Mobile bag technique for estimation of nutrient digestibility when hay is supplemented with alternative fibrous feedstuffs in horses

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Locally produced legumes and seaweed. Sustainable protein sources for a self-sufficient European animal production?

The animal feeding industry is looking for new local sources of high quality protein in order to reduce import and ensure sustainable and environmental friendly animal production systems. Local legumes and seaweeds may be alternative sources of protein. We present in this paper the background for the ongoing Norwegian Research Council project Legumes and seaweeds as alternative protein sources for sheep (AltPro), which aims to investigate the suitability and potential of legumes and seaweeds as new and underutilized protein sources in sheep diets. The project addresses several critical aspects for the future development of the agriculture industry in Norway applicable to other European countries from an integrated social and natural scientific approach: 1. use of protein sources alternative to soya, 2. environmental, climatic, societal and economical sustainability, 3. animal health and welfare

Prediction of enteric methane production, yield and intensity in dairy cattle using an intercontinental database

Enteric methane (CH4) production from cattle contributes to global greenhouse gas emissions. Measurement of enteric CH4 is complex, expensive and impractical at large scales; therefore, models are commonly used to predict CH4 production. However, building robust prediction models requires extensive data from animals under different management systems worldwide. The objectives of this study were to (1) collate a global database of enteric CH4 production from individual lactating dairy cattle; (2) determine the availability of key variables for predicting enteric CH4 production (g/d per cow), yield [g/kg dry matter intake (DMI)], and intensity (g/kg energy corrected milk) and their respective relationships; (3) develop intercontinental and regional models and cross-validate their performance; and (4) assess the trade-off between availability of on-farm inputs and CH4 prediction accuracy. The intercontinental database covered Europe (EU), the US (US), Chile (CL), Australia (AU), and New Zealand (NZ). A sequential approach was taken by incrementally adding key variables to develop models with increasing complexity. Methane emissions were predicted by fitting linear mixed models. Within model categories, an intercontinental model with the most available independent variables performed best with root mean square prediction error (RMSPE) as a percentage of mean observed value of 16.6, 14.4, and 19.8% for intercontinental, EU, and US regions, respectively. Less complex models requiring only DMI had predictive ability comparable to complex models. Enteric CH4 production, yield, and intensity prediction models developed on an intercontinental basis had similar performance across regions, however, intercepts and slopes were different with implications for prediction. Revised CH4 emission conversion factors for specific regions are required to improve CH4 production estimates in national inventories. In conclusion, information on DMI is required for good prediction, and other factors such as dietary NDF concentration, improve the prediction. For enteric CH4 yield and intensity prediction, information on milk yield and composition is required for better estimation

Prediction of nitrogen excretion from data on dairy cows fed a wide range of diets compiled in an intercontinental database: a meta-analysis

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Symposium review: uncertainties in enteric methane inventories,measurement techniques, and prediction models

Ruminant production systems are important contributors to anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions, but there are large uncertainties in national and global livestock CH4 inventories. Sources of uncertainty in enteric CH4 emissions include animal inventories, feed dry matter intake (DMI), ingredient and chemical composition of the diets, and CH4 emission factors. There is also significant uncertainty associated with enteric CH4 measurements. The most widely used techniques are respiration chambers, the sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) tracer technique, and the automated head-chamber system (GreenFeed; C-Lock Inc., Rapid City, SD). All 3 methods have been successfully used in a large number of experiments with dairy or beef cattle in various environmental conditions, although studies that compare techniques have reported inconsistent results. Although different types of models have been developed to predict enteric CH4 emissions, relatively simple empirical (statistical) models have been commonly used for inventory purposes because of their broad applicability and ease of use compared with more detailed empirical and process-based mechanistic models. However, extant empirical models used to predict enteric CH4 emissions suffer from narrow spatial focus, limited observations, and limitations of the statistical technique used. Therefore, prediction models must be developed from robust data sets that can only be generated through collaboration of scientists across the world. To achieve high prediction accuracy, these data sets should encompass a wide range of diets and production systems within regions and globally. Overall, enteric CH4 prediction models are based on various animal or feed characteristic inputs but are dominated by DMI in one form or another. As a result, accurate prediction of DMI is essential for accurate prediction of livestock CH4 emissions. Analysis of a large data set of individual dairy cattle data showed that simplified enteric CH4 prediction models based on DMI alone or DMI and limited feed- or animal-related inputs can predict average CH4 emission with a similar accuracy to more complex empirical models. These simplified models can be reliably used for emission inventory purposes

Estimation of the fractional rate of forage NDF digestion by in vitro gas production or in situ methods

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Macroscopic digestive tract anatomy of two small antelopes, the blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) and the Arabian sand gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa marica)

The digestive tract anatomy of 14 blackbucks (Antilope cervicapra) and seven Arabian sand gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa marica) was quantified by dimensions, area and weight. Data from the two small-sized antilopinae were evaluated against a larger comparative data set from other ruminants classified as having either a ‘cattle-type’ or ‘moose-type’ digestive system. The digestive anatomy of the blackbuck resembled that of ‘cattle-type’ ruminants, which corresponds to their feeding ecology and previous studies of solute and particle retention time; however, a surprising exception was the remarkably small omasum in this species, which makes the blackbuck stand out from the general rule of a relatively large omasum in grazing ruminants. Sand gazelles had morphological features that corresponded more to the ‘moose type’ or an intermediate position, although previous studies of solute and particle retention time had led to the expectation of a more ‘cattle-type’ anatomy. The results show that outliers to general morphological trends exist, that findings on physiology and anatomy do not always match completely and that differences in the digestive morphology among ruminant species are more difficult to demonstrate at the lower end of the body mass range

Formation of RRR-α-tocopherol in rumen and intestinal digestibility of tocopherols in dairy cows

Tocopherol sources in diets are often a combination of all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate (synthetic α-tocopherol) from vitamin supplements and natural tocopherols and 2R-(4′R, 8′R)-5,7,8-trimethyltocotrienol (α-tocotrienols) from the feed sources. Synthetic α-tocopherol consists of 8 different stereoisomers including 2R-(4′R, 8′R)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (RRR-α-tocopherol), 2R-(4′S, 8′R)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (RSR-α-tocopherol), 2R-(4′R, 8′S)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (RRS-α-tocopherol), 2R-(4′S, 8′S)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (RSS-α-tocopherol), 2S-(4′S, 8′S)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (SSS-α-tocopherol), 2S-(4′R, 8′S)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (SRS-α-tocopherol), 2S-(4′S, 8′R)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (SSR-α-tocopherol), and 2S-(4′R, 8′R)-5,7,8-trimethyltocol (SRR-α-tocopherol). The pre-absorption metabolism of tocopherols and tocotrienols in ruminants differs from monogastric animals due to the extensive microbial fermentation in the anaerobic rumen. The current study investigated the impact of toasting and decortication of oats on metabolism in the digestive tract (synthesis, digestion), and intestinal digestibility of tocopherols in dairy cows by using 4 ruminal and intestinal cannulated Danish Holstein cows in a 4 × 4 Latin square design for 4 periods. Cows were fed a total mixed ration ad libitum containing different forms of oats: whole oat, decorticated oat, toasted oat, and decorticated toasted oat, all rolled before mixed ration. Overall means across 4 treatments were statistically analyzed, testing whether overall means were different from zero. Decortication or toasting did not affect the balance or digestibility of α-tocopherols in rumen. Average across treatments showed the ruminal degradation of synthetic α-tocopherol (279 mg/d, P = 0.02; P-value shows that average across treatments is different from zero), synthetic 2R-α-tocopherol (133 mg/d, P  natural α-tocopherol > synthetic α-tocopherols > 2R-(4′R, 8′R)-,7,8-dimethyltocol (γ-tocopherol). The average across treatments for small intestinal and feed-ileum digestibility ranked in the following order: RRR-α-tocopherol > synthetic 2R-α-tocopherol > 2S-α-tocopherol. Results showed the first evidence for RRR-α-tocopherol formation under anaerobic conditions in the rumen. In addition, synthetic α-tocopherol stereoisomers, γ-tocopherol and α-tocotrienol were degraded in the rumen. There was a discrimination against absorption of synthetic 2R- and 2S-α-tocopherol in the small intestine