Maternal and Neonatal Behaviour in Italian Mediterranean Buffaloes

The aim of this study was to describe the neonatal and maternal behaviour of Italian Mediterranean buffaloes. Thirty primiparous buffaloes were moved into individual pens 12.5 (±2.5) days before calving. Maternal and neonatal behaviours were recorded for 48 h after calving and the analysis was performed in continuous sampling with the software BORIS. Calves’ clinical evaluations (temperature, weight, and heart and respiratory rates) were performed at different time intervals and correlated with behavioural data from the dam. Data were analysed with parametric and non-parametric methods after controlling their distribution. The maternal behavioural pattern found highlighted buffaloes’ priorities during the post-partum period: firstly, they stand and start grooming to ensure proper care for the calf; it is only after this that they dedicate time to maintenance behaviours (feeding and lying). The dams mainly groomed the calf during the first six hours after calving (average time in the 1–6-h interval: 7.7 ± 2.5 min., F = (2.5, 60.2) = 75.0; p < 0.001) to ensure the formation of the mother–infant bond; thereafter, the behaviour decreased over time. As reported in the literature, inexperienced mothers could sometimes delay the calf’s first suckling with aggressive or rejection behaviours. In this regard, 16 buffalo dams showed at least one maternal rejection behaviour, which was found to negatively correlate with calves’ daily weight gain (DWG) at 14 (rs = −0.5, p = 0.02) and 21 days (rs = −0.7, p < 0.001). The calves took on average 212.0 ± 110.0 min to suckle, and this behaviour was mainly shown during the first six hours. Overall, suckling behaviour was correlated with standing: (rs = 0.6, p < 0.001) and walking (rs = 0.9, p < 0.001). The calves’ live weight and DWG were consistently higher than the values reported in the literature. Our results present a detailed description of maternal and neonatal behaviour in the early post-partum period in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes. We also found that maternal rejection behaviours can negatively influence the calves’ growth. Finally, we think that such results can improve the management of buffaloes during the period around parturition

Oxidative status of Marchigiana beef enriched in n-3 fatty acids and vitamin E, treated with a blend of oregano and rosemary essential oils

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of basal dietary supplementation with linseed and linseed plus vitamin E in Marchigiana young bulls on the instrumental color, oxidative stability, and fatty acid composition of beef steaks with and without treatment with a blend of essential oils (oregano and rosemary) after storage times of 0, 3, 6, and 9 days. The fatty acid composition was evaluated in meat after 0 and 9 days of storage. No variation in the fatty acid composition of each type of meat was observed after storage. The use of dietary linseed and vitamin E, compared with linseed alone, significantly improved the oxidative stability, lightness (L∗), and redness (a∗) of the meat. A higher degree of oxidation was observed in meat samples from animals in the group fed linseed (L) followed by the control group (C) and the group fed linseed and vitamin E (LE). Moreover, the essential oils treatment (O) exerts a significant effect on beef oxidative stability of the group LE more than groups C and L during storage. The fatty acid composition of the meat was also affected by the diet: levels of healthful fatty acids (PUFA, n-3 PUFA, and CLA) were higher in meat from the groups that received linseed than the control group. Our results suggest that dietary vitamin E and treatment with essential oils are effective approaches to preserving the stability of beef cattle receiving a diet enriched in unsaturated fatty acids for up to 9 days of storage

The Environmental Impact and the Role of Animal Welfare for the Sustainability of Sheep Farming

The present doctoral thesis focuses on exploring the complexity of the sustainability of the sheep supply chain from various perspectives. Chapter 1 provides an overview on the environmental sustainability of livestock production, with a specific focus on sheep farming. Chapter 2 investigates the direct measurement of enteric methane (CH4) emissions from sheep across 14 farms using a Laser Methane Detector (LMD). It contrasts these measurements with estimates from predictive equations integrated into the CAP’2ER® tool. Although the CAP’2ER® estimates were higher by 1.5 kg CH4/head/year for dairy and lower by 0.9 kg CH4/head/year for meat farms compared to LMD measurements, both methods demonstrated a relatively strong correlation (ρ= 0.77; p < 0.001). Notably, the Root Mean Square Error of the estimates, using LMD as a reference, was 3.5, suggesting high predictive accuracy for methane production. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using LMD for non-invasive and large-scale CH4 emission assessments and the effectiveness of both approaches in ranking high and low emitters. Chapter 3 evaluates four Life Cycle Assessment (LCA)-based tools (CAP’2ER®, ArdiCarbon, SheepLCA, and CarbonSheep) for estimating the carbon footprint of the entire sheep supply chain across 24 European case study farms (12 dairy and 12 meat). The findings indicate substantial differences in carbon footprint estimates among the tools (p<0.001), with CAP’2ER® consistently providing higher figures due to its methodology for estimating CH4 emissions and its choice of emission factors. This thesis proposes guidelines to standardize estimates across these tools. Chapter 4 presents a review of the current understanding of animal welfare's role in the sustainability of livestock farming. Chapter 5 details scenario modelling studies conducted on dairy and meat sheep farming systems to evaluate the environmental costs of compromised welfare conditions using the Agrecalc© tool. Overstocking in dairy farms resulted in the most significant carbon footprint increase (+11%), while lameness in meat farms had a substantial impact (+8- 15%). These findings underscore the potential environmental benefits of improved animal welfare and the importance of targeting win-win mitigation strategies. Chapter 6 systematically summarizes the methodologies utilized to date for incorporating animal welfare indicators into LCA. Guidelines to facilitate this integration were proposed, and a case study of their application on a dairy sheep farm was presented. Chapter 7, introduces the need to adopt a holistic vision for sustainability assessments, including not only animal welfare and environmental sustainability, but also socio- economic factors. A common holistic framework was presented, developed through a multi-stakeholder consultation. The present doctoral thesis lays the foundation for future research and contributes to enhancing the knowledge for the sustainable transformation of the sheep sector, with a particular focus on the links between animal welfare and environmental sustainability

The potential of improved animal welfare as an environmental impact mitigation strategy in dairy sheep farming

The urgent need to limit global warming requires all productive sectors to commit to the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In this context, the livestock sector, responsible for 14.5% of anthropogenic GHG emissions, is called upon to choose and implement appropriate mitigation solutions. Relatively few studies have quantified the effect of poor animal welfare on the environmental impact of farms. Therefore, it is difficult to hypothesise to which extent good practices of animal welfare improvement might contribute to GHG mitigation. The present work aims to quantify the GHG mitigation potential allowed by the improvement of impaired welfare scenarios in dairy sheep farms from the Mediterranean basin

Water Use in Livestock Agri-Food Systems and Its Contribution to Local Water Scarcity: A Spatially Distributed Global Analysis

There is a growing concern about limited water supply and water scarcity in many river basins across the world. The agricultural sector is the largest user of freshwater on the planet, with a growing amount of water extracted for livestock systems. Here, we use data from the GLEAM model to advance previous studies that estimated livestock water footprints by quantifying water use for feed production, animal drinking water, and animal service water. We additionally account for the role of trade in accounting for feed water allocations to different animals in different countries and make use of a hydrologic model to estimate feed irrigation water requirements for individual crops at a high spatial resolution. Lastly, we estimate the contribution of livestock water abstractions to water stress at a small river basin scale for the entire globe. We find that feed production water accounts for the majority (>90%) of global livestock water withdrawals, though there is regional variation. Similarly, we find large regional variation in the water consumption per head by livestock species. Despite consuming >200 km3 of water per year, we find that reducing water use in the livestock system alone will rarely reduce water stress in high-stress basins. This study highlights the need for quantifying locally relevant water use and water stress metrics for individual livestock systems

Assessment of Seasonal Variation in Methane Emissions of Mediterranean Buffaloes Using a Laser Methane Detector

: A direct assessment of the methane (CH4) emission level and its variability factors is needed in each animal species in order to target the best mitigation strategy for the livestock sector. Therefore, the present study aimed to (1) test a laser methane detector (LMD) for the first time in Italian Mediterranean buffaloes (IMB), a non-invasive tool to quantify CH4 emissions; (2) test the effect of season on the emissions; and (3) compare the results measured directly with the ones estimated with the existing equations. CH4 emissions of twenty non-productive IMB, under the same feeding regimen, were monitored for 12 days in summer and winter. Significantly higher THI (74.46 ± 1.88 vs. 49.62 ± 4.87; p < 0.001), lower DMI (2.24 ± 0.04 vs. 2.51 ± 0.03% DMI/kg live weight; p < 0.001) and lower emission intensities (0.61 ± 0.15 vs. 0.75 ± 0.13; p < 0.001) were found during the summer period when compared with winter. LMD was found to be a versatile tool to be used in buffaloes, and it was clear that a summer increase in THI could act as a stressor for the animals, influencing their emissions. In addition, measured emissions were significantly higher than when estimated with the existing equations (p < 0.001), suggesting the need for further research in this area

Potential of Fruits and Vegetable By-Products as an Alternative Feed Source for Sustainable Ruminant Nutrition and Production: A Review

The agro-food industry produces tons of waste at different stages in the food production process, creating a massive ecological crisis. If implemented, the use of fruit and vegetable by-products (FVBPs) in animal nutrition has the potential to lessen the environmental footprint of the food production chain, lower animal feeding costs, and improve the quality and sustainability of animal products. Recent research on the inclusion of FVBPs, naturally enriched with polyphenols, in the diets of small and large ruminants has shown some promising outcomes, which we discuss in this review. The effects of FVBPs on digestion, rumen fermentation, methane emissions, rumen liquor fatty acid profile, and milk production are examined. Due to the chemical composition and the presence of certain bioactive compounds, FVBPs are capable of influencing the ruminal and intestinal ecosystem through improved kinetics of fermentation. Several in vivo studies have demonstrated that the dietary inclusion of FVBPs resulted in improved milk production and composition without any negative effect on animal performance. Using FVBPs as an alternative to conventional feedstuffs may promote sustainable animal production and nutrition. However, it must be stressed that the efficacy of these feed supplements is conditional on the source, kind, and quantity employed

Parity and nutrient total-tract digestibility in dairy cows during transition period

Cows experience many physiological, nutritional and social changes during transition period. This study aims to evaluate the differences in nutrients total-tract digestibility (nTTD) between primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP) cows through the transition period. From -23, -5, 0, 7, 14, and 30 days from calving a sample of feed and feces samples were collected from 25 Holstein cows (11 PP and 14 MP) as well as daily rumination time through accelerometers.The results show that average nTTD were different (p ≤ 0.02) for amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber organic matter (aNDFom) and potentially digestible neutral detergent fiber (pdNDF240; 52.5 vs. 54.0 and 78.8 vs. 81.3, respectively in PP vs. MP), while no differences were found regarding pdNDF24 and starch (88.5 vs. 88.6 and 95.1 vs. 96.1, respectively in PP vs. MP). Total-tract starch digestibility (TTstarchD) was different among timepoints (p < 0.01), going from an average of 91.40 up to 97.39% of starch, on times -23 and 14, respectively. Differences in total-tract digestibility of aNDFom among timepoints (p < 0.01) was expected because of differences in diet composition among lactating and non-lactating cows. No differences in daily rumination time (p = 0.92), TTstarchD and total-tract potentially digestible NDF digestibility at 24 h (TTpdNDF24D) were recorded. Our findings show that fiber digestibility during the transition period is higher in MP probably for a different ruminal retention time. These differences should be considered when formulating rations for groups with different parity number

Evaluation of Brix Refractometry to Estimate Immunoglobulin G Content in Buffalo Colostrum and Neonatal Calf Serum

Brix refractometry has been widely demonstrated to be a useful tool for monitoring colostrum management program and passive immunity transfer (PIT) in Bovines, but its suitability has never been verified in Buffalo. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of a simple and rapid tool such as a digital Brix refractometer to estimate colostrum quality and for evaluating the success of passive transfer of immunoglobulin G (IgG) in Buffalo calves. The optimal cut points levels for Brix Refractometry for distinguishing good- and poor-quality colostrum and for assessing the adequacy of passive immunity transfer in calves were determined. For this aim, 26 first-milking maternal colostrum (MC) were collected from first-calf heifers. Blood samples were obtained from their calves at birth (T0) and 72 hours after (T3). Colostrum and Serum IgG content were determined by indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), whereas total protein (TP, g/dL) and percentage Brix (%Brix) by means of a digital Brix refractometer. The mean colostrum IgG was 64.9 ± 29.3 mg/mL. The mean serum %Brix at T3 was 9.6 ± 0.9 %. The mean serum IgG content at T3 was 11.1 ± 2.0 mg/mL. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (rp) was determined between Brix and ELISA measurements: colostrum %Brix showed a significant correlation with serum %Brix (rp = 0.82, p &lt; 0.001); serum %Brix was highly correlated with serum TP (STP, g/dL) (rp = 0.98, p &lt; 0.001) and serum IgG (mg/mL) (rp = 0.85, p &lt; 0.001). A cut point of 18% Brix to estimate samples of MC ≥ 50 mg/mL from first-calf heifers was more appropriate for the buffalo. A cut point of 8.4% Brix resulted in the greatest percentage of calf serum samples being correctly classified. Based on our findings, a digital Brix refractometer could be a useful tool to monitor colostrum quality and to estimate PIT in Buffalo calves