Effect of Long-Term Supplementation of AZOMITE (Hydrated Sodium Calcium Aluminosilicate) in Finishing Diets on Growth Performance, Dietary Energy, and Carcass Yield of Hairy Lambs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate growth performance, dietary energy utilization, and carcass characteristics (carcass weight, dressing percentage, and visceral organ mass) of feedlot lambs fed different levels of AZOMITE (AZO), a source of volcanic clay composed of hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate, the same as that included in a finishing diet. For this reason, 36 Pelibuey × Katahdin crossbred intact male lambs (18.81 ± 3.04 kg initial weight) were used in a feeding trial lasting 81 d. Lambs were grouped by initial weight and assigned within six weight groupings to 18 pens in a randomized complete block design. Diets, offered ad libitum, were corn-based finishing diets with an 88:12 concentrate-to-forage ratio supplemented as follows: 1) no AZO inclusion (CTRL), 2) AZO inclusion at a 0.75% level (0.75AZO) in diet dry matter, 3) AZO inclusion at a 1.50% level (1.5AZO) in diet dry matter. Cracked corn was replaced by AZO. After the feeding trial was finished, lambs were slaughtered and carcass weight was registered and dressing percentage was calculated. The data were analyzed as a randomized complete block design, with the pen as the experimental unit. Water consumption and dry matter intake were not affected (p ≥ 0.11) by supplemental AZO. The incorporation of AZO into the diet increased gain efficiency and observed dietary net energy (NE), being maximal with 0.75% AZO inclusion (quadratic effect, p = 0.02). The observed-to-expected dietary NE in the control group was as anticipated (1.00) according to the estimated energy based on the ingredient composition in diet, while in the 0.75AZO group, the observed dietary energy was 6% above expected, indicating a greater efficiency in energy utilization destined to growth (quadratic effect, p = 0.006). Lambs that were fed the AZO treatment showed an improvement (linear effect, p = 0.04) in hot carcass weight (HCW), and tended (linear effect, p = 0.06) to improve dressing percentage (DP) as AZO was increased in the diet. Visceral organ mass was not affected by the treatments. It is concluded that AZOMITE clay can be included up to 1.5% in finishing diets for lambs without negative effects on the intake of water and feed. Lambs that received diets supplemented with 0.75% AZO showed greater improvements in feed efficiency and dietary energy utilization, but an inclusion of 1.50% resulted in greater improvements to HCW and DP. This is the first report regarding the effects of AZO supplementation in the dietary energy utilization of fattening hairy lambs. Further research about the effects of AZO supplementation on ruminal and total tract digestion, carcass and meat quality, and the health of lambs is needed in order to more deeply understand the effects of AZO on its productivity performance.

Prediction of Body Weight by Using PCA-Supported Gradient Boosting and Random Forest Algorithms in Water Buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) Reared in South-Eastern Mexico.

This study aims to use advanced machine learning techniques supported by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to estimate body weight (BW) in buffalos raised in southeastern Mexico and compare their performance. The first stage of the current study consists of body measurements and the process of determining the most informative variables using PCA, a dimension reduction method. This process reduces the data size by eliminating the complex structure of the model and provides a faster and more effective learning process. As a second stage, two separate prediction models were developed with Gradient Boosting and Random Forest algorithms, using the principal components obtained from the data set reduced by PCA. The performances of both models were compared using R2, RMSE and MAE metrics, and showed that the Gradient Boosting model achieved a better prediction performance with a higher R2 value and lower error rates than the Random Forest model. In conclusion, PCA-supported modeling applications can provide more reliable results, and the Gradient Boosting algorithm is superior to Random Forest in this context. The current study demonstrates the potential use of machine learning approaches in estimating body weight in water buffalos, and will support sustainable animal husbandry by contributing to decision making processes in the field of animal science.

Physicochemical Characteristics of Yogurt from Sheep Fed with Moringa oleifera Leaf Extracts.

This study determined the effect of feeding Moringa oleifera (MO) leaf extracts to lactating ewes on the physicochemical composition of their milk and yogurt during storage (4 °C for 14 days) and the sensory acceptance of the yogurt. Over 45 days, 24 multiparous lactating Pelibuey and Katahdin ewes (two days in lactation) were randomly assigned to four groups: MO-0, basal diet (BD) + 0 mL MO; MO-20, BD + 20 mL MO; MO-40, BD + 40 mL MO; and MO-60, BD + 60 mL MO. In the milk, an increase of 6% in protein, 26% in leucine, 14% in ash, and 1% in the pH (6.71) was observed with MO-60. The density values decreased by 0.3% at a higher dose of MO compared to MO-0, while the nonfat solids (NFS) in the milk were similar between the treatments. In the yogurt, an increase of 5% in protein, 113% in leucine (MO-20), 9% in NFS, and a reduction of 2% in moisture with MO-60 was observed. The acidity reflected an inverse relationship to the pH, as did the moisture and NFS with MO-60. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with MO in lactating ewes did not have negative effects on the chemical composition of their yogurt during storage (14 days). Overall, feeding sheep with 20 mL of MO positively influenced the physicochemical composition of their milk and yogurt during storage.

Nutritional value of sugarcane silage enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals as feed supplement on growth performance of beef steers grazing stargrass.

The objectives were to evaluate the silage quality of sugarcane silage enriched (as fed) with corn grain ground (10%), urea (1.5%), and mineral premix (0.5%) and its effects as a feed supplement on growth performance of beef steers grazing stargrass. Firstly, in micro-silages, whole sugarcane enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals (WSCE) were ensilaged by 0, 20, 40, and 60 days. Crude protein (CP) and lactic acid (LA) increased linearly (P < 0.05) and true protein decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as fermentation time increased. The pH values in silages were affected quadratically by fermentation time. Thus, after a 20-day fermentation, the pH values were below 4.5. Secondly, in micro-silos WSCE and stem sugarcane enriched with corn grain, urea, and minerals (SSCE) with and without calcium propionate were ensilaged by 30 days, but it did not affect any chemical composition trait in the silage. The SCCE silages had higher CP and LA and lower pH than WSCE silages. Finally, for 120 days, 20 beef steers (378 ± 33 kg initial BW) grazing stargrass were supplemented (daily by 1-h free access) with WSCE silage. Supplemental silage increased total dry matter intake, total gain, and the average daily gain, without any affectation on feed conversion and total tract digestion of dry matter. It is concluded that whole sugarcane silage is an alternative feed supplement to improve growth performance in beef steers grazing stargrass.

Prediction of Carcass Traits of Hair Sheep Lambs Using Body Measurements.

The present study was designed to evaluate the relationship between the body measurements (BMs) and carcass characteristics of hair sheep lambs. Twenty hours before slaughter, the shrunk body weight (SBW) and BMs were recorded. The BMs involved were height at withers (HW), rib depth (RD), body diagonal length (BDL), body length (BL), pelvic girdle length (PGL), rump depth (RuD), rump height (RH), pin-bone width (PBW), hook-bone width (HBW), abdomen width (AW), girth (GC), and abdomen circumference (AC). After slaughter, the carcasses were weighed and chilled for 24 h at 1 °C, and then were split by the dorsal midline. The left-half was dissected into total soft tissues (muscle + fat; TST) and bone (BON), which were weighed separately. The weights of viscera and organs (VIS), internal fat (IF), and offals (OFF-skin, head, feet, tail, and blood) were also recorded. The equations obtained for predicting SBW, HCW, and CCW had an r2 ranging from 0.89 to 0.99, and those for predicting the TST and BON had an r2 ranging from 0.74 to 0.91, demonstrating satisfactory accuracy. Our results indicated that use of BMs could accurately and precisely be used as a useful tool for predicting carcass characteristics of hair sheep lambs.