Livestock Science最新文献

{"title":"What is the impact of neutral detergent fibre digestibility on productive performance of beef cattle fed tropical forages?","authors":"Edenio Detmann ,&nbsp;Luiz Carlos O. de Sousa ,&nbsp;Nicole S.A. Lima ,&nbsp;Marcia O. Franco","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Our objective was to quantify the relationship between total neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility and nutritional and productive characteristics in cattle fed tropical forages using a meta-analytical approach. The dataset used to develop this work was compiled from 24 experiments carried out with beef cattle in Brazil, published between 2005 and 2020, and totalising 115 treatment means. All the experiments were carried out using change-over designs and included a control treatment (i.e., only forage). There was a linear and positive relationship (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) between total NDF digestibility and voluntary forage intake. We estimated a 0.17 g/kg body weight increase in forage intake for each percentage point (i.e., 0.01 g/g) of improvement in NDF digestibility. On average, increasing total NDF digestibility caused a linear improvement (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) in rumen microbial nitrogen production (NMIC) and in dietary digested organic matter (DOM). The total NDF digestibility was linear and positively associated with nitrogen balance (NB, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). However, the increment in NB as a response to total NDF digestibility was more prominent as dietary NDF decreased (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01). In summary, we concluded that increasing NDF digestibility in cattle fed tropical forage-based diets improves the voluntary forage intake and the supply of energy and metabolisable protein. This simultaneous effect causes an increase in the animal's nitrogen accretion and weight gain, but this effect will be more prominent as the dietary content of neutral detergent fibre decreases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 105608"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662016","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Characterization and mitigation measures for carbon dioxide, methane, and ammonia emissions in dairy barns","authors":"Victor Crespo de Oliveira ,&nbsp;Leonardo França da Silva ,&nbsp;Carlos Eduardo Alves Oliveira ,&nbsp;José Rafael Franco ,&nbsp;Sergio Augusto Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Cristiano Márcio Alves de Souza ,&nbsp;Rafaella Resende Andrade ,&nbsp;Flávio Alves Damasceno ,&nbsp;Ilda de Fátima Ferreira Tinôco ,&nbsp;Gianluca Bambi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105595","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105595","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The agricultural sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions, with dairy production being a significant source. In this context, the study aims to characterize CO₂, CH₄, and NH₃ emissions—key gases in dairy barns—and to evaluate strategies for mitigating these emissions. Inside dairy barns, the primary sources of CO₂, CH₄, and NH₃ emissions are linked to the enteric processes of the animals and the waste deposited within the dairy barns. CO₂ mainly originates from animal respiration and the decomposition of organic matter. CH₄ is generated through enteric fermentation in the rumen and the anaerobic decomposition of manure. Additionally, NH₃ is released from the enzymatic breakdown of urea in urine. Mitigation efforts have shown promise within dairy barns through various approaches. Optimizing animal diets by incorporating supplements and controlling protein intake helps reduce methane production from enteric fermentation. Enhanced manure management practices, including separating feces and urine, adjusting manure pH, and increasing cleaning frequency, are effective in minimizing ammonia and methane emissions within dairy barns. Nevertheless, achieving significant emission reductions also requires effective waste management beyond the facilities. This study contributes to the ongoing dialogue on sustainable livestock production by addressing both emission sources and potential solutions in dairy farming.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 105595"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142661961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing growth performance and health of coloured-broiler chickens with signal grass meal (Brachiaria decumbens) supplementation under tropical conditions","authors":"Yee Lyn Ong ,&nbsp;Eric Lim Teik Chung ,&nbsp;Nazri Nayan ,&nbsp;Muhamad Faris Ab Aziz ,&nbsp;Faez Firdaus Abdullah Jesse ,&nbsp;Awis Qurni Sazili ,&nbsp;Frank R. Dunshea","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105585","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105585","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study examines the impact of signal grass (<em>Brachiaria decumbens)</em> as a phytobiotic supplement on the production performance and health of coloured-broiler chickens reared in tropical environments. A total of 216 day-old Sasso broiler chicks were randomly assigned to six treatment groups with six replications each. All six treatments received the same commercial diets with some adjustments: Treatment 1 (negative control) with only commercial feed, Treatment 2 (positive control) with 100 mg kg^-1g kg^-1 oxytetracycline, Treatment 3, 4, 5, and 6 with 1.25, 2.50, 3.75, and 5.00 g kg^-1 of <em>B. decumbens</em> grass meal, respectively, without antibiotic. Throughout the eight-week study, body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly for each replicate to calculate body weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Additional evaluations included nutrient digestibility, gut histomorphology, cecal microflora population, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Blood biomarkers and biochemistry were also analysed to evaluate the chickens' health status. Results indicated that broilers supplemented with <em>B. decumbens</em> grass meal, particularly T6 showed significantly (p&lt;0.05) superior growth performance compared to the negative with reduced FCR of 6.8%. Apparent ileal digestibility was also significantly improved in T6, with 22.32% higher CP digestibility. Enhanced gut histomorphology and a healthier cecal microbial population supported improved nutrient absorption and overall gut health, as evidenced by significant increases in the villi-to-crypt ratio and a higher coliform count than the control. Enhanced carcass characteristics, such as higher full gizzard and gastrointestinal tract weights of T6 broilers, further supported improved digestibility. The supplementation also improved meat quality, with blood biomarkers indicating lower stress and inflammation levels comparable to T2. Additionally, the blood biochemistry of T6 broilers suggested hepatoprotective and hypocholesterolemic effects. Therefore, broilers in T6 demonstrated that <em>B. decumbens</em> has significant potential as an effective feed additive to replace antibiotics in the tropical poultry sector due to its phytocompounds profile, including high saponin content.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 105585"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Genetic markers associated with beef quality: A review","authors":"Jakeline Vieira Romero ,&nbsp;José Luis Olleta ,&nbsp;Virginia Celia Resconi ,&nbsp;Pilar Santolaria ,&nbsp;María del Mar Campo","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105583","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105583","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Classic animal breeding focuses on changes in genetic composition of populations through selection and breeding systems designed to increase the frequency of favorable alleles incrementing production by improving traits of commercial interest. Meat quality involves traits that have received considerable attention in genetic breeding programs in recent years. The genomic selection using single nucleotides polymorphisms (SNPs) markers is a strong tool to obtain desired phenotypes for economically important traits, including those which are perceived by consumers. Trait such as back and intramuscular fat contribute to the juiciness, flavor and tenderness of beef, all of which directly influences consumer choice. Over the years, many studies have been conducted resulting in multiple quantitative trait locus (QTLs) candidates for carcass and meat quality traits, and an extensive database has been created. Traits such as marbling score, intramuscular fat and subcutaneous fat thickness (which includes back fat and rump fat thickness), have been associated with 2448, 192 and 1044 QTLs, respectively. Although genetic analyses are costly and laborious, the use of molecular markers help to increase favorable genes in the population. Their advance is becoming more concrete and acceptable as a measure of economic importance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 105583"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553862","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of enriched biochar on methane emissions, rumen microbial structure and rumen fermentation characteristics in Holstein steers","authors":"Mingbo Ni ,&nbsp;Mariano C. Parra ,&nbsp;Alex V. Chaves ,&nbsp;Sarah J. Meale","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105590","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105590","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Nutritional strategies, such as oil inclusion or addition of 3-Nitrooxypropanol, to reduce methane emissions from ruminants show promise, but have not been as effective in low quality or roughage based diets. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of enriched biochar on methane production and fermentation characteristics in an oaten hay diet. This study used a 3 × 3 Latin square design, where 3 fistulated Holstein steers (790 ± 100 kg initial body weight) were fed a basal diet of oaten hay, with either 1) oaten pellets (Control), 2) Oaten pellets containing biochar at 1 % of dietary DM; or 3) Oaten pellets containing enriched biochar at 1 % DM. Each period lasted for 21 d, including 14 d dietary adaptation and 7 d experimental measurement. Rumen samples were collected on d 17–21 for determination of liquid and solid associated microbes, and rumen fermentation characteristics. The sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) tracer technique was used to quantify methane emissions. Body weights (kg), dry matter and organic matter intakes (DMI and OMI), methane production (g/d), methane intensity (g kg^-1 BW) and methane yield (g kg^-1 DMI) were similar (<em>P</em> ≥ 0.12) across the three treatment groups. Similarly, total VFA concentration and individual percentages of VFA were similar across treatments (<em>P</em> ≥ 0.16). Microbes in the solid and liquid fractions showed little differences among treatments (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.049) indicating that biochar included in an oaten hay diet, whether standard or enriched, had little effect on rumen fermentation, microbial communities or methane emissions in Holstein steers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 105590"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142560738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Whole genome resequencing analysis elucidate genetic features and signature of selection in binhu buffaloes","authors":"Kunyu Zhang ,&nbsp;Hongfeng Duan ,&nbsp;Jianbo Li ,&nbsp;Xiaoyu Xu ,&nbsp;Cheng Huan ,&nbsp;Zulfiqar Ahmed ,&nbsp;Fang He ,&nbsp;Yang Luo ,&nbsp;Baizhong Zhang ,&nbsp;Chuzhao Lei ,&nbsp;Kangle Yi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105587","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105587","url":null,"abstract":"<div><h3>The world's buffaloes are primarily divided into two main categories</h3><div>: swamp buffaloes and riverine buffaloes. Binhu buffaloes (BB) are Chinese indigenous swamp buffaloes, characterized as strong body vigor, fit for durable work with docile nature. However, there is literature void regarding genomic architecture and selective sweeps analysis for this breed. Herein we utilized 20 newly whole genome sequences (WGS) of BB together with published WGS data of seventy-four buffaloes [Upper Yangtze (UY) buffaloes; n = 30, Middle-Lower Yangtze (MLY) buffaloes; (n = 30) and River buffaloes (RB); (n = 14)] to elucidate population structure, genetic diversity and selection characteristics of the BB. The results showed that the BB originated from swamp buffalos. The genetic diversity of the BB was lower than that of the RB and higher than that of the UY and the MLY buffaloes. In addition, employing five selective sweep detection methods numerous genes related to immunity (<em>RELT, TP73, C5, CHMP1A, CDK10, ANKRD17</em>), heat tolerance (<em>DNAJB4, DNAJA1, HSF4, HELB, DNAJC28</em>), growth (<em>LYN, DYNC1I2, PLAG1, ADAMTSL3, CHKB, PDE1A, RXFP2</em>), carcass and metabolism (<em>SIRT6, LYPLA1, FADS1</em>), nervous system (<em>KIRREL3, AUTS2</em>), and reproduction (<em>SMG6, TSNAXIP1, CACNB2, ERCC3, RAD51, GDF9, CAMK4, KALRN, FANCA, SPIRE2, ATP2B1, AREG, EREG</em>) were found to be under selection. Taken together, current investigation provides a genetic basis for the characteristics specific to the BB, such as high body strength; tolerance to roughage and easy to gain weight; docile nature; ability to endure labor; strong adaptability; and low fecundity and offers new ideas for the conservation, development and utilization of this breed.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 105587"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142553863","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Implications of commercial cross-fostering in large litters when low body weight of piglets is the main criterion","authors":"Dubravko Škorput ,&nbsp;Zoran Luković ,&nbsp;Danijel Karolyi ,&nbsp;Dejan Škorjanc ,&nbsp;Ana Kaić ,&nbsp;Janko Skok ,&nbsp;Maja Prevolnik Povše","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105589","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105589","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Litter management aimed at reducing losses is crucial in intensive pig production, with cross-fostering (CF) being a commonly used approach. CF is a major challenge, especially in the breeding of highly prolific sows. We therefore investigated the efficiency of non-experimental CF under farm conditions. A total of 360 piglets (Choice Genetics − Naima sows × P76 boars) from 25 sequential litters were included in the observational study. Four litters with 48 piglets represented the control group and in the remaining 21 litters, 51 piglets (CF piglets) were cross-fostered according to the farm's standard procedure of mixing litters by body weight. The piglets were transferred to a specific foster sow in a way that piglets from 2 to 10 different litters were mixed. The CF piglets were lighter than the residents and the control piglets. The piglets that died had lower body weight than the survivors, especially in the CF group (≈35 %). Half of the CF piglets died a few days after birth, while mortality was 13 % in the residents and 8 % in the control group, resulting in a tendency of higher mortality in CF litters (19 %) compared to the control group. The unusually high mortality was mainly related to CF litters with more than two litters combined. Therefore, combining multiple litters and the use of low piglet birth weight as the main CF criterion does not seem to be justified from both a production and welfare point of view and could even have the opposite effect and increase mortality. To reduce mortality, other strategies could be tested (e.g. moving heavy piglets) and/or other CF criteria considered (e.g. teat order, litter size, parity).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"289 ","pages":"Article 105589"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-11-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142592710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary protein requirement of hyper-prolific sows in late gestation","authors":"Jakob C. Johannsen ,&nbsp;Martin T. Sørensen ,&nbsp;Thomas S. Bruun ,&nbsp;Takele Feyera","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105596","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105596","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;This study aimed to determine the protein requirement of hyper-prolific sows in late gestation. Forty-eight multiparous sows were assigned to one of six dietary treatments according to body weight (&lt;strong&gt;BW&lt;/strong&gt;; 287 ± 5 kg) on d 84 of gestation and parity (3.8 ± 0.1) and fed 3.3 kg/d from d 84 to 108 of gestation. Five dietary treatments had increasing concentrations of dietary protein [expressed as standardized ileal digestible (&lt;strong&gt;SID&lt;/strong&gt;) lysine (&lt;strong&gt;Lys&lt;/strong&gt;); 3.05 to 6.90 g/kg]. The sixth treatment (&lt;strong&gt;high-cAA&lt;/strong&gt;) had reduced crude protein (&lt;strong&gt;CP&lt;/strong&gt;) relative to Lys concentration and was supplemented with crystalline amino acids (&lt;strong&gt;AA&lt;/strong&gt;), so that the concentration of the supplemented AA matched that of the diet containing 6.90 g/kg of SID Lys and the remaining essential AA matched that of the diet containing 3.05 g/kg of SID Lys. Sow BW and backfat thickness (&lt;strong&gt;BF&lt;/strong&gt;) were measured and blood was sampled on d 84, 96 and 108 of gestation and weekly during lactation. Deuterium oxide was injected on d 84 and 108 of gestation and on d 3 and 28 of lactation to estimate sow body composition. A nitrogen (&lt;strong&gt;N&lt;/strong&gt;) balance was conducted on d 107 of gestation. At the onset of farrowing, colostrum and blood were sampled from the sows and number and birth time of live- and stillborn piglets, and birth weight of liveborn were recorded. Piglets were weighed and colostrum sampled at 12, 24, and 36 h after the onset of farrowing, and thereafter weekly weighing and milk sampling during lactation. From d 84 to 108 of gestation sow BW increased with SID Lys until reaching a plateau at 5.63 g/kg of SID Lys (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.02) and sow BF had a polynomial relationship with SID Lys, which peaked at 4.85 g/kg of SID Lys (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.04). On d 107 of gestation, N retention and utilization increased linearly with SID Lys and reached plateaus at 5.60 (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001) and 5.07 g/kg of SID Lys (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01), respectively. Reproductive parameters were not affected by dietary treatments and there were no indications of carry-over effects to lactational performance. During the treatment period, sows fed the high-cAA diet had higher BW (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01) and body protein (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.02) gain than sows fed 3.05 g/kg of SID Lys and on d 107 of gestation they had reduced excretion of urea and N in urine (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001 for both) relative to sows fed 6.90 g/kg of SID Lys. Also, compared to any other treatment, the plasma concentration of sows fed the high-cAA diet gradually decreased during the treatment period (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.01), indicating reduced AA oxidation. In conclusion, a SID Lys concentration of 4.85 to 5.07 g/kg (16.0 to 16.7 g/d) from d 84 to 108 of gestation ensures optimal utilization of N and maximizes BF gain in hyper-prolific sows. Piglet and litter birth weight and sow milk yield were unaffected by dietary concentration of SID Lys. ","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 105596"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142662018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mapping the composite cattle worldwide using bibliometric analysis","authors":"Concepta McManus ,&nbsp;Felipe Pimentel ,&nbsp;José Bento Sterman Ferraz ,&nbsp;Rafael Núñez-Domínguez ,&nbsp;Renato Fontes Guimarães ,&nbsp;Daniel Pimentel ,&nbsp;Luís Telo da Gama ,&nbsp;Nathalia da Silva Costa ,&nbsp;Vanessa Peripolli","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105593","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105593","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Bibliographic mapping can help us understand publication networks and how a specific area of knowledge is developing. Here, we analysed citation, co-occurrence of keywords, co-citation and bibliographic coupling networks for composite cattle worldwide. Data was collected from Scopus® and analysed in Vosviewer®. The highest cited authors are from Brazil and Australia, but the USA has the highest number of publications and citations. Recent advances have seen the appearance of Chinese research groups. Keyword analysis shows a shift from quantitative to molecular genetics. Multi-focal journals such as Journal of Dairy Science, Journal of Animal Science and Livestock Science have the highest numbers of publications and citations in this field. This analysis can help us identify major changes in future research pathways and identify new groups that working on it. It is useful in network building and identifying up-to-date topics in the research field.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 105593"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142586127","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Social interactions and movement patterns of rangeland-raised beef cows and their calves","authors":"Mohammed N. Sawalhah ,&nbsp;Andrés F. Cibils ,&nbsp;Vanessa J. Prileson ,&nbsp;Robert L. Wesley ,&nbsp;J.Travis Mulliniks ,&nbsp;Mark K. Petersen","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105594","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2024.105594","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the spatial and temporal relationships between beef calves and their dams is crucial for effective rangeland management. This study investigated these dynamics on semiarid rangeland using GPS collars fitted on cow-calf pairs. Data were collected on 46 crossbred cows and 34 calves grazing two adjacent 219 and 146 ha pastures. The primary objective was to determine the proximity of calves to their dams and other adult cows at different calf ages (1, 2 and 4 mos.). Over a 24 h period, calves spent on average 10.5 and 17.5 h within 5 or 10 m of an adult cow, respectively, and spent 2.6, 5.6 and 2.3 h within 5 m of their dams, other adult cows and a guard cow (cow other than the dam that spent the most time in the proximity of a calf), respectively. Calves spent more time within 5 or 10 m of an adult cow during night vs. daytime hours and spent detectably (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) more time within 5 or 10 m of other adult cows vs. their dam (5.6 vs. 2.6 or 10.3 vs. 3.5 h). Calves spent a similar (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05) amount of time within 5 or 10 m of their dam vs. the guard cow (2.6 vs. 2.3 or 3.5 vs. 3.7 h) regardless of age during both day and nighttime hours. In general, calves spent more time within 5 and 10 m of an adult cow at 2 vs. 1 or 4 mos. of age. Greater mother-offspring clustering occurred at 2 vs. 1 or 4 mos. of age regardless of the spatial threshold considered. Regardless of calf age, calves and nursing cows traveled on average 4.5 and 6.7 km/day, respectively. Calves at 4 mo of age traveled farther than younger calves. Nursing cows traveled farther when calves were 4 mo. vs. 1 or 2 mos. of age and tended to travel farther when calves were 1 vs. 2 mos. old. Calves spent more time close to other nursing cows vs. their dam. These findings suggest that while dams play a crucial role in calf development, other nursing cows may also influence their foraging behaviors. Further research is needed to fully understand the dynamics of these relationships and their implications for rangeland management, such as optimizing grazing strategies and improving calf health and productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"290 ","pages":"Article 105594"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2024-10-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142586126","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}