The generation interval and season of birth do not affect age at first calving, birth weight and calving interval of Mozambican Angoni cattle.

The Angoni cattle breed's contribution to the country's economy is crucial, as it significantly contributes to animal draught power and meat supply, despite not being primarily used for milk production. Despite its importance, there is a lack of comprehensive research conducted to characterize this breed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of the generation interval (GI) and season of birth (SB) on key reproductive parameters, including age at first calving (AFC), birth weight (BW), and calving interval (CI) in angoni cattle. Data sourced from the Angónia Research Station (ARS) included records for 425 heifers' AFC, 1684 calves' BW, and 1272 cows' CI. The study calculated overall averages and explored the relationships between generation intervals, the season of birth, and the aforementioned reproductive traits. The mean values for AFC, BW, and CI were determined as 1475.40 days, 18.49 kg, and 634.62 days, respectively. The analysis revealed that both generation interval and season of birth exhibited weak relationships, and their influence did not yield significant effects on the reproductive traits under investigation (P > 0.05). The observed variability ranged from 0.37 to 0.46% for AFC, 0.10-0.01% for BW, and 0.11-0.26% for CI. In conclusion, this study determined that neither generation interval nor birth season significantly affected the age at first calving, birth weight, or calving interval in Angoni cattle.

Soybean oil addition to wheat bran-based diet improves laying hens' performance.

Background and Aim: Wheat bran (WB) is used extensively in animal feed. Despite its nutritional value, its use is limited because of its high-fiber content. We evaluated the effect of soybean oil on laying hen performance with maize meal partly replaced by WB. Materials and Methods: Thirty-six ISA Brown laying hens, 40 weeks old, were used in a completely randomized design in which laying hens were distributed in individual cages, with three replications of four birds and assigned to three treatments: T1 (basal diet), T2 (60% basal diet + 20% maize meal + 20% WB), and T3 (60% basal diet + 20% maize meal + 17.5% WB + 2.5% soybean oil). Results: Compared with the control group (T1), replacing 20% of yellow maize with WB (T2) did not affect average live weight, egg laying rate, soft-shelled egg production, egg mass, feed conversion per dozen eggs, or laying hen viability (p > 0.05). When 20% of the maize meal was replaced with WB, feed intake and feed conversion per egg mass increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, adding 2.5% soybean oil to feed containing WB improved laying hen performance by significantly reducing feed conversion per egg mass (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Adding 2.5% soybean oil to diets containing WB instead of 17.5% yellow maize improved the feed conversion per egg mass performance of laying hens.