Animal最新文献

{"title":"Evaluation of nutritional and techno-functional aspects of black soldier fly high-protein extracts in different developmental stages","authors":"J.A. Khan ,&nbsp;X. Guo ,&nbsp;R. Pichner ,&nbsp;K. Aganovic ,&nbsp;V. Heinz ,&nbsp;C. Hollah ,&nbsp;S.V. Miert ,&nbsp;G.R. Verheyen ,&nbsp;A. Juadjur ,&nbsp;K.U. Rehman","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101463","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101463","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global need for sustainable protein sources has contributed to the search for alternatives to conventional livestock and aquaculture feed. The black soldier fly (<strong>BSF</strong>) is a potential option for sustainable protein production due to its ability to convert organic waste into high-value biomass efficiently. To maximise its feed, food application, and resource recovery potential, the nutritional composition and techno-functional properties must be analysed in different developmental stages. This research assesses BSF as a sustainable protein source by an analysis of its growth, nutritional profile, and techno-functional characteristics. This study aims to evaluate the biomass conversion efficiency, analyse the nutritional composition, and examine the high-protein extract’s techno-functional properties of BSF at various life stages. BSF eliminated 49.3 ± 0.44% of the DM of the substrate throughout the 12-day development period. Notably, BSF had a 93.6 ± 11.11% survival rate and a food conversion ratio of about 1.6 ± 0.07, demonstrating its outstanding ability to transform organic materials into useful biomass. Protein content varied significantly between life stages, ranging from 31.1 ± 0.31w/w% in larvae, 39.0 ± 0.15 w/w% in pupae, and 65.5 ± 0.18 w/w% in adults. Adults had a fat level of 22.3 ± 0.45 w/w%, whereas larvae and pupae had a fat content of 32.5 ± 0.32 w/w% and 25.8 ± 0.60 w/w%, respectively. The ash content of larvae, pupae, and adults was 6.1 ± 0.03 w/w%, 9.8 ± 0.21 w/w%, and 4.5 ± 0.01 w/w%, respectively. The percentage of carbohydrates ranged from 6.2 ± 0.50 w/w% in adults to 19.3 ± 0.50 w/w% in pupae and 13.6 ± 0.12 w/w% in larvae. Notably, BSF adult protein showed improved solubility in the pH range of 9–10. The oil holding capacity of BSF larvae high-protein extracts was lower than that of pupae, which was lower than adults. Pupae of the BSF had the maximum foam volume, whereas larvae and adults had somewhat lower values. The high-protein extracts from BSF larvae had the best emulsifying ability. The gelling capabilities of BSF high-protein extracts were investigated using a heat-induced technique, which revealed the commencement of gelation at different temperature ranges for larvae, pupae, and adults. This study highlights the diverse potential of BSF as a sustainable protein source, providing solutions for organic by−product management, resource recovery, and food sector innovation. Moreover, the different techno-functional properties of the BSF proteins in different life stages could indicate diverse applicability in various food products and the creation of novel products based on BSF-derived proteins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101463"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143601309","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Detecting the footprint of selection on the genome of Girgentana goat, a popular ancient breed","authors":"A. Criscione ,&nbsp;S. Ben Jemaa ,&nbsp;G. Chessari ,&nbsp;S. Riggio ,&nbsp;S. Tumino ,&nbsp;G. Cammilleri ,&nbsp;A. Lastra ,&nbsp;F. Carta ,&nbsp;M.T. Sardina ,&nbsp;B. Portolano ,&nbsp;S. Bordonaro ,&nbsp;A. Cesarani ,&nbsp;S. Mastrangelo","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101466","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101466","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Girgentana goats are an ancient breed with distinctive morphological, adaptive, and production traits, making this population an interesting model for studying the genetic architecture underlying these traits. These special features result from natural and human-mediated selection. In this study, we aimed to detect potential signatures of selection in the Girgentana genome by combining the following statistical methods: the integrated haplotype score (<strong>iHS</strong>), the standardised log-ratio of the integrated site-specific extended haplotype homozygosity test between pairs of populations (<strong>Rsb</strong>), the runs of homozygosity (<strong>ROH</strong>) islands and the population differentiation index (<strong>F_ST</strong>). A composite dataset of 206 Girgentana and 334 animals from 13 goat populations across Northern and Southern Italy was analysed. All animals were genotyped using an Illumina Goat medium-density BeadChip. Multidimensional scaling and neighbour-joining analyses revealed a clear separation of the three major clades, coinciding with Girgentana, Northern, and Southern Italian goats. Twelve regions putatively under selection were detected using iHS and Rsb, whereas 16 hotspot regions were identified using F_ST and ROH. Notably, a candidate region on chromosome 01 was consistently identified in all four tests. This region, along with other candidate regions, includes several genes associated with adaptive immunity, reproduction, and body size traits. The Girgentana breed showed signals of ongoing selection in a region of chromosome 6 encompassing several milk quality genes, such as caseins (<em>CSN2</em>, <em>CSN1S2</em>, and <em>CSN3</em>). Our study provides a glimpse into the genomic regions harbouring genes that presumably affect the desired features of Girgentana. This highlights the importance of ancient breeds in providing essential genetic traits for adapting livestock to increasing climate change challenges.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101466"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143593818","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Cow factors to address when performing avoidance distance tests at the feeding rack","authors":"L. Mounier ,&nbsp;I. Veissier ,&nbsp;J. Rimbaud ,&nbsp;X. Boivin ,&nbsp;N. Rebout ,&nbsp;A. de Boyer des Roches","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101461","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101461","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The human–animal relationship is an important component of farm-animal welfare. It is often assessed using ‘avoidance distance’, i.e. the distance at which animals avoid humans approaching them. However, this avoidance distance may be influenced by factors other than the human–animal relationship such as genetic background or health status. The objective of this cross-sectional epidemiological study was to assess the size of the effect of animal factors and testing conditions on the results of an avoidance test in dairy cows. Five observers applied a standardised test of avoidance distance at the feeding rack on 2 306 lactating cows from 103 dairy farms. We collected data on the independent variables: breed, parity and lameness, and height at withers, and calculated the height difference between the observer standing on the walking alley and each cow restrained at the feeding table. The avoidance distance of the cows, expressed in cm, was modelled using a linear mixed-effect model, with the above-mentioned independent variables as fixed factors, and the farm nested in observer as a random factor. The avoidance distance expressed in four categories as in the <span><span>Welfare Quality protocol (2009)</span></span> was modelled using a mixed effects ordinal regression with the same fixed and random factors. For the avoidance distance expressed in cm, we observed that intra-farm variability was twice as large as inter-farm variability (SD: 33.9 cm intra-farm vs 16.7 cm inter-farm). Avoidance distance increased by 7.0 cm (95%CI [3.8–10.2]) when the cow was multiparous and increased by 4 cm (95%CI [0.2–0.6]) when the height difference between observer and cow increased by 10 cm. Avoidance distance decreased by 9.9 cm (95%CI [−19.6 – −0.3]) when the cow was lame and decreased by 6.4 cm (95%CI [−23.4 – −0.4]) when the cow breed was Montbéliarde vs Holstein. For the avoidance distance expressed in categories, there was a significant effect of the height difference and the parity. A greater height difference as well as multiparous cows had a slightly increased likelihood of reaching a higher avoidance distance category. We conclude that avoidance-test results are influenced by cow-related factors (parity, height difference to experimenter, lameness status, and breed). Thus, to reliably use the avoidance distance test to assess the human–animal relationship at farm level, we recommend careful sampling of cows for testing based on these factors. The measured avoidance distance can also be corrected with a coefficient based on animal-specific factors and height difference between observer and cows.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101461"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143621377","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"How molting of laying hens influences body composition and blood parameters","authors":"L.M. van Eck ,&nbsp;E. Margaria ,&nbsp;M. Newcomb ,&nbsp;H. Enting ,&nbsp;R. Kwakkel","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101462","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101462","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The physiological and metabolic changes laying hens undergo during molt are poorly understood, but could aid in understanding why hens stop egg production during the first cycle of lay. We therefore induced a molt and studied how this influenced body composition, blood parameters and production performance. Additionally, four diets postmolt were fed in a 2 × 2 factorial design with two levels of metabolisable energy lay (<strong>ME Lay</strong>; low = 11.0 MJ and high = 11.9 MJ) and two apparent faecal digestible lysine levels (<strong>AFD</strong>; low = 0.58% and high = 0.72%). Data were subjected to mixed model analyses. A molt was successfully induced at 58 weeks of age, during which hens stopped consuming feed and producing eggs, and lost on average 21% BW. Most of this BW loss was due to body breast weight loss (−56 g, time effect <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and ovary loss (–33.6 g, time effect <em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and to a lesser extent due to fat pad loss (−7.1 g, time effect <em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). Early laying rate and egg mass production of hens fed the high AFD Lys diets postmolt were significantly higher compared to hens fed the low AFD Lys diet. Egg weights of hens fed high AFD Lys diets were lower. Both effects were only short-term in weeks 59–62 and indicated that high amino acid intake is important for early laying rate in the second cycle of lay, potentially related to feather growth and restoration of body protein. Hens fed low ME Lay diets increased average daily feed intake (ADFI) in weeks 62–65, compared to hens fed high ME Lay diets (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This resulted in higher ME Lay and AFD Lys intake (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Hens fed these low ME Lay diets had a higher egg mass production in weeks 62–65 (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), due to higher egg weights (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), without a difference in laying rate (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). Average daily gain was also significantly higher, mostly due to higher breast percentage (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). Hens fed low ME Lay diets probably needed a higher lipoprotein production in the liver to meet the egg production demand, indicated by higher plasma cholesterol (<em>P</em> = 0.07) and triglyceride (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) levels, and heavier liver weights (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). In conclusion, molting significantly influenced the body composition of laying hens, with reduced breast, liver and ovary weights. Lower postmolt ME Lay diets increased breast, liver and ovary weights and increased egg weights and egg mass production. High AFD Lys diets only showed a short-term positive effect on the laying rate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101462"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143563416","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Influence of genotype and environment on piglet vitality and metabolic state during the suckling period of divergent birth weight classes","authors":"H. Lickfett ,&nbsp;M. Oster ,&nbsp;A. Vernunft ,&nbsp;H. Reyer ,&nbsp;S. Görs ,&nbsp;C.C. Metges ,&nbsp;H. Bostedt ,&nbsp;K. Wimmers","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The high mortality rate of suckling piglets in commercial farms is a cause for concern and requires the adoption of innovative breeding and management approaches for effective mitigation. Piglets are particularly vulnerable during the first days of life, which concerns especially neonates with a low birth weight. In this study, neonatal adaptation was analysed regarding genotype and housing conditions following hormonally induced farrowing. A total of 96 piglets from 27 farrowings of German Landrace (<strong>GL</strong>; birth induction at day 115 of gestation) and German Saddleback sows (<strong>GS</strong>; birth induction at day 112 of gestation), kept either in crates (1.0 square metre) or pens (6.5 square metre) were studied. The piglets were assigned to birth weight categories (hypotrophic: 800–1 100 g; eutrophic: &gt; 1 100–1 500 g; hypertrophic: &gt; 1 500 g) and examined via repeated blood analyses on the following time period: 0–6 h, day 1, day 4, day 20 <em>postnatum</em>, and one−day <em>post</em>weaning. Analysed plasma metabolites included albumin, ammonia, chloride, cortisol, creatinine, fructose, glucose, haptoglobin, inositol, insulin, lactate, non-esterified fatty acids, sodium, total protein, triglycerides, triiodothyronine, urea, and uric acid. Eutrophic and hypertrophic piglets were grouped as controls due to metabolic similarities (<em>P</em> = 0.272), whereas hypotrophic piglets could be discriminated from heavier littermates (<em>P</em> = 0.025). The GS piglets appeared to have higher tissue maturity compared to GL piglets, as indicated by improved clearance of plasma ammonia and creatinine levels. This suggests that inducing birth in GS sows at gestation day 112 corresponds to the physiological gestation length of this breed. The housing environment during farrowing influenced plasma glucose and inositol levels during the neonatal adaptation period, which might be attributed to differences in physical activity in farrowing pens compared to crates. Results suggest a higher risk for hypotrophic neonates to exhibit a hypoglycaemia-hypothermia complex at birth, which can have significant implications for neonatal health and development but might be mitigated by the observed increased release of cortisol. These findings highlight that piglet vitality and plasma metabolite dynamics during the suckling period are shaped by genetic background, housing conditions, and birth weight, reflecting differences in tissue maturity, physical activity, and energy reserves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101460"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143571479","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Providing concentrate feed outside of the milking robot increases feed intake in dairy cows without reducing motivation to visit the robot","authors":"F.P. Johansen ,&nbsp;S. Buijs ,&nbsp;G. Arnott","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101459","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101459","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Appropriate and adequate feeding is essential to maintaining good health, productivity and welfare of dairy cows. Within automatic milking systems, concentrate feed is offered inside the milking robot, and is thought to play a key role in motivating cows to visit the robot for milking. As concentrate feed delivery takes place during milking, the amount of concentrate a cow can consume is limited by milking duration and consumption rate. Thus, some cows may require supplementary feeding, but concerns exist regarding the potential negative effects of allocating concentrate outside of the milking robot on motivation to visit the robot for milking. The study’s primary aims were to assess the effects of providing 80% of the cows’ concentrate allocation inside the robot or inside an out-of-parlour feeder (<strong>OOPF</strong>) on (1) milking frequency, refused milkings, and OOPF visit frequency, (2) lying time, (3) milk yield, and (4) partial mixed ration (<strong>PMR</strong>) intake and amount of daily concentrate allocation not consumed by the cows, and (5) time spent in the robot and OOPF. Forty-eight mid-late lactation dairy cows were split into two treatment groups, one of which received 80% of their concentrate ration inside the milking robot and 20% inside the OOPF (robot high), whereas the other received 20% of their concentrate inside the milking robot and 80% via the OOPF (robot low). The study took place over a 4-week period. GLMMs assessed the effects of treatment and time on the dependent variables milking frequency, refused milkings, OOPF visit frequency, lying time, milk yield, PMR intake, and amount of concentrate feed left unconsumed. No effects of treatment on milking frequency, refused milkings, milking time, or lying time were found. As expected, ‘robot low’ cows visited more frequently and spent more time in the OOPF than ‘robot high’ cows. Finally, ‘robot high’ cows left more of their allocated concentrate ration unconsumed, which suggests that feed consumption may be limited by milking duration and may result in cows not meeting their energy targets. In conclusion, allocating a portion of concentrate feed outside of the milking robot does not affect motivation to visit the robot or time spent resting, only briefly affects PMR intake and milk yield, and may enable cows to better meet their concentrate feed targets, all of which may positively affect health, productivity and welfare.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 4","pages":"Article 101459"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143576985","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Editorial: Challenges of food and feed for the future","authors":"R. Baumont ,&nbsp;D. Morgavi ,&nbsp;A. Wezel","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101418","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2025.101418","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101418"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143172453","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Title page","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00020-5","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S1751-7311(25)00020-5","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 ","pages":"Article 101437"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143173643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Prediction of growth and feed efficiency in mink using machine learning algorithms","authors":"A. Shirzadifar ,&nbsp;G. Manafiazar ,&nbsp;P. Davoudi ,&nbsp;D. Do ,&nbsp;G. Hu ,&nbsp;Y. Miar","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101330","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101330","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The feed efficiency (<strong>FE</strong>) expresses as the amount of feed required per unit of BW gain. Since feed cost is the major input cost in the mink industry, evaluating of FE is a crucial step for competitiveness of the mink industry. However, the FE measures have not been widely adopted for the mink due to the high cost of periodically measuring BW and daily feed intake. Measuring individual daily feed intake and BW is time-consuming, labor-intensive, and stressful for the animals and mink producers. The main objectives of this study were to (1) evaluate the application of machine learning (<strong>ML</strong>) algorithms to predict the average daily gain (<strong>ADG</strong>), feed conversion ratio (<strong>FCR</strong>), and residual feed intake (<strong>RFI</strong>) values during the whole growing and furring period (15 weeks from August 1st to November 14th) using less expensive features such as sex, color type, age, BW and length; (2) find the most significant contributing feature within the growth and furring period to predict the ADG, FCR and RFI. The color and sex features were recorded on 1 088 mink and mink’s age, BW and length were measured every 3 weeks from August 1st to November 14th which is called P1–P5. The ADG, FCR, and RFI were then predicted by the selected ML algorithms using multiple combinations of the observed and measured features from P1 to P5. By comparing the calculated ADG, FCR, and RFI values with the predicted values, it was determined that the most accurate combination of features was to include all features such as sex, color, age, BW and body length on August 1st (at the beginning of the P1). Among selected ML algorithms, the extreme gradient boosting (<strong>XGB</strong>) algorithm provided the most accurate and reliable prediction for the ADG (<em>R²</em> = 0.71, RMSE = 0.10), FCR (<em>R²</em> = 0.74, RMSE = 0.14), and RFI (<em>R²</em> = 0.76, RMSE = 0.10). The XGB algorithm can be an accurate algorithm to predict the ADG, FCR, and RFI values without measuring costly daily feed intake. In addition, sex was identified as the most significant feature to predict the ADG, FCR, and RFI values with the importance scores of 0.85, 0.67, and 0.79, respectively.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101330"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143042241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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":"Timing, risk factors, and causes of foetal and preweaning lamb mortality in lowland production systems involving a range of ewe genotypes","authors":"D. Shiels ,&nbsp;J.F. Mee ,&nbsp;J.P. Hanrahan ,&nbsp;C.M. Dwyer ,&nbsp;S. Fagan ,&nbsp;T.W.J. Keady","doi":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101401","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.animal.2024.101401","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Reducing lamb mortality has production, economic and animal welfare benefits. The timing and causes of death and associated risk factors were investigated in a study conducted over 2 consecutive years (involving 1 103 and 1 038 ewes in 2017 and 2018, respectively) in three prolific (average litter size 1.91) indoor-lambing, lowland flocks (in Ireland) that consisted of a range of genotypes, managed in grass-based systems of production. Data were collected from all foetuses and lambs that died (between ∼120 days gestation and weaning at 14 weeks of age); 221 cases in 2017 and 241 cases in 2018. All cases were submitted to a Regional Veterinary Laboratory for necropsy examination using standardised protocols that were developed in advance of case submissions. The majority (60%) of lamb mortality occurred prior to or within 24 h of birth: 46% at or prior to birth and 14% within the first 24 h. Infection (32%) and dystocia (20%) accounted for over half of the mortality. <em>Chlamydia abortus</em> was detected more often in lambs from 2-year-old ewes lambing for the first time than in lambs from older ewes. Dystocia accounted for a statistically significant higher proportion of deaths among purebred lambs born to Texel ewes (49.4%, 95%CI (confidence interval) 36.0 – 62.9) compared to purebred lambs born to Belclare ewes (12.8, 95%CI 2.2 – 23.5). More lambs failed to yield a diagnosis of the cause of death when born to Belclare ewes (29.2%, 95%CI 17.8 – 40.6) than to Suffolk-X ewes (7.4%, 95%CI 0.1 – 14.8). About one−third of lamb mortality cases were adjudged to be preventable through more consideration of management factors during pregnancy, parturition and early postpartum. The use of good hygiene practices at lambing time and optimising lamb birth weight should reduce the level of preweaning lamb mortality in indoor lambing flocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50789,"journal":{"name":"Animal","volume":"19 2","pages":"Article 101401"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143076089","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}