Effects of extruded corn on milk yield and composition and blood parameters in lactating dairy cows

According to a 2x2 cross over design, fourteen Holstein dairy cows at 99±55 DIM were fed two diets containing 21.5% DM of either ground corn (GC) or extruded corn (EC). Performance and metabolic profile were detected during the third week of each experimental period. DMI and milk yield were not affected by dietary treatments. Milk fat and protein percentage of EC diet were significantly (P<0.10) lower than those of GC diet. Probably the higher rumen degradability of starch from EC thesis modified the synthesis of specific fatty acids leading to a milk fat depression event. Diets did not influence blood parameters, except for lower values of total protein and glucose content in EC diet-fed cows. Results suggested that the dietary inclusion of extruded corn should not be used at the tested level of substitution

The dietary inclusion of Portulaca oleracea to the diet of laying hens increases the n-3 fatty acids content and reduces the cholesterol content in the egg yolk

The effect of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)-enriched diet on yolk fatty acid profile and cholesterol content was evaluated. Dried Poutulaca oleracea (purslane: PO diet) was added to a commercial diet (C diet) at 20% of inclusion level. The effect of the supplemented diet was compared to that of C diet. Twenty-six laying hens were fed ad libitum for 21 days with the 2 diets, supplemented also with 300 mg α-tocopherol acetate/kg. Eggs were collected and then the fatty acids (FA) profile and the cholesterol content were analysed. The PO diet significantly reduced the saturated FA content (P<0.05) and increased that of the polyunsaturated FA (PUFA): 18:2 n-6 (P<0.001), 18:3 n-3 (P<0.001) and 22:6 n-3 (DHA; P<0.01). Both n-6 and n-3 PUFA significantly increased with the PO diet and the n-6/n-3 ratio was improved (10.4 vs 11.3; P<0.05)

A blend of animal and cereal protein or fish meal as partial replacement for soybean meal in the diets of lactating Holstein cows.

Abstract Six replications in Experiment 1 and four replications in Experiment 2 of a 3 × 3 Latin square arrangement of treatments were used to compare soybean meal or soybean meal partially replaced with fish meal or a protein blend for response in intake, milk yield and composition, ruminal NH 3 N, blood urea, and ruminal fermentation in lactating Holstein cows. The blend contained 30% corn gluten meal, 30% poultry by-products, 30% blood meal, and 10% feather meal. Periods were 28 d, and the first 7 d were used for adjustment. In addition to these protein sources, diets contained corn silage, alfalfa haylage, dried cracked corn, ground barley plus added fat, and a mineral and vitamin mixture. In Experiment 1, mean DMI was 24.4kg, mean milk yield was 36.7kg, mean fat percentage was 3.48%, and mean milk protein percentage was 3.06%; there were no significant differences. In Experiment 2, DMI was different for soybeans (22.6kg) versus other sources (21.4kg), but milk yield (32.1kg) and fat (3.39%) and protein (2.87%) percentages did not differ among diets. In Experiment 1, ruminal NH 3 N was greatest for cows consuming soybean diets (11.0 mg/dl) and lowest for cows consuming diets containing the protein blend (8.7 mg/dl). No differences in VFA were found. The lack of response to RUP can be explained by a rather high intake of a fermentable diet, which supplied sufficient absorbable AA according to the Cornell AA model

Effect of non-forage roughage replacement on feeding behaviour and milk production in dairy cows

The objective of this study was to determine whether the partial replacement of roughage from forage with non-forage fiber sources, in a total mixed ration (TMR), could reduce feed sorting by dairy cows without modifying behaviour and milk production. Twelve Holstein cows were fed two TMR maize silage based diets in a cross-over experiment. Compared to the control diet (C-diet), experimental diet (E-diet) was formulated by replacing 8% neutral detergent fibre (NDF) from straw and alfalfa hay with soybean hulls and wheat bran. E-diet had a lower physical effectiveness factor (pef) (0.37 vs 0.34; P<0.001) and physical effective NDF (peNDF) (15.5 vs 14.6%; P<0.01). Feeding and sorting behaviour, ruminal activity, milk yield and composition and blood metabolites were measured. The results indicated that dry matter intake was not affected by diet. Cows fed the experimental TMR spent less time eating (192 vs. 178 min/d; P<0.05) but showed the same number of meals per day. C-diet fed cows sorted against peNDF in a greater extent (98.3 100.9%; P<0.05). Treatments did not affect cows time budget of general behaviors, with particular regard to ruminating activity. Despite different forage sources in TMR, no significant differences in milk yield and quality were detected

Administration of high amounts of two solid feeds to veal calves: effects on growth performance and slaughter traits

The study aimed at assessing the effects on growth performance and slaughter traits of two type of solid feeds (Maize grain vs. Mix) administrated to veal calves in amounts exceeding the minimum recommended by the welfare legislation. Fifty Polish Friesian calves, housed in 5 group pens per each experimental treatment, were fed the same milk replacer diett twice a day. After milk distribution a growing amount of solid feed was distributed through the fattening period. The type of solid feed did not affect calves final body weight and average daily gain although intake of solid feed was higher innnnnnnnnnnnncalves fed the Mix diet. Carcass weight and dressing percentage were no significantly affected by the two diets. Despite the higher haemoglobin level resulted with the Mix diet, no relevant differences between the two feeding treatments were observed regarding carcass colour parameters that were suitable for the meat market

Effect of the partial replacement of fish meal and oil by vegetable products on performance and quality traits of juvenile shi drum (Umbrina cirrosa L.)

A four-month growth trial was carried out in order to evaluate performance and quality traits of juvenile shi drum fedwith two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets having different amounts of vegetable products (Vegetable diet vs. Controldiet). Compared to the Control diet, the Vegetable diet was formulated by increasing the replacement of fish meal (14%)with soybean and cereal products, and fish oil (12%) with a mixture of vegetable oil. On June, 4 groups of 225 fish (2replicates per dietary treatment) were sorted according to live weight and reared in fibreglass tanks over a four- monthlong experimental period. Fish were hand fed to apparent satiety. Offered feed, growth parameters and feed efficiencywere recorded as productive performance. At the end of the trial (October) biometric, chemical and reological traits wereexamined to assess fish quality. The dietary treatments showed similar productive performance. The relatively high inclusionof vegetable sources led to a significant modification of body shape, mesenteric fat and viscera weight. Among qualitytraits, Vegetable diet-fed fish demonstrated a significantly lower whole body and fillet crude protein content.Yellowness value of the cooked fillet was significantly lower in the Control diet-fed fish, whereas fillet texture was similar.The results of this research showed that shi drum is a suitable candidate for Mediterranean marine aquaculture andits dietary formulation might include at least the amount of vegetable sources used in this trial

Short communication: The relationship between dietary particle size and undegraded neutral detergent fibre in lactating dairy cows: A prospective cohort observational study

Abstract Physically effective NDF (peNDF) and undegraded aNDF at 240 h (uNDF.240) are important parameters for characterizing NDF in fibre evaluation and are associated with dietary physical form and fibre digestibility characteristics. A new concept that combines peNDF and uNDF.240, physically effective uNDF.240 (peuNDF.240 = pef × uNDF.240), was recently established. The peuNDF.240 value allows determination of dry matter intake (DMI), and the productive response of cows even in the absence of variation in DMI or when cows are fed rations with low uNDF.240 and high peNDF or rations with high uNDF.240 and more finely chopped fibre. The aim of this study was to improve our understanding of the relationships between dietary uNDF.240 content to other fibre fractions, average cow DMI, gross feed efficiency, and milk yield at the farm level. Furthermore, the relation between peuNDF.240 and the productive response of cows was also investigated at the farm level. In the Po' Valley, which is a representative area for dairy production in Italy, a cohort of 22 Holstein dairy farms was monitored over two years (2019–2020). Information regarding average cow DMI, milk yield, and ration composition was obtained through interviews with farmers, and feed samples were collected and chemically analysed. Farms were classified according to their dietary uNDF.240 (% of DM) content: low (uL) ≤ 8.29 or high (uH) > 8.29. Farms with low dietary uNDF.240 used less alfalfa forage as a fibre source compared with farms with high dietary uNDF.240 (6.27 vs. 15.5 % of DM) and showed higher average milk yield (35.9 vs. 33.6 kg/cow/day, respectively) and similar DMI (23.9 vs. 24.3 kg/cow/day, respectively). Dietary peuNDF.240 was negatively related to milk yield (milk yield = 47.4 – 1.87 peuNDF.240, R2 = 0.62, adjusted R2 = 0.60, residual standard error (RSE) = 1.87, P = 0.001) and gross feed efficiency (gross feed efficiency = 1.96 – 0.08 peuNDF.240, R2 = 0.65, adjusted R2 = 0.64, RSE = 0.07, P = 0.001). The results of this study have practical significance for farmers, as they suggest that the inclusion of low digestible forages in the ration (i.e., late-harvested alfalfa characterized by high uNDF.240) may require more fine shredding to reduce the overall value of peuNDF.240 and increase cow production

IN-SITU RUMINAL DISAPPEARANCE OF ESSENTIAL AMINO-ACIDS IN PROTEIN FEEDSTUFFS

Four protein sources were incubated in situ to estimate AA disappearance. Bags containing either soybean meal, corn gluten meal, herring meal, or meat meal were washed in water or suspended in the rumen of two Holstein cows for 8, 12, 16, 24, 48, 72, and 120 h. Cytosine, a bacterial marker for microbial contamination, was used to correct the essential AA profile for microbial contribution to determine the residual essential AA composition of the protein sources after incubation. Ruminal disappearance of individual essential AA was different among feedstuffs. Relative to original feed protein, soybean meal and corn gluten meal decreased the concentration of specific essential AA in the RUP. Concentration of all essential AA, except Arg and His, increased in undegraded meat meal protein. The difference between original and residual AA concentrations in herring meal approached statistical significance. Use of the original AA profile of the feed protein to predict essential AA available for absorption is not accurate because accuracy differs with sources

towards the creation of a welfare assessment system in intensive beef cattle farms

This study aimed to develop an assessment scheme for the evaluation at farm level of beef cattle welfare in the intensive rearing system that is capable of both identifying weak points in animal welfare and grading farms to such extent. The basic principle of the method was the avoidance of animal handling and the prolonged observation of cattle using animal-based and resource provision measures grouped in four classes of parameters: 1) Housing systems and facilities; 2) Health and cleanliness; 3) Animal behaviour and reactivity; 4) Quality of management and stockmanship. Each parameter was graded giving the highest scores to the best option for animal welfare, and the threshold value for distinguishing good from poor welfare conditions was set primarily on the results of scientific reports and investigations. An overall Welfare Index was calculated summing the scores of the 4 classes of parameters to formulate a general judgement of the farm and to allow comparison among them. The protocol was applied to 102 Italian intensive beef cattle farms rearing more than 300 young bulls/year. Regarding housing and facilities, the study showed that space allowance and space at the manger were the most frequent critical points. Within the “poor welfare” farms, more than 80% provided less than 3.5 m2/head to bulls weighing more than 500 kg, and none adopted a feeding frontage of at least 60 cm/head. Negatively judged farms compared to those ranked in the good welfare area for health and cleanliness showed a higher incidence of emergency slaughter (score 1.7: >1% vs score 3: 0.5-1%, P<0.05) and lameness (score 1.9: 1.5-3% vs score 3.3: <1.5%, P<0.05). Animal behaviour and reactivity parameters showed that in the “poor welfare” farms, bulls had a quicker flight reaction to the presence of both farmer and observer (P<0.01) likely due to a negative human-animal interaction. The quality of stockmanship was the category in which the highest number of farms failed to reach the acceptable threshold. Animal welfare was mainly impaired by the practice of tail docking and reduced feed availability. Although none of the farms included in the survey reached the maximum overall score, less then 30% were graded in the poor welfare area, penalized mainly by low management quality. The protocol was shown to be effective in detecting specific critical points for animal welfare, even if further development should be addressed to testing repeatability at different fattening stages

Near infrared calibration transfer for undried whole maize plant between laboratory and on-site spectrometers

The analysis of the maize plant immediately after harvest is essential in order to check the composition and maturity of the plant to optimise the quality of silage. NIRS calibrations were carried out on chopped maize using three spectrophotometers: a laboratory instrument (FOSS NIRSystems 5000 scanning monochromator, FOSS, Silver Spring, MD) and two versions of newgeneration portable instruments (poliSPECNIR, PL1 and PL2). The aim was to verify the quality of the transfer of the calibration curves between FOSS, PL1 and PL2 and between PL1 and PL2, obtained by three methods of spectra processing: pre-processing, piecewise direct standardisation (PDS) and direct standardisation (DS). Seventy-six samples of chopped whole maize plant were scanned with the three instruments and were analysed by wet chemistry for dry matter (DM), ash, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF), starch and total sugars, to develop calibration equations. Two more datasets of 15 samples each were used for the standardisation of equations and validation. The calibration transfer obtained, according to the values of R2, standard error of prediction and bias, can be considered satisfactory (0.72>R2<0.97) for DM, ash and NDF for both poliSPECNIR, while CP and ADF have shown a good accuracy of prediction (0.78>R2<0.82) with PL2. Using FOSS as a master instrument, the choice of method of standardisation varies depending on the slave instrument even though the best results are obtained using PDS with PL2. The most accurate predictions are reached using PDS even when PL1 is the master