Cull guinea pigs: carcass and non-carcass traits in males and females compared to their fattening counterparts.

Culling of guinea pigs can provide a large number of animals per year for meat production, but little information is available in the scientific literature on the carcass characteristics and non-carcass components of these animals. The objective of this study was to evaluate the carcass and non-carcass characteristics of cull guinea pigs in comparison to their fattening counterparts. Forty-eight fattening (3 months-age, 24 females and 24 males) and forty-eight cull (14 months-age, 24 females and 24 males) guinea pigs were slaughtered and carcass yield, linear measurements, tissular composition, and non-carcass components were evaluated. In general, cull guinea pigs had higher carcass, tissue, and non-carcass component weights. Cull male and both female guinea pig groups had similar carcass yields. Cull animals had higher carcass and hind leg lengths, lumbar and thoracic circumferences, and carcass compactness than their young counterparts. However, a sex effect was found for leg compactness depending on whether they were fattened or cull. Tissue percentages values were similar between fattening and culling animals of the same sex. However, females had a higher percentage of fat tissue than males. Fattening females had the best muscle to bone ratio, followed by cull males. The non-carcass elements were more represented in fattening animals than in culls, probably due to an allometric growth of the viscera in relation to the rest of the body. In commercial and cooking terms, this information is valuable for producers and researchers who need to understand the factors that influence carcass characteristics of guinea pigs.

Validating the concept of top scavenger: the Andean Condor as a model species.

Vultures provide the key ecosystem service of quickly removing carrion, so they have recently been assumed to be top scavengers. To challenge the concept of top scavenger (i.e. the most influential in the scavenging community and process), between 2012 and 2019, we recorded the consumption of 45 equine carcasses available for two different avian scavenger guilds in the Tropical Andes; each guild included the Andean Condor, the alleged top scavenger. The carcasses eaten by Andean Condors were consumed, on average, 1.75 times faster than those they did not eat. Furthermore, the greater abundance of feeding condors shortened carcass consumption time more than a greater abundance of any other species by 1.65 to 5.96 times, on average. These findings support the hypothesis that the Andean Condor significantly drives scavenging dynamics and is, therefore, an unrestricted top scavenger. Additionally, we established a gradient of tolerance of avian scavengers to domestic dog disturbance at carcasses, from highest to lowest: vultures > caracaras > condors. Our study framework holds great potential for advancing in food webs' comprehension through quantifying the relative functional role of scavenging communities' members and for guiding efforts to weigh up the ecological contributions of top scavengers and foster their conservation.

Using Different Cage Enrichments to Improve Rabbits' Performance, Behavior, and Welfare.

Environmental enrichment is about improving the surroundings in which your animal lives by providing opportunities to express behavioral activity normally, which in turn has a great impact on the animal's welfare and productivity. The aim of the present study is to investigate the impact of using different enrichment cage tools (a rubber floor, plastic-colored balls, and a mirror) on rabbits' physiology, productivity, carcass quality, behavior, and welfare. A total of 84 weaned rabbits (V-line) were randomly and equally assigned to 4 groups, each with 7 replicates (3 rabbits/replicate). The 1st rabbit group (T1) served as a control, while the 2nd group (T2) was enriched with rubber floors. The 3rd group (T3) was enriched with plastic-colored balls, and the 4th group (T4) was enriched with mirrors. Productive traits, including the weekly body weight and feed intake, as well as the carcass characteristics, were measured. Hematological parameters and biochemical constituents were determined according to the reference's description. Furthermore, behavioral activities, such as walking, resting, feeding, and drinking, were observed. According to the results, enriching the rabbit cages with plastic-colored balls and mirrors improved the marketing body weight and feed conversion rate. It also improved carcass quality characteristics, such as the carcass weight and dressing percentage. The T3 and T4 rabbits had higher RBCS, Hb, and hematocrit levels as well as lower WBCS levels. They also had significantly higher total protein, globulin, glucose, AST, and IgG values than other treatments. In addition, they had significantly lower corticosterone levels and fear responses. Therefore, it is recommended to use plastic-colored balls and mirrors for rabbit farming for better productivity, behavior, and welfare.

Profitability and meat quality of fast-, medium- and slow-growing meat-type chicken genotypes as affected by growth and length of rearing.

The study aimed to evaluate the profitability, meat quality, and carcass parameters of fast-, medium-, and slow-growing meat-type chicken genotypes of Bangladesh. Nine hundred DOCs were randomly allocated to 6 treatments: T1 = commercial broilers, T2 = CPF-3 (central poultry farm-3), T3 = cockerel, T4 = sonali, T5 = NDD (non-descriptive desi), and T6 = hilly, having 5 replications of 30 chicks each. Birds were reared under complete confinement until their respective market ages (commercial broilers = 35 d; CPF-3 = 45 d; cockerel = 56 d, and hilly = 77 d; sonali = 63 d and NDD = 77 d) and fed commercial broiler diets. Net returns, meat quality, growth, and carcass yield were measured. NDD and hilly showed significantly the highest profitability and superior meat quality. Commercial broilers exhibited the highest final body weight (2355.59 g/b) followed by hilly (1241 g/b) and NDD (1006 g/b), while CPF-3 (860.21 g/b), cockerel (915.49 g/b), and sonali (788.43 g/b) had lower final body weights at their respective market ages. Commercial broilers had the highest carcass weight and dressing yields, followed by hilly and cockerel, and lower in sonali, CPF-3, and NDD. The study concluded that rearing slow- or medium-growing NDD and hilly is superior to fast-growing commercial broilers or CPF-3 regarding profitability, and meat quality. The results of current findings help small-scale farmers in choosing a suitable meat-type chicken that yields better profitability and also for the consumers who wish to pay a fair price for the birds, considering the meat quality specific to each chicken genotype.

National Beef Quality Audit-2022: in-plant assessments of quality and yield determining carcass characteristics of fed steers and heifers.

The National Beef Quality Audit - 2022 serves as a benchmark of the current fed steer and heifer population of the U.S. beef industry and allows comparison to previous audits as a method of monitoring industry progress. In-plant cooler assessments and collections of beef carcass data took place from July 2021 to November 2022. During in-plant evaluations, 10% of 1-d production was surveyed for quality and yield indicating characteristics of fed beef carcasses (n = 9,746 beef carcasses). Distributions of sex classes among sampled carcasses were steer (65.0%) and heifer (35.0%), whereas distributions of breed type were native (87.7%), dairy (11.3%), and Bos indicus (0.9%). Mean values were observed for USDA Yield Grades (YG; 3.3), USDA Quality Grade (QG; Choice16), marbling score (Small98), ribeye area (91.0 cm2), adjusted fat thickness (1.49 cm), hot carcass weight (401.9 kg), and KPH (2.5%). Mean overall maturity was A66, with a mean lean maturity of A56 and mean skeletal maturity of A72. There were 28.1% of carcasses identified for use in a USDA-certified beef G-Schedule Program. Defects, such as dark cutting and blood splash, were observed at 1.8% and 0.5%, respectively. Distributions of USDA YG were YG 1 (8.2%), YG 2 (30.7%), YG 3 (40.2%), YG 4 (16.6%), and YG 5 (4.3%). USDA QGs were observed at 7.5% Prime, 69.2% Choice, 16.4% Select, and 6.8% other. The results of this study provide an updated look at the current grading trends of beef carcasses in the United States to drive progress in the fed beef industry.

A meta-analysis of the meat physicochemical parameters of broiler chickens fed insect-based diet.

A total of 23 studies were identified in a literature search performed in the Scopus, Science Direct and Google Scholar databases for meta-analysis. The criteria used include studies that were published from 2015 to 2023 and those reporting the effects of insect meal utilisation in poultry diets. Data on live weight (LW), carcass weight (CW), moisture, meat pH, lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), proximate composition (protein, fat and ash content) and shear force in broilers were subjected to OpenMEE software, and data were pooled using a random-effect model. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed to ascertain the influence of dietary insect meals on the response of meat aspects and the source of heterogeneity, respectively, using the following moderators (insect species, dosage level, feeding duration and age at slaughter). The results indicated that dietary insect meal did not affect LW, CW, meat L*, pH, shear force, moisture, fat and ash content. In contrast, dietary insect meal increased the a* of the meat (standardised mean differences (SMDs) = 1.03; 95% confidence intervals (CIs) = 0.484-1.578; p ≤ 0.001), b* (SMD = 1.117; 95% CI = 0.334-1.90; p = 0.005), and meat protein content (SMD = 0.365; 95% CI = 0.031-0.7; p = 0.032). The subgroup analysis showed that insect meal dosage of ≤10% and age at slaughtered ≤35 days had improved the LW, CW and meat L*. In addition, the meat a*, protein and ash content were also influenced by insect species, dosage levels and age at slaughter. In conclusion, ≤10% of either Hermetia illucens or Tenebrio molitor can be included in broiler diets without compromising the LW, CW, meat pH, colour, shear force, moisture, fat and ash content in broilers. The study therefore indicated that insect meals have a bright future as an alternative protein source in poultry diets.

Supplementation with live Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii during the initial 42 days of the feedlot phase in Nellore beef cattle.

This study aimed to assess the effect of Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079 supplementation during the initial feeding period on the performance of Nellore bulls in a feedlot system. One hundred ninety-eight Nellore bulls were used in a completely randomized block design, with blocking based on weight within each treatment group: light (331.4 kg; 4 pens), medium (349.7 kg; 4 pens), and heavy (362.5 kg; 3 pens). The treatments included CON-a basal diet, and SCB-basal diet plus a probiotic (Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii CNCM I-1079; 1.0 × 1010 CFU/head/d). Experimental diets were administered for the first 42 d (21 d in the step-up phase and 21 d in the finishing diet -870 g concentrate/kg dry matter [DM]). Subsequently, both treatment groups were transitioned to the same basal diet for an additional 76 d, completing 118 d on feed. Linear regression analysis was conducted for dry matter intake (DMI) data. During the initial 42 d, DMI tended to be higher for SCB (P = 0.09); also bulls fed SCB reached the plateau of the curve at 9.17 kg DMI/d earlier (39 d, R2 = 0.97) than those fed CON (43 d; R2 = 0.96) diets. For the first 42 d, the SCB treatment exhibited higher final weight (393.0 vs. 401.4 kg, P = 0.02), total gain (49.3 vs. 53.5 kg, P = 0.02), daily weight gain (1.124 vs. 1.274 kg, P = 0.02), and G:F (0.174 vs. 0.188, P = 0.04). Over the entire 118-d period, SCB-fed bulls had greater final body weight (509.5 vs. 518.0 kg, P = 0.02), total body weight gain (163.7 vs. 170.3 kg, P = 0.01), and average daily gain (1.366 vs. 1.420 kg, P = 0.01). The feed efficiency of SCB-supplemented bulls was 8.05% higher than CON (P = 0.04), and the final carcass weight was 1.69% greater for animals fed SCB (283.8 vs. 288.6 kg, P = 0.04). Total carcass weight gain (110.9 vs. 114.7 kg) and daily carcass weight gain (0.924 vs. 0.956 kg) tended (P = 0.06) to increase by 3.46% in SCB-fed animals compared with those fed CON. Gain yield, carcass conversion, and carcass yield did not differ between treatments. There were no significant differences in the apparent digestibility of DM, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and ether extract between treatments. However, starch digestibility (92.7% vs. 88%) was greater for the control treatment (P < 0.001). Including live Saccharomyces cerevisiae boulardii yeast as a probiotic supplement during the initial 42 d in the feedlot enhanced early-stage growth performance in Nellore bulls. Notably, this supplementation carried over carcass gain over the entire feedlot period.

A diverse diet increases animal growth performance and carcass yield of grazing lambs.

The current experiments were conducted across two lamb finishing seasons (2019 [experiment 1; Exp1] and 2020 [experiment 2; Exp2]). In both experiments lambs were provided a monotonous (MON) diet (annual ryegrass [Lolium multiflorum L.] during 2019 and perennial ryegrass [L. perenne L.] and white clover [Trifolium repens L.] during 2020) or a diverse (DIV) diet composed of spatially separated strips sown to chicory (Chicorium intybus L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), perennial ryegrass, lucerne (Medicago sativa L.), and dock (Rumex obtusifolius). During Exp1, the DIV lambs had a stocking rate (SR) of either 80, 95, 100, or 110 m2/lamb/wk, whereas the MON lambs had a 100 m2/lamb/wk SR. In Exp2, the SR aimed to allocate the MON lambs with twice the forage allowance (kg DM/lamb/d) as DIV lambs. In Exp1, all lambs provided DIV had a greater (P < 0.01) average daily gain (ADG; + 130%) than MON rams, independent of the SR. Accordingly, DIV had greater (P < 0.05) hot carcass weight (HCW; + 26%) and aged carcass weight (CW; + 27%) compared with MON, across all SR. The 80 m2/lamb/wk SR tended to have a greater (P = 0.10) dressing percentage and had similar (P = 0.29) drip loss percentage to the MON lambs, while the other DIV lamb SR all had greater (P < 0.05; +12%) dressing percentages and lower (P < 0.05) drip loss percentage than MON lambs. In Exp2, DIV lambs had greater (P < 0.01) ADG (+37%), HCW (+15%), and dressing percentage (+6%) compared with MON lambs. This improved animal performance occurred despite being offered 57% less (P = 0.01) dry matter (DM), 56% less (P < 0.01) digestible DM, and 57% less (P = 0.02) metabolizable energy per lamb per day. Ultimately, these experiments demonstrate that providing growing lambs a functionally diverse diet improves animal growth performance and carcass weight compared with a monotonous diet of annual ryegrass or a mixed sward containing perennial ryegrass with white clover.

The effects of Artemisia annua nutritional supplementation at varying concentrations on broiler growth, economic yield, and gene expression levels of certain antioxidant, inflammatory, and immune genes.

Background and Aim: Artemisia annua (AA), used as a growth promoter in poultry, lowers feed costs and enhances economic efficiency. This study aimed to assess the impact of varying AA concentrations on broiler chicken growth, gene expression, and profitability. Materials and Methods: Two hundred 1-day-old male Cobb chicks were randomly allocated into four treatment groups, each containing five replicates and 10 birds. The experimental groups consisted of G1 (basal diet), G2 (basal diet with 0.3% AA), G3 (basal diet with 0.6% AA), and G4 (basal diet with 0.9% AA). The birds had continuous access to feed and water throughout the study. The experiment lasted for 42 days. We measured the growth performance (Feed intake, Life weight), carcass traits (weight after slaughter, dressed carcass, heart, gizzard, spleen, giblet and thymus weight), liver and spleen antioxidants (CAT, GSH, SOD), and gene expression of anti-inflammatory and immune- related genes. Results: The primary findings revealed that the addition of 0.6% AA had a positive impact (p < 0.05) on all investigated variables compared with the control and other groups. Dietary supplementation with 0.6% AA led to increased breast, giblet, skeleton, and total yield, and net return compared with the control group. Supplementation with AA exhibited antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunological effects through improved levels of antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in tissue homogenates of the liver and spleen. It also upregulated the relative messenger RNA levels of anti-inflammatory interleukin (IL)-10, SOD, CAT, and GSH-Px, whereas IL-1ß and tumor necrosis factor-alpha were downregulated. Conclusion: The study found that AA is a promising replacement for antibiotics in poultry farming as a growth promoter for chickens. 0.6% AA in the broiler diet yielded the best results, striking a balance between superior performance and robust economic benefits.

Emerging of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O177:H11 and O177:H25 from cattle at slaughter in Italy.

Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are zoonotic pathogens frequently carried by cattle, responsible in humans of mild to bloody diarrhoea, haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) and even death. In 2023-2024, a study on STEC contamination of hide and carcasses of dairy cattle at slaughter was planned in Emilia-Romagna region (northern Italy). When the study was still in progress and 60 animals were sampled, the detection of STEC O177 isolates reached high rates and gained our attention. A total of five O177 STEC strains were detected, namely four from three carcasses (5.0 %) and one from a hide sample (1.7 %). The isolates were typed by WGS as following: 1) STEC O177:H11 sequence type (ST) 765 (stx2a+, eae+), detected from one carcass; 2) STEC O177:H25 ST659 (stx2c+, eae+) detected from three carcasses and one hide sample. One carcass was contaminated by both STEC serotypes. The isolates carried other virulence determinants often found in STEC strains associated with HUS, namely the exha, astA and espP genes, together with genes for adhesion to the epithelial cells of the gut (lpfA, fdeC, fimH) and non-Locus for Enterocyte Effacement (LEE) effector protein genes (nleA, nleB). The STEC O177:H11 isolate harboured antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes to ß-lactams (blaTEM-1A), aminoglycosides (aadA1, aph(3″)-Ib, aph(6)-Id), trimethoprim (dfrA1), sulphonamides (sul1, sul2), tetracyclines (tetA), (tetB), streptothricin (sat2), and quaternary ammonium compounds (qacEdelta1). On the contrary, the STEC O177:H25 isolates carried no AMR genes. Persistent carriage of STEC O177:H25 ST659 (stx2c+, eae+) at farm level was assessed by testing animals of the same herd sent to slaughter. Interestingly, the colonies of STEC O177:H11 and STEC O177:H25 had different morphology on CHROMagar™ STEC plates, being mauve and colourless, respectively. Since mauve is the colour STEC colonies commonly have on the CHROMagar™ STEC medium, our findings can help microbiologists in the selection of uncommon serotypes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first detection of STEC O177 from carcasses and hides of dairy cattle at slaughter. Noteworthy, the STEC-positive hide was classified as "very dirty" thus stressing the need of clean animals entering the slaughter chain, as required by Regulation (EC) No 853/2004. Since STEC O177 has been responsible of HUS in Europe, our data could add information on the source of uncommon serogroups in human infections.

Effects of the medicinal plant, Tamarindus indica, as a potential supplement, on growth, nutrient digestibility, body composition and hematological indices of Cyprinus carpio fingerlings.

Tamarindus indica, a beneficial herb, has many health benefits but there is limited research on its use in fish nutrition industry. The current study investigated the effects of incorporating extracts of T. indica into the canola meal-based diets of Cyprinus carpio (common carp); following which, the growth, digestibility, carcass and hematological markers were assessed. A total of six diets were formulated with varying concentrations of T. indica extracts (TIE) viz, 0 %, 0.5 %, 1 %, 1.5 %, 2 % and 2.5 %. The fish (N = 270, 15 fish/tank with triplicates) in each tank were fed experimental diets for 70 days. The study demonstrated that TIE supplementation significantly improved the growth of common carp when compared to 0 % TIE level (control). The best results were observed at 1 % TIE level for the specific growth rate (1.68 ± 0.03 %), weight gain (15.00 ± 0.57 g), and feed conversion ratio (1.36 ± 0.05). Conversely, the 2.5 % TIE level gave the least improvement in terms of growth performance. Specifically for nutrient digestibility, the maximum values of crude protein (CP, 67.60 ± 0.83 %), crude fat (CF, 67.49 ± 0.45 %) and gross energy (GE, 70.90 ± 0.56 %) were recorded at 1 % TIE level. In addition, the best results of body composition (protein: 63.92 ± 0.06 %, ash: 18.60 ± 0.03 %, fat: 7.12 ± 0.02 % and moisture: 10.36 ± 0.04 %) and hematological indices, were measured in carps fed with 1 % supplementation level. In conclusion, the overall health of C. carpio fingerlings was improved with TIE supplementation in the diet containing 1 % TIE.

Effect of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) oil as feed additive on broiler performance, carcass, liver and kidney functions, antioxidant, lipid profile, and immunity.

The current study evaluated the effects of parsley essential oil on broiler growth performance, carcass features, liver and kidney functions, immunity and antioxidant activity, and lipid profile. A total of 160 unsexed 7-day broiler chicks (Cobb500) were distributed into five groups; each group contained five replicates with eight birds each. The treatments were (1) basal diet (no additive, T1), (2) basal diet + 0.5 mL parsley essential oil/kg (T2), (3) basal diet + 1 mL parsley essential oil/kg (T3), (4) basal diet + 1.5 mL parsley essential oil/kg (T4), and (5) basal diet + 2 mL parsley essential oil/kg (T5). According to GC-MS analysis, parsley oil contains D-limonene, hexadecanoic acid, α-cyclocitral, globulol, α-pinene, myristicin, cryophyllene, bergapten, α-chamigrene, etc. The current results indicated that the most abundant molecules in parsley oil were D-limonene (18.82%), oleic acid (14.52%), α-cyclocitral (11.75%), globulol (11.24%), α-guaiene (7.34%), apiol (5.45%), and hexadecanoic acid (4.69%). Adding parsley essential oil to the broiler diet quadratically increased body weight (BW) during 1-3 weeks of age. The T5 group recorded the highest value (869.37 g) of BW in comparison to other treatments and the control group. The cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, and total immunoglobulin, including immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels in the birds fed parsley essential oil were not affected. The T3 group recorded the highest value (159 ng/mL) of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and the lowest value (2.01 ng/mL) of malondialdehyde (MDA) when compared to the control and other treatment. In conclusion, we recommend using parsley oil at levels of 1 mL/kg diet of broiler chicks.

Prediction of carcass weight using the morphometry of ankle bones in hair goats.

BACGROUND: Morphologic measurements such as body lenght, wither height, heart girth, chest width, body leght, cannon-bone circumference is used to predict carcass weight. For this purpose, estimating carcass weight with measurements of key bones such as ankle bones, which play a significant role in the balance distribution of body weight, seems possible. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to create new regression models for effective carcass weight estimation by using the morphometric data of the talus and calcaneus bones of hair goats. METHODS: Study materials consisted of talus and calcaneus bones obtained from abattoir products of hair goat kids (12-18 months old, 20 female and 20 male) and adult hair goats (36-48 months old, 20 female and 20 male). Morphometric measurements of the talus and calcaneus of each animal were taken by a digital caliper. Using the morphometric measurements, an index and a factor were calculated for each bone. Regression analysis and correlations were examined in IBM SPSS 21 programme. RESULTS: As a result, statistical analysis of GLc, GLt, Bd, Calfactor and Talfactor were statistically significant on predicting carcass weight. CONCLUSION: Specific anatomical structures, such as certain bone measurements, such as talus and calnaneus could serve as indicators of growth performance and also carcass weight performance. In addition new anatomical factors and indices may be produced and new regression methods may be applied with these new parameters to predict carcass weight.

Effect of dawri-damaa (Pentas schimperiana) leaf meal supplementation on performances, carcass characteristics, and economic feasibility of sheep fed native grass hay.

With a growing export and local market, sheep farming is critical to the economy of smallholder farmers; however, indigenous sheep breeds usually exhibit low carcass output and live weight due to nutritional constraints. The study aimed to investigate the impact of supplementing local sheep with dawri-damaa leaf meal (DDLM) on their performance, carcass characteristics, and profitability when fed native grass hay. The research used a randomized complete block design (RCBD) to administer four feeding treatments (T1, T2, T3, and T4 at 0%, 30%, 50%, and 70% DDLM, respectively) to 20 local uncastrated male lambs having an average 23.72 ± 0.73 kg body weight and average age of 11.72 ± 0.74 months. Greater doses of DDLM in the diet resulted in greater average daily gain (ADG) of 51.4-83.8 g/day and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) of 0.066-0.089 in lambs, compared to 15.0 g/day ADG and 0.025 FCE in lambs under control diet (T1). Additionally, the lambs had increased slaughter body weight (SBW), empty body weight (EBW), and hot carcass weight (HCW) in T4 and T3 compared to other treatments (p < .05). There were no significant differences in dressing percentages (DPs) across any treatment group. The study also discussed the economic viability of supplementing with DDLM, suggesting that feeding 70% daily dry matter of DDLM at 2.5% live weight might be beneficial depending on availability, access, and cost factors. In conclusion, feeding DDLM up to 70% has improved the performance of sheep and is economically feasible. Further research might be required to discover whether such levels of inclusion are harmful and apply different processing methods for feeding animals.

Effects of maternal inflammation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of offspring pigs.

The objective of this research was to determine the effects of mid-gestational maternal inflammation on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of offspring. Pregnant gilts were administered either lipopolysaccharide (LPS; n=7) or saline (CON, n=7) from d 70-84 of gestation. Gilts assigned to the LPS treatment were administered an intravenous injection of reconstituted LPS every other day with a beginning does of 10 µg LPS/kg BW and subsequent doses increasing by 12%, while CON gilts received intravenous injections of comparable volumes of saline. Gilts farrowed naturally, and at d 66 of age a total of 59 pigs, both barrows and gilts began a 3-phase feeding regimen designed to meet or exceed nutrient requirements for growing-finishing pigs. Pigs were weighed on d 0, 35, 70, and 105 of the finishing trial to determine ADG, ADFI, and G:F. On d 106, pigs were slaughtered under supervision of the United States department of Agriculture Food Safety Inspection Service (USDA-FSIS). Ending live weight (ELW), hot carcass weight (HCW), and dressing percentage were determined. Left side of carcasses were weighed and fabricated to determine carcass cutting yields. The semitendinosus was collected for histological samples. Fresh belly characteristics and loin quality were measured. Two chops were collected for Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) and proximate analysis. No differences (P ≥ 0.13) between LPS and CON pigs were observed for growth performance in phases 1, 2, 3, or overall (d 0-105) performance with the exception of overall G:F reduced in CON pigs compared with LPS pigs (P = 0.03). There was a tendency for carcass yield to be reduced (P = 0.06; 0.82% units) in LPS pigs compared with CON pigs. Additionally, longissimus muscle area (LMA) tended to be reduced (P = 0.10) 2.27 cm2 in LPS compared with CON pigs. Loin chop quality traits including instrumental color, subjective color, marbling, firmness, pH, and drip loss were not different (P ≥ 0.09) between LPS and CON pigs. Fresh belly characteristics were not different (P ≥ 0.22) between LPS and CON pigs. There were no differences in primal and subprimal weights, except for LPS pigs tended to have a reduction (P ≥ 0.07) in tenderloin and Canadian back weights compared with CON pigs. Furthermore, LPS pigs had no differences (P ≥ 0.25) in muscle fiber composition or size, however LPS pigs tended (P = 0.10) to have a 13% reduction in estimated muscle fibers number compared with CON pigs. In summary, mid gestational inflammation did not result in reduced meat quality, growth performance, or carcass yields of offspring.

Validation of the Residual Feed Intake Model in Brangus Heifers: Determination of the Optimal Days on Feed Interval to Estimate Dry Matter Intake and Average Daily Gain.

Brangus cattle are gaining popularity in the Southeast U.S. due to the desirable heat tolerance from their Brahman influence combined with the superior carcass merit aspects of Angus genetics. However, little is known about the optimal evaluation conditions for this hybrid breed when placed on test for Residual Feed Intake (RFI), a heritable measure of feed efficiency that allows improvement in performance without altering carcass traits. To address this, dry matter intake (DMI) was measured on Brangus heifers for 70-d to determine the optimal days on feed required to estimate feed intake and ADG and assess if inclusion of ultrasound measures of carcass merit into the model impact RFI rankings for this breed. The 56-d test period had a regression coefficient of 0.96 (p < 0.0001), R2 = 0.94, rp = 0.97 (p < 0.0001), and rs = 0.97 (p < 0.0001), indicating little change in rank of cattle for DMI compared to a 70-d test. ADG was the limiting factor in determining test duration. Based upon examining only heifers that calved, ultrasound backfat measures should be included in the RFI model to normalize for differences in heifer maturity. Results from this study indicate that a test duration of 56-d is sufficient to accurately estimate DMI in this population. This data indicates on-test duration can be shortened, enhancing the rate of genetic change by reducing cost and increasing the number of animals that can be tested annually.

Genetic Markers Related to Meat Quality Properties in Fattened HF and HF x Charolaise Steers.

This study involved 45 Holstein and 60 Holstein-Charolaise steers, tailored with specific diets according to breed and rearing systems. DNA genotyping was conducted for DGAT1, LEP, SCD1, SREBF1, and TG genes to investigate their impact on carcass conformation traits, beef quality traits, and sensory quality traits. The results showed associations between the genetic variants and the analyzed traits. Specifically, DGAT1 was found to affect drip loss, meat brightness, and color saturation. The TG gene was associated with marbling and meat color. LEP influenced trim fat and pH levels, while SCD1 was linked to metabolic energy live weight gains, and pH levels. SREBF1 was related to fatness.

Effect of hydroponic barley fodder on growth performance, carcass yield and carcass quality of cobb 500 broilers.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of hydroponic barley fodder supplementation on growth performance, carcass yield and carcass quality of Cobb 500 broilers. An accustomed proper feeding and brooding have been given to the chicks for up to three weeks of age. After three weeks, 144 three-week-old birds were randomly assigned to four treatments and replicated three times with 12 chicks per replication in a completely randomized design. Treatments were arranged as follows; T1: Home formulated Broiler diet (control group), T2: Home formulated Broiler diet +3.5 % hydroponic barley fodder, T3: Home formulated Broiler diet +7 % hydroponic barley fodder, and T4: Home formulated Broiler diet +10.5 % hydroponic barley fodder. The proximate analysis revealed that, hydroponic barley fodder contained 15.63 % crude protein, 10.6 crude fiber, and 4.04 ether extract. Increasing the level of hydroponic barley fodder was associated with an improvement of both growth performance and weight of carcass components of Cobb 500 broilers. Higher average daily feed intake (112.72 g/bird), daily body weight gain (56.37 g/bird), total body weight gain (1579.39 g/4 weeks) were obtained from T4 (home formulated feed +10.5 % HBF). Similarly, higher feed conversion efficiency (1.99 g of feed/g of weight gain) was recorded in T4. Hydroponic barley fodder had no significant (P > 0.05) effect on the mortality rate and carcass quality of broiler chickens. Economically, the highest net return was obtained from birds fed on T4 (Home formulated Broiler diet +10.5 % hydroponic barley fodder). In conclusion, supplementing hydroponic barley fodder up to 10.5 % improves carcass characteristics and result higher net income compared to other treatments. The current study recommended that further investigation like inclusion and substitution trial should be conducted to determine whether hydroponic barley fodder can replace expensive poultry ration ingredients.

Genetic parameters of feeding behaviour traits in ducks bred for foie gras production.

The mule duck accounts for over 90% of French foie gras production, a sector where feed represents two-thirds of production costs. This study focuses on analysing the feeding behaviours of the mule duck and its parental populations (Pekin and Muscovy) using automated feeders. To assess feed efficiency, feed conversion ratio and residual feed intake were analysed, along with six traits derived at the daily and meal levels. Genetic parameters were estimated separately in purebred populations, as well as with a joint crossbred model that estimated the parental contributions to the hybrid crossbred performances. In relation to higher feed intakes and much-reduced feeding times (P < 0.001), the feeding rate in the Pekin population was twice as high as in the Muscovy population (19 g/min vs 9 g/min), while the mule duck exhibited a large heterosis for this trait (29 g/min). Feeding traits exhibited moderate (0.38 ± 0.11) to high (0.65 ± 0.11) heritabilities. Similar correlation patterns were observed between feeding traits in the two parental populations. In the Pekin line, the feed conversion ratio did not significantly correlate with feeding traits except for daily feed intake. However, in the Muscovy population, it was negatively correlated with the number of meals (-0.51 ± 0.21) and positively with meal feed intake and meal duration (+0.79 ± 0.17 and + 0.71 ± 0.26, respectively). The contributions of the two parental species to the hybrid's performance differed, with the Pekin contributing more to feeding and meat traits compared to the Muscovy. They were similar only for liver weight. Additionally, unfavourable correlations between meat traits and liver traits were estimated in both pathways. Genetic relationships between feeding traits and slaughter traits varied by parental origin, suggesting different strategies for improving hybrid performance in the two parental species. However, in both pathways, genetic correlations between feed conversion ratio and meat traits (breast muscle and thigh weights) were favourable (<-0.42 ± 0.18), whereas they were unfavourable (>0.41 ± 0.20) for fatty liver weight. Altogether, improving liver traits and feed efficiency in the hybrid through selection in the parental populations could be enhanced by considering feeding traits recorded with electronic feeders, provided that adverse correlations are properly accounted for in a multitrait index.

VNN1 Gene Expression and Polymorphisms Associated with Chicken Carcass Traits.

This study aimed to investigate the association between hepatic VNN1 expression and carcass traits in Mahuang chickens as well as to identify polymorphisms in the upstream and downstream regions of VNN1 that could potentially be associated with these carcass traits. The study revealed that VNN1 expression levels in liver correlated with various carcass traits such as dressed weight, eviscerated weight, and abdominal fat weight. A total of 39 polymorphic sites were identified, among which 23 were found to be associated with 15 different carcass traits. These polymorphic sites were organized into three distinct haplotype blocks, with BLOCK2 and BLOCK3 being associated with various eviscerated weight percentages, thigh weight, breast muscle weight, wing weight, and other traits. The study underscores the significant role of VNN1 in influencing the carcass traits of Mahuang chickens and sheds light on the genetic foundations of these traits. The findings provide valuable insights that could inform breeding strategies aimed at optimizing traits relevant to market demands and slaughtering efficiency.