Animal最新文献

The housing of lactating sows remains a persistent animal welfare concern. Temporary crating may offer a compromise that supports the welfare of both sows and piglets in the farrowing pen. This study examined whether sows used lying-down supports (e.g. slope wall) before and after crate opening, and whether such use reduces the risk of piglet crushing. Nineteen healthy sows without any leg problems were housed in temporary farrowing crates from 5 days before farrowing until 3 days postpartum (pp), when crates were opened on the morning of day 4. The pen design included a slope wall angled at 18°, while the other wall, door, and nest barriers could also serve as supports. Sow and piglet behaviours were video-recorded for 24 h at three time points: 24 h before crate opening, 24 h after crate opening, and on day 25 pp. Analysed behaviours included the number and duration of lying-down events, use of supports, sow positions, and piglet positions in the pen and creep area. Continuous variables were analysed using linear mixed models accounting for repeated measures, and binomially distributed variables were evaluated using generalised linear mixed models. Following crate opening, sows significantly reduced their use of all supports compared with both the preopening period and day 25 pp, with nearly 34% of events occurring in the middle of the pen. Use of the slope wall declined significantly immediately after crate opening and decreased further by day 25. Lying-down events lasted longer when supports were used. Trapping events were rare (16 out of 1 539 lying-down events), with fatal crushing occurring in only four cases. These findings indicate that lying-down supports are not essential for preventing piglet crushing once the crate is removed; however, it is important to note that this applies only to healthy sows without mobility problems. Overall, releasing sows from close confinement does not appear to compromise piglet safety and may allow for more natural and maternal behaviours.

Sodium butyrate (NaB) has been shown to enhance maternal antioxidant defences and improve reproductive outcomes; however, its long-term impact on offspring health requires further investigation. Our present study examined the effects of maternal dietary NaB supplementation during gestation on antioxidant and anti-inflammatory responses in neonatal and weaned piglets. Pregnant Landrace × Yorkshire sows were fed with a standard gestation diet supplemented with (NaB group) or without (control group) 0.2% NaB from gestational day 30 to day 114, while receiving the same diet during lactation. Serum and tissue samples were collected from newborn piglets at birth and from weaned piglets at weaning. Oxidative stress and inflammatory markers were quantified in sow placenta, as well as in the serum and intestinal tissues of piglets. Results showed that gestational NaB supplementation significantly increased the total antioxidant capacity and elevated the expression of glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4) and superoxide dismutase 2 (SOD2) in sow placenta (P < 0.05). Besides, catalase content (P = 0.073) and the mRNA levels of cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) (P = 0.051) and gutamate-cysteine ligase catalytic subunit (GCLC) (P = 0.069) also tended to be higher in the placenta of the NaB group. Maternal NaB supplementation significantly increased serum catalase activity, decreased serum malondialdehyde concentration, and upregulated ileal GPX3 and GPX4 expression in newborn piglets (P < 0.05). In weaned piglets, maternal NaB supplementation decreased serum concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) while increasing jejunal relative weight, villus height and villus-to-crypt ratio (P < 0.05). Additionally, jejunal expression of G-protein coupled receptor 41 (GPR41) and Claudin 1 was markedly higher in the weaned piglets of NaB group than those in control group (P < 0.05). Collectively, these findings suggest that NaB supplementation during mid-to-late gestation could improve placental function in sows, which is associated with enhanced antioxidant capacity, attenuated inflammation, and improved intestinal development in the offspring.

Modulating feed buffering capacity via diet formulation is of increasing interest in livestock due to its ability to regulate gastrointestinal conditions and nutrient utilisation. This study hypothesises that dietary macronutrient composition and calcium carbonate (CaCO₃) modulate fish gut microbiota, potentially improving the effects of feed buffering capacity. Thus, it explores the relationship between microbiota modulation and chyme changes induced by different protein-to-energy (P:E) ratios (16.1 vs 26.4 mg/kJ) and CaCO₃ supplementation in diets of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, 284 ± 2.5 g). This multifactorial experiment also evaluated the effect of gut region (proximal vs distal) and postprandial time (3 vs 7 h). After a 6 week feeding trial, none of the tested factors showed differences in estimated microbial richness (Chao1 index, P > 0.05), while the proximal intestine exhibited higher microbial diversity (Simpson index) than the distal gut (P = 0.007). In addition, inter-individual microbial variability was significantly different between intestinal regions, qualitatively (Jaccard distance; F = 7.98, R² = 0.05, P = 0.001) and quantitatively (Bray-Curtis distance; F = 96.19, R² = 0.40, P = 0.001), which was correlated with differences in chyme pH, relative water and mineral fluxes, and CP apparent digestibility (P < 0.05). Jaccard distances also revealed different inter-individual microbial variability in fish fed the high P:E diet without CaCO₃ addition (HP:E-LC) with respect to fish fed rest of the diets (F = 2.08, R² = 0.01, P = 0.007), associated with magnesium digestibility (Pseudo-F = 1.47, P = 0.009). Furthermore, fish fed the high P:E diets showed a reduction in the relative abundance of the phylum Bacteroidota in both intestinal regions (P < 0.05), and of the genus Phaeodactylibacter in the proximal intestine (P = 0.002), which may reflect differences in the content of carbohydrates and lipids used as substrates by these taxa. Meanwhile, CaCO₃ supplementation reduced the abundance of the phylum Desulfobacterota in the proximal intestine (P = 0.04), potentially due to its sensitivity to high pH values. Moreover, the genus Geobacillus was only present in the proximal intestine of fish fed the HP:E-LC diet and was positively correlated with magnesium digestibility (r_s = 0.61, P = 0.01), supporting improved nutrient utilisation. In conclusion, both P:E ratio and CaCO₃ supplementation modulate fish gut microbiota in correlation with changes in digestion kinetics induced by the diet macronutrient composition and feed buffering capacity, respectively, while maintaining the typical commensal microbiota of rainbow trout.

Maternal nutrition during gestation can program offspring development and may influence the establishment of the rumen microbiome, with implications for growth and rumen health. However, the effects of maternal chromium (Cr) supplementation on offspring rumen microbial communities and performance in sheep remain poorly characterised. This study investigated the effects of maternal Cr supplementation during late gestation and early lactation on the offspring microbiome and performance in lambs. Fifteen pregnant ewes were assigned to two treatments in a randomised design: no Cr supplementation and 1.5 mg chromium propionate per ewe/day. Male Dorper × Santa Inês lambs (n = 19) were weaned at 80 d. They were provided creep feeding from 20 d to weaning, and finished in individual feedlot pens until slaughter at 132 d. The rumen microbiota of the offspring at slaughter was characterised. Feed intake, BW, daily gain, feed efficiency, and carcass yield were measured. Maternal Cr supplementation increased the weaning weight of lambs (P = 0.048), although no differences were observed in the feed intake, daily gain, or carcass weight. While the overall microbial diversity was unchanged, Cr increased Flexilinea (P = 0.042), SP3-e08 (P = 0.040) and U29-B03 (P = 0.037), genera linked to fibre degradation and volatile fatty acid modulation. Conversely, Cr reduced Streptococcus (P = 0.029), potentially lowering lactic acid accumulation and ruminal acidosis risk, and Oribacterium (P = 0.025) and Pseudobutyrivibrio (P = 0.008), genera involved in glycolysis and cell wall biosynthesis. In conclusion, supplementation with 1.5 mg chromium propionate during late gestation and early lactation increased lamb weaning weight and modulated rumen microbial taxa, suggesting potential improvements in nutrient utilisation and rumen stability.