In-transit losses (ITLs) of market weight pigs are defined as pigs that die and (or) pigs that become nonambulatory (NA) during the process of loading and shipping from the farm to the abattoir. Annual rates of transport mortalities are low relative to the number of pigs transported to slaughter annually but are highly variable between countries and even between abattoirs within countries. In-transit losses are not fully explained by the most commonly cited risk factors, such as environmental temperature, stocking density, and journey length and other risk factors must be considered. Low numbers of ITLs compared with the large number of pigs shipped each year imply that individual pig factors should be given greater consideration. Pig health pertaining to ITLs is not well studied and post mortems are rarely completed on ITL pigs. In particular, compromised cardiac function combined with a limited ability for cardiac compensation may predispose pigs to ITLs as a result of the exertion experienced during sorting, loading, and transport. Varying stages of cardiac compromise could explain the variable nature of ITLs. Future research should focus on investigating the health conditions which could make a pig more susceptible to death or becoming NA during transport.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global health threat, and a standstill in the discovery and design of new antibiotics has been linked to the growing number of human deaths attributed to AMR infections. Intensive beef production utilizes antimicrobials to promote health and growth efficiency. To understand the magnitude and risk of AMR in beef production, it is important to assess the prevalence and diversity of antimicrobial resistant genes (ARGs) within microbial populations. Antimicrobial resistant bacteria are traditionally identified by isolation and growth in the presence of selective antibiotics. Whole-genome, metagenomic, and RNA sequencing provide new avenues to detect and identify novel ARGs in both culturable and unculturable bacterial communities. Some of these approaches place ARGs within the context of mobile genetic elements, gauging their likelihood of transfer across genomes. Genomics can also mitigate AMR, contributing to rational drug design or the development of alternatives to antimicrobials such as vaccines and probiotics. RNA-seq-based transcriptomics and Tn-seq may provide new ways to examine mechanisms that promote or prevent AMR. Finally, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) – Cas gene editing could directly reduce AMR by killing AMR-resistant bacteria without harming beneficial bacteria. Together, these technologies may provide new opportunities to identify, quantify, and mitigate AMR while developing alternatives to antimicrobials for beef production.

The objectives of this study were to assess profit and to document phenotypic and genetic trends for profit in Holstein dairy cows of Iran. A total number of 219 507 first lactation cows with performance records from 569 herds were used to calculate profit per cow per year. Economic data sources used for calculations were from three large dairy farms representing the marketing circumstances of Iran during the 12 yr study period (2000–2011). Variance components were estimated using the average information restricted maximum-likelihood procedure based on an animal model. An average cow of the population had its first calving at 25.4 mo of age, produced 7616.9 kg of milk in its first lactation, and generated a net profit of $1096.20 US per year. Profit calculated as a phenotype for each individual cow had a moderate heritability of 0.22, but our data did not support profit as an alternative to selection based on an economic selection index. The phenotypic and genetic trends for profit were -$44.43 US and $5.33 US per cow per year, respectively. The genetic trend was linear, whereas the phenotypic trend showed two peaks and three valleys. Our results show that in spite of an undesired phonotypic trend for profit driven by fluctuations in the Iranian economic circumstances, the genetic trend was favorable and can be attributed to the importation of semen from western countries.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of extracted rice bran supplementation in the diet on production performance, feed intake, egg quality, and excreta microflora in laying hens. A total of 288 Hy-line Brown (46 wk old) laying hens were randomly assigned to three different treatments. The three treatments were (1) CON (control), basal diet; (2) T1, basal diet 0.01% extracted rice bran (ERB); and (3) T2, basal diet 0.02% ERB. The trial lasted for 6 wk. Egg quality was checked weekly, whereas egg production was recorded daily throughout the trial period. All data were subjected to the GLM procedures of SAS and differences among treatments were separated by Duncan’s multiple range test with a P < 0.05 indicating a significance. There were eight replicates per treatment with 12 birds per replicate. The results showed that egg production increased linearly during weeks 5, 6, and in cumulative period (P < 0.05). Improved eggshell thickness was found by increasing dietary ERB levels (P < 0.05). The excreta Escherichia coli and Lactobacillus counts decreased and increased respectively by addition of ERB in the diet. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of 0.02% ERB increased egg production, Lactobacillus counts, and decreased E. coli counts in hens.

Eggs may serve as an alternative source for DNA extraction. The quality of DNA extracted from eggshell, whole egg liquid (WEL), and germinal disc region (GDR) was compared based on the spectrophotometric, electrophoretic, PCR, and reduced-representation library sequencing (RRLS) results. Although these DNAs were all invisible on the gel and cannot be measured spectrophotometrically, the GDR DNA was superior to the eggshell and WEL DNA in PCR efficiency. After the whole genome amplification (WGA) was introduced, the yield of GDR DNA was significantly increased. The obtaining DNA had overwhelming superiority over the eggshell and WEL DNA in the ratio of captured genome and the number of called SNP. The GDR DNA extraction followed by the WGA provides a method to obtain sufficient DNA from a single egg.

Three ensiled barley varieties (‘CDC Cowboy’, ‘CDC Copeland’, and ‘Xena’) selected for differences in 30 h neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD_30h) were fed at two (LOW and HIGH) inclusion rates to study their effects on performance of crossbred steers (n = 288) in a 3 × 2 factorial design. Diets with the LOW inclusion level during backgrounding had a 1:1 barley silage:barley grain ratio, whereas HIGH diets had a 2:1 ratio (% DM basis). Respective ratios during finishing were 1:17 and 1:5. Actual NDFD_30h averaged 37.6% ± 3.5%, 34.7% ± 3.8%, and 36.9% ± 3.0% for ‘CDC Cowboy’, ‘CDC Copeland’, and ‘Xena’, respectively. Backgrounding diets containing ‘CDC Cowboy’ as well as the HIGH diets had greater (P < 0.01) acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content. Steers fed ‘CDC Cowboy’ as well as the HIGH diets during backgrounding had lower (P < 0.01) dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and end of backgrounding body weight. During finishing, ADG and DMI were greater (P < 0.01) for steers fed HIGH barley silage diets. The results indicate that barley variety and inclusion level had the greatest impact during backgrounding and highlight the difficulty in choosing barley varieties for silage based on a single nutritional parameter like NDFD_30h.

The objective of this study was to investigate the relative contribution of breed composition, slaughter weight, sex, diet, and their interactions to the fatty acid composition of intramuscular and subcutaneous fat of pigs. Sires from Duroc, Lacombe, and Iberian breeds were crossed to Large White × Landrace dams and offspring (barrows and gilts) were randomly allocated into three feeding groups (Control, Canola or Flax) 3 wk before slaughter, aiming at slaughter weights of either 115 or 135 kg. In intramuscular fat, dietary treatment (88.7%) was responsible for most of the explained variability observed in 18:3 n-3 (0.76), followed by breed and the breed × diet interaction. In subcutaneous fat, the same factors contributed for the explained variance in 18:3 n-3 (0.84) in a similar order. Furthermore, diet contributed more than 94% to the explained variability observed in n-6/n-3 (0.90). On the other hand, both for the intramuscular and subcutaneous fat, breed was the most influential factor (68.9%/68.2%, respectively) for the explained variance in 18:2 n-6 (0.38/0.59, respectively). Both sex and slaughter weight also had significant effects (P < 0.05) on some individual fatty acids and indices. Understanding the contribution of each factor and their interactions will help the pork industry in the production of consistent differentiated products.

The impact of two different grain screening pellets (GSP) on the chemical profile of feces, feed digestibility, growth performance, and carcass traits of feedlot heifers was measured. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to predict differences in the chemical composition and energy content of GSP and feces. Heifers (445 ± 35.5 kg) were allocated to 15 pens (10 heifers pen^-1) and offered three diets: (1) 76% barley grain (dry matter basis; control); (2) light screening pellets (LSP); and (3) heavy screening pellets (HSP), where GSP replaced 20% barley grain. In controls, fecal starch tended to be higher (P = 0.09) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) lower (P < 0.01) than heifers fed GSP diets. Fecal nitrogen (N) and ether extract (EE) were also higher (P < 0.05) in heifers fed the control compared with GSP diets. The average daily gain (ADG) of heifers fed LSP tended to be lower (P < 0.06) than the control diet. Gain:feed in controls was higher (P < 0.02) than in those fed GSP diets. Both ADG and G:F were positively associated with fecal N and starch, but negatively associated with NDF. Compared with direct measurements, NIRS over predicted total digestible nutrient (TDN) content of GSP, but did predict most differences in chemical composition.

Barley silage varieties ranked based on in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility (NDFD) of commercial silage samples were designated as high-NDFD (H-NDFD, ‘CDC Cowboy’), intermediate-NDFD (I-NDFD, ‘CDC Copeland’), and low-NDFD (L-NDFD, ‘Xena’) and assessed in digestibility and lamb performance experiments. A replicated 3 × 3 Latin square digestibility experiment fed 50:50 silage:concentrate diets [dry matter (DM) basis] to nine rumen fistulated wethers. A growth study used 42 lambs fed 40:60 silage:concentrate diets (DM basis) with carcass traits being assessed in 21 ram lambs. In vitro NDFD of silages did not coincide with the ranking of field silage samples. Intake and digestibility in wethers did not differ (P > 0.05) among varieties. Mean rumen pH was lower (P > 0.05) for wethers fed L-NDFD than H-NDFD, with rumen pH of wethers fed L-NDFD spending more (P < 0.01) time below 6.2, 6.0, and 5.8. Growing lambs fed L-NDFD had lower (P < 0.01) dry matter intake (DMI) than lambs fed I-NDFD. Dressing percentage was higher (P < 0.05) for ram lambs fed L-NDFD than I-NDFD. Selecting barley silage varieties based on improved in vitro NDFD to improve digestibility and lamb performance is difficult due to yearly differences in forage growing conditions and ensiling dynamics.

This study examined the feasibility and accuracy of using Illumina BovineSNP50 genotypes to estimate individual cattle breed composition and heterosis relative to estimate from pedigree. First, pedigree was used to compute breed fractions for 1124 crossbred cattle. Given the breed composition of sires and dams, retained heterosis and retained heterozygosity were computed for all individuals. Second, all animals’ genotypes were used to compute individual’s genomic breed fractions by applying a cross-validation method. Average genome-wide heterozygosity and retained heterozygosity based on genomic breed fraction were computed. Lastly, accuracies of breed composition, retained heterozygosity and retained heterosis were assessed as Pearson’s correlation between pedigree- and genome-based predictions. The average breed compositions observed were 0.52 Angus, 0.23 Charolais, and 0.25 Hereford for pedigree-based prediction and 0.46, 0.26, and 0.28 for genome-based prediction, respectively. Correlations of predicted breed composition ranged from 0.94 to 0.96. Genome-based retained heterozygosity and retained heterosis from pedigree were also highly correlated (0.96). A positive association of nonadditive genetic effects was observed for growth traits reflecting the importance of heterosis for these traits. Genomic prediction can aid analyses that depend on knowledge of breed composition and serve as a reliable method to predict heterosis to improve the efficiency of commercial crossbreeding schemes.

Oral sucrose was evaluated for its ability to reduce pain following castration. Piglets (n = 126) were assigned to one of the five treatments: (1) castrated and given 3 mL of water (C); (2) castrated with 3 mL of 30% sucrose before castration (SucB); (3) castrated and given 3 mL of 30% sucrose after castration (SucA); (4) sham castrated and given 3 mL of water (SHAM); (5) sham castrated and given 3 mL of 30% sucrose SucSHAM. Piglet navigation time (NT) through a handling chute was tested at 0, 15, 30, and 45 min after treatment as a measure of pain. Serum cortisol and pen behaviours were also recorded. At 0, 15, and 30 min, C piglets had a greater NT than SHAM and SucSHAM piglets (P < 0.05). The NT of SucA piglets was similar to SHAM and SucSHAM, and shorter than C at 15, 30, and 45 min. The NT of SucB piglets was similar to SHAM and SucSHAM at 30 and 45 min, and shorter than C at 15 and 45 min. Handling chute behaviour suggests that sucrose provides some degree of pain relief following castration: sucrose given before castration showing more consistent results than when given after.

At the onset of lactation, there are three distinct stages of mammary tissue development and function including mammogenesis, colostrogenesis, and lactogenesis. The mechanism of the transition from colostrogenesis to lactogenesis of Maiwa Yak is still unknown. In this study, mammary tissues from three Maiwa Yaks were collected at 1 and 30 d after parturition for transcriptome exploration using Affymetrix Bovine Genome Arrays. Comparing 1 and 30 d results, a total of 517 annotated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified at the criteria of a P ≤ 0.05. The ratio of up-regulated genes to the down-regulated ones was around 1:2 (more specifically, 164:353). To depict the profile of DEGs, a dynamic impact approach (DIA) was used to analyse the microarray data based on Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) databases. GO terms “fatty acid transport” and “monocarboxylic acid transport” were significantly induced during the colostrum period. The strongly impacted KEGG pathways were “chondroitin sulfate biosynthesis”, “glycosphingolipid biosynthesis”, and “glycerolipid metabolism”. These data may provide candidate genes with a high probability of having functional roles in regulating the transition from colostrum to normal milk in domestic yak mammary gland.

Data from a total of 4842 animals were used to test whether the regular dry matter intake (DMI) data collection and residual feed intake (RFI) estimation period could be decreased. Eighty-three shortened test periods were compared with the regular test period, and the results showed that the DMI data collection period could be decreased to 42 d without significantly compromising accuracy of feed efficiency testing. Competency of the selected shorter period (42 d with 30–42 d of valid feed intake days) to predict regular test period DMI (84 d with 60–84 d of valid feed intake days) was tested using a set of agreements criteria. The results showed that the selected shorter period can be used to accurately and precisely predict regular test DMI. The selected shorter test period combined with regular body weight measurements were used to estimate RFI adjusted for backfat (RFI_fat). Assessment of agreement between estimated values for RFI_fat showed that a shorter DMI test could be used to predict RFI_fat with only 7% outside the range prediction. It is concluded that shortening the feed intake period to 42 d from 84 d could substantially increase power-of-the-test for experiments that target feed intake or efficiency and reduce per head cost with the current infrastructure.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate energy value of spray-dried whole egg (SWE), albumen powder (AP), and effects of lysozyme (LZ) in diets containing these two protein sources. Experiment 1: 18 barrows were allotted to one of the three diets (Basal, SWE, and AP). Both digestible (DE) and metabolizable energies (ME) were lower (P < 0.01) in AP than SWE. Experiment 2: 120 piglets weaned at 21 d were allotted in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment. Diets contained either 8.0% SWE or 4.67% AP, supplying the same amount of crude protein and were fed with or without 1 g kg^-1 LZ. Supplementation of LZ in SWE and AP diets improved (P < 0.01) G:F than the diets without LZ. Lysozyme decreased (P < 0.01) Escherichia coli counts in cecum and Lactobacilli counts in both cecum and colon (P < 0.05). Lysozyme reduced serum IgM (P < 0.05), d-lactic acid (P < 0.01), and diamine oxide (P < 0.05). Piglets fed AP had lower (P < 0.05) serum urea nitrogen levels than those fed SWE. In conclusion, SWE contains higher DE and ME contents than AP. Lysozyme improved the performance of piglets by regulating the gut microflora, protecting the intestinal barrier and lowering immune activation.

Juncea meal (JM) has higher crude protein and energy and less fibre compared with canola meal (CM) potentially making it more suited for inclusion in laying hen diets. The objective of this study was to compare the inclusion of JM to CM and soybean meal (SBM) in diets of white-shell egg laying hens on production performance and egg quality characteristics. Ten diets were fed to 360 Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens over four feeding phases during the 48 wk trial. Diets consisted of a SBM control, 10% or 20% CM (CM-10 or CM-20), and 10% or 20% JM (JM-10 or JM-20) with or without a phytase and multicarbohydrase enzyme cocktail. Juncea meal-20 (JM-20) reduced body weight (P > 0.05) compared with SBM by 122 g hen^-1 but was not different from CM. Feed consumption, egg production, feed efficiency, and mortality were unaffected by meal or enzyme inclusion (P > 0.05). Feeding CM or JM did not result in any commercially important changes to egg quality, and enzyme inclusion had no effect. Up to 20% CM and JM could be included in laying hen diets without detrimental effects on production performance and egg quality characteristics. Enzyme inclusion did not improve performance of meal types.

This experiment was designed to assess the effects of different feeding strategies before first breeding at 15 mo on performance and physiological parameters of beef heifers during their gestation and first lactation. During preweaning (PRE, 0–6 mo) and postweaning periods (POST, 6–15 mo), 25 Parda de Montaña heifers were fed to achieve gains of 1.0 kg d⁻¹ (HI) or 0.7 kg d⁻¹ (LO) in a 2 × 2 factorial design (HI–HI, HI–LO, LO–HI, and LO–LO). Although calf birth weights did not differ, heifers from LO–LO treatment had the greatest calving assistance (80%), probably because they were lighter than the rest (436 ± 39 kg body weight, P < 0.01) and had the smallest external pelvic area (19.5 ± 2.0 dm², P < 0.01). Milk production and calf gains during lactation were similar among treatments. Cows from POST–HI treatment tended to be cyclic earlier than POST–LO ones (82 ± 8.4 and 106 ± 9.4 d post partum, respectively; P = 0.06). Feeding managements did not influence metabolic (glucose, cholesterol, nonesterified fatty acid, β-hydroxybutyrate, and urea) or endocrine (insulin-like growth factor I and leptin) profiles of heifers. Continued low feeding levels before breeding heifers at 15 mo are not recommended, because they may hinder primiparous calving performance.

The objectives were to (1) investigate the effectiveness of hair cortisol concentration (HCC) as a measure of long-term stress in beef cattle and (2) determine whether meloxicam would decrease postcastration stress. Bull calves on two farms [site 1: Hereford cross (n = 73); site 2: Black Angus (n = 85)] were assigned to three treatments: (1) surgical castration with saline (CS, n = 52), (2) surgical castration with meloxicam (CM, n = 54), and (3) sham castration with saline (S, n = 52), balanced for age. Hair was collected from the left hip on day 0, prior to castration, and day 14, after 2 wk of regrowth from the day 0 location. Standing time was recorded on 129 calves (CS = 47, CM = 42, S, = 40) from 0 to 7 d post castration. On day 14, CS calves had 13.8% greater HCC than S (P = 0.031) and tended to be higher than CM calves (P = 0.095); CM and S calves did not differ. Standing time did not differ between treatments. Lower HCC in CM compared with CS calves indicates that meloxicam may be effective at reducing postcastration stress. With differences between treatments, HCC shows promise as a technique for measuring long-term stress in beef cattle.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing energy daily vs. on alternate days at two levels (1.5× and 2× daily amount) on forage utilization and performance of growing steers grazing stockpiled cool-season perennial grass (CSPG) pasture. Forty-five crossbred yearling steers were stratified by initial body weight (BW) (358 ± 18 kg) and randomly assigned to one of the nine CSPG pasture paddocks (5 steers paddock⁻¹). Each paddock was randomly assigned to one of the three replicated (n = 3) supplementation strategies. A pelleted feed (30.3% neutral detergent fibre; 32.0% starch; 7.2% crude fat) was formulated to provide 3.2 Mcal kg⁻¹ of digestible energy and offered daily (DLY) at 0.6% of BW, or on alternate days at two levels: 0.9% [low alternate (LA)] and 1.2% [high alternate (HA)] of BW. After a 70 d grazing period, forage utilization of DLY (65.2%) was not different (P ≥ 0.69) when compared with LA (63.7%) or HA (65.0%). Also, final BW and cumulative average daily gain of DLY (435 kg and 1.1 kg d⁻¹) were not different (P ≥ 0.11) when compared with those of LA (424 kg and 0.9 kg d⁻¹) or HA (428 kg and 1.0 kg d⁻¹). These results suggest that it is possible to reduce the frequency and amount of energy supplementation in grazing-growing cattle without reducing animal performance.

The objective of this study was to determine the interaction effects of photoperiod management and dietary grain allocation on the productivity of lactating dairy cows. Sixty Holstein cows in mid-lactation (days in milk = 113 ± 36.0; mean ± SD) were assigned to either a long photoperiod (LP; 16 h light) or a short photoperiod (SP; 8 h light) treatment. After a 30 d light adaptation period, cows within each photoperiod treatment were fed three diets differing in the grain content (15%, 25%, and 35% of dietary dry matter) in a 3 × 3 Latin square design. Cows exposed to the LP increased milk yield compared with those exposed to the SP (39.0 vs. 36.8 kg d⁻¹) after a 30 d of light adaptation period. Although the positive effect of LP was not sustained after cows were assigned to dietary treatments in a 3 × 3 Latin square design, cows fed the 35% grain diet increased fat-corrected milk yield compared with those fed 25% or 15% grain diet (35.9 vs. 33.4 or 32.9 kg d⁻¹, respectively). This study indicated that LP management and feeding high grain diets did not lead to synergistic effects on productivity of dairy cows.

Serial blood sampling was conducted to evaluate hormone profiles in entire and surgically castrated male pigs and entire males immunized with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogue. Immunization reduced plasma concentrations of estrone sulphate and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) from entire male concentrations to those observed for surgically castrated males, which likely modulate growth and body composition.

During backgrounding, low-oil corn dried distillers’ grains plus solubles (LO-DDGS) resulted in higher dry matter intake (P = 0.002) and increased average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.03) in steers compared with medium-oil corn dried distillers’ grains with solubles (MO-DDGS). Inclusion of 20% corn dried distillers’ grains with solubles (DDGS) tended (P = 0.06) to increase ADG compared with 10% DDGS. During finishing, MO-DDGS improved (P = 0.03) feed efficiency compared with LO-DDGS.

A single-nucleotide polymorphism within the corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 2 (CRHR2) gene was identified and evaluated in two pig populations. The CRHR2 genotype was significantly associated with nine carcass and meat quality traits in the F₂ resource population and exhibited a suggestive association with the stress response trait blotching in the halothane challenge population.

Virginia fanpetals biomass is relatively suitable for ensiling when stem structure is damaged during harvest. Virginia fanpetals biomass is characterized by extensive lactic acid fermentation with a low proportion of volatile fatty acids (VFA). A microbiological evaluation confirmed the predominance of lactic acid bacteria and the presence of a small group of fungi. Ensiling effectively eliminated toxin-producing Aspergillus spp.