13 research outputs found
Weight gain and resistance to gastrointestinal nematode infections in two genetically diverse groups of cattle
Extensive Sheep and Goat Production: The Role of Novel Technologies towards Sustainability and Animal Welfare
ReviewSheep and goat extensive production systems are very important in the context of global
food security and the use of rangelands that have no alternative agricultural use. In such systems,
there are enormous challenges to address. These include, for instance, classical production issues, such
as nutrition or reproduction, as well as carbon-efficient systems within the climate-change context.
An adequate response to these issues is determinant to economic and environmental sustainability.
The answers to such problems need to combine efficiently not only the classical production aspects,
but also the increasingly important health, welfare, and environmental aspects in an integrated fashion. The purpose of the study was to review the application of technological developments,
in addition to remote-sensing in tandem with other state-of-the-art techniques that could be used
within the framework of extensive production systems of sheep and goats and their impact on
nutrition, production, and ultimately, the welfare of these species. In addition to precision livestock
farming (PLF), these include other relevant technologies, namely omics and other areas of relevance
in small-ruminant extensive production: heat stress, colostrum intake, passive immunity, newborn
survival, biomarkers of metabolic disease diagnosis, and parasite resistance breeding. This work
shows the substantial, dynamic nature of the scientific community to contribute to solutions that
make extensive production systems of sheep and goats more sustainable, efficient, and aligned with
current concerns with the environment and welfareinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Effects of three short-term pasture allocation methods on milk production, methane emission and grazing behaviour by dairy cows
Two short-term grazing experiments were conducted with Norwegian Red cows. In Exp 1, 24 cows were randomly assigned to one of the following three pasture allocation methods (PAM): weekly pasture allowance (7RG), grazing 1/7 of 7RG each day (1SG), or grazing as 1SG but had access to grazed part of the paddock within one week (1FG). In Exp 2, 7RG was shortened to 5 days (5RG). We hypothesized that PAM will affect sward quality, quantity, intake and production differently. Pasture chemical composition changed with advancing grazing days but were not different between treatments. Pasture intake, milk yield, and methane emission were not affected by PAM. In Exp 1, 7RG cows spent less time on grazing, whereas in Exp 2, 1FG cows spent longer on grazing than others. Patterns observed in sward quality, and behavioural and physiological adaptations of cows to short-term changes in nutrient supply may explain the observed effects.acceptedVersio
Consequences of protein supplementation for anorexia, expression of immunity and plasma leptin concentrations in parasitized ewes of two breeds
Changes in food intake and circulating leptin due to gastrointestinal parasitism in lambs of two breeds
Whole-crop maize for silage:effects of maturity stage at harvest and feeding strategy on feed intake, chewing behaviour, diet selection and performance in growing bulls and ram lambs
Effects of maize maturity at harvest and dietary proportion of maize silage on intake and performance of growing/finishing bulls
Effects of nematode infection on anorexia and leptin levels in lambs of two breeds
The objective of this study was to investigate whether breed differences in production potential are associated with differences in the occurrence of anorexia following a nematode infection and whether plasma leptin concentrations elevate as a result of infection. Weaned lambs, of the Suffolk x Greyface cross and Scottish Blackface breed were either trickle infected with 21,000 infective Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae per week, or not infected. The results suggest that both the magnitude and duration of anorexia differ considerably between the two breeds and is likely to associate with their differences in immune response. In addition, results suggest that leptin has a role in the expression of immunity and parasite-induced anorexia in sheep
Effects of maize maturity at harvest and dietary proportion of maize silage on intake and performance of growing/finishing bulls
Changes in food intake and circulating leptin due to gastrointestinal parasitism in lambs of two breeds
HA reduction in food intake is a prominent feature of many infectious diseases. However, the underlying mechanisms of parasite-induced anorexia in sheep are poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypotheses (a) that the degree of parasite-induced anorexia in lambs is influenced by their growth potential and (b) that nematode infection results in elevated plasma leptin concentration in lambs. The hypotheses were tested with Suffolk x Greyface (S) and Scottish Black-face (B) lambs that are known to differ in their growth potential (S lambs are of greater growth potential than B lambs). During a primary parasite infection, 24 out of 48 lambs per breed were trickle-infected with 7,000 infective Teladorsagia circumcincta larvae per day, 3 d/wk, for a period of 12 wk (experiment I). The lambs were then dewormed, and after a 2-wk interval, half of the 24 lambs per breed that were previously infected were reinfected for another 12 wk with the same parasite and dose as used in the primary infection (experiment II). In both experiments, infected lambs were fed grass pellets for ad libitum intake, whereas noninfected lambs were fed grass pellets for either ad libitum or restricted intakes. The S lambs were more susceptible than B lambs to nematode infection, as judged from the differences in fecal egg counts (P = 0.007). Parasitized lambs of the more susceptible breed (S) showed anorexia [i.e., a decrease in intake of 13% compared with uninfected controls (P = 0.01)], whereas no significant reduction in food intake was observed in lambs of the more resistant breed (B). Reexposure to nematode infection of previously infected animals tended to result in renewed anorexia in S lambs but not in B lambs (P = 0.08) in a similar extent as during primary infection. Plasma leptin concentrations did not differ between ad libitum-fed infected and control lambs but were greater in infected than in noninfected lambs at a similar level of food intake during both the primary (P = 0.02) and the secondary parasitic infection (P = 0.004) in both breeds. The results show that leptin may be involved in the response of lambs to infection but that it is unlikely that leptin alone is responsible for the parasite-induced anorexia in lambs