Estimated requirements of net energy, digestible protein and NDF intake of young Chianina bulls from 400 kg liveweight to slaughter

Three equations have been elaborated and proposed to predict the requirements of net energy and protein digestible in the intestine and NDF voluntary intake of growing young Chianina bulls, starting from 400 kg live weight. The animals examined in the present study were 100 young Chianina bulls starting from about 400 kg live weight, at 10 months of age, up to the average slaughter weight of 800 kg at 20 months average age. The diet was based on hay and concentrates. The equation for the prediction of net energy fits quite perfectly to another experimental equation formerly proposed by Giorgetti and is characterised by a very high value of the correlation coefficient for the regression comparison between observed and predicted figures (R2=0.90). The statistical reliance degree of the PDIN prediction equation is lower, but still very good (R2=0.75 between observed and predicted values), but that of the estimate of NDF daily intake resulted very poor (R2=0.26 between observed and predicted values), probably due to the non homogeneity of the intake capacity of the 100 examined animals. The correlation between daily gains and the concentration of NDF in the diet DM results good (R2=0.87), showing that young Chianina bulls take advantage of the diet fibre. Further useful indications on the nutritional and dietary requirements of young Chianina bulls are added to the scarce information currently available

Effect of tannin supplementation on nitrogen digestibility and retention in growing pigs.

Two levels (0.25% and 0.5%) of water soluble chestnut tannin were added to the diet of growing pigs in a 40 days feeding trial, from the average body weight of 76kg up to about 110kg. As expected, a significant depression of the apparent digestibility of both dietary dry matter and nitrogen was recorded with level 0.5%, but the decrease of retained nitrogen was not statistically significant, due to the higher dietary nitrogen. It is concluded that the present preliminary study showed that a concentration of 250g tannin per 100kg mixed feed does not appreciably influence the animals' performance. The aspect of a possible beneficial effect on the gut microflora deserves further studies

Use of a citrus by-product in broilers diets

The European Union is about to ban antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds. Organic products have been recently revalued and the animal science research showed a great interest in the study of alternative natural nutraceutical products in animal feeding. Flavonoids are plant pigments able to inhibit or kill many bacterial strains, to destroy some pathogenic protozoa and to scavenge free radicals

Effect of forage /concentrate ratio and soybean oil supplementation on in vitro fatty acid profile of sheep rumen liquor.

In an in vitro trial, the effect of forage/concentrate ratio (F/C) and soybean oil (SO) supplementation on rumen liquor fatty acids profile was studied with the aim to evaluate changes in the profiles of biohydrogenation intermediates during the fermentation process. Feed samples of four diets were inoculated with sheep rumen liquor: i) high F/C and no SO; ii) high F/C and SO; iii) low F/C and no SO; iv) low F/C and SO. Fermentation times were 6, 12 h. Trans fatty acid were formed when oil supplement or a low forage content were present in the diets, but at different times of fermentation, as a consequence of a shift from the usual rumen biohydrogenation pathway. In fact, when a higher forage percentage was included in the diet, the alternative pathways of rumen biohydrogenation did not occur; trans10 C18:1 concentration was low and neither trans10, cis12 CLA nor trans, trans CLA appeared

effect of butyric acid on the performance and carcass yield of broiler chickens

Short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate are considered potential alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters. The efficacy of butyric acid on performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens was tested in two studies. The effect of dietary butyrate on the ability to withstand coccidial oocyte challenge also was investigated. In experiment 1, male broiler chickens were fed diets supplemented with 0 or 11 ppm virginiamycin or 0.2 or 0.4% butyric acid (as mono-, di-, and triglyceride). In experiment 2, broilers were fed bacitracin methylene disalicylate or 0.1 or 0.2% butyric acid. In another trial, birds vaccinated against coccidiosis were challenged with oocytes at 21 d and examined 6 d later. In experiment 1, diet treatments had no effect on body weight gain. Feed intake of the birds fed 0.4% butyric acid was decreased (P < 0.01) compared with birds fed the nonmedicated diet during the starter period, whereas birds fed 0.2% butyric acid had similar feed intake to the control birds. In experiment 2, diet treatments did not affect the performance of broiler chicks while carcass weight and breast meat yield increased (P < 0.01) in birds fed 0.2% butyric acid. With oocyte challenge, birds that had received butyric acid before challenge showed higher growth rate following the challenge compared with birds that received nonmedicated feed. Bacitracin decreased (P < 0.05%) duodenal villi crypt depth, whereas villus length was similar in birds fed butyric acid or the nonmedicated control diet. These results show that 0.2% butyric acid can help to maintain the performance and carcass quality of broilers, especially in vaccinated birds challenged with coccidiosis

Inclusion of fresh forage in the ration for dairy cows: effects on CLA and trans C18:1 isomers content of milk fat

Milk fat is the richest natural source of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers. The 9-cis, 11-trans CLA isomer (rumenic acid, RA) origins from two pathways: as an intermediate of the rumen biohydrogenation process of linoleic acid or as the product of the activity of mammary Stearoyl Co-A desaturase enzyme (SCD) with trans-11, C18:1 (vaccenic acid, VA) as the precursor, another intermediate in the biohydrogenation of linoleic and linolenic acid

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides as energy supplements to broilers' diets

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides from olive oil (MDT) were added to: palm oil (PO), olive oil (OO), soybean oil (SO), free fatty acids from palm oil (PFA), free fatty acids from olive oil (OFA). The compound mixtures were used as energy supplements in the diets of broiler chickens in comparison with plain SO and plain animal fat (AF). Two hundred and ten birds were randomly allotted to 7 dietary treatments with the diverse oil sources: 6 birds per cage, 5 cages per treatment. The effects of the treatments on growth rates, feed/gain ratios and acidic composition of abdominal fat of hybrid Ross 308 female chickens were studied. The animals were slaughtered at the end of the trial, at day 35. The breast meat quality was then evaluated by a panel of 15 trained members and analysed for shelf life duration. The AF treat- ment gave the highest weight gain, but only in the first week. MDT + OO (50/50) resulted the best combination, with slight, non significant, better performances and a decidedly better quality in terms of acidic composition of abdominal fat, taste and juiciness of breast meat and shelf life

Effect of oleic and conjigated linoleic acid in diet of broiler chickens on the live growth performances, carcass traits and meat fatty acid profile

Olive oil and CLA enriched olive oil were compared with each other in a growth trial with broiler chickens, as energy supplements to the diet. A commercial CLA blend was used at the level of 1 kg per 100 kg mixed integrated feed. Two hundred and forty commercial hybrid broilers (Ross 308) were randomly subdivided and allotted to 8 pens of 30 birds each. Four pens of birds were fed the olive oil diet and considered the control group; the other 4 pens were fed the olive oil supplemented with CLA and considered the treated group. The experiment lasted 47 days. The live performance of the treated birds resulted different from the performance of the control ones: the final body weight was slightly lighter (2.544 kg vs 2.639 kg; P≤0.05) with a lower feed intake (4.886 kg feed vs 4.998 kg, P≤0.05) and, of course, an almost perfectly overlapping feed/gain ratio (1.90 vs 1.91). The fatty acid composition of the breast fat of the CLA treated birds resulted enriched by the two major CLA isomers, trans 10 cis 12 and cis 9 trans 11, whereas oleic acid and the linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic polyunsaturated acids showed a decrease (P≤0.05). CLA appears a recommendable ingredient in the diets of broilers as it improves the beneficial characteristics of poultry meat

Monobutirryne: a novel feed additive in the diet of broiler chickens.

Purpose of the present work was to validate the monoglyceride of butyric acid (MB) as an alternative to antibiotics as growth promoters in the diet of broiler chickens. The approach is a kind of prolongation of previous works, in which a blend of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides of butyric acid have been previously tested. The results indicated that MB was very efficient in limiting the mortality of birds challenged with Eimeria spp., but did not appreciably impair the performance of unchallenged birds. In conclusion, the metabolisable energy content of MB appeared comparable with that of soybean oil and MB a reliable coccidiostat

Mixture of mono- di- and tri-glycerides as energy supplements to broilers diets.

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides from olive oil (MDT) were added to: palm oil (PO), olive oil (OO), soybean oil (SO), free fatty acids from palm oil (PFA), free fatty acids from olive oil (OFA). The compound mixtures were used as energy supplements in the diets of broiler chickens in comparison with plain SO and plain animal fat (AF). Two hundred and ten birds were randomly allotted to 7 dietary treatments with the diverse oil sources: 6 birds per cage, 5 cages per treatment. The effects of the treatments on growth rates, feed/gain ratios and acidic composition of abdominal fat of hybrid Ross 308 female chickens were studied. The animals were slaughtered at the end of the trial, at day 35. The breast meat quality was then evaluated by a panel of 15 trained members and analysed for shelf life duration. The AF treatment gave the highest weight gain, but only in the first week. MDT + OO (50/50) resulted the best combination, with slight, non significant, better performances and a decidedly better quality in terms of acidic composition of abdominal fat, taste and juiciness of breast meat and shelf lif