Influence of nutritional management prior to adaptation to a feedlot diet on ruminal microbiota of Nellore cattle

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of either a limited forage intake or concentrate supplementation prior to the adaptation to high-concentrate diets on dry matter intake, ruminal pH, bacteria, and protozoa of Nellore cattle. The experiment was designed as a two 3×3 Latin square, and six cannulated Nellore steers were used. Each experimental period was composed by three feeding phases: pre-adaptation (14 days), adaptation (12 days), and finishing (seven days) diet, in a total of 33 days per period. The steers were assigned to one of three pre-adaptation dietary treatments: control (Tifton hay fed ad libitum + mineral supplement), restriction (Tifton hay fed at 1.4% of BW + mineral supplement), and concentrate (Tifton hay fed ad libitum + 0.5% of BW of a mix of concentrate feedstuffs and mineral supplement). The adaptation period consisted of two adaptation diets, which contained 72 and 79% concentrate for six days each. The finishing diet contained 86% concentrate. During the pre-adaptation phase, restricted cattle had higher pH than concentrate-fed cattle. There was a reduction in M. elsdenii relative population in cattle from either restriction or concentrate groups. During adaptation and finishing phases, cattle from concentrate group had smaller F. succinogenes populations compared with the control group. The previous nutritional backgrounds impact ruminal microbiota during adaptation and finishing phases without causing any negative effect on ruminal pH. Feeding concentrate prior to the adaptation positively impacted the transition to high-concentrate diets and promoted increased dry matter intake.

Flavored sisal ropes as environmental enrichment for nursery piglets

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the behavior of piglets in the nursery phase in the presence of pure sisal ropes, soaked with different flavors as a means of environmental enrichment. Sixty-four piglets with 35 days of age in the nursery phase were used, piglets were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design in 16 pens, with four animals in each pen and there was no separation of pens by group. Three treatments were used: Pure rope (PR) which was considered the control of the pen, rope soaked in vanilla essence and sugar (SV), and rope soaked in coffee (SC). An ethogram was prepared for observations of the following behavioral parameters, eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, lying down, standing, playful, and others. The parameters were measured every 10 minutes in a total of three daily assessments with two hours each for a period of three days. There was a greater preference of piglets for the SV rope with a percentage of 63.2% in the observations of the interactions. A possible justification for the result is the fact that this rope is the most palatable for piglets since piglets prefer sweet tastes. The PR rope aroused curiosity in the piglets, with a percentage of observations of 21.4%. Therefore, the use of equipment flavored with sweet vanilla taste is promising as a means of environmental enrichment, being more interesting to piglets.(AU)

Flavored sisal ropes as environmental enrichment for nursery piglets

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the behavior of piglets in the nursery phase in the presence of pure sisal ropes, soaked with different flavors as a means of environmental enrichment. Sixty-four piglets with 35 days of age in the nursery phase were used, piglets were randomly distributed in a completely randomized design in 16 pens, with four animals in each pen and there was no separation of pens by group. Three treatments were used: Pure rope (PR) which was considered the control of the pen, rope soaked in vanilla essence and sugar (SV), and rope soaked in coffee (SC). An ethogram was prepared for observations of the following behavioral parameters, eating, drinking, urinating, defecating, lying down, standing, playful, and others. The parameters were measured every 10 minutes in a total of three daily assessments with two hours each for a period of three days. There was a greater preference of piglets for the SV rope with a percentage of 63.2% in the observations of the interactions. A possible justification for the result is the fact that this rope is the most palatable for piglets since piglets prefer sweet tastes. The PR rope aroused curiosity in the piglets, with a percentage of observations of 21.4%. Therefore, the use of equipment flavored with sweet vanilla taste is promising as a means of environmental enrichment, being more interesting to piglets.