Influence Of Husbandry Research Articles

The influence of husbandry and pack management on Dhole Cuon alpinus reproduction

Dhole Cuon alpinus numbers are declining rapidly in the wild. Therefore, it is very important to have vital captive populations. European zoos have the largest collection of captive Dholes in the world but breeding success varies greatly between zoos. One of the biggest problems is high pup mortality owing to inexperience of adults and inadequate housing. Within the context of a dissertation about Dholes in captivity, the effects of different husbandry parameters on reproduction in the species have been studied over 4 years. As a result of information reported in the dissertation a European Endangered Species Programme for Dholes was launched in 2006 by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria. Since then, all new packs that have been formed and housed according to the latest scientific results have started to reproduce without any problems.

Influence of husbandry and control measures on porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2) dynamics within a farrow-to-finish pig farm: A modelling approach

We assessed, using a modelling approach, the influence of several management practices within a farrow-to-finish farm on the age of PCV-2 infection. The impact of PCV-2 vaccination with different vaccination schemes on infection dynamics, was also tested. A stochastic individual-based model describing the population dynamics in a typical French farrow-to-finish pig farm was built and coupled with an epidemiological model of PCV-2 infection. The parameters of the infectious model were mainly obtained from previous transmission experiments. Results were subjected to a survival analysis of time-to-infection. For each comparison, the reference situation was no vaccination followed by random mixing of piglets after birth and after weaning. The risk of early infection was significantly reduced when mixing of piglets was reduced at different stages (avoiding cross-fostering and grouping piglets by litters in small pens after weaning, hazard ratio (HR) = 0.52 [0.46; 0.59]). Sow-targeted vaccination delayed the infectious process until the waning of passive immunity and piglet-targeted vaccination considerably decreased the force of infection leading to a dramatic decrease of the total number of infections (HR = 0.44 [0.37; 0.54]). The effect was even more pronounced when strict management measures were applied (HR = 0.24 [0.19; 0.31]). Changing from a low (3%) prevalence of PCV-2-infected semen to a higher one (18%) significantly increased the risk of early infections (HR = 1.36 [1.2; 1.53]), whereas reducing replacement rate or changing sow housing from individual crates to group housing had a limited impact on PCV-2 dynamics.

Influence of husbandry on the transfer of radiocaesium from feed to milk during the winter that followed the chernobyl reactor accident

The release of activity from the Chernobyl nuclear reactor resulted in deposition of radionuclides throughout the UK in early May 1986. Since that time, the transfer of radiocaesium from feed to milk has been followed at two farms that differ in both location and husbandry practice. This paper concerns the winter of 1986/87, when activity concentrations in milk increased because of the consumption of silage prepared earlier in the year. Silage-to-milk transfer coefficients have been estimated which suggest that, when incorporated into prepared silage, radiocaesium from Chernobyl is less available for transfer to cows' milk than soluble caesium-134 applied directly onto pasture. The measured activity concentrations in milk have been compared with those predicted by the NRPB model FARMLAND; despite differences between the husbandry practice assumed in the model and those observed in practice, the model provides an adequate radiological assessment of the feed-cow-milk pathway after an accidental release of radioactivity.

The Influence of Husbandry on Colostrum Yield and Immunoglobulin Concentration in Beef Cows

The influence of husbandry on colostrum yield and immunoglobulin concentration was compared in two groups of beef cows, one of which was outwintered and received no supplementary feeding, the other housed in a cattle court and fed silage ad lib . There were wide variations in colostrum yield and immunoglobulin concentration between individual cows but the housed cows gave significantly more colostrum ( P < 0 · 01) than the outwintered cows. Immunoglobulin concentration was unaffected. 7/11 of the outwintered cows and 3/11 of the housed cows did not give sufficient colostrum to ensure survival of their respective calves.