Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840
Malene Hald , Thomas S. Bruun , Trine F. Pedersen , Mette S. Hedemann
Stimulating creep feed intake in piglets is increasingly important due to larger litter sizes, which raise piglet requirements to levels above the sow milk production. Although intake is typically low during the initial weeks, piglets show exploratory behavior (nosing, rooting, and chewing) from the first week of life. Supporting this behavior in conventional farrowing environments can promote early feed engagement. This review highlights strategies to enhance creep feed intake, including housing and creep feeder design, feeding practices, feed characteristics, and management. Creep feeder design and sow confinement (crated vs. loose) affect piglet interaction with feed. Introducing solid feed between 5 and 10 days after farrowing is recommended. The physical form of creep feed (e.g., meal, pellets, crumbles, thermally processed, or liquid) plays a key role. Pellet diameter is especially important; larger pellets (≥ 8 mm) stimulate feeding behavior. Sensory properties (taste, smell, texture) are less critical in attracting piglets. While dietary complexity can influence intake, high-complexity diets do not always outperform low complexity diets, even though these may contain less ingredients and less refined ingredients. Flavor additives, either in the sow’s diet or the creep feed, may improve palatability and familiarity. Increasing the weaning age is the most efficient tool to increase creep feed intake and reduce the proportion of non-eaters at weaning. In conclusion, a multifactorial approach integrating these elements may be most effective in optimizing early feed consumption and adapting to solid feed before weaning.
{"title":"Review: Strategies to stimulate piglet creep feed intake before weaning","authors":"Malene Hald , Thomas S. Bruun , Trine F. Pedersen , Mette S. Hedemann","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105840","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stimulating creep feed intake in piglets is increasingly important due to larger litter sizes, which raise piglet requirements to levels above the sow milk production. Although intake is typically low during the initial weeks, piglets show exploratory behavior (nosing, rooting, and chewing) from the first week of life. Supporting this behavior in conventional farrowing environments can promote early feed engagement. This review highlights strategies to enhance creep feed intake, including housing and creep feeder design, feeding practices, feed characteristics, and management. Creep feeder design and sow confinement (crated vs. loose) affect piglet interaction with feed. Introducing solid feed between 5 and 10 days after farrowing is recommended. The physical form of creep feed (e.g., meal, pellets, crumbles, thermally processed, or liquid) plays a key role. Pellet diameter is especially important; larger pellets (≥ 8 mm) stimulate feeding behavior. Sensory properties (taste, smell, texture) are less critical in attracting piglets. While dietary complexity can influence intake, high-complexity diets do not always outperform low complexity diets, even though these may contain less ingredients and less refined ingredients. Flavor additives, either in the sow’s diet or the creep feed, may improve palatability and familiarity. Increasing the weaning age is the most efficient tool to increase creep feed intake and reduce the proportion of non-eaters at weaning. In conclusion, a multifactorial approach integrating these elements may be most effective in optimizing early feed consumption and adapting to solid feed before weaning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105840"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145363932","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839
Flávia Cristina Bis , Eduarda da Silva Oliveira , Caroline Assis Almeida , Elisângela Chicaroni de Mattos Oliveira , Letícia Pereira , Rafael Espigolan , Joanir Pereira Eler , Luís Telo Da Gama , Rafael Nuñez Dominguez , José Bento Sterman Ferraz , Fernando Baldi
This study assessed the impact of breed effects, heterosis, and recombination on genomic predictions for growth, reproduction, and body composition traits in Montana® cattle. The database included 124,547 records for Birth Weight (BW), 111,103 for Weaning Weight (WW), 87,740 for Weight at 12 months (W12), 49,249 for Post-weaning Weight Gain (WG), 87,740 for Scrotal Circumference (SC), and 44,873 for Muscularity (MUSC), with 3911 genotyped animals from the Montana® composite program. Models M1 to M5 included fixed effects of contemporary group, embryo transfer, and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The effects of direct and maternal breed composition, heterozygosity, and recombination varied across models. From model M2 onward, covariates for biological type, heterosis (direct, maternal, specific), and recombination (direct, maternal, specific) were added. All genomic analyses used the ssGBLUP method, and the LR (Linear Regression) validation method was used to assess predictive ability and model effect influence. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.19 to 0.22 for WW, 0.15 to 0.20 for WG, 0.36 to 0.37 for BW, 0.23 to 0.29 for W12, 0.28 to 0.29 for SC, and 0.17 to 0.19 for MUSC. The most parameterized models showed the best fit by AIC, with M5 best for WW, W12, WG, and SC; M4 for BW; and M3 for MUSC. Model M1 showed the best prediction ability for WW and W12, with the highest accuracies (0.407 and 0.456), best dispersions (1.01 and 0.897), and lowest biases (0.098 and 0.068), respectively. For WG, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.452), M5 the best dispersion (0.940), and M4 the lowest bias (0.028). For BW, M5 showed the highest accuracy (0.452), M4 the best dispersion (1.001), and M3 the lowest bias (-0.006). For SC, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.501), M3 the best dispersion (1.004), and M4 the lowest bias (0.092). For MUSC, M4 had the highest accuracy (0.415) and lowest bias (0.057), while M2 showed the best dispersion (0.979). More parameterized models provided a better fit for variance component estimation. In general, genomic predictions with M1 displayed the highest accuracies for WW, W12, WG, and SC, and lower bias for most traits.
{"title":"Genetic parameters and genomic predictions for economically important traits in Montana® composite cattle using different models","authors":"Flávia Cristina Bis , Eduarda da Silva Oliveira , Caroline Assis Almeida , Elisângela Chicaroni de Mattos Oliveira , Letícia Pereira , Rafael Espigolan , Joanir Pereira Eler , Luís Telo Da Gama , Rafael Nuñez Dominguez , José Bento Sterman Ferraz , Fernando Baldi","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105839","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study assessed the impact of breed effects, heterosis, and recombination on genomic predictions for growth, reproduction, and body composition traits in Montana® cattle. The database included 124,547 records for Birth Weight (BW), 111,103 for Weaning Weight (WW), 87,740 for Weight at 12 months (W12), 49,249 for Post-weaning Weight Gain (WG), 87,740 for Scrotal Circumference (SC), and 44,873 for Muscularity (MUSC), with 3911 genotyped animals from the Montana® composite program. Models M1 to M5 included fixed effects of contemporary group, embryo transfer, and cow age at calving (linear and quadratic). The effects of direct and maternal breed composition, heterozygosity, and recombination varied across models. From model M2 onward, covariates for biological type, heterosis (direct, maternal, specific), and recombination (direct, maternal, specific) were added. All genomic analyses used the ssGBLUP method, and the LR (Linear Regression) validation method was used to assess predictive ability and model effect influence. Heritability estimates ranged from 0.19 to 0.22 for WW, 0.15 to 0.20 for WG, 0.36 to 0.37 for BW, 0.23 to 0.29 for W12, 0.28 to 0.29 for SC, and 0.17 to 0.19 for MUSC. The most parameterized models showed the best fit by AIC, with M5 best for WW, W12, WG, and SC; M4 for BW; and M3 for MUSC. Model M1 showed the best prediction ability for WW and W12, with the highest accuracies (0.407 and 0.456), best dispersions (1.01 and 0.897), and lowest biases (0.098 and 0.068), respectively. For WG, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.452), M5 the best dispersion (0.940), and M4 the lowest bias (0.028). For BW, M5 showed the highest accuracy (0.452), M4 the best dispersion (1.001), and M3 the lowest bias (-0.006). For SC, M1 had the highest accuracy (0.501), M3 the best dispersion (1.004), and M4 the lowest bias (0.092). For MUSC, M4 had the highest accuracy (0.415) and lowest bias (0.057), while M2 showed the best dispersion (0.979). More parameterized models provided a better fit for variance component estimation. In general, genomic predictions with M1 displayed the highest accuracies for WW, W12, WG, and SC, and lower bias for most traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105839"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364637","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838
Ewelina Semik-Gurgul , Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko , Artur Gurgul , Tomasz Szmatoła , Justyna Rybińska , Iwona Furgał-Dzierżuk , Barbara Niwińska
Dairy calves require a balanced diet that ensures adequate nutrient intake to support optimal growth and physiological development, which may subsequently influence future lactational performance and reproductive capacity through favourable epigenetic modifications in body tissues. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on the epigenome and transcriptome of the mammary gland tissues in Holstein heifers. Twelve Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were included in the experiment. During their first two weeks of life, all calves received a milk replacer (MR) that met their nutritional requirements, along with unlimited access to concentrate feed and water. At 14 ± 1 days of age, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments. The applied diets involved restricted milk replacer intake (R, n = 6) and ad libitum milk replacer intake (AL, n = 6). Feeding treatments lasted for 48 days, after which all calves were euthanised at 62 ± 1 days of age. Mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP) tissues were collected and analysed using RRBS, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq approaches. When comparing two diets, 268 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were identified in the PAR, and 288 DMSs were found in MFP tissue. The obtained data allowed identification of four differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in PAR and 35 DE miRNAs in MPF tissue. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed that mammary fat pad tissue reacted to varying diets with a higher number of differentially expressed genes, indicating that parenchyma tissue is less responsive to nutritional changes. Based on integrative omics analysis, specific genes were identified in MFP tissue, whose expression levels were correlated with the level of CpG methylation and miRNA expression, revealing enriched biological processes. However, several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results, including the relatively small sample size and the absence of long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that pre-weaning feeding strategies have a significant influence on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, potentially determining the future lactation potential of dairy heifers.
奶牛需要均衡的饮食，以确保足够的营养摄入，以支持最佳的生长和生理发育，这可能随后通过有利的身体组织表观遗传修饰影响未来的泌乳性能和繁殖能力。本研究旨在探讨断奶前营养策略对荷斯坦小母牛乳腺组织表观基因组和转录组的影响。试验选用12头荷斯坦-弗里西亚小母牛犊牛。在出生后的前两周，所有小牛都接受了符合其营养需求的代乳剂（MR），并无限制地获得浓缩饲料和水。在14±1日龄时，将犊牛随机分为两组饲喂。应用日粮包括限制代乳品摄入量（R, n = 6）和随意代乳品摄入量（AL, n = 6）。饲喂48 d，于62±1日龄安乐死。收集乳腺实质组织（PAR）和乳腺脂肪垫组织（MFP），采用RRBS、miRNA-seq和RNA-seq方法进行分析。对比两种饲料，在PAR中鉴定出268个差异甲基化位点（dms），在MFP组织中发现288个差异甲基化位点。获得的数据可以鉴定PAR组织中的4个差异表达mirna （DE mirna）和MPF组织中的35个差异表达mirna。此外，转录组学分析显示，乳腺脂肪垫组织对不同的饮食有更多的差异表达基因，这表明薄壁组织对营养变化的反应较小。基于整合组学分析，在MFP组织中鉴定出特异性基因，其表达水平与CpG甲基化水平和miRNA表达水平相关，揭示了丰富的生物学过程。然而，在解释这些结果时应考虑几个重要的局限性，包括相对较小的样本量和缺乏长期随访。这些结果表明，断奶前饲养策略对基因表达的表观遗传调控有显著影响，可能决定奶牛未来的泌乳潜力。
{"title":"Effect of pre-weaning nutrition on the epigenetic and transcriptomic regulation of mammary gland development in Holstein heifers","authors":"Ewelina Semik-Gurgul , Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko , Artur Gurgul , Tomasz Szmatoła , Justyna Rybińska , Iwona Furgał-Dzierżuk , Barbara Niwińska","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dairy calves require a balanced diet that ensures adequate nutrient intake to support optimal growth and physiological development, which may subsequently influence future lactational performance and reproductive capacity through favourable epigenetic modifications in body tissues. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on the epigenome and transcriptome of the mammary gland tissues in Holstein heifers. Twelve Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were included in the experiment. During their first two weeks of life, all calves received a milk replacer (MR) that met their nutritional requirements, along with unlimited access to concentrate feed and water. At 14 ± 1 days of age, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments. The applied diets involved restricted milk replacer intake (R, <em>n</em> = 6) and ad libitum milk replacer intake (AL, <em>n</em> = 6). Feeding treatments lasted for 48 days, after which all calves were euthanised at 62 ± 1 days of age. Mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP) tissues were collected and analysed using RRBS, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq approaches. When comparing two diets, 268 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were identified in the PAR, and 288 DMSs were found in MFP tissue. The obtained data allowed identification of four differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in PAR and 35 DE miRNAs in MPF tissue. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed that mammary fat pad tissue reacted to varying diets with a higher number of differentially expressed genes, indicating that parenchyma tissue is less responsive to nutritional changes. Based on integrative omics analysis, specific genes were identified in MFP tissue, whose expression levels were correlated with the level of CpG methylation and miRNA expression, revealing enriched biological processes. However, several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results, including the relatively small sample size and the absence of long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that pre-weaning feeding strategies have a significant influence on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, potentially determining the future lactation potential of dairy heifers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105838"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321710","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-12DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835
Özgün C Onarman Umu , Henning Sørum , Anne Stine Ekker , Peng Lei , Purushothaman Kathiresan , Charles McLean Press , Kari Ljøkjel , Liv Torunn Mydland , Nils Petter Kjos , Margareth Øverland
The increasing demand for sustainable protein sources in livestock production necessitates the evaluation of novel feed ingredients that can reduce environmental impact while maintaining animal health and performance. The effects of replacing soybean meal with Cyberlindnera jadinii, a locally produced microbial yeast protein, in the diet of post-weaning piglets under commercial production conditions were analyzed. A total of 840 piglets were enrolled in a field experiment conducted over 3 consecutive production periods. Piglets were allocated to 2 dietary treatments: a control diet containing soybean meal, formic acid products and a probiotic, and an experimental diet where C. jadinii yeast replaced 45% of the dietary protein. Growth performance, fecal consistency, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated over a 4 wk post-weaning period. Piglets fed the yeast-based diet exhibited an overall lower average daily gain (ADG; P < 0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; P < 0.01) compared to those on the control diet, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained similar between groups. No differences in fecal consistency or clinical signs of diarrhea were observed, indicating maintained gut health despite reduced feed intake. Microbiota profiling revealed dietary effects on microbial diversity and composition in both the ileum and colon. Notably, the yeast-fed piglets showed greater relative abundances of Lactobacillus johnsonii, Streptococcus gallolyticus, and members of the Prevotellaceae family, while the control-fed piglets had greater abundances of Lactobacillus amylovorus and Blautia hansenii. These findings indicate that C. jadinii yeast can partially replace soybean meal and formic acid in weaner pig diets without compromising health status, although some reduction in growth performance was observed. The altered gut microbiota, including enrichment of beneficial taxa such as L. johnsonii, suggests functional modulation of gut health, supporting the potential of yeast-based proteins as a sustainable feed strategy in pig production systems.
畜牧业生产对可持续蛋白质来源的需求日益增加，因此必须评估能够在保持动物健康和生产性能的同时减少对环境影响的新型饲料成分。在商业化生产条件下，研究了用本地生产的微生物酵母蛋白Cyberlindnera jadinii代替豆粕对断奶仔猪日粮的影响。共有840头仔猪参加了连续3个生产期的田间试验。将仔猪分为2种饲粮处理：对照组饲粮中添加豆粕、甲酸产品和益生菌，试验组饲粮中添加贾氏酵母替代45%的饲粮蛋白质。在断奶后4周内评估生长性能、粪便稠度和肠道微生物群组成。总体而言，酵母基础饲粮的平均日增重（ADG; P < 0.01）和平均日采食量（ADFI; P < 0.01）低于对照组，但各组间饲料系数（FCR）基本一致。粪便稠度和腹泻临床症状均无差异，表明尽管采食量减少，但肠道健康仍保持正常。微生物群分析揭示了饮食对回肠和结肠微生物多样性和组成的影响。值得注意的是，酵母喂养的仔猪具有较高的约氏乳杆菌、溶食链球菌和普氏菌科成员的相对丰度，而对照喂养的仔猪具有较高的淀粉样乳杆菌和汉斯蓝杆菌的相对丰度。上述结果表明，jadinii酵母可以部分替代断奶猪饲粮中的豆粕和甲酸，而不会影响仔猪的健康状况，但会降低仔猪的生长性能。肠道微生物群的改变，包括有益类群如约氏乳杆菌的富集，表明肠道健康的功能调节，支持酵母蛋白作为猪生产系统中可持续饲料策略的潜力。
{"title":"A diet containing Cyberlindnera jadinii yeast as a protein source demonstrates comparable benefits to a formic acid and probiotic supplemented diet in post-weaning piglets","authors":"Özgün C Onarman Umu , Henning Sørum , Anne Stine Ekker , Peng Lei , Purushothaman Kathiresan , Charles McLean Press , Kari Ljøkjel , Liv Torunn Mydland , Nils Petter Kjos , Margareth Øverland","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand for sustainable protein sources in livestock production necessitates the evaluation of novel feed ingredients that can reduce environmental impact while maintaining animal health and performance. The effects of replacing soybean meal with <em>Cyberlindnera jadinii</em>, a locally produced microbial yeast protein, in the diet of post-weaning piglets under commercial production conditions were analyzed. A total of 840 piglets were enrolled in a field experiment conducted over 3 consecutive production periods. Piglets were allocated to 2 dietary treatments: a control diet containing soybean meal, formic acid products and a probiotic, and an experimental diet where <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast replaced 45% of the dietary protein. Growth performance, fecal consistency, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated over a 4 wk post-weaning period. Piglets fed the yeast-based diet exhibited an overall lower average daily gain (ADG; <em>P</em> < 0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; <em>P</em> < 0.01) compared to those on the control diet, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained similar between groups. No differences in fecal consistency or clinical signs of diarrhea were observed, indicating maintained gut health despite reduced feed intake. Microbiota profiling revealed dietary effects on microbial diversity and composition in both the ileum and colon. Notably, the yeast-fed piglets showed greater relative abundances of <em>Lactobacillus johnsonii, Streptococcus gallolyticus</em>, and members of the Prevotellaceae family, while the control-fed piglets had greater abundances of <em>Lactobacillus amylovorus</em> and <em>Blautia hansenii</em>. These findings indicate that <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast can partially replace soybean meal and formic acid in weaner pig diets without compromising health status, although some reduction in growth performance was observed. The altered gut microbiota, including enrichment of beneficial taxa such as <em>L. johnsonii</em>, suggests functional modulation of gut health, supporting the potential of yeast-based proteins as a sustainable feed strategy in pig production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105835"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321715","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}
The effects of heat stress and feed restriction were evaluated on a total of 180 weaned rabbits divided into three experimental groups (60 animals/group): 2 groups were fed ad libitum and reared under different temperatures (20 °C – 20AD and 30 °C – 30AD), while a third group was housed under controlled temperature (20 °C) but pair-fed to 30AD rabbits, thus feed restricted (20FR). During the trial, both 30AD and 20FR groups exhibited reduced growth performance, including body weight and daily weight gain (both, P < 0.001), although feed conversion ratio improved (P = 0.016). The reference carcasses of 20FR and 30AD rabbits were lighter and leaner (both, P < 0.001) than that of 20AD rabbits, while the slaughter yield decreased only in 20FR rabbits (P = 0.001). Regarding meat physical traits, 20FR rabbits exhibited the highest pHu (P < 0.001) and the lowest total losses (P < 0.001), whereas the meat-to-bone ratio decreased in both 20FR and 30AD groups (P = 0.007). As for meat proximate composition, protein and lipid contents were lower (P = 0.008 and P = 0.0002, respectively) in 20FR and 30AD rabbits, while water content was greater (P < 0.001) compared to 20AD rabbits. At the lipid level, higher TBARS (P = 0.001) were found in both 20FR and 30AD groups. The 20FR and 30AD groups showed some differences in their carcass and meat quality traits, however the majority of changes induced by chronic heat stress were mostly attributed to the reduced feed intake.
{"title":"Effect of heat stress and feed restriction on performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of growing rabbits","authors":"Emanuele Pontalti , Marco Cullere , Zsolt Szendrő , Zsolt Matics , Zsolt Gerencsér , Bianca Palumbo , Antonella Dalle Zotte","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effects of heat stress and feed restriction were evaluated on a total of 180 weaned rabbits divided into three experimental groups (60 animals/group): 2 groups were fed <em>ad libitum</em> and reared under different temperatures (20 °C – 20AD and 30 °C – 30AD), while a third group was housed under controlled temperature (20 °C) but pair-fed to 30AD rabbits, thus feed restricted (20FR). During the trial, both 30AD and 20FR groups exhibited reduced growth performance, including body weight and daily weight gain (both, <em>P</em> < 0.001), although feed conversion ratio improved (<em>P</em> = 0.016). The reference carcasses of 20FR and 30AD rabbits were lighter and leaner (both, <em>P</em> < 0.001) than that of 20AD rabbits, while the slaughter yield decreased only in 20FR rabbits (<em>P</em> = 0.001). Regarding meat physical traits, 20FR rabbits exhibited the highest pHu (<em>P</em> < 0.001) and the lowest total losses (<em>P</em> < 0.001), whereas the meat-to-bone ratio decreased in both 20FR and 30AD groups (<em>P</em> = 0.007). As for meat proximate composition, protein and lipid contents were lower (<em>P</em> = 0.008 and <em>P</em> = 0.0002, respectively) in 20FR and 30AD rabbits, while water content was greater (<em>P</em> < 0.001) compared to 20AD rabbits. At the lipid level, higher TBARS (<em>P</em> = 0.001) were found in both 20FR and 30AD groups. The 20FR and 30AD groups showed some differences in their carcass and meat quality traits, however the majority of changes induced by chronic heat stress were mostly attributed to the reduced feed intake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105836"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321711","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-11DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105837
Clodagh V. Ryan , Deirdre C. Purfield , David Kenny , Paul Crosson , Ross D. Evans
Genetic selection presents a long-term opportunity to reduce enteric methane emissions in beef cattle. This study evaluated the effect of incorporating an enteric methane production trait into the Irish Terminal Index, an index that is typical of global terminal-type indexes and quantified its impact on methane output and other economically important traits. At present, the Irish Terminal Index incorporates a Carbon sub-index based on life cycle assessment in an effort to reduce farm carbon emissions. Selection index scenarios were modelled to reflect an index with no environmental consideration, the current status quo, the inclusion of a direct enteric methane trait and finally the impact of changes in carbon pricing. Genetic parameters were derived from a national multi-breed dataset of 1508 beef animals with enteric methane phenotypes. Selection based on the current index which includes a lifecycle carbon weighting, increased daily enteric methane emissions by up to 2.14 g/day, while the inclusion of a direct enteric methane trait reversed the response, with predicted reductions of 0.22g/day and 4.20 g/day depending on carbon price. Associated changes included a 13.81 kg increase in carcass weight response and a 0.33 kg reduction in feed intake per animal under the highest environmental weighting (Carbon valued at €160/tonne and a direct enteric methane trait). Scaled to the national herd, this would equate to an annual reduction of approximately 27,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and an opportunity cost of 1311 tonnes of carcass output. Selection direction remained favourable across all production traits, with minimal impact on calving, docility, and conformation traits. These results demonstrate that enteric methane can be incorporated into the national breeding goal with measurable reductions in emissions and limited trade-offs in economically relevant performance traits.
{"title":"Refining Irish breeding goals for sustainable suckler systems through the incorporation of an enteric methane emissions trait","authors":"Clodagh V. Ryan , Deirdre C. Purfield , David Kenny , Paul Crosson , Ross D. Evans","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105837","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105837","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Genetic selection presents a long-term opportunity to reduce enteric methane emissions in beef cattle. This study evaluated the effect of incorporating an enteric methane production trait into the Irish Terminal Index, an index that is typical of global terminal-type indexes and quantified its impact on methane output and other economically important traits. At present, the Irish Terminal Index incorporates a Carbon sub-index based on life cycle assessment in an effort to reduce farm carbon emissions. Selection index scenarios were modelled to reflect an index with no environmental consideration, the current status quo, the inclusion of a direct enteric methane trait and finally the impact of changes in carbon pricing. Genetic parameters were derived from a national multi-breed dataset of 1508 beef animals with enteric methane phenotypes. Selection based on the current index which includes a lifecycle carbon weighting, increased daily enteric methane emissions by up to 2.14 g/day, while the inclusion of a direct enteric methane trait reversed the response, with predicted reductions of 0.22g/day and 4.20 g/day depending on carbon price. Associated changes included a 13.81 kg increase in carcass weight response and a 0.33 kg reduction in feed intake per animal under the highest environmental weighting (Carbon valued at €160/tonne and a direct enteric methane trait). Scaled to the national herd, this would equate to an annual reduction of approximately 27,400 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent and an opportunity cost of 1311 tonnes of carcass output. Selection direction remained favourable across all production traits, with minimal impact on calving, docility, and conformation traits. These results demonstrate that enteric methane can be incorporated into the national breeding goal with measurable reductions in emissions and limited trade-offs in economically relevant performance traits.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105837"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145364635","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105834
Romane Gillet , Marie Schneider , Kerstin Barth
Prolonged cow-calf contact in dairy farming is receiving considerable attention. However, research on systems that allow calves to access the whole dairy herd has been limited. This study investigated the time that German Holstein calves spent daily within the dairy herd of their dams, its association with calf growth and health, and the effect of herd (horned vs. polled). The calves with whole-day contact (WDC, n= 23) could enter the herd at any time during the day, except during milking; the calves with daytime contact (DTC, n= 26) had only access between morning and evening milking. Calves with no herd contact (NOC, n= 42) served as a control. Calves were weighed weekly and their health status was assessed. Between the 2nd and 11th weeks of life, the time spent in the cow herd decreased in WDC calves (h d-1, horned WDC: - 10.9, polled WDC: - 3.7, P< 0.001), but did not differ in DTC calves (P> 0.1). More time in the herd was associated with higher growth rates (P= 0.003). However, no effect of the herd was observed on calf growth or health. WDC calves had the highest growth rate compared to DTC and NOC (g d-1, 991 ± 36, 718 ± 35, 869 ± 28, respectively, P< 0.05). Unrestricted access to the cow herd resulted in individual variation in the time calves spent within the herd, with no observed effects on growth or health.
{"title":"Calf presence in the cow herd: Associations with growth, health, and herd horn status in a cow-calf contact system","authors":"Romane Gillet , Marie Schneider , Kerstin Barth","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105834","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105834","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prolonged cow-calf contact in dairy farming is receiving considerable attention. However, research on systems that allow calves to access the whole dairy herd has been limited. This study investigated the time that German Holstein calves spent daily within the dairy herd of their dams, its association with calf growth and health, and the effect of herd (horned vs. polled). The calves with whole-day contact (WDC, <em>n</em>= 23) could enter the herd at any time during the day, except during milking; the calves with daytime contact (DTC, <em>n</em>= 26) had only access between morning and evening milking. Calves with no herd contact (NOC, <em>n</em>= 42) served as a control. Calves were weighed weekly and their health status was assessed. Between the 2nd and 11th weeks of life, the time spent in the cow herd decreased in WDC calves (h d<sup>-1</sup>, horned WDC: - 10.9, polled WDC: - 3.7, <em>P</em>< 0.001), but did not differ in DTC calves (<em>P</em>> 0.1). More time in the herd was associated with higher growth rates (<em>P</em>= 0.003). However, no effect of the herd was observed on calf growth or health. WDC calves had the highest growth rate compared to DTC and NOC (g d<sup>-1</sup>, 991 ± 36, 718 ± 35, 869 ± 28, respectively, <em>P</em>< 0.05). Unrestricted access to the cow herd resulted in individual variation in the time calves spent within the herd, with no observed effects on growth or health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105834"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321712","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105829
Jean-Louis Peyraud , Jean-François Hocquette
Debates about livestock and meat consumption are generally fragmented, and to date no study has simultaneously analyzed all the dimensions affected by livestock farming. The environmental impacts of livestock are well described and often emphasized in the media as the negative effects of methane emission from ruminants, but the associated benefits are poorly described in scientific literature thus giving an unbalanced picture of livestock farming. Based on various findings from research, this review aims to propose a multidimensional view on this topic.
Firstly, most of the environmental or nutritional arguments generally put forward against meat are provided without enough nuances. Without ignoring the negative impact of livestock on the climate and the environment, we show they need to be better deciphered. We provide examples dealing with the competition between feed and food, the water footprint of livestock, and the carbon footprint of meat production and consumption.
On the other hand, livestock farming produces several ecosystem services beyond human food production that are not well known. Indeed, livestock production is the basis of agricultural activities and rural vitality in many parts of the world. Herbivores contributes to valorize large grassland areas that are not suitable for crop production and are hotspot of biodiversity. Livestock, notably ruminants, plays a key role in maintaining soil carbon content and soil fertility, and manure from livestock is a source of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus.
An original service-bundle methodology designed to capture European livestock production in a global manner highlights antagonism between certain services. Thus, it is not possible to summarize livestock effects and impacts in a single indicator, be it positive or negative. Finally, we show that different scenarios exist to reduce the negative impacts of livestock. More global actions are needed on all fronts: improving meat production and supply, reducing demand, losses and waste of food. Eating less meat on average in developed countries and lowering the proportion of animal protein in diets may also be part of a global solution. Improving livestock farming systems in favor of grassland-based systems, which rely on natural resources without competing with human food production and which provide environmental services is also an essential strategy. In any case, a world without meat–producing livestock is unlikely to be sustainable as suggested by several studies.
{"title":"Towards a balanced view of livestock: Benefits of grazing farming systems to produce meat","authors":"Jean-Louis Peyraud , Jean-François Hocquette","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Debates about livestock and meat consumption are generally fragmented, and to date no study has simultaneously analyzed all the dimensions affected by livestock farming. The environmental impacts of livestock are well described and often emphasized in the media as the negative effects of methane emission from ruminants, but the associated benefits are poorly described in scientific literature thus giving an unbalanced picture of livestock farming. Based on various findings from research, this review aims to propose a multidimensional view on this topic.</div><div>Firstly, most of the environmental or nutritional arguments generally put forward against meat are provided without enough nuances. Without ignoring the negative impact of livestock on the climate and the environment, we show they need to be better deciphered. We provide examples dealing with the competition between feed and food, the water footprint of livestock, and the carbon footprint of meat production and consumption.</div><div>On the other hand, livestock farming produces several ecosystem services beyond human food production that are not well known. Indeed, livestock production is the basis of agricultural activities and rural vitality in many parts of the world. Herbivores contributes to valorize large grassland areas that are not suitable for crop production and are hotspot of biodiversity. Livestock, notably ruminants, plays a key role in maintaining soil carbon content and soil fertility, and manure from livestock is a source of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus.</div><div>An original service-bundle methodology designed to capture European livestock production in a global manner highlights antagonism between certain services. Thus, it is not possible to summarize livestock effects and impacts in a single indicator, be it positive or negative. Finally, we show that different scenarios exist to reduce the negative impacts of livestock. More global actions are needed on all fronts: improving meat production and supply, reducing demand, losses and waste of food. Eating less meat on average in developed countries and lowering the proportion of animal protein in diets may also be part of a global solution. Improving livestock farming systems in favor of grassland-based systems, which rely on natural resources without competing with human food production and which provide environmental services is also an essential strategy. In any case, a world without meat–producing livestock is unlikely to be sustainable as suggested by several studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105829"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321713","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105832
Giulio Giagnoni , Alastair James Ward , Coralie Masclet , Henrik Bjarne Møller , Martin Riis Weisbjerg
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on the in vitro methane yield from dairy cow faeces, when the diet is manipulated for either source or concentration of dietary fat (rapeseed or palm kernel fatty acids; 20 to 50 g/kg DM), or a source of carbohydrate (grass-clover vs maize silage, and barley vs dried beet pulp). The faecal samples from two nutrition trials were used in an in vitro system for anaerobic digestion for measuring gas volume and methane concentration at given times, from 5 to 90 d. The ultimate methane yield measured at d 90, and the coefficients estimated from a modified Gompertz model (maximum methane yield, methane production rate, and lag time) were analysed in a linear mixed model. Increasing dietary concentration of fat increased the maximum methane yield, the methane production rate, and the lag time when rapeseed was used as fat source, but use of palm kernel fatty acids in the diet did not result in an increase of any parameter. The effect of the carbohydrate inclusion from forage and concentrate was additive, so no interaction was observed, and maximum methane yield increased with increasing dietary starch concentration. Ultimate and maximum methane yield were highly correlated, with the latter underestimating ultimate methane yield by 3-4%. Estimated coefficients from a modified Gompertz model are useful to understand the effect of diet on biogas yield and production rate from faeces, but slight under-estimation of maximum methane yield was observed at incubation time of three months.
{"title":"Effect of manipulating dietary fat and carbohydrates on methane potential of dairy cow faeces","authors":"Giulio Giagnoni , Alastair James Ward , Coralie Masclet , Henrik Bjarne Møller , Martin Riis Weisbjerg","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105832","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105832","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect on the <em>in vitro</em> methane yield from dairy cow faeces, when the diet is manipulated for either source or concentration of dietary fat (rapeseed or palm kernel fatty acids; 20 to 50 g/kg DM), or a source of carbohydrate (grass-clover vs maize silage, and barley vs dried beet pulp). The faecal samples from two nutrition trials were used in an <em>in vitro</em> system for anaerobic digestion for measuring gas volume and methane concentration at given times, from 5 to 90 d. The ultimate methane yield measured at d 90, and the coefficients estimated from a modified Gompertz model (maximum methane yield, methane production rate, and lag time) were analysed in a linear mixed model. Increasing dietary concentration of fat increased the maximum methane yield, the methane production rate, and the lag time when rapeseed was used as fat source, but use of palm kernel fatty acids in the diet did not result in an increase of any parameter. The effect of the carbohydrate inclusion from forage and concentrate was additive, so no interaction was observed, and maximum methane yield increased with increasing dietary starch concentration. Ultimate and maximum methane yield were highly correlated, with the latter underestimating ultimate methane yield by 3-4%. Estimated coefficients from a modified Gompertz model are useful to understand the effect of diet on biogas yield and production rate from faeces, but slight under-estimation of maximum methane yield was observed at incubation time of three months.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105832"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145418113","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}
Pub Date : 2025-10-08DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105833
NM Elbanhawy , S El-Kassas , MM. Sharaf , IA Elkhaiat , HA Basha , MI. Abo-Samaha
<div><div>The impact of varying doses of water-soluble <em>E. longifolia</em> root extract was evaluated on growth performance, blood biochemistry, antioxidant enzymes, histology, and expression of some related genes in brown- and white-feathered Japanese quails. Seven hundred and twenty 2-wk old quails (360 brown- and 360 white-feathered quails, 180 males and 180 females each) were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with 3 replicates having 30 quails per replicate (15 females and 15 males from the same quail’s variety). The <em>E. longifolia</em> was incorporated in drinking water at 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L for treatment 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. This experiment lasted for 4 wk. Drinking water with <em>E. longifolia</em>, especially at 125 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L increased body gains and feed consumption as well as gain-to-feed ratio (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) with brown females, compared to brown males and both sex of white-feathered quails, displayed greater improvement. Growth-related genes: growth hormone receptors and insulin growth factor-1, and ghrelin mRNA concentrations were upregulated while leptin mRNA copies were reduced with <em>E. longifolia</em> (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.001). Increasing the dose of <em>E. longifolia</em> reduced water consumption (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001). The brown-feathered quails drank more water compared to the white-feathered ones, especially with increasing the <em>E. longifolia</em> supplementation rate (<em>P</em> = 0.004). <em>E. longifolia</em> also caused distinct improvement of quails’ immunity manifested by a reduced heterophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (quadratic, <em>P</em> = 0.005) and increases in the superoxide dismutase (cubic, <em>P</em> = 0.015), catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activities and their mRNA copies (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.001). Additionally, <em>E. longifolia</em> supplementation caused increases in cholesterol concentrations in white-feathered females and males and brown females while increased triglycerides concentrations, particularly at 125 mg/L in all quails except in brown female, <em>E. longifolia</em> reduced its concentration (quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.05). Increasing supplementation dose to 500 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L lowered these concentrations compared to the lower doses. Incorporating <em>E. longifolia</em> also caused increases in the intestinal villi lengths (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001; quadratic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) with fat vacuolation in hepatic tissue. Moreover, reduction in estrogen (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001) and changes in testosterone concentrations (quadratic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) were measured with <em>E. longifolia</em> treatment. In conclusion, <em>E. longifolia</em> root extract could be used as a potential alternative osteogenic herbal additive to enhance bird’s performance. Its impacts in quail’s drinking water significan
{"title":"Effect of water supplementation with Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant responses, and gene expression in brown and white Japanese quails","authors":"NM Elbanhawy , S El-Kassas , MM. Sharaf , IA Elkhaiat , HA Basha , MI. Abo-Samaha","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105833","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The impact of varying doses of water-soluble <em>E. longifolia</em> root extract was evaluated on growth performance, blood biochemistry, antioxidant enzymes, histology, and expression of some related genes in brown- and white-feathered Japanese quails. Seven hundred and twenty 2-wk old quails (360 brown- and 360 white-feathered quails, 180 males and 180 females each) were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with 3 replicates having 30 quails per replicate (15 females and 15 males from the same quail’s variety). The <em>E. longifolia</em> was incorporated in drinking water at 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L for treatment 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. This experiment lasted for 4 wk. Drinking water with <em>E. longifolia</em>, especially at 125 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L increased body gains and feed consumption as well as gain-to-feed ratio (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) with brown females, compared to brown males and both sex of white-feathered quails, displayed greater improvement. Growth-related genes: growth hormone receptors and insulin growth factor-1, and ghrelin mRNA concentrations were upregulated while leptin mRNA copies were reduced with <em>E. longifolia</em> (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.001). Increasing the dose of <em>E. longifolia</em> reduced water consumption (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001). The brown-feathered quails drank more water compared to the white-feathered ones, especially with increasing the <em>E. longifolia</em> supplementation rate (<em>P</em> = 0.004). <em>E. longifolia</em> also caused distinct improvement of quails’ immunity manifested by a reduced heterophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (quadratic, <em>P</em> = 0.005) and increases in the superoxide dismutase (cubic, <em>P</em> = 0.015), catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activities and their mRNA copies (linear; quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.001). Additionally, <em>E. longifolia</em> supplementation caused increases in cholesterol concentrations in white-feathered females and males and brown females while increased triglycerides concentrations, particularly at 125 mg/L in all quails except in brown female, <em>E. longifolia</em> reduced its concentration (quadratic, cubic, <em>P</em> < 0.05). Increasing supplementation dose to 500 mg <em>E. longifolia</em>/L lowered these concentrations compared to the lower doses. Incorporating <em>E. longifolia</em> also caused increases in the intestinal villi lengths (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001; quadratic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) with fat vacuolation in hepatic tissue. Moreover, reduction in estrogen (linear, <em>P</em> < 0.001) and changes in testosterone concentrations (quadratic, <em>P</em> < 0.05) were measured with <em>E. longifolia</em> treatment. In conclusion, <em>E. longifolia</em> root extract could be used as a potential alternative osteogenic herbal additive to enhance bird’s performance. Its impacts in quail’s drinking water significan","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105833"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321709","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}
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