatments. There were no treatment effects on indicators of liver and kidney health. As dietary DON intake increased, concentration of DON in blood and urine increased. Overall, although there was an initial decrease in ADG and ADFI in pigs receiving diets containing >1 ppm DON, pig performance recovered after a period of time, whereas nutrient utilization continued to be affected after recovery of performance. Moreover, the lack of DON on G:F indicates that the negative effects of DON on growth performance are largely due to reduced feed intake. Overall, although pigs maybe capable of adapting to intake of DON-contaminated diets, their final body weight will be reduced when fed diets containing >1 ppm DON.

Adverse effects on growth performance and bone development in nursery pigs fed diets marginally deficient in phosphorus with increasing calcium to available phosphorus ratios.

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the growth performance and bone mineral content (BMC) of nursery pigs in response to increasing total calcium (Ca) to available phosphorus (aP) ratios in diets containing phytase (250 FTU/kg; Natuphos E, BASF, Florham Park, NJ). A total of 480 nursery pigs (body weight (BW) = 5.7 ± 0.6 kg) with 10 pigs per pen and 7 pens per treatment (6 pens fed 2.75:1 diet) were allotted to seven treatments consisting of increasing ratios of calcium to available phosphorus (Ca:aP): 1.25, 1.50, 1.75, 2.00, 2.25, 2.50, and 2.75. From day −7 to 0, pigs were fed a common diet. They were then fed the treatment diets during two experimental phases from day 1 to 14 and 15 to 28, respectively. Available P was formulated to 0.33% and 0.27% (approximately 90% of requirement) in dietary phases 1 and 2, respectively. BW, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain-to-feed ratio (G:F) were determined. BMC of the femur was measured on day 28 on one pig per pen using dual x-ray absorptiometry. Data were analyzed as a linear mixed model using PROC MIXED (SAS, 9.3). Orthogonal polynomial contrasts were used to determine the linear and quadratic effects of increasing the Ca:aP. Over the 28-d experimental period, increasing Ca:aP resulted in a linear decrease in ADG (353, 338, 328, 304, 317, 291, and 280 g/d; P < 0.01), ADFI (539, 528, 528, 500, 533, 512, and 489 g/d; P < 0.05), and G:F (0.68, 0.66, 0.64, 0.62, 0.61, 0.59, and 0.58; P < 0.01). Increasing Ca:aP also resulted in decreased BW on days 14 and 28 (P < 0.01). The BMC of the femur decreased with increasing Ca:aP (6.2, 6.3, 5.7, 5.9, 5.5, 5.6, and 5.3 g; P < 0.05). Regression analysis explained the impact of Ca:aP as follows on ADG (ADG [g/d] = 339 − 36x; r2 = 0.81), G:F (G:F = 0.61 – 0.03x; r2 = 0.72), and BMC (BMC [g] = 6.4 – 0.27x; r2 = 0.43), where x is the Ca:aP. In conclusion, all outcomes indicated that any level of calcium above the minimum used in this experiment impaired growth performance and skeletal development. Further research using even lower levels of dietary Ca is warranted.

Biological growth patterns to increase livestock meat productivity

The article presents a study on steers’ biological growth patterns that are possible to be considered for increasing the meat productivity of steers. To enhance the live weight gain of Holstein steers, we used a variable feeding system that is based on the physiological characteristics of metabolism and takes into account growing periods and the nature of nutrient absorption by periods, corresponding to the S-shaped growth curve. Analyzing growth records of young cattle, he paid attention to some patterns of the live weight gain. These data showed that the live weight gain was uneven along the S-curve and subject to periodic fluctuations that were characterized by decreases and increases in growth; a period took 12 days, that is, the amplitude of the increase in growth made 12 days and then the decrease was also 12 days. We also divided the growth cycle into 2 periods, 12 days each. In the increase period, if the amount of feed was reduced by 20%, there was no decrease in average daily gain in steers, and vice versa, in the 12-day decrease period, a 20% increase in feed compensated for the low level of metabolism in the body with a stable rate of average daily gains. Therefore, similar amount of feed can help the traditional cattle breeding system increase the average daily gain by 8.5% and the carcass weight by 10.5% and reduce feed costs per 1 kg of gain by 7.1%.

Estimate of the energy value of soybean meal relative to corn based on growth performance of nursery pigs

BackgroundTwo experiments were conducted to determine the effects of increasing amounts of soybean meal (SBM) in swine diets and estimate the energy value of SBM.MethodsA total of 2233 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050, Hendersonville, TN) and 3796 pigs (PIC 359 × C40), initially 11.0 kg and 17.6 kg body weight (BW), were used in Exp. 1 and 2, respectively. In Exp. 1, pigs were placed in 92 pens each containing 20 to 27 pigs. In Exp. 2, pigs were placed in 84 pens each containing 37 to 43 pigs. Treatments were assigned in a randomized complete block design with BW as the blocking factor. Dietary treatments consisted of 21%, 27%, 33%, or 39% SBM in Exp. 1 and 17.5%, 22%, 26.5%, 31%, 35.5%, or 40% SBM in Exp. 2, obtained by changing the inclusion rate of feed-grade amino acids and corn grain. For Exp. 1, representative samples of corn grain, SBM, and distillers dried grains with solubles were analyzed for total AA content prior to diet formulation. For Exp. 2, diets were formulated using NRC (2012) nutrient loadings. Treatment diets were fed for 21 and 22 d (Exp. 1 and 2) and there were 23 replicates in Exp. 1 and 14 replicates in Exp. 2. Pigs were weighed and feed disappearance measured weekly to calculate average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), gain-to-feed ratio (G:F), and caloric efficiency (CE). Data were analyzed with block as a random effect and treatment as a fixed effect, and contrasts were constructed to test the linear and quadratic effects of increasing SBM.ResultsIn Exp. 1, there was a tendency (linear, P = 0.092) for a decrease in ADFI as SBM increased. There was a tendency (P = 0.090) for a quadratic response for ADG, with a decrease in ADG observed with 39% SBM inclusion. Pigs fed diets with increasing SBM had a tendency (quadratic, P = 0.069) for an increase in G:F up to 33% SBM and an improvement (linear, P = 0.001; quadratic, P = 0.063) in CE with increasing SBM. Using CE to estimate the energy of SBM relative to corn, a value of 105.4% of corn energy or 2816 kcal/kg NE was determined using all data points. When removing the CE value of the 39% SBM treatment due to the quadratic tendency, SBM was estimated to have 121.1% of corn energy or 3236 kcal/kg NE. In Exp. 2, there was a decrease (linear, P = 0.001) in ADFI. Pigs fed increasing SBM had a tendency (linear, P = 0.065) for reduced ADG but an improvement (linear, P = 0.001) in G:F and CE as SBM increased. The energy value of SBM was estimated as 124.7% of corn energy or 3332 kcal/kg NE.ConclusionsThe results suggest that feeding increasing levels of SBM improves G:F and CE. The energy value of SBM was estimated to be between 105% and 125% of corn, which is much greater than the NRC (2012) would indicate.

Effects of curcumin on performance, antioxidation, intestinal barrier and mitochondrial function in ducks fed corn contaminated with ochratoxin A

Curcumin has been attributed with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial activities, and has shown highly protective effects against enteropathogenic bacteria and mycotoxins. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is one of the major intestinal pathogenic mycotoxins. The possible effect of curcumin on the alleviation of enterotoxicity induced by OTA is unknown. The effects of dietary curcumin supplementation on OTA-induced oxidative stress, intestinal barrier and mitochondrial dysfunctions were examined in young ducks. A total of 540 mixed-sex 1-day-old White Pekin ducklings with initial BW (43.4±0.1 g) were randomly assigned into controls (fed only the basal diet), a group fed an OTA-contaminated diet (2 mg/kg feed), and a group fed the same OTA-contaminated feed plus 400 mg/kg of curcumin. Each treatment consisted of six replicates, each containing 30 ducklings and treatment lasted for 21 days. There was a significant decrease in average daily gain (ADG) and increased feed : gain caused by OTA (P<0.05); curcumin co-treatment prevented the decrease in BW and ADG compared with the OTA group (P<0.05). Histopathological and ultrastructural examination showed clear signs of enterotoxicity caused by OTA, but these changes were largely prevented by curcumin supplementation. Curcumin decreased the concentrations of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α and malondialdehyde, and increased the activity of glutathione peroxidase induced by OTA in the jejunal mucosa of ducks (P<0.05). Additionally, curcumin increased jejunal mucosa occludin and tight junction protein 1 mRNA and protein levels, and decreased those of ρ-associated protein kinase 1 (P<0.05). Notably, curcumin inhibited the increased expression of apoptosis-related genes, and downregulated mitochondrial transcription factors A, B1 and B2 caused by OTA without any effects on RNA polymerase mitochondrial (P<0.05). These results indicated that curcumin could protect ducks from OTA-induced impairment of intestinal barrier function and mitochondrial integrity.

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG modulates gastrointestinal absorption, excretion patterns, and toxicity in Holstein calves fed a single dose of aflatoxin B1

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG; ATCC 53013) on growth performance and hepatotoxicity in calves fed a single dose of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) and to investigate the absorption, distribution, and elimination of AFB1 and the hydroxylated metabolite aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) in rumen fluid, blood, and excretions. Twenty-four male Holstein calves were blocked for body weight and age and were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatment groups: (1) untreated control, (2) treated with 4.80 mg of AFB1 (AFB1 only), or (3) treated with 1 × 1010 cfu of LGG suspension and 4.80 mg of AFB1 (AFB1 plus LGG). The calves received LGG suspension in 50 mL of phosphate-buffered saline daily via oral administration for 14 d before and on the day they received a single oral dose of AFB1. Body weight was recorded at the beginning of the study (before LGG administration), at the day of AFB1 administration, and at the end of the trial. Rumen fluid, blood, urine, and feces samples were collected continuously for 96 h after AFB1 administration. Average daily gain (ADG) and plasma biochemical parameters were analyzed, and concentrations of AFB1 and AFM1 in the samples were determined for monitoring excretion pattern and toxicokinetics. The results showed that ADG was lower in AFB1-treated animals; LGG administration partially mitigated the decrease in ADG (0.85 ± 0.08 vs. 0.76 ± 0.18 kg of gain/d). The AFB1 treatment increased plasma aspartate aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and lactate dehydrogenase levels. Administration of LGG alleviated the AFB1-induced increase in plasma enzymes activity. The excretion patterns of AFB1 and AFM1 were surprisingly regular; toxins were rapidly detected in all samples after a single oral dose of AFB1, and the peak of toxins concentrations was sequentially reached in rumen fluid, plasma, urine, and feces (except AFM1 in rumen fluid), followed by an exponential decrease. The excretion curves showed that AFB1 and AFM1 concentrations were the highest in feces and urine, respectively. Administration of LGG decreased the concentrations of free AFB1 and AFM1 in rumen fluid and reduced the release of toxins into plasma and urine. Toxicokinetic parameters (except for the time of maximum concentration and the terminal half-life) were reduced by LGG administration. In conclusion, the absorption, distribution, and excretion of AFB1 and AFM1 were rapid in calves fed a single dose of AFB1. Urine was the main route for the excretion of AFM1, and the clearance pattern from the peak of concentration was well fitted by exponential decreasing function. Administration of LGG reduced the absorption of AFB1 in the gastrointestinal tract by increasing the excretion via the feces, thus alleviating the hepatotoxic effect of AFB1.

Effects of dietary protein restriction followed by realimentation on growth performance and liver transcriptome alterations of lamb

The present study aimed to investigate the compensatory effect of early protein restriction followed by a realimentation on growth performance of lamb and to explore the transcriptomic changes in liver. Thirty-two lambs with an initial birth weight of 2.3 ± 0.20 kg that were weaned on day 15 were randomly divided into two groups. The lambs were fed a basal diet with normal protein level (NPL, protein level in the milk replacer and starter, 25 and 21%, respectively) or low protein level (LPL, protein level in the milk replacer and starter, 19 and 15%, respectively) from 15 to 60 d, after which all lambs consumed the same diet with a normal protein level from 61 to 90 d. Protein restriction led to a significant decrease in average daily gain (ADG), body weight and liver weight (P < 0.05). Transcriptome analysis showed that 302 or 12 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified during the restriction or recovery periods, respectively (P < 0.05). The Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis indicated that DEGs enriched in nutrient metabolism and antioxidant capacity were down-regulated, while vessel development and immunity response-related genes up-regulated. The genes involved in metabolism of tyrosine were still down-regulated in the realimentation phase. Studies in this area indicated the accelerated growth effect of early protein restriction followed by a realimentation on growth performance of lambs and explored the transcriptomics change of liver which can help to develop feeding strategies to optimize the use of feedstuffs and in providing a new perspective for the study of early nutrition and epigenetics in later life.

Природні детоксиканти в раціоні та їх вплив на продуктивність і якість продуктів забою свиней на відгодівлі

&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Among the pollutants one of the main factor is heavy metals. Cadmium, a typical representative of this group has a very toxic effect on both the animal and the human. It is not involved in the vital processes of living organisms. Instead, exceeding the maximum permissible levels of cadmium has negative affects on animal, and accumulation in the tissues, is a threat to human life - the consumer of animal products. The results of research show efficiency of dry apple pulp and dry beet pulp as natural detoxicant of heavy metals, including cadmium, in the body of young pigs. Experimentally proved that the cadmium content in complete feed with the maximum permissible level (1 mg/kg) predetermined decrease of average daily gain of pigs experimental group, compared with the control, by 10.8% and increase of feed conversion by 9.8%. The introduction to the mixed fodder of dry apple pulp (45 g/kg) or dry beet pulp (45 g/kg) with of the same cadmium content contributed that the productivity of animals, the cost of feed for 1 kg of growth, slaughter weight, carcass yield, weight mascara and economic efficiency of fattening young pigs approaching to the level of control. In addition, the use of dry apple pulp and dry beet pulp as natural forage detoxicant in diets of young pigs helps significantly (P &amp;lt;0.05-0.001), reduction of heavy metals, including cadmium in products of slaughter (meat, bacon, liver, kidney, heart), which increases their purity, environmental safety and competitiveness.&lt;/p&gt;