P-element induced wimpy testis (PIWI) interacting RNA (piRNA) are essential for fertility, by protecting the integrity of the germ-line genome via silencing of transposable elements (TE). Because new TE are constantly invading the host genome, piRNA-producing loci are under continuous pressure to undergo rapid evolution. This arms race between TE and piRNA is a prime example of the genome being more plastic than previously thought. Historically, the study of piRNA and TE has benefited from the use of diverse model organisms, including worms, fruit fly, zebrafish, frogs, and mice. In domestic chickens, we recently identified a new mode of piRNA acquisition in which the host hijacks and converts a pre-existing provirus into a piRNA-producing locus to defend against Avian leukosis virus, an adaptive immune strategy similar to the prokaryotic CRISPR–Cas [clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) and CRISPR-associated (Cas)] system. This finding reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism of the host piRNA repertoire to rapidly evolve and target TE specifically. In this review, we will focus on both the unique and common features of chicken piRNA, as well as the advantages of using chickens as a model system, to address fundamental questions regarding piRNA acquisition in hosts. We will also comment on the potential application of piRNA for improving poultry health and reproductive efficiency.

Dairy calf welfare concerns are growing and new evidence suggests that the early life environment influences appropriate physical, behavioral, and cognitive development lasting into adulthood. This review highlights key evidence for the impacts of housing, diets, and painful procedures on calf welfare. We argue that these topics are currently critical welfare concerns, but are not the only points of concern. In addition to environmental requirements to maintain optimal health, dairy calves experience other challenges including social and nutritional restrictions. Individual housing is associated with impaired behavioral development and cognitive ability. Pair and group housing can mitigate some of these negative effects and should be encouraged. Restrictive milk allowances (<15% of body weight) lead to poor growth and hunger; these welfare concerns can be addressed with proper enhanced milk allowances and gradual weaning programs. Finally, dehorning is a critical animal welfare issue when pain control is withheld; calves show negative behavioral, physiological, and emotional responses during and after dehorning. The combined use of local anaesthetics and analgesics can mitigate these effects. An industry shift toward providing social companionship, enhanced milk allowances, and pain control during painful procedures would help to improve the welfare of dairy calves in intensive commercial rearing facilities.

Biosecurity standards and farming practices have profoundly changed the way domestic animals interact with the environment and themselves. Farm intensification processes resemble the lifestyle changes that humans underwent post industrialization, which have been linked to the occurrence of immune-mediated and metabolic disorders. Modern rearing practices reduce maternal and offspring interactions, promote changes in diet, restrict animals indoors, and rely on the use of antibiotics and vaccines to maintain animal health. These practices may hinder the proper colonization of the gastrointestinal tract with commensal organisms that co-evolved with livestock species. The gut microbiota aids nutrient digestion, stimulates immune and intestinal development and maturation, and promotes the competitive exclusion of pathogens. Microbial colonization in early life is critical for host metabolic and immune programming, and disruptions of gut microbial community stability can lead to development of metabolic and immune disorders seen at later stages of life. Identifying how farming practices influence microbial composition and the potential effects on host physiology, metabolism, and disease resistance is necessary to guide intervention strategies to promote beneficial microbial–host interactions, and improve animal health and performance.

Plant biomass is the most abundant renewable resource on the planet, and the biopolymers of lignocellulose are the foundation of ruminant production systems. Optimizing the saccharification of lignocellulosic feeds is a crucial step in their bioconversion to ruminant protein. Plant cell walls are chemically heterogeneous structures that have evolved to provide structural support and protection to the plant. Ruminants are the most efficient digesters of lignocellulose due to a rich array of bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protozoa within the rumen and lower digestive tract. Metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies have enhanced the current understanding of the composition, diversity, and function of the rumen microbiome. There is particular interest in identifying the carbohydrate-active enzymes responsible for the ruminal degradation of plant biomass. Understanding the roles of cellulosomes- and polysaccharide-utilising loci in ruminal fibre degradation could provide insight into strategies to enhance forage utilisation by ruminants. Despite advancements in “omics” technology, the majority of rumen microorganisms are still uncharacterised, and their ability to act synergistically is still not understood. By advancing our current knowledge of rumen fibre digestion, there may be opportunity to further improve the productive performance of ruminants fed forage diets.

In the Canadian dairy industry, there are currently over 80 traits routinely evaluated, and more are considered for potential selection. Particularly, in the last few years, recording has commenced for several new phenotypes required to introduce novel traits with high economic importance into the selection program. However, without a systematic estimation of the genetic correlations that exist among traits, the potential results of indirect selection are unknown. Therefore, 29 traits representative of the trait diversity for first lactation Canadian animals were selected. Their two-by-two genetic correlations were estimated from a dataset of 62 498 first lactation Holstein cows, using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo Gibbs sampling approach. The general tendencies among the groups of traits confirm that production traits are negatively correlated with fertility traits and that functional traits are positively correlated with one another. The association of udder depth with fertility and disease resistance has also been highlighted. This contribution offers a comprehensive overview of current estimates across traits and includes correlations with novel traits that constitute an original addition to the literature. These new estimates can be used for newly developed genomic evaluation models and possibly lead to more accurate estimations of the dairy cows’ overall genetic merit.

Ferulic acid (FA) has been regarded as an antioxidant in domestic animals’ feed. This study was to investigate whether dietary FA supplementation could improve growth performance by decreasing oxidative stress of lambs in cold environment. Thirty-two 3-mo-old crossbred male lambs (Dorper × Small-tail Han sheep; 30.49 ± 0.46 kg) were randomly assigned into one of the following dietary treatments: CON (control, no FA), FA80 (80 mg FA kg^-1 of diet), FA400 (400 mg FA kg^-1 of diet), and FA2000 (2000 mg FA kg^-1 of diet). Lambs fed the FA80 had higher (P < 0.05) average daily gain and lower (P < 0.05) feed efficiency than those fed CON and FA2000. The dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber apparent digestibility was lower (P < 0.05) for FA2000 lambs than for lambs from other treatments. Serum total protein and albumin concentrations were greater (P < 0.05) for FA80 group than other groups. Lambs fed FA80 had higher (P < 0.05) plasma glutathione peroxidase and catalase activities and lower (P < 0.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) content than lambs fed CON. However, FA2000 group showed higher (P < 0.05) plasma MDA content than CON group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 80 mg FA kg^-1 diet could improve growth performance by decreasing oxidative stress of lambs in cold environment.

This study describes the development of propolis nanoparticles (PNP) to treat bovine mastitis. Three PNP prepared with varying concentrations of propolis (5% and 7%, w/v) and the surfactants [poloxamer (1%, 3%, and 4%, w/v) and soy lecithin (0.25%, 0.7%, and 1%, w/v)]. PNP were characterized according to their size, polydispersity, zeta potential, pH, morphology, and physical stability. PNP were evaluated for their in vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic effects. PNP obtained were spherical with a monodisperse distribution (polydispersity index < 0.2) and an average particle size between 181 and 201 nm. Stability studies showed that PNP were stable over 150 d. The encapsulation efficiency of total phenolic content varied between 73% and 91%. The chromatographic profile of phenolic compounds from PNP showed selective encapsulation efficiency according to the polarity of compounds. All PNP showed antimicrobial activity against Staphylococcus aureus with a minimum inhibitory concentration ranging from 156 to 310 μg mL^-1. The IC₅₀ (the concentration responsible for reduction of cellular viability by half) for epithelial cells of bovine mammary gland (MAC-T, mammary alveolar cell-T) varied from 122.2 to 268.4 μg mL^-1. Results showed that PNP represent a promising nanocarrier for high concentrations of propolis extract in a stable aqueous medium, while, at the same time, presenting antimicrobial activity accompanied by moderate cytotoxicity to the MAC-T cells.

This study evaluated the effects of feeding whole rice bran (WRB) stored for different times and treated with a mixture of organic acids on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, duodenal morphometry, and bone characteristics of broiler chickens. Three hundred and twenty 1-d-old Cobb broilers were used in a 21 d experiment with a completely randomized design. Whole rice bran with five storage times (0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 d) was included at a 12% level in the diets, with eight replicates of eight birds each. A polynomial regression with a significance level of 5% was used. A reduction in daily weight gain was observed in birds fed WRB stored up to 90 d. A quadratic response was observed in the daily feed intake and average body weight of birds fed diets containing WRB treated with a mixture of organic acids and stored up to 90 d. There was a linear increase in the digestibility of crude protein with increased WRB storage time. Apparent metabolizable energy and apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen showed an increasing quadratic response for up to 60 d of WRB storage and treated with a mixture of organic acids. A quadratic response for the morphometry of intestinal crypts was found. The crypt depth increased as the birds were fed a diet containing WRB treated with a mixture of organic acids, stored up to 30 d and decreased with storage times. In conclusion, WRB treated with a mixture of acetic and propionic acids and stored up to 60 d may be safely added to broiler chicken diets.

The objective of this research was to evaluate techniques, incubation period, and effects of amino acids in ovo feeding. First, 240 hatching eggs were selected and distributed in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement (two techniques and 3 d). The parameters of incubation, relative weight of gastrointestinal organs, and classification of embryonic mortality were evaluated. In the second stage, 720 hatching eggs were incubated with five treatments: control, methionine (20 and 30 mg), and lysine (20 and 30 mg). These animals were housed during 14 d. The animals were divided with five treatments, nine replicates, and groupings based on sex. Incubation parameters, performance, intestinal morphometry, and relative weight of digestive tract organs were evaluated. The results indicate that the technique using a 45° needle axis passing through the air chamber hinders hatchability. In the organ weighing, there was no difference between the evaluated factors. For intestinal morphometry, there was only a significant difference between the dose factor for the crypt villi and crypt diameter. To conclude, the technique using a 90° angle without passing through the air chamber is safer for the embryos. The inoculation of methionine (20 and 30 mg) obtained data similar to the control group.

In western Canada, short-season corn silage production is increasing due to its potentially high nutritive value. The objective of this study was to determine variability and relationships among nutrient concentration, degradability, and methane (CH₄) production of short-season whole-plant corn hybrids harvested before or after light frost (-1.5 °C). Four hybrids, based on their corn heat unit rating (≤2600, CHU rating), were grown in 2 yr in central and southern Alberta (AB) with two field replications. The batch culture and Daisy fermenter techniques were used to characterize degradability and gas production measurements. At both locations, dry matter (DM) concentration was affected by harvest and hybrid (P ≤ 0.02). However, starch and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) concentrations differed (P ≤ 0.01) or tended (P = 0.07) to differ among harvest and hybrid only in central AB. Over both locations and harvest times, CH₄ production was related negatively to propionate and positively to acetate proportions. In conclusion, harvesting southern AB hybrids after frost increased DM concentration and NDF degradability with no effect on CH₄ emissions, but the high DM concentration may negatively affect silage quality and animal performance. Harvesting central AB hybrids after frost increased DM and starch concentrations, while reducing CH₄ emissions but had limited effects on nutrient degradability.

A total of 45 sows (Landrace × Yorkshire) and their litters were used in this study to evaluate the efficacy of nucleotide supplementation on reproductive performance, growth performance, fecal microflora, and blood profiles in sows and piglets. Sows were allocated to one of three treatments (15 pigs per treatment and the average parity was 4.13). Dietary treatments consisted of (1) CON: basal diet, (2) T1: CON + 0.5% nucleotides, and (3) T2: CON + 1.0% nucleotides. In this study, the average daily feed intake during lactation and back fat at weaning day was increased linearly (P < 0.05) in sows with the increase in nucleotide supplementation levels. Sows receiving increasing levels of nucleotides had linearly increased fecal Lactobacillus counts and decreased Escherichia coli counts at weaning day (P < 0.05). Linear reduction of the epinephrine, norepinephrine, and cortisol in sows was observed at weaning day, whereas superoxide dismutase was increased linearly (P < 0.05). Body weight and average daily gain in piglets were linearly (P < 0.05) increased with the increasing levels of nucleotides. Linear increase (P < 0.05) was also observed on total piglets born, live piglets, and piglet survival. The current study demonstrated the importance of nucleotides in the diets of sows to improve sow and piglet performance.

Fat deposition in animals involves adipogenic differentiation guided by transcriptional factors and other key factors. To understand the molecular mechanism underlying ovine adipogenic differentiation, the dynamic mRNA expression of key genes related to fat deposition, including peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ), fatty acid-binding protein 4 (FABP4), FABP5, and cellular retinoic acid-binding protein 2 (CRABP2), were analyzed during in vitro differentiation of ovine preadipocytes. The stromal vascular cells from underneath the tail fat tissue of 1-wk-old sheep were isolated and cultured, and the preadipocytes were induced using a cocktail of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, insulin, dexamethasone, and troglitazone. The cultivated cells were collected at different time points after induced differentiation. The expression levels of PPAR-γ, FABP4, FABP5, and CRABP2 were studied by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The expressions of these genes in sheep were compared with those in human and mouse retrieved from the Gene Expression Omnibus DataSets. We observed that the expression of PPAR-γ, FABP4, and FABP5 was increased upon differentiation of ovine preadipocytes, as in humans and mice. The expression of CRABP2 was sharply increased from days 0 to 2 after induced differentiation and was subsequently decreased. This expression pattern of CRABP2 was different from that observed in humans and mice. Our results provide new insights into the function of these genes in fat deposition.

Ninety standard dark male minks (8 wk of age) were used to investigate the effects of vitamin E (VE) supplementation on growth performance, antioxidative status, and some immunological blood parameters. The dietary treatments included a basal diet (containing 20.86 mg kg^-1 VE) supplemented with 0 (control), 50, 100, 200, 400, or 800 mg kg^-1 VE. The results showed that VE supplementation of 200–400 mg kg^-1 increased (P < 0.05) the body weight, average daily feed intake, average daily gain, and gain to feed ratio of the mink from days 1 to 30. At days 30 and 60, the minks fed diets supplemented with 400 mg kg^-1 VE had higher (P < 0.05) concentrations of serum superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase than either the control or the VE50 groups but had activity levels similar to those of the VE200 and VE800 groups. Feeding a high dose of VE (400–800 mg kg^-1 diet) resulted in a significant increase in the concentrations of α-tocopherol and a reduction in the reactive oxygen species content in the serum. Vitamin E supplementation of 200–400 mg kg^-1 increased (P < 0.05) the concentrations of immunoglobulin G, interleukin-2, and soluble CD₄/soluble CD₈ and decreased (P < 0.05) the content of soluble CD₈ in the serum. Overall, the suitable level of VE supplementation was found to be 200–400 mg kg^-1 diet for growing mink.

A total of 270 Pekin ducks were reared for 49 d to determine the effect of feeding a diluted complete commercial wheat grain diet on live weight, feed intake and conversion, carcass, leg bone, and digestive system traits. Different feeding regimes had a significant effect on the body weight of the ducks aged 35 d and the feed conversion ratio in the period between days 22 and 35 of rearing. Dilution of a complete commercial diet with whole wheat grain had no significant influence on the final live weight (day 49), feed intake, and feed conversion ratio during the entire rearing period. Ducks fed a diet with whole wheat grain had a significantly higher dressing percentage after higher percentage of pectoral muscles, skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat, as well as a significantly lower percentage of carcass remainders at the age of 49 d. Dilution of a complete commercial diet with whole wheat grain had no impact on the length of the respective intestinal sections nor on the weight and percentage share of gizzard, liver, heart, and spleen. However, it significantly lowered the fracture strength of the tibiotarsus, and decreased some dimensions of the femur and tibiotarsus.

The aim of this study was to use dietary factors, including the type of fats, and animal characteristics, to predict enteric methane (CH₄) emissions from dairy cows under Canadian conditions. For this purpose, 193 individual observations from six different trials assessing the impact of dietary modification on enteric CH₄ production were analyzed. Animal [milk yield (MY), milk fat content, milk protein content, days in milk, body weight (BW), and dry matter intake (DMI)] and dietary variables [organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), starch, ether extract (EE), rumen-inert fat, and unprotected fat (EE – rumen-inert fat)] were tested. A 5-fold cross validation was used to obtain the following equation: CH₄ (g d^-1) = -1260.4 + 1.9 × MY (kg d^-1) + 62.8 × milk fat (%) –18.4 × milk protein (%) + 11.0 × DMI (kg d^-1) + 0.3 × BW (kg) + 58.3 × NDF (% of DM) - 0.8 × NDF² (% of DM) + 1.9 × starch (% of DM) - 2.5 × EE – rumen-inert fat (% of DM). The mean estimate from the proposed equation (474 g CH₄ cow^-1 d^-1; r = 0.83, RMSE = 40.0) was close to the observed mean emission (476 g CH₄ cow^-1 d^-1). The proposed model has a higher precision to predict CH₄ emission from cows fed typical Canadian diets than other models, and it can be used to evaluate CH₄ mitigation strategies.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of okara inclusion in diet for growing broilers on performance, carcass yield, blood and bone variables, quality and lipid oxidation of meat, and economic viability. For that, 575 Cobb 21-d-old male broilers were distributed in a completely randomized design with four levels of okara inclusion (25, 50, 75, and 100 g of okara kg^-1 diet) and a control group with five replicates and 23 birds each. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) of okara levels on the performance variables, carcass yield, bone variables, and serum triglycerides, calcium and phosphorus at 42-d-old. Serum cholesterol levels showed a quadratic response (P < 0.05), in which the lowest value estimated was 65.3 g of okara kg^-1 of diet. Okara can be included in diets for broilers up to the level of 100 g kg^-1 without affecting the performance, carcass yield, bone variables, and lipid oxidation of meat. However, the best economic results were observed up to 50 g of okara kg^-1 of diet.

Thirty-six sows were randomly assigned to three treatments and fed 0, 125, or 250 g kg^-1 corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which aimed to evaluate the effects of feeding DDGS to sows during gestation on the fatty acid composition of colostrum and offspring. In colostrum, feeding 0–250 g kg^-1 DDGS resulted in linear increase (P < 0.001) in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) level (from 14.7% to 19.8%) and total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) level (from 16.9% to 22.8%), and linear decrease (P < 0.05) in levels of palmitic acid (16:0), oleic acid (18:1 cis-9), and total saturated fatty acid (SFA). In addition, the percentage of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) in colostrum was increased from 0.56% to 1.23% (linear effect, P < 0.001, and quadratic effect, P = 0.010) with increasing level of DDGS. Feeding DDGS to sows resulted in linear increase (P < 0.05) in levels of 18:2n-6 (from 13.9% to 20.4%), 20:4n-6 (from 0.53% to 0.73%), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, from 0.28% to 0.37%), and total PUFA (from 15.9% to 22.6%), and linear decrease (P < 0.001) in levels of 16:0 and SFA of carcass of newborn piglets. The results demonstrated that feeding 125 or 250 g kg^-1 corn DDGS to sows increased the proportions of 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6, and total PUFA and decreased the proportions of 16:0 and total SFA in sow colostrum and the carcasses of newborn piglets, implying that inclusion of corn DDGS in diets for sows can alter fatty composition of colostrum and piglets.

Canola and juncea meals (CM and JM) have been thoroughly evaluated in diets of white- but not brown-shell egg laying hens (BSLH). This study compared the effects of dietary CM, JM, or soybean meal (SBM) on production performance and egg quality of BSLH. Over 48 wk, 300 Lohmann Brown-Lite laying hens were fed diets containing SBM, 10% or 20% CM (CM-10 or CM-20), and 10% or 20% JM (JM-10 or JM-20), without (-E) or with (+E) a phytase/multicarbohydrase enzyme cocktail. Egg weight decreased with CM-20 inclusion compared with SBM (P = 0.027; SBM, 63.1a; CM-10, 61.8ab; CM-20, 61.1b; JM-10, 62.6ab; JM-20, 61.7ab; g egg^-1). In a meal by enzyme interaction, enzyme inclusion decreased percent shell and egg specific gravity of only the hens fed CM-20 (P ≤ 0.008). Body weight decreased (P = 0.031; -E, 2135a; +E, 2078b; g hen^-1) and feed efficiency was improved (P = 0.032; -E, 1.98a; +E, 1.95b; g feed g egg mass^-1) when enzyme was included in the diet. Dietary treatment did not affect mortality (P > 0.05). All performance and quality parameters were within expected ranges; therefore, 20% CM and JM can be included in BSLH diets, and enzyme inclusion can be used to improve feed efficiency regardless of meal type fed.

In this study, partial mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences of three Vietnamese indigenous chicken varieties, including Mong Tien Phong, To, and Sau Ngon, were analyzed to access genetic diversity and the maternal lineages of origin. A 525 bp fragment of the mtDNA D-loop region was sequenced from a total of 61 chickens of the three varieties. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree was assembled from the haplotypes obtained and reference sequences of mtDNA D-loop sequences of Red Junglefowl and domestic chickens from National Center for Biotechnology Information database. Genetic diversity indices and analysis of molecular variance were performed. Evaluation of genetic relationships between the three varieties was carried out with pairwise fixation index (F_ST). In total, 16 haplotypes were identified in the chickens studied. These haplotypes were classified in three haplogroups (A, B, and E) with the majority grouped in haplogroup B and haplogroup E. All three chicken varieties studied were distributed into 2–3 haplogroups and all three haplogroups found in this study are also represented by Red Junglefowl. In conclusion, all three Vietnamese indigenous chicken varieties have likely originated from multiple maternal lineages and potentially descended from the Red Junglefowl.

The present experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary Spirulina (SP) supplementation in growing pigs. A total of 140 pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc, 25.32 ± 1.36 kg] were randomly distributed to one of four treatments: control, basal diet; treatment 1, basal diet + 0.025% SP; treatment 2, basal diet + 0.050% SP; and treatment 3, basal diet + 0.100% SP. Growing pigs fed 0.050% SP diet had greater (P < 0.05) body weight and fecal Lactobacillus counts compared with pigs fed basal diet. Average daily gain and gain to feed ratio were greater (P < 0.05) in pigs fed 0.050% and 0.100% SP diets as compared with pigs fed basal diet. The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity for pigs fed 0.050% SP diet tended to increase compared with pigs fed basal diet (P < 0.10). Pigs fed 0.025%, 0.050%, and 0.100% SP had a higher (P < 0.05) glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity than pigs fed basal diet. In conclusion, SP supplementation improved growth performance and ATTD of DM, increased the SOD and GPx activity, and enhanced the fecal Lactobacillus counts in growing pigs.

Production and metabolic consequences of feeding 49-wk-old Shaver white hens a high-energy low-crude-protein (HELP) diet were investigated over 6 wk. The test diets included standard diet [2750 kcal kg^-1 apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and 17.5% crude protein (CP)], HELP (3000 kcal kg^-1 of AME and 13.0% CP) diet, and HELP top dressed with selenium (HELP + Se). All diets had 0.3 mg Se kg^-1 as part of premix. Hens (33) were procured, three birds necropsied for baseline liver samples, and the rest placed in individual cages and allocated diets (n = 10). Feed intake (FI), hen day egg production (HDEP), and egg weight (EW) were monitored weekly. Plasma and liver samples were collected from all birds. Birds fed standard and HELP diets had similar (P > 0.05) FI (with exception of weeks 4 and 5) and HDEP, whereas HELP + Se depressed (P < 0.05) feed and nutrient intake at weeks 5 and 6, HDEP, and EW. There were no (P > 0.05) diet effects on hepatic weight and crude fat content. Birds fed HELP diets had lower (P > 0.05) concentration of plasma total protein, macrominerals, and some enzymes. Overall, HELP diet had minimal impact on production and metabolism; however, addition of Se had negative effects on hen performance.

This study determined enteric methane (CH₄) emissions, intake, and apparent total tract digestibility of diets varying in fibre digestibility and fat content. A Latin square design with two levels of fat [2.0% and 6.0% dry matter (DM); low and high] and two levels of fibre digestibility [low fibre digestibility (LFbD) or high fibre digestibility (HFbD)] was used. Higher dry matter intake (DMI) was observed (P < 0.01) for LFbD versus HFbD diets (2.56 vs. 2.14 kg d^-1, respectively), with no effect of fat. Fibre, DM, and organic matter digestibility were higher (P < 0.01) for HFbD than LFbD diets. Increasing fat did not affect intake or digestibility of DM or dietary constituents but there was a fibre digestibility × fat content interaction (P < 0.01) for fat digestibility. There was also a fat content × fibre digestibility interaction (P < 0.05) for CH₄ (g kg^-1 DMI, organic matter intake, neutral detergent fibre intake, and percent gross energy intake), with emissions being higher when fat was added to the HFbD than the LFbD diet. The CH₄ emissions per kilogram of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digested were higher (P < 0.01) for the HFbD than the LFbD diet. Methane emissions were increased by the HFbD diet, but inclusion of fat had a differential impact on CH₄ emissions as a proportion of DMI or NDF intake in diets differing in fibre digestibility.

From the perspectives of promoting individual growth and development, increasing pork yield, and improving feed utilization, it is desirable to screen candidate genes underlying pig muscle growth and regulation. In this study, we investigated transcriptome differences at 1, 90, and 180 d of age in Large White and Mashen pigs, characterized differentially expressed genes (DEGs), and screened candidate genes affecting skeletal muscle growth and development. RNA-seq was applied to analyze the transcriptome of the longissimus dorsi (LD) in the two breeds. In LD samples from the two breeds at three growth stages, 7215, 6332, 237, 3935, 3404, and 846 DEGs were obtained for L01 vs. L90, L01 vs. L180, L90 vs. L180, MS01 vs. MS90, MS01 vs. MS180, and MS90 vs. MS180, respectively. Significant tendencies in DEG expression could be grouped into eight profiles. Based on the functional analysis of DEGs, 16 candidate genes related to skeletal muscle growth and development were identified, including PCK2, GNAS, ADCY2, PRKAB1, PRKAB2, PRKAG1, PRKAG2, PHKA1, PHKA2, PHKG1, PHKG2, ITPR3, IGF1R, FGFR4, FGF1, and FGF18. The results of this study thus provide a theoretical basis for the mechanisms and candidate genes underlying skeletal muscle development in pigs.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of low-dose zinc oxide (ZnO) supplemented with or without probiotic complex compared with pharmacological ZnO (3000 mg kg^-1) on the performance, digestibility, blood metabolites, fecal Lactobacillus and enterobacteria counts of weaned piglets. One-hundred and twenty crossbred piglets were randomly allocated to three treatments based on their initial body weight (BW). Treatments consisted of corn–soybean-meal-based basal diet supplemented with 3000 mg kg^-1 ZnO as positive control (ZH), basal diet supplemented with 300 mg kg^-1 ZnO as negative control (ZL), and ZL + 0.1% probiotic complex (ZLP). At the end of the experiment, fecal samples were collected by direct rectal massage to determine nutrient digestibility, Lactobacillus and enterobacteria counts, and gas emission, whereas blood samples were taken via jugular venipuncture for determination of blood metabolites. The BW of piglets at week 6, and the average daily gain (ADG) at week 6 and during overall period were higher (P < 0.05) in pigs fed ZH diet compared with those fed ZL diet. The supplementation of ZLP increased the ADG during week 6 and overall making it comparable with ZH diet (P < 0.05). However, other parameters described above were comparable with ZH in pigs fed ZLP diet.

This work aimed to survey management practices used by dairy farmers and to report nutritional recommendations adopted by 43 dairy cattle nutritionists in Brazil. The web-based survey consisted of 80 questions. Almost 50% of the participants had clients that produce <1000 kg of milk daily and 48.8% had clients who own fewer than 100 dairy cows. Corn was the primary source of grain (97.4%), and 43.9% of the nutritionists included from 41% to 50% concentrate in lactation diets. The mean roughage inclusion in lactation diets was 50.5% and 79% of the nutritionists reported corn silage as the primary roughage source. Average crude protein and rumen-degradable protein concentrations recommended by the nutritionists for lactation diets were 15.7% and 9%, respectively. Average Ca and P concentrations recommended for lactation diets were 0.70% and 0.41%, respectively. The major health problem reported by 83.9% of the nutritionists was mastitis. The present survey provides an overview of management practices adopted by dairy farmers and nutritional recommendations currently applied by dairy cattle nutritionists in Brazil. The most critical points identified were low milk yield, mastitis as the major health problem, lack of proper mixing and delivery of rations, and destination of male calves.

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate adaptation length (AL) and composition of reference diets on nitrogen (N)-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) in 22-d-old broilers. Birds were allocated to nine treatments (n = 6) consisting of wheat – soybean meal (SBM) (reference diet), corn–wheat–SBM, and wheat middlings (WM)–wheat–SBM (exp. 1), or oats–SBM (reference diet), corn–oats–SBM, and WM–oats–SBM (exp. 2) in conjunction with three AL (12, 8, and 4 d) in a factorial arrangement of treatments (3 × 3). Dry matter (DM), N, energy (En) utilization, and AMEn of corn and WM were determined using the difference method. In exp. 1, birds on the WM–wheat–SBM-based diet had the lowest (P < 0.05) DM, N, and En utilization, as well as AMEn compared with the other two diets. Additionally, AMEn for corn was higher (P < 0.05) compared with that of WM. In exp. 2, N utilization in birds on the corn–oats–SBM-based diet was lower (P < 0.05) compared with birds on the oats–SBM-based diet; however, AMEn of corn and WM was not different. In both experiments, AL was not significantly different. Based on these results, the composition of the reference diet could influence AMEn values of corn and WM in 22-d-old broilers.

Genes that exhibit allelic expression imbalance and imprinted genes play important roles in the survival of the embryo and postnatal growth regulation. In this study, the porcine oxysterol-binding protein-related 5 (OSBPL5) gene was examined, and the 2140G>A mutation (rs318687202) was found in its coding region by a comparison of Laiwu and Landrace pigs. By allele-specific expression analysis based on a specific single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), the imprinting status of OSBPL5 gene in skeletal muscle from both neonate and adult pigs was determined. The results showed that the OSBPL5 was paternally imprinted in skeletal muscle from adults but biallelically expressed with predominantly maternal imprinting in neonates. The distribution of the 2140G>A SNP in four pig populations was analyzed, which showed that GG genotype was dominant in Duroc and Dapulian populations, whereas the AG genotype was dominant in Junmu-1 and Laiwu populations. Pigs with the GG genotype had significantly larger litters and greater cannon bone circumferences but a lower average daily gain than pigs with the AA genotype. In conclusion, we determined the difference in the allelic expression of OSBPL5 between adult and neonate pigs and identified an SNP in its coding region that is associated with production traits.

This study evaluated the effects of valine and isoleucine supplementation in low-crude-protein (CP) diets on performance, serum parameters, and carcass traits in growing gilts. Two-hundred gilts (29.1 ± 1.7 kg) were allotted randomly to one of five diets that included a control CP (177 g kg^-1) or four low-CP (135 g kg^-1) diets for 45 d. The low-CP diets were added with lysine + threonine + methionine (LCM), LCM+ tryptophan (LCT), LCT + valine (LCV), or LCV + isoleucine (LCI), respectively. Non significant difference in average daily gain was obtained in gilts receiving the control, LCV, or LCI diets, which was higher than that of pigs fed the LCM or LCT diets (P < 0.05). The supplementation of crystalline tryptophan, valine, and isoleucine improved the average daily feed intake and serum levels of total protein, tryptophan, and isoleucine (linear and quadratic effects, P < 0.05) and serum valine concentration (linear effect, P < 0.05). The results indicated that the valine supplementation, or the both combination of valine and isoleucine, could further improve the performance in 29–62 kg gilts fed the 135 g kg^-1 CP diet.

To clarify the origin and genetic diversity of modern horses, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop sequences were generated for 3965 horses from 12 geographical regions. From these sequences, we observed 439 haplotypes defined by 138 polymorphic nucleotide sites. All horses were genetically diverse (HD = 0.973 ± 0.001, π = 0.0243 ± 0.0005), which showed that maternal lineages of the domestic horse are worldwide highly diverse. In general, all 18 haplogroups were presented in the Asian horse. The majority of modern horse sequences belong to haplogroups L, Q, and A. At the same time, 194 archaeological samples from four geographical regions were obtained. Indeed, haplogroup distributions are overlapping in modern and ancient samples, indicating that most haplogroups were already present in ancient times at least in Europe and Asia. The network showed that breeds of Asian and Europe regions overlapped, suggesting that extensive gene flow had occurred between different horse breeds in Asian and European regions.

This study investigated metabolic variations by using gas chromatography – mass spectrometry (GC–MS)-based metabolomics in the blood of Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats under shortened and natural photoperiod conditions. Twenty-four female (non-pregnant) Inner Mongolia white cashmere goats aged 1–1.5 yr with similar live weights (mean, 20.36 ± 2.63 kg) were randomly allocated into two groups: a natural daily photoperiod group (NDPP group: 10–16 h light, n = 12) and a short daily photoperiod group (SDPP group: 7 h light:17 h dark, n = 12). In this study, we found that a SDPP promoted the blood metabolic perturbations based on the GC–MS-based metabolomics investigation, and nine metabolites were related to a SDPP. Compared with the NDPP group, the contents of serine, oxaloacetic acid, xylose, l-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, and xanthosine significantly were up-regulated, whereas the contents of carnitine, 1,3-diaminopropane, indole-3-acetic acid, and l-kynurenine were significantly down-regulated in the SDPP group. The different metabolites could contribute to the regulation mechanisms of promoting cashmere growth of goats in the SDPP group.

The objective was to evaluate pellet consumption and refusals as affected by pellet size. Six ruminally cannulated heifers were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square. Heifers were individually housed and fed a diet of grass hay (57.5%), mineral and vitamin supplement (8.0%), and canola meal (11.9%) in a feed bunk, and their respective wheat- and wheat-middling-based treatment pellet (22.7%) on artificial turf. The artificial turf had a mean staple length of 5 cm and a blade density of 45 blades cm^-2. The pellets were small (SM; 4 mm diameter), medium (MED; 11 mm diameter), or large (LG; 50 mm diameter) in size. Heifers fed LG had greater pellet intake than SM (2.24 vs. 2.06 kg; P = 0.035), with MED being intermediate (2.12 kg). Heifers fed LG tended to have less pellet waste than SM (P = 0.074). Heifers fed MED pellets had greater concentration of ruminal short-chain fatty acids than SM and LG (91.3 vs. 84.7 and 89.0 mmol L^-1; P = 0.009). The results indicate that feeding a LG pellet may increase intake and reduce waste compared with SM, and that pellet size may also affect ruminal fermentation.

The effect of six Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains on diet degradability was evaluated using an in vitro gas production technique. Spores (5.7 × 10⁶ spores) of different Bt strains (907, 1192, 2036, 2493, 2496, and S1185) plus a control (no spores) were used as treatments with four replicates (inocula) in duplicate. Fermentation processes were evaluated and ruminal microorganisms were quantified. Compared with the control, the Bt907 strain decreased dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) degradability without affecting the Fibrobacter succinogenes population, whereas the other strains reduced this population without altering DM and OM degradability.

A survey of Alberta beef producers was conducted at sites overlapping with a province-wide network of permanent biodiversity monitoring plots to characterize focal pastures and their management, including estimates of stocking rates. Overall, greater stocking rates were reported in the boreal compared with the parkland and grassland natural regions, coinciding with an increased reliance on tame forage on relatively small land areas of largely deeded land. Higher stocking rates were also associated with earlier starting dates of grazing in the season, higher mean annual precipitation, and lower mean annual temperature.

We measured urine pH from cows fed a prepartum diet containing polyhalite mineral as an acidogenic salt. At 21 d before expected calving date (ECD), cows were transferred from the far-off to the close-up group. The polyhalite mineral was incorporated into a pelleted concentrate to provide 500 g d^-1. Urine pH at -21, -14, -7, and 0 d relative to ECD was 8.26, 5.18, 5.12, and 5.15, respectively. These results indicate that a metabolic acidosis could be effectively induced when polyhalite mineral is included as an acidogenic source in close-up rations for pregnant and non-lactating dairy cows.

A total of 120 finish pigs [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc; 52.61 ± 2.37 kg] were randomly allotted into three treatments for a 70 d trial to evaluate the growth performance and fecal microbiota counts in finishing pigs. Treatment groups were (i) basal diet (CON), (ii) CON + 0.1% probiotic complex (TRT1), and (iii) CON + 0.2% probiotic complex (TRT2). Each treatment consisted of eight replicate pens with five pigs per pen. The average daily gain and fecal Lactobacillus counts of TRT2 were increased (P < 0.05) compared with CON treatment. The result showed that 0.2% complex probiotic was more effective than 0.1%.

The fatty acid composition of retail lamb backfat commonly available in Western Canada was analyzed, including 16 lambs collected from a slaughter plant in central Alberta, and backfat collected from racks and chops imported from Australia (n = 8) and New Zealand (n = 8). Lamb fat from New Zealand was the richest source of vaccenic and rumenic acids. Both New Zealand and Australian lamb were the richest source of n-3 fatty acids. North American lamb was richer in t10-18:1, but a subset had fatty acid compositions similar to New Zealand lamb.