Animal - Open Space最新文献

Considering the potential environmental impact of livestock production and the significance of accurate estimation methods, it is crucial to assess the differences between various methodologies. The study compared the gross energy intake (GEI) and enteric methane (CH₄) emission factors (EF = kg CH₄/head/year) of cattle based on three methodologies: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 1, IPCC Tier 2 and a modified Tier 2 methodology based on Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (‘CSIRO’) Tier 2. Data were collected from smallholder mixed crop-livestock systems in the upper highland sub-humid to semi-humid (AEZ-1) and lower highland sub-humid to semi-humid (AEZ-2) zones of North Shewa, Ethiopia, corresponding to the beginning and end of spring, summer, and winter. The results revealed that the IPCC Tier 2 methodology estimated a 39% higher GEI (104 vs 74 MJ/ head^/day) and a 51% higher implied EF (50 vs 33 kg CH₄ /head/year) compared to the ‘CSIRO’ Tier 2 methodology. When compared to the IPCC Tier 1 default values, both the IPCC and ‘CSIRO’ Tier 2 EF estimates were 20–37% and 37–59% lower, respectively. Furthermore, all cattle categories exhibited variations in implied daily CH₄ production across seasons. As all the GEI were estimated, it is not possible to determine which methodology is more accurate. Therefore, future research should compare predicted intakes and emissions with actual experimental data to ascertain the accuracy of the models.

Blood gas test evaluates hydroelectrolyte, acid-base balance, and lung function. The physiological parameters can be influenced by age and management and environmental factors, as well as the blood sample used: venous or arterial. The objective of this study was to analyze arterial and venous blood gas parameters of healthy Brahman cattle in Brazil, to determine reference values for this breed, comparing age and sex, in addition to evaluating the correlation between arterial and venous results. For the purpose of this research, 80 healthy cattle (40 males and 40 females) were grouped according to different age groups (Group I: from 5 to 30 days; Group II: from 31 days to 6 months; Group III: from 7 to 18 months; Group IV: from 19 to 36 months) and sex. The animals were examined by physical examination prior to the collection of the venous and arterial blood samples. Blood gas analyses were performed immediately after blood collections, using the I-STAT® portable device with EG7+ cartridge. There was a difference among age groups for rectal temperature (RT), respiratory rate (RR) and heart rate (HR), and age × sex interaction for RT and RR. Younger animals (Group I) had higher RT, HR and RR, regardless of sex. Females had higher RT than males, regardless of age. As for blood gas parameters, only oxygen pressure (PO₂) and arterial and venous concentrations of sodium ions (Na⁺) experienced the interaction between age × sex, while pH, carbon oxygen pressure (PCO₂), oxygen saturation (SO₂), potassium (K⁺), and calcium (iCa²⁺) concentrations of arterial and venous blood were influenced by the age of the animals. Calves in the Group I showed the main differences in blood gas parameters compared to adults (Groups III and IV). The neonates (Group I) had lower values of pH and SO₂, and higher values of PCO₂, K⁺ and iCa²⁺ of arterial and venous blood. High correlation could be observed in the values of pH, Na⁺, hematocrit and hemoglobin when measured in arterial and venous blood, therefore, one value can be obtained by the other. The other variables were very dispersed, confirming the differences pointed out in the literature between arterial and venous blood. Finally, the results of this study can be used as a reference for healthy animals of the Brahman breed.

The objective of this study was to evaluate, through a life cycle assessment, the environmental impacts of the postweaning growth of pigs fed with diets with reduced levels of available phosphorus and increased phytases. In Trial I (nitrogen and phosphorus balance), 25 crossbreed barrow pigs (BP 400 × BM 500 Biriba’s®), with an average weight of 23.05 ± 3.24 kg and average starting age of 60.75 ± 4.73 days, were assigned to five dietary treatments using a randomized block design, with five replications and each animal as an experimental unit. Five experimental diets were evaluated: each increasing phytase activity units (FTU) (control [0], 250, 500, 750 and 1 000 FTU) and decreasing levels of available phosphorus (0.435, 0.375, 0.315, 0.255 and 0.195%), respectively. Due to phytase supplementation, all diets meet the requirements for available phosphorus. The pigs received two daily meals. Total collection of feces was performed, adding 2 g of ferric oxide as a fecal marker. Feces were collected daily, stored in plastic bags and frozen. All excreted urine was collected in plastic buckets containing 20 mL of HCl (1:1), and a 20% aliquot was frozen for further analysis. In Trial II (performance), 40 crossbreed barrow pigs (BP 400 × BM 500 Biriba’s®) with an initial average weight of 15.11 ± 0.67 kg, average starting age of 50.63 ± 0.81 and finishing age of 72.43 ± 2.07 days were assigned using a randomized block design to five dietary treatments, with eight replications and each animal as an experimental unit. The pigs were weighed at the beginning and at the end of the trial, as were the feed supplies and refusals. These data were used to calculate the feed conversion ratio, average daily gain and average daily feed intake. The life cycle analysis was based on the CML 2001 (baseline) method V3.02, as implemented in the Simapro software, version 8.05 (PRé Consultant, 2014). These data may further serve as a reference for the study of the impact of phytase supplementation during other breeding phases, or even in other animals whose environmental impacts are being studied.

Autophagy is a lysosomal degradation pathway with a role in the turnover of cell components via self-digestion. Over the past decade, it has been recognised as an essential process to maintain cellular and energy homeostasis. Nevertheless, little attention has been paid to this process in farm animals. In pigs, the role of autophagy in skeletal muscle homeostasis and more specifically on the formation of multinucleated muscle fibres needs to be determined. Primary culture of satellite cells, the resident muscle stem cells, is an appropriate model to investigate macroautophagy (hereafter autophagy), the main autophagy process. The objective of the current study was to evaluate tools to monitor autophagy in this cell model and to specify the role of autophagy on cell differentiation. Samples of longissimus muscle were collected from 3- to 4-day-old piglets. After isolation, satellite cells were plated in growth medium, allowed to proliferate up to 80% confluence and then placed in an appropriate culture medium to differentiate into myotubes. Cells were explored from day 0 to day 3 of differentiation. Autophagy-related proteins and Adenosine Mono Phosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), a major sensor for cell energy, were detected by Western blotting. Expression of genes related to autophagy were also quantified by qPCR. The Microtubule-associated protein 1 light-chain 3β forms ratio increased during cell differentiation whereas phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and sequestosome 1 proteins decreased significantly. Mitochondrial protein expression also decreased significantly with satellite cell differentiation. Then, cell treatment with an inhibitor of autophagy flux, Bafilomycin A1, confirmed that autophagy was activated during the conversion of myoblasts into myotubes along with AMPK activation in our satellite cell culture model. In conclusion, we provided tools for porcine autophagy investigation in tissues or cells and demonstrated that basal autophagy and energy metabolism are concomitantly modulated during porcine myogenesis in vitro.

This study aimed to investigate factors that influence the use of concentrate in dairy farms based on farmers' perceptions of dairy system characteristics and relationships with the dairy industry. Data were collected through questionnaires administered on-site to 155 dairy farmers in Paraná State, Brazil. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Dairy farmers' perceptions were measured by the theoretical constructs, concentrate feeding, forage, genetics, management, and market. The results revealed that dairy farmers' decision to adopt concentrate feeding was mainly determined by the genetic construct (defined by herd genetics and breeding technology) and the market construct (defined by the ability of farmers to negotiate milk prices with the industry and the number of interested buyers). Concentrate feeding was also found to be influenced by farmers' perceptions of the management construct (management of costs and animal performance) and the forage construct (forage source and farmers' self-confidence in providing forage to cows throughout the year). These findings suggest that strategies aimed at stimulating concentrate feeding in dairy farms should focus on the following factors (listed in order of importance): genetic improvement, farmer–industry relations, financial and herd management, and forage supply and availability.

Providing rabbits with outdoor access allows them to express a large repertoire of behaviours and addresses societal expectations surrounding animal welfare in livestock systems. The aim of this work was to study rabbit growth, health, and behaviour according to genetic type and pasture area size. We distributed 192 weaned rabbits into two groups with different pasture sizes, i.e., a large pasture (LP): 60 m² (n = 4 × 24) and a small pasture (SP): 30 m² (n = 4 × 24). Each group contained half Californian 1001 × New Zealand 1777 rabbits (1001) and half PS119 × New Zealand 1777 rabbits (PS119). Rabbits were reared from 31 to 73 days of age. Rabbit growth and morbidity were measured individually weekly for 36 days (from 31 to 67 days of age). The rabbits’ behaviours were assessed three times a day on days 44, 58, and 70 by a direct visual scan, and the use of space was evaluated six times a week based on the rabbits’ spatial distributions. The available biomass was evaluated on days 35, 50, and 73. Finally, the amount of corticosterone was measured in hair samples from 18 rabbits of each genotype in LP and SP on day 72. PS119 rabbits were heavier than 1001 rabbits on day 67 (2 444 vs 2 113 g, respectively; P < 0.05) but we observed no effect of genotype on mortality or morbidity. The animals expressed a large variety of specific behaviours on pastures, with grazing and resting being predominant. We found a lower level of corticosterone in PS119 rabbits than in 1001 rabbits (2.19 vs 6.34 pg per mg of hair, respectively; P < 0.05). LP pastures offered herbage until the end of the fattening period, enabling the rabbits to express grazing behaviour until the end of the experiment, and grazing behaviour was more frequent in LP-group rabbits (25.4 vs 21.5% of occurrences in LP vs SP; P < 0.05). This study found that a pasture of 60 m² for 24 rabbits enables the animals to express grazing for the entire fattening period. The rabbit genotype was found to influence some of their behaviour.

Intensive animal production is facing a crisis of legitimacy linked to its contribution to pollution, biohazard risks, and animal suffering. With almost 97% of the production coming from intensive systems, rabbit farming is questioned. Similarly, the plant sector is under scrutiny linked to a high input dependency. Among the alternatives, organic farming and agroforestry systems (associating trees and animals) may contribute to a more sustainable agriculture. However, a number of elements should be evaluated when designing agroforestry systems, especially innovative systems with no previous references. Here, we describe the process of designing an agroforestry system combining rabbits and apple trees. We used an incremental process over three rounds of prototyping (P1, P2 and P3) to develop, refine and adapt a rabbit housing system to an apple orchard. Lessons learned from multiple measurements (thermal comfort, rabbit growth, etc.) and professional feedback (during a workshop) helped to create a functional system. The P1 focused on the design of two outdoor housing systems (mobile-cage vs fixed-pen) inspired by organic rabbit farming practices. Both housing protected the animals from extreme temperatures. However, the main lesson learnt from P1 is the necessity to vaccinate animals to prevent viral diseases. The aim of P2 was to evaluate the feasibility of installing the P1 housing in an apple orchard and to expose it to the observations and comments of professionals during a workshop. On the basis of the experimental observations and the feedback from professionals, the preference was for the fixed-pen over the mobile-cage. The fixed-pen, as opposed to the mobile-cage, allowed the rabbits to graze near the apple tree trunks, where the cleaning services were observed. However, participants questioned the fencing of the fixed-pen. They found it difficult to install and/or dismantle. Based on their comments, the P3 fences were designed to be lightweight and easy to handle. As grazing accounted for about 28% of the rabbits’ activities, and 12 rabbits were able to graze 25.5 m² of herbage in less than 10 days (P2), the new fencing allowed the fixed-pen to be converted into a mobile-pen. In short, rabbits provide an effective weeding service for the orchard, while benefiting from its microclimate, food resources and living environment, which enhances their well-being. This association was easier to implement in autumn (P2) than in spring (P3), the season of intensive orchard work. In short, this association is feasible and seems to be easily adaptable by farmers.

Vulnerability has been a recurring theme in animal production research around the world, as it can lead to a series of outcomes, such as abandonment of the activity. Nevertheless, in Brazil, the fifth-largest milk producer in the world, studies assessing dairy farmers' vulnerabilities are scarce. Better understanding of dairy farm vulnerability may contribute to reducing the consequences of vulnerability. In view of these limitations, we sought to analyze the typology of dairy farms based on vulnerability characteristics. We applied on-site questionnaires to 128 dairy farmers located in Paraná State, Brazil. Structural, productive, and socioeconomic data were collected and subjected to factor analysis. Two vulnerability indicators were identified: F1, productive and economic indicator; and F2, feed self-sufficiency indicator. Hierarchical cluster analysis of factor scores revealed three groups of dairy farms: Group 1, highly vulnerable; Group 2, less vulnerable; and Group 3, non-vulnerable. Dairy farms with higher vulnerability represented most of the sample, followed by less vulnerable and non-vulnerable dairy farms. Our findings indicated that the productive and economic characteristics of farms contributed the most to explaining differences in vulnerability, followed by feed self-sufficiency characteristics. Social characteristics of farmers were not important in differentiating the analyzed sample. There was an interdependent relationship between vulnerability indicators, namely productive and economic characteristics and feed self-sufficiency.

The aim of the current trial was to study the impact of a high somatic cell count (SCC) on milk volatilome of fresh raw milk, and its evolution during storage of processed fluid milk. Six Holstein cows were selected from our research dairy herd based on test-day SCC records. Three cows were used to produce low-SCC milk (20 × 10³ cells/mL). The three other cows had one-quarter infected by Staphylococcus aureus. Infected and healthy udder halves were milked separately, and high-SCC milk was standardized to 400 × 10³ cells/mL by mixing these two milks. The profile of milk volatile organic compounds (VOCs) was determined on raw milk and during the storage of processed milk. The processing included a standardization to 3.25% fat, followed by homogenization, and thermization (65 °C/30 min). This procedure was repeated four times over a period of 7 days. A total of 40 VOC were identified using the solid-phase microextraction technique followed by gas chromatography separation, mass spectrometry analysis, and database search. These VOC were grouped into seven different families, including alcohols (n = 4), free fatty acids (n = 5), sulfur compounds (n = 3), esters (n = 7), ketones (n = 7), aldehydes (n = 12), and aromatic hydrocarbons (n = 2). In raw milk, high SCC was associated with a tendency for lower concentrations of ethyl-hexanoate (P = 0.07), acetone (P = 0.06), and benzaldehyde (P = 0.07) and lower concentrations of trans-2 hexenal (P = 0.04). On the contrary, high SCC was associated with a tendency for greater concentrations of acetic acid (P = 0.09) and hexanoic acid (P = 0.07) and greater concentrations of 2-nonanone (P = 0.02) and pentanal (P = 0.01). Concentrations of most VOC increased during the storage of processed milk. Lower concentrations of butanoic acid (P = 0.09; tendency) and ethyl hexanoate (P = 0.04), and greater concentration of 1-ocen-3-ol (P < 0.01) were observed in high-SCC milk at all times of storage evaluated. Increases in concentrations over time were less pronounced for ethanol (P < 0.01), ethyl butanoate (P = 0.05), and propanal (P = 0.10) in high SCC as compared with low SCC milk. In conclusion, an increase in SCC has a limited effect on milk volatilome, when a SCC standard of 400 × 10³ cells/mL for bulk milk is respected.

Negative energy balance (NEB) in high-yielding cows during the peripartum period raises the risk of postpartum diseases. High-level concentration of non-esterified fatty acid (NEFA) is a good indicator of excessive NEB. The current low-cost and high-throughput mid-infrared (MIR) spectroscopy method is gradually applied to predict NEFA concentrations for NEB identification. The objective of this study was to compare different pre-processing methods and analysis models for optimal predictions of serum NEFA using milk MIR spectra. Four spectral pre-processing methods: standard normal variate, first-order derivative (FD), second-order derivative, and Savitzky-Golsy convolution smoothing, and four prediction models: partial least squares regression, ridge regression, lasso regression (LassoR), and random forest regression were investigated. In total, 366 collected serum and milk samples within the 1–7 weeks postpartum were randomly divided into the training (70%) and test (30%) sets for cross-validations. The results showed that the combined strategy of FD-LassoR model when parity and days in lactation information were considered resulted in the highest R² = 0.643, RMSE = 0.153 mmol/L, and highest residual predictive deviation = 1.665 of predictions on the test set. In addition, R² and RMSE values of FD-LassoR combined with other information were still higher than the other four prediction scenarios. Therefore, our study enables the optimal prediction of serum NEFA concentrations using milk MIR spectra in the further research and practical applications.