Eighty-one steers [428 ± 3.5 kg of body weight (BW)] were used to determine the effect of grain type (corn vs. barley) and oil concentration of dried corn distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS; moderate = 7.9% vs. low = 4.5% ether extract) on growth performance, feeding behavior, and carcass characteristics. Intake and feeding behavior traits were calculated from data generated via the Insentec feeding system. Steers were slaughtered with an average BW of 668 ± 4.4 kg. Final BW and average daily gain (ADG) were not affected by grain type or DDGS oil concentration. Dry matter intake (DMI) decreased (P = 0.002) and gain:feed ratio (G:F) increased (P = 0.01) in steers fed diets containing barley. Daily visits to the feeder decreased (P = 0.05), but time eating per visit increased (P = 0.03) in steers fed diets containing barley than corn. Plasma urea–N concentration was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in steers fed diets containing barley than corn and in steers fed diets containing low-oil DDGS than moderate-oil DDGS diets. There was no effect of treatment on carcass characteristics. These data indicate that steers fed diets containing barley had improved G:F and that including low-oil vs. moderate-oil DDGS in a finishing diet does not influence growth performance, feeding behavior, or carcass measurements.

Digestibility, performance, and initial methane production were evaluated in growing and finishing pigs. Assay 1 was carried out in experimental facilities. Sixty pigs, 30 barrows and 30 gilts (26.07 ± 0.07 kg), were allotted randomly to treatments arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial design with three diets (control, Bacillus subtilis, and lincomycin) and two genders. In assay 2, 48 pigs (26.06 ± 3.10 kg) were maintained in commercial farm and supplemented with B. subtilis and lincomycin. Performance and initial methane production were measured. In assay 3, 12 barrows (body weight = 26.55 ± 1.25 kg) were housed in metabolism crates and fed control and B. subtilis diet to evaluate nutrient balance and energy. Gilts within experimental facility, fed control diet, had higher ADG (P < 0.05) compared with lincomycin diet, but there was no statistical difference with B. subtilis diet. Numeric variations on the first and second assays suggested some improvement on pig performance and a reduction on initial methane production when pigs were fed B. subtilis diet, compared with lincomycin diet. Protein digestibility increased (P < 0.05) with B. subtilis supplementation in the diet. Dietary supplementation with B. subtilis for growing and finishing pigs may improve performance and decrease N excretion and initial methane production.

Composition, drip loss, objective colour, and measures of colour stability during 3 d of retail display were benchmarked for 11 muscles obtained from youthful beef and cow carcasses (n = 120). Traits were compared between the muscles from cow carcasses, graded using the Canadian grading system (D1, D2, D3, and D4; >50% ossification), and muscles from A/AA youthful carcasses [identified as under 30 mo (UTM) of age based on dentition and <50% ossification or over 30 mo (OTM) of age based on dentition, but <50% ossification]. Muscles from D3-graded carcasses had a lower intramuscular fat content, aside from these carcasses, all other cow carcass grades had muscles with either equivalent or higher fat content. Most muscles from cow carcasses had consistently darker meat (lower L*; P < 0.05), yet the colour stability measures were similar between most muscles from cow-graded carcasses and UTM over 3 d of retail display. Notably, the infraspinatus (flat iron) from cow carcasses did not differ in colour from UTM beef. In general, OTM carcasses had similar colour and composition attributes to the UTM beef. Given the retail performance of muscles from cow carcasses, opportunities may exist to better utilize specific muscles from these carcasses.

The aim of this study was to determine the effects of enzymatically hydrolyzed wheat gluten (HWG) on growth performance, serum antioxidant indices, immune functions, and small intestinal mucosal morphology in weaned pigs. A total of 96 weaned piglets were randomly allocated to 3 diets with 4 pens/diet and 8 piglets/pen (4 barrows and 4 gilts). The diets were basal diet (CON), basal diet supplemented with 2% wheat gluten (WG), and basal diet supplemented with 2% HWG. The experimental period was 28 d. Pigs fed HWG diet had greater (P < 0.05) average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed efficiency, and lower (P < 0.05) diarrhea rates than those fed CON diet or WG diet. On day 28 after weaning, serum total antioxidative capacity, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase activities of pigs fed the HWG diet were greater (P < 0.05) than those fed CON diet or 2% WG diet. Pigs fed HWG diet had larger (P < 0.05) spleen and abdominal nymph nodes than pigs fed CON diet or WG diet. In conclusion, dietary WG enhanced growth performance and health of weaned pigs when it was enzymatically hydrolyzed, implying peptides form of glutamine is more beneficial to the nutrient absorption.

This study was carried out to determine whether ruminal fermentation and serum acute phase protein concentrations differed between steers with and without pathology at slaughter. Ruminally cannulated steers (n = 28) were housed with noncannulated steers (n = 250) and randomly assigned to one of eight pens. Steers were previously adapted to a diet containing 5% barley silage and 95% concentrate. Ruminal pH was measured continuously and ruminal fluid and blood samples were collected weekly. Steers were slaughtered and those with a liver score (A or A ) or a rumen score of 2 or 3 (ulceration or scarring) were classified as pathology (PATH) and compared with those with no pathology (NOPATH). Steers with PATH spent 182 min d⁻¹ more with pH < 5.8 (P = 0.05) and 64 min d⁻¹ more time with pH < 5.2 (P = 0.03) than NOPATH. The concentration of serum amyloid A was greater for steers with PATH than NOPATH (P = 0.02) and haptaglobin tended (P = 0.08) to be greater. Overall, results of the current study suggest that the duration of time that ruminal pH is <5.2 and a serum acute phase protein response are greater for steers with a case definition including ruminal and liver lesions.

Nowadays, batch management systems (BMSs) are more frequently applied on a pig farm than traditional continuous production systems. But until now, little research has been identified about pig breeders’ perceptions of BMSs. Therefore, a survey was built to assess advantages and disadvantages, perceived by producers of each BMS, focusing on biosecurity, management, and labour. The survey was completed by 45 farmers. Results revealed that 4-BMS and 5-BMS farmers were more satisfied about hygiene (P=0.0060) and health conditions (P=0.0225) on their farm compared with the other farmers. This could be explained by the need for only one farrowing room and the low number of batches required in both BMSs. Possibly due to this higher satisfaction about their biosecurity, a reduced piglet vaccination coverage (P=0.0399) and more labour efficient management (P=0.0101), were indicated by those farmers. However, almost none of those farmers indicated the absence of labour peaks in the list of advantages, probably because the weekly routines differ over weeks, unlike a 1-BMS and a 3-BMS. To conclude, this research provides essential information about farmers’ perceptions concerning biosecurity, management, and labour for all BMSs, but these results need to be confirmed by quantitative biosecurity measurements.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Tier 2 methodology and 16 empirical models together with dietary information were used to estimate daily methane (CH₄) production and Y_m (CH₄ energy expressed as a percentage of gross energy intake) for mature cows (lactating and dry) and growing steers (backgrounding, grazing, and finishing) in eastern and western Canada. Monthly simulations accounted for changes in body weight, feed intake, and diet composition. Coefficient of variation (CV) and uncertainty (95% confidence interval divided by mean) were used to estimate variability. Estimates of CH₄ (g d⁻¹) and Y_m from models differed from IPCC estimates. For models, the CV of Y_m ranged from 0.8% to 29.7% and uncertainty from 0.9% to 45.2% over the production phases of the animals in contrast to the fixed Y_m used by IPCC. When information on diet composition is lacking, a Y_m value of 7.0%–7.3% can be used for beef cows depending on stage and location, and 6.4%–6.6% for growing cattle fed high-forage diets, whereas 4.8% is recommended for finishing diets instead of the default values of 6.5% for high-forage diets and 3.0% for finishing diets typically used in the IPCC Tier 2 method.

The present study explored the potential for the production of canola meal (CM) fractions of different chemical and nutritive composition. Three meals from conventional black- and yellow-seeded Brassica napus and Brassica juncea canola were subjected to sieving. The use of sieves from 250 to 600 µm resulted in the production of fractions fine 1, fine 2, medium, and coarse. When compared with the parent meals, the content of total dietary fiber of fractions fine 1 and 2 decreased from 300 to 214 and 267 g kg⁻¹ for conventional CM, 270 to 216 and 234 g kg⁻¹ for B. napus yellow, and 255 to 153 and 187 g kg⁻¹ for B. juncea meal. Crude protein increased from 368 to 420 and 396 g kg⁻¹ for conventional CM, 410 to 436 and 430 g kg⁻¹ for yellow CM, and 423 to 479 and 468 g kg⁻¹ for B. juncea meal. The effects of three parent meals and their respective fractions fine 1 and 2 were evaluated in a growth performance experiment with broiler chickens. There was no significant effect of CM diets on growth performance indicating that CM and its low-fiber fractions could effectively replace soybean meal in diets for young poultry.

The objectives of this study were to assess the magnitude of differences among barley silages with different in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility (ivNDFD) in comparison with corn silage in (1) predicted carbohydrate digestibility, (2) rumen fermentation characteristics, and (3) microbial protein synthesis using rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). The experiment was carried out in a completely randomized block design with four treatments. The four whole-plant silages utilized in this study were CS-TMR = corn silage (30 h ivNDFD = 32%), HNDFD-TMR = barley silage with high ivNDFD (30 h ivNDFD = 37%), INDFD-TMR = barley silage with intermediate ivNDFD (30 h ivNDFD = 28%), and LNDFD-TMR = barley silage with low ivNDFD (30 h ivNDFD = 26%). Results from RUSITEC showed that nutrient disappearance, rumen fermentation characteristics, and microbial protein synthesis did not differ among diets that contained different varieties of barley silage (P > 0.1). However, CS-TMR tended to have a higher microbial protein yield than all barley silage diets (P = 0.06). These results show higher ivNDFD of barley silage may not necessarily correspond with greater impact on rumen fermentation and microbial protein synthesis. However, feeding the corn silage had higher microbial protein synthesis in the RUSITEC and might enhance the dairy cattle performance compared with barley silage.

The aim of this study was to evaluate butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin effects on the production of oocytes in vivo and in vitro embryo production (IVP) during an ovum pick up (OPU) protocol. Thirty-six cows were homogeneously divided into two groups. The butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin group (CAT, n = 17), received 4500 mg of butaphosphan and 2.25 mg of cyanocobalamin and the control group (CONT, n = 19) received placebo (NaCl 0.9%). Treatment was performed at 14, 9, and 5 d prior the follicular aspiration (FA) sessions and each cow was subjected to three sessions of OPU and IVP. CAT group showed high (P < 0.05) number of aspirated follicles between 3 and 6 mm and number of oocytes grade 2 and a tendency (P = 0.10) of total number of follicles aspired. No difference (P > 0.05) was found for the number of different sizes of follicles aspired, retrieved oocytes, recovery rate, viable oocytes, blastocysts, and total viable blastocysts. In conclusion, successive butaphosphan and cyanocobalamin administrations can potentially increase IVP and quality in Jersey cows during a OPU protocol.

This study was conducted to assess the molecular mechanism of meat quality between low- and high-pH muscles using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2DE) with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI–TOF/MS) on longissimus dorsi muscles from Berkshire species, assigned to high- (5.92 ± 0.02) and low-pH groups (5.55 ± 0.03). The high-pH group had a lower lightness, yellowness, drip loss, shear force, and a higher National Pork Producers Council color than the low-pH group. The meat quality changes were related to the altered protein expression between the two groups. Fourteen protein spots were identified by MALDI–TOF/MS and among them, nine proteins involved in meat quality attributes significantly increased: the alpha-crystallin B chain, dual specificity phosphatase 1, vimentin X1 and X2, ATP synthase subunit d, mitochondrial (ATP5H), peroxiredoxin 6 (PRDX6), ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase 14 (UCTH14), and cytochrome c. Moreover, the proteins’ translation efficiency was analyzed by their mRNA expression via quantitative polymerase chain reaction. An increase in the mRNA levels of ATP5H, PRDX6, and UCTH14 is consistent with protein expressions. These results may provide valuable information to decipher the molecular mechanism behind meat quality of low- and high-pH muscles.

Little work has been done to determine the prevalence of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in Ontario cow–calf herds. A prospective single cohort study was conducted during the grazing seasons of 2014 and 2015. Twenty-four crossbred cows were randomly assigned to one of six rotationally grazed fields each year, blocked by calving date and parity (n = 48). Feces were collected and weight and body condition score (cows) recorded at approximately 28 d intervals. Fecal egg counts (FEC) were performed using the Wisconsin method. No clinical signs of GIN parasitism were observed. Cow FEC stayed relatively low throughout both pasture seasons [mean 8 ± 20.02 eggs per gram (epg) of feces, n = 301]. Most calf FEC were also low throughout both seasons (mean 42 ± 86.20 epg, n = 268). The sample time [a proxy for days on pasture (DOP)] had a significant effect on cow epg (P < 0.001) and calf epg (P < 0.001). Cow and calf FEC peaked at the fourth sample, after 55–72 DOP; 4 epg (95% CI 2.57, 6.32) and 24 epg (95% CI 15.82, 37.19) for cows and calves, respectively. Mean calf FEC did not have a significant effect on calf weaning weight (P = 0.9).

This experiment determined the effects of expeller-pressed canola meal (EPCM) residual oil (10% vs. 14%) and heat treatment at 115 °C for 25 min on the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) value and amino acid (AA) digestibility for broilers. Day-old male chicks (six per cage) were fed six test diets (five cages per diet) from 14 to 21 d using the substitution method in a 2 × 2 factorial design. Increasing EPCM oil content from 10% to 14% increased (P < 0.05) EPCM AMEn value by 287 kcal kg^-1. There was heat treatment by oil level interaction (P < 0.05) on standardized ileal digestibility of arginine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, threonine, and valine for EPCM in which heat treatment of the low oil EPCM reduced (P ≤ 0.0012) the digestibility of all these AA, but heat treatment of the high oil EPCM only reduced lysine digestibility. In conclusion, heat treatment of EPCM reduced its AMEn value and digestibility of some AA. The AA digestibility of EPCM with low oil was reduced more by heat treatment than EPCM with high oil content, implying that the negative effects of heat treatment on AA digestibility increases with a decrease in residual oil content in EPCM.

Eleven Standardbred horses were tested to assess plasma electrolyte fluctuations during different intensities of exercise (at rest, immediately following 20 min of jogging, and immediately following a 2 min race), with and without an orally administered electrolyte supplement 2 h prior to sample collection. Exercise treatments were repeated after horses were given an oral dosage of an electrolyte supplement 2 h prior to sample collection. Data were analyzed using a repeated incomplete 6 × 6 Latin-square design with a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments (exercise × supplement). Jogging horses had an elevated heart rate as compared with resting horses and plasma potassium concentrations that were higher than those of the other two treatments (P < 0.05). Racing horses had the highest heart rate of the three treatments and plasma sodium concentrations that were higher than those of resting and jogging horses (P < 0.05). Provision of an electrolyte supplement significantly increased heart rate, as well as blood potassium and sodium concentrations. Further studies on the dietary electrolyte supplementation would benefit from investigating additional performance and recovery parameters, with focus on the hydration status of the horse before, during, and after exercises.

Litter material and stocking density were evaluated on welfare-related variables and productive performance in broilers. Male chicks (n = 744, “Ross 308” strain) were raised on either tezontle (TEZ) or wood shavings (WS) litter, with a stocking density of either 13 (LDe) or 18 (HDe) birds m^?2. Twenty-four birds per treatment were randomly selected to assess: tibia breaking strength (TiBS) and tendon breaking strength (TeBS) at day 45, and foot pad lesions (FPL) and valgus/varus angulation (VAng) at days 25, 32, and 39 of age. The TiBS was higher in birds housed at LDe than in those housed at HDe. Chickens on WS litter showed higher TeBS than those on TEZ litter. Birds in the TEZ–LDe group had lower values of FPL and VAng at day 32 than birds in the other groups. Birds in the WS–LDe group had less VAng at days 25 and 39 compared with birds in the other groups. Productive performance was higher (P < 0.05) in birds housed at LDe than in those housed at HDe. In conclusion, TEZ along with low stocking density reduced FPL, however, TEZ negatively affected TeBS, whereas WS litter improved TeBS and VAng.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the enzymatic extract (EnzE) of native fungus Trametes maxima CU1 on the productive parameters and carcass yield of rabbits. A total of 36 rabbits, 18 New Zealand and 18 California breeds were distributed randomly into two treatments: control (without EnzE supplementation) and EnzE2.5 (with 2.5% of enzymatic extract added to drinking water). All rabbits were fed with a commercial diet ad libitum. At 49, 71, and 91 d, data for body weight (BW), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed efficiency, and average daily gain were collected. Moreover, dressing out percentage (DoP) and carcass fat yield (�Y) were estimated. BW and ADFI were not different between treatments (P > 0.05). However, rabbits supplemented with EnzE2.5 showed higher values than the control. Rabbits EnzE2.5 and New Zealand males showed the best productive efficiency at 49 d (P < 0.05). On the other hand, EnzE2.5 showed greater DoP than control; furthermore, EnzE2.5 did not show any effect over �Y. These results show the potential of T. maxima CU1 as a source of lignocellulases and amylases for the improvement of productive behavior and carcasses yield.

Fusarium mycotoxins, namely deoxynivalenol, can negatively impact the nutritional quality of grains. This study evaluated the effects of feeding three naturally contaminated Fusarium-downgraded wheat sources on immunological parameters in broiler chickens. Sources were individually sorted into three fractions: outlier, high mycotoxin, and low mycotoxin, then reconstituted into four diet ratios in proportion to the high-mycotoxin fraction, providing a 3 × 4 factorial design. Immunological assessments were done by evaluating (1) cell-mediated responses to the mitogen phytohemagglutinin (PHA) through intermediate interdigital web swelling, (2) humoral responses to bovine serum albumin (BSA) antigen through induced antibody production, and (3) the heterophil to lymphocyte (H:L) ratio. Relative tissue weights and histopathology of selected immune tissues were assessed. Results indicate no significant differences (P < 0.05) in swelling response to PHA, secondary antibody response to BSA, or the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes with increasing inclusion of high-mycotoxin fraction. Significant differences in relative tissue weights were only observed in spleen (P < 0.05) at 21 d and the liver (P < 0.01) at 35 d. Histopathology showed increases in lesions as lymphoid aggregates or granulopoisis in more contaminated diets. These results indicate broiler immune competence was not impacted with increasing mycotoxin exposure.

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) was used to predict nutrients and apparent total tract digestibility (aTTD) of nutrients and gross energy (GE) using 282 dried ground fecal samples collected monthly over 13 mo from the pen floor of six feedlots in southern Alberta. Mixed-model regression was used to examine relationships among fecal composition, digestibility, dry matter intake (DMI), average daily gain (ADG), and gain to feed ratio (G:F). Lower (P < 0.01) fecal starch, greater (P ≤ 0.04) fecal neutral detergent fiber, and greater (P ≤ 0.01) aTTD of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), starch, and GE were observed in cattle fed tempered versus dry-rolled barley, with no differences in DMI, ADG, or G:F. Compared with cattle fed barley, those fed a wheat–barley grain mixture had greater (P ≤ 0.02) fecal starch and aTTD of DM, OM, as well as greater ADG, and G:F. Heifers had a lower (P ≥ 0.05) aTTD of DM and GE than steers. A quadratic relationship was observed between fecal starch and G:F, with sex and average body weight (BW) at time of sampling as additional variables (ρ = 0.75, P < 0.01). Our data indicate that NIRS predictions using the feces of feedlot cattle have potential in predicting G:F when variables such as BW and sex are included in the equation.

Phenotypes of meat colour (Minolta L*, a*, and b*) measured from six different positions and genotypes (Illumina PorcineSNP60 version 2 Genotyping Beadchip) were obtained from 1977 crossbred commercial pigs. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was conducted to detect genomic regions associated with multiple meat colour traits using the adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), and single-marker association analysis was conducted to confirm the significance of the associations. A total of 20 genomic regions were detected and confirmed, with significant (false discovery rate <0.1) single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) found in all the candidate regions. Compared with a previous analysis conducted using the same population, the current analysis detected overlapping but distinct candidate regions and extended the number of candidate regions for meat colour in this data set. Seventeen of the 20 regions overlapped with known pork quality quantitative trait loci. Twelve genes within the candidate regions were found to be functionally related to meat colour and close to the significant SNPs. Related biological pathways included muscle fibre type composition, glucose metabolism, and lipid metabolism. The detected regions can be used in discovering new genetic causative mutations for meat colour in pigs. The results also provided new evidence for improved detection power of the adaptive LASSO in GWAS.

Lamb meat is an important source of different fatty acids with numerous health benefits for the consumer. The aim of this study was to characterize carcass and meat traits in 14 Lacaune, 77 Ripollesa, and 33 Lacaune × Ripollesa pascual-type lambs (carcass weight, 13–16 kg) by using ultrasound and direct measurements on carcasses and laboratory analyses on meat samples. More specifically, ultrasound images and direct carcass measurements of the Longissimus dorsi (LD) were taken between the 12th and 13th ribs and between the first and second lumbar vertebrae, characterizing skin thickness, subcutaneous back-fat thickness, and depth, width, and area of LD. After slaughter, standard commercial joints were weighted (i.e., leg, rack, shoulder/foreshank, and neck), whereas a sample of the LD muscle was analyzed for fatty acid composition. All of this information becomes essential for light lamb producers, a livestock product that has a high market demand in the Mediterranean basin.

The objective of this experiment was to determine if lactational performance and energy partitioning by dairy cows would differ in response to dietary corn grain (CG) types [steam-flaked corn (SFC) vs. high-moisture corn (HMC)] and slow-release urea (SRU) supplementation. Eight multiparous Holstein cows (32 ± 8.2 d in milk) were used in a duplicated 4 × 4 Latin square design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement to test four dietary treatments: SFC without SRU, SFC with SRU, HMC without SRU, and HMC with SRU. Supplementation of SRU tended to increase intakes of dry matter (DM) or increased crude protein (CP) intake under SFC, but no effect under HMC, leading to CG × SRU interactions on DM and CP intakes. Neither type of CG nor SRU supplementation affected milk production. The HMC fed at 14.3% DM allowed cows to partition more net energy into body weight (BW) compared with those fed SFC diets, whereas supplementing SRU tended to decrease the portion of net energy partitioned into BW gain under both SFC and HMC diets. These collective results demonstrate that feeding HMC with SRU can be a practical option in high-forage lactation diets to maintain or improve nutrient and energy utilization efficiency.