Scholarly Works, School of Animal Sciences

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KHAIT: K-9 Handler Artificial Intelligence Teaming for Collaborative Sensemaking
Wilchek, Matthew; Wang, Linhan; Dickinson, Sally; Feuerbacher, Erica N.; Luther, Kurt; Batarseh, Feras A. (ACM, 2025-03-24)
In urban search and rescue (USAR) operations, communication between handlers and specially trained canines is crucial but often complicated by challenging environments and the specific behaviors canines are trained to exhibit when detecting a person. Since a USAR canine often works out of sight of the handler, the handler lacks awareness of the canine’s location and situation, known as the “sensemaking gap.” In this paper, we propose KHAIT, a novel approach to close the sensemaking gap and enhance USAR effectiveness by integrating object detection-based Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Augmented Reality (AR). Equipped with AI-powered cameras, edge computing, and AR headsets, KHAIT enables precise and rapid object detection from a canine’s perspective, improving survivor localization. We evaluate this approach in a real-world USAR environment, demonstrating an average survival allocation time decrease of 22%, enhancing the speed and accuracy of operations.
Frustration and its impact on search and rescue canines
Dickinson, Sally; Feuerbacher, Erica N. (Frontiers, 2025-03-07)
Despite advances in modern technology, dogs remain the primary detection tool in search and rescue (SAR) missions, locating missing persons across diverse and dynamic environments, including wilderness, avalanche zones, water, and disaster areas. Their exceptional olfactory abilities, combined with their capacity to process complex discrimination tasks and adapt to varied environmental stimuli, make them uniquely suited for this work. However, SAR operations can be both physically and psychologically demanding, requiring sustained focus, endurance, and consistent performance under stressful conditions. Frustration, a form of psychological stress, arises when a dog encounters blocked access to a goal or when an expectation is violated, triggering physiological and behavioral changes that may impact performance. This study investigated the physiological and behavioral responses of SAR dogs to two distinct stress conditions: psychological stress induced by frustration and physiological stress induced by moderate exercise. We measured heart rate variability as an indicator of autonomic nervous system response to stress and analyzed search task performance to assess how frustration and exercise affected the dogs’ latency and accuracy in executing their trained final response to the target odor. Our results revealed significant decreases in heart rate variability following frustration and increased latency in the search task, suggesting that frustration had a more pronounced impact on the dogs’ physiological state and performance compared to exercise. By examining the effects of psychological and physiological stress, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how different stressors influence SAR dog performance and welfare. These findings provide valuable insights for optimizing training methodologies and operational preparedness, ensuring both the effectiveness and well-being of SAR dogs in the field.
Phytochemical Composition and Effects of Aqueous Extracts from Moringa oleifera Leaves on In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation Parameters
Oliveira, Inessa Steffany Torres de; Fernandes, Tatiane; Santos, Aylpy Renan Dutra; González Aquino, Carolina; Vega Britez, Gustavo Daniel; Vargas Junior, Fernando Miranda de (MDPI, 2025-01-20)
This study evaluated the phytochemical composition of aqueous extracts of Moringa oleifera (MO) obtained by maceration, decoction, and infusion of fresh or dried leaves and their effects on in vitro ruminal fermentation parameters. Phytochemical prospecting analyses were conducted to determine the bioactive compounds in each aqueous extract. Regarding the in vitro ruminal fermentation study, the seven treatments were the following: no addition of extract or control (CON); extract obtained by maceration of fresh leaves (MFL); extract obtained by maceration of dry leaves (MDL); extract obtained by decoction of the fresh leaves (DFL); extract obtained by decoction of dry leaves (DDL); extract obtained by infusion of fresh leaves (IFL) and extract obtained by infusion of dry leaves (IDL). The concentration of all bioactives (saponins, flavonoids, tannins, and alkaloids) quantified was higher when fresh MO leaves were used (p < 0.001). DFL and DDL provided less elimination of azino-bis radicals. On the other hand, MFL resulted in a greater elimination of these radicals. Extracts obtained from fresh leaves resulted in a greater total production of short-chain fatty acids, acetate, and butyrate (p < 0.05). Compared to the control treatment, the inclusion of extracts obtained from fresh leaves provided a higher concentration of propionate (p = 0.049). It is thereby concluded that the use of fresh MO leaves for the production of aqueous extracts is the most recommended, as it results in a higher concentration of bioactive compounds. The use of aqueous extracts of fresh MO leaves increases the total production of fatty acids but does not change their proportion.
Effects of Monensin, Calcareous Algae, and Essential Oils on Performance, Carcass Traits, and Methane Emissions Across Different Breeds of Feedlot-Finished Beef Cattle
Guerreiro, Pedro; Costa, Diogo F. A.; Limede, Arnaldo C.; Congio, Guilhermo F. S.; Meschiatti, Murillo A. P.; Bernardes, Priscila A.; Santos, Flavio A. Portela (MDPI, 2025-01-08)
With the growing use of crossbred cattle in Brazilian feedlots and increasing pressure to reduce antibiotic use as growth promoters, this study examines the impact of three feed additives—monensin (MON), monensin with Lithothamnium calcareum (LCM), and a blend of essential oils (BEO)—on the performance of Nellore (NEL) and crossbred (CROSS) cattle. A total of 90 Nellore and 90 crossbred bulls were assigned to a completely randomized block design with a 2 × 3 factorial design for 112 days, and all received the same diet with varying additives. Their methane (CH₄) emissions were estimated. All data were analyzed using the emmeans package of R software (version 4.4.1). Crossbred cattle outperformed Nellore in average daily gain (ADG), hot carcass weight (HCW), and dry matter intake (DMI), though feed efficiency remained unaffected. Across additives, no significant differences were observed in ADG, HCW, or dressing percentage. However, LCM had a lower DMI than the BEO, while MON showed better feed efficiency than the BEO. A breed-by-additive interaction trend was noted for DMI as a percentage of body weight (DMI%BW), with Nellore bulls on LCM diets showing the lowest DMI%BW. Crossbreeds had greater net energy (NE) requirements for maintenance (NEm) and gain (NEg), and MON-fed animals had greater NEm and NEg than the BEO. Crossbred bulls had greater daily methane (CH₄) emissions than Nellore bulls. Animals on the BEO had greater daily CH₄ emissions and greater g CH₄/kg metabolic BW than LCM bulls. In conclusion, the addition of Lithothamnium calcareum to monensin did not enhance performance compared to monensin alone. Monensin outperformed the BEO in feed efficiency and nutrient utilization.
Predicting Dairy Calf Body Weight from Depth Images Using Deep Learning (YOLOv8) and Threshold Segmentation with Cross-Validation and Longitudinal Analysis
Liao, Mingsi; Morota, Gota; Bi, Ye; Cockrum, Rebecca R. (MDPI, 2025-03-18)
Monitoring calf body weight (BW) before weaning is essential for assessing growth, feed efficiency, health, and weaning readiness. However, labor, time, and facility constraints limit BW collection. Additionally, Holstein calf coat patterns complicate image-based BW estimation, and few studies have explored non-contact measurements taken at early time points for predicting later BW. The objectives of this study were to (1) develop deep learning-based segmentation models for extracting calf body metrics, (2) compare deep learning segmentation with threshold-based methods, and (3) evaluate BW prediction using single-time-point cross-validation with linear regression (LR) and extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost) and multiple-time-point cross-validation with LR, XGBoost, and a linear mixed model (LMM). Depth images from Holstein (n = 63) and Jersey (n = 5) pre-weaning calves were collected, with 20 Holstein calves being weighed manually. Results showed that You Only Look Once version 8 (YOLOv8) deep learning segmentation (intersection over union = 0.98) outperformed threshold-based methods (0.89). In single-time-point cross-validation, XGBoost achieved the best BW prediction (R² = 0.91, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) = 4.37%), while LMM provided the most accurate longitudinal BW prediction (R² = 0.99, MAPE = 2.39%). These findings highlight the potential of deep learning for automated BW prediction, enhancing farm management.
Are smelly toys more fun? Shelter dogs' preferences for toys, scents, and scented toys
Howard, Skyler; Gunter, Lisa M.; Feuerbacher, Erica N. (Elsevier, 2024-09)
As dogs reside in shelters awaiting adoption, it is critical that they remain behaviorally healthy. A variety of enrichment strategies improve the welfare of shelter dogs, including object (usually in the form of toys) and scent enrichment. However, for these interventions to be enriching, dogs must engage with the items and their welfare be positively affected. Thus, by identifying dogs’ preferences, shelters can improve the function of their enrichment. Using a 15 min free operant preference assessment, an assessment in which the subject is given free access to a variety of items and the duration of their engagement with each item is recorded, we investigated 34 shelter dogs’ preferences for four different toys: a stuffed toy, tennis ball, Nylabone, and flying disc. We also investigated dog’ preferences for four scents: hotdog, peppermint, duck, and an unfamiliar dog. Finally, we applied the dog's preferred scent to their most and least preferred toys to investigate whether adding their preferred scent would increase the amount of time they engaged with those items compared to unscented duplicates. During the toy preference assessment, we observed that dogs, on average, only interacted with toys 3.35 % of the 15 min session. However, we found that dogs engaged over eight times longer with the stuffed toy as compared to all other toys, F (1, 134) = 64.40, p <.001. There was a marginal effect of type during the scent assessment, F (3, 132) = 2.50, p =.062, but post hoc comparisons were not significant. When we applied each dog's preferred scent to their most and least preferred toys, we found statistically significant main effects for preference, F (1, 132) = 54.95, p <.001, and scent, F (1, 132) = 7.16, p =.008, and a significant preference-by-scent interaction, F (1, 132) = 4.66, p =.033. The addition of scent increased engagement with both toys, such that dogs spent 4.2 and 13.7 times more seconds with their most and least preferred toys, respectively. In addition to our results aligning with prior research demonstrating that dogs prefer soft versus hard toys, these findings suggest that combining objects and scents can increase dogs’ engagement with enrichment and may be especially impactful when providing shelter dogs with less preferred objects, such as hard toys.
Functionalized Graphene-Based Biosensors for Early Detection of Subclinical Ketosis in Dairy Cows
Chick, Shannon; Kachouei, Matin Ataei; Knowlton, Katharine; Ali, Md Azahar (American Chemical Society, 2024-08-22)
Precision livestock farming utilizing advanced diagnostic tools, including biosensors, can play a key role in the management of livestock operations to improve the productivity, health, and well-being of animals. Detection of ketosis, a metabolic disease that occurs in early lactation dairy cows due to a negative energy balance, is one potential on-farm use of biosensors. Beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) is an excellent biomarker for monitoring ketosis in dairy cows because βHB is one of the main ketones produced during this metabolic state. In this report, we developed a low-cost, Keto-sensor (graphene-based sensor) for the detection of βHB concentrations in less than a minute. On this device, graphene nanosheets were layered onto a screen-printed electrode (SPE), and then, a stabilized enzyme (beta-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase, NAD+, and glycerol) was used to functionalize the graphene surface enabled by EDC-NHS conjugation chemistry. The Keto-sensor offers an analytical sensitivity of 10 nm and a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.24 nm within a detection range of 0.01 μm-3.00 mm. Spike testing indicates that the Keto-sensor can detect βHB in serum samples from bovines with subclinical ketosis. The Keto-sensor developed in this study shows promising results for early detection of subclinical ketosis on farms.
Regulation of the expression of αS₁ and αS₂ casein genes in bovine mammary epithelial cells by STAT5A
Wang, A.; Pokhrel, Binod; Perez Hernandez, Gabriela; Jiang, Hongliang (Elsevier, 2024)
Cow milk is rich in protein. Major cow milk proteins include αS₁ casein (CSN1S1), αS₂ casein (CSN1S2), β casein (CSN2), κ casein (CSN3), lactalbumin α (LALBA), and β-LG. These milk proteins are produced through gene expression in the mammary epithelial cells. Little is known about the molecular mechanism that mediates the expression of milk protein genes in cows. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the expression of milk protein genes in cows is mediated by STAT5A, a transcription factor that is induced to bind and activate the transcription of target genes by extracellular signals such as prolactin. To circumvent the need for prolactin-responsive bovine mammary epithelial cells, we generated a plasmid that expresses a constitutively active bovine STAT5A variant, bSTAT5ACA. Transfection of the bovine mammary epithelial cell line MAC-T cells with the bSTAT5ACA expression plasmid caused a more than 100,000-fold and 600-fold increase in the expression of CSN1S1 and CSN1S2 mRNAs, respectively, compared with transfection of the wild-type bovine STAT5A (bSTAT5A) expression plasmid. Transfection of bSTAT5ACA, however, had no significant effect on the expression of CSN2, CSN3, LALBA, or LGB mRNA in MAC-T cells. Transfection of bSTAT5ACA caused a more than 260-fold and 120-fold increase in the expression of a luciferase reporter gene linked to the bovine CSN1S1 and CSN1S2 promoters in MAC-T cells, respectively, compared with that of bSTAT5A. The bovine CSN1S1 and CSN1S2 promoters each contain a putative STAT5 binding site, and gel-shift and super-shift assays confirmed bSTAT5ACA binding to both sites. These results together suggest that STAT5A plays a major role in regulating the expression of CSN1S1 and CSN1S2 genes in the bovine mammary epithelial cells and that STAT5A regulates the expression of these genes at least in part by binding to the STAT5 binding sites in their promoter regions. These results also suggest that STAT5A does not play a major role in regulating the expression of other major milk protein genes.
Indirectly acquired fear memories have distinct, sex-specific molecular signatures from directly acquired fear memories
Navabpour, Shaghayegh; Patrick, Morgan B.; Omar, Nour A.; Kincaid, Shannon E.; Bae, Yeeun; Abraham, Jennifer; McGrew, Jacobi; Musaus, Madeline; Ray, W. Keith; Helm, Richard F.; Jarome, Timothy J. (PLOS, 2024-12-23)
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that affects women more than men. About 30% of patients suffering from PTSD develop the disorder by witnessing a traumatic event happen to someone else. However, as the focus has remained on those directly experiencing the traumatic event, whether indirectly acquired fear memories that underlie PTSD have the same molecular signature as those that are directly acquired remains unknown. Here, using a rodent indirect fear learning paradigm where one rat (observer) watches another rat (demonstrator) associate an auditory cue with foot shock, we found that fear can be indirectly acquired by both males and females regardless of the sex or novelty (familiarity) of the demonstrator animal. However, behaviorally, indirectly acquired fear responses resemble those of pseudoconditioning, a behavioral response that is thought to not represent learning. Despite this, using unbiased proteomics, we found that indirectly acquired fear memories have distinct protein degradation profiles in the amygdala and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) relative to directly acquired fear memories and pseudoconditioning, which further differed significantly by sex. Additionally, Egr2 and c-fos expression in the retrosplenial cortex of observer animals resembled that of demonstrator rats but was significantly different than that of pseudoconditioned rats. Together, these findings reveal that indirectly acquired fear memories have sex-specific molecular signatures that differ from those of directly acquired fear memories or pseudoconditioning. These data have important implications for understanding the neurobiology of indirectly acquired fear memories that may underlie bystander PTSD.
Human Recombinant Interleukin-6 and Leukemia Inhibitory Factor Improve Inner Cell Mass Cell Number but Lack Cryoprotective Activities on In Vitro-Produced Bovine Blastocysts
Oliver, Mary A.; Alward, Kayla J.; Rhoads, Michelle L.; Ealy, Alan D. (MDPI, 2025-02-25)
This work explored whether supplementing recombinant human interleukin-6 (IL6), interleukin-11 (IL11), or leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) improves IVP bovine embryo development, morphology, and cryosurvivability. Embryos were treated from day 5 to 8 post-fertilization with either the carrier only (control) or 100 ng/mL of IL6, IL11, or LIF. Blastocyst formation and stage were determined on day 7 and 8. A subset of day 8 blastocysts was processed for immunofluorescence to count trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) cell numbers and another subset was slow frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen until thawing. No differences in the blastocyst rate or blastocyst stage of development were detected. Increases in ICM cell numbers were observed for IL6 and LIF but not the IL11 treatment. None of the cytokine treatments applied before freezing affected post-thaw survival, TE or ICM cell number, or cell death 24 h after thawing. In conclusion, supplementing IL6 and LIF improves ICM cell numbers in non-frozen blastocysts, but there was no evidence that any of these cytokine treatments contain cryoprotective properties in bovine embryos.
Effect of Supplemental Trace Mineral Source on Haircoat and Activity Levels in Senior Dogs
Amundson, Laura A.; Millican, Allison A.; Swensson, Erik; McGilliard, Michael L.; Tomlinson, Dana (MDPI, 2025-02-26)
Trace minerals (TMs) are pivotal for animal wellbeing and appearance. This study evaluated the effects of TM (Zn, Mn, Cu, and Fe) sources on senior dogs’ haircoat and activity. Dogs (mean age 9.16 yr) were fed a control diet (inorganic TM) for 14 d before being assigned to one of three treatments for 3 mo. Treatments included inorganic (Control; n = 10), amino acid-complexed (TMC; n = 17; ZINPRO^® ZnMet + Zinpro^® Availa^® Mins) or lysine and glutamic acid-complexed (TMC-LG; n = 16; Zinpro^® ProPath^®) supplemental TM. Treatments were formulated to provide standard (Control—100 ppm Zn, 5 ppm Mn, 12 ppm Cu, 45 ppm Fe) or product-recommended (TMC and TMC-LG—100 ppm Zn, 25 ppm Mn, 7 ppm Cu, 45 ppm Fe) TM levels (DM basis). Hair length, regrowth, and shedding were measured along with activity. Dogs fed TMC (26.43 mm; 11.64 mm/mo) and TMC-LG (27.87 mm; 12.6 mm/mo) had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) longer hair that grew faster compared to the Control (18.93 mm; 9.14 mm/mo). At 3 mo TMC-LG-fed dogs had 0.38 g less shed hair, and TMC-fed dogs had 0.87 h more active time/d compared to the Control (p ≤ 0.05). Dogs fed TMC and TMC-LG had superior haircoat characteristics and activity compared to the Control.
Open-source carbon dioxide and volatile organic compound sensing and associations with defecation and urination events in horses
Wright, Ryan K.; Ganino, Alyssa; White, Robin R. (2025-03-03)
Management of non-point-source emissions from pastured livestock is complicated by spatial and temporal distribution of emissions and how they interplay with equally complex landscape typological distributions. Wearable sensing of CO2 concentrations near the tailhead may enable real-time, spatially-explicit monitoring of manure emissions, if concentrations correlate with defecation and urination events. The objective of this research was to explore the association between measured CO2 concentrations from wearable sensors placed on the tailhead of horses and the occurrence of defecation and urination events. CO2 sensors consisted of a TTGO-T-Beam microprocessor equipped with GPS and LoRa radio, soldered to a CJMCU-8128 environmental sensing board capable of measuring temperature, pressure, relative humidity, CO2 and total volatile organic compounds (TVOC). Tail wraps were placed on 4 stalled horses for a total of 9 days. Surveillance videos were collected over the same time frame and viewed to determine the time of defecation and urination occurrence. Data were analyzed visually for coherence, and quantitatively using analysis of variance, random forest regression, support vector machines, and extreme gradient boosting. Because defecation and urination events were in much lower quantity than non-events, random oversampling and undersampling were attempted on the classification approaches to improve accuracy and precision of signaling algorithms. Visual inspection revealed that although defecation and urination events corresponded to CO2 peaks, there was considerable noise in CO2 data suggesting that peaks in CO2 also frequently occur in the absence of defecation and urination events. All classification algorithms showed poor accuracies (0.50 to 0.51), which were only marginally improved by over- (< 0.51) and undersampling (< 0.69). This preliminary assessment revealed considerable noise in sensing CO2 emissions in production settings, which may preclude usefulness in manure sensing.
Multi-Input Deep Learning Models for Weight Forecasting of Pigs Using Depth Images
Ranjan, Pranjal; Ha, Dong Sam; Morota, Gota; Shin, Sook (2024-10-01)
Accurate weight forecasting is essential for optimizing swine farming operations and enhancing animal welfare. This paper introduces a novel approach for pig weight forecasting, employing multi-input deep learning models that harness both depth images and statistical descriptors. The study conducts a comprehensive comparison of traditional machine learning (ML) models, deep learning (DL) models, hybrid ML and DL models, and multi-input models integrating both time-series data and image features. A meticulously curated dataset comprising timeseries weight measurements and corresponding depth images of pigs forms the foundation of the study. Image descriptors such as length, width, depth, and volume were extracted from the depth images. The proposed multi-input models, employing architectures based on ResNet, XCeption, LSTM, and GRU layers, are meticulously trained and evaluated using this dataset. The performance evaluation is conducted using mean absolute error (MAE) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) metrics. The results underscore the superiority of the multi-input models over traditional ML, DL, and hybrid models. Notably, the best-performing model achieves a test MAE of 1.81 kg and a test MAPE of 5.56%. This exceptional performance highlights the importance of leveraging both time-series data and image features for precise weight forecasting in pigs. These findings can hold significant implications for improving the efficiency and sustainability of swine farming practices, offering a pathway towards improved decision-making and animal management protocols.
The Impact Aerobic and Anaerobic Incubations of Poultry Litter Have on Class 1 Integron Resistome and Microbiome
Maurer, John J.; Hoke, Alexa; Das, Keshav C.; Wu, Jian; Williams, Mark A.; Kinstler, Sydney; Ritz, Casey; Pittman, Gregory P.; Berghaus, Roy; Lee, Margie D. (MDPI, 2025-02-13)
Animal manure is a desirable fertilizer because of its rich nitrogen, but it also contains a large and diverse reservoir of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes (ARGs). To reduce this AMR reservoir, five treatments (passive aeration, forced aeration, static or anaerobic incubations, autoclaving) were assessed for their impact on the poultry litter resistome. Bacterial DNA was extracted from the litter and the qPCR-estimated copy number of 16S rrs, class1 integrons (intI1) and associated resistance genes (aadA, sul1). Then, 16S amplicon metagenomic sequencing was used to determine community diversity and composition. Depending on incubation conditions, class 1 integrons and their associated ARGs were reduced by 0.5 to 1.0 Log₁₀/g poultry litter. Only autoclaving reduced integrons and associated AMR genes by three Log₁₀. Changes in AMR abundance reflected fluctuations in litter bacteriome composition at the family, genus, and sequence variant level. There was a negative correlation between class 1 integron and AMR genes, with genera belonging to Actinobacteria, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria phyla. While these poultry litter treatments failed to reduce AMR abundance, aerobic and anaerobic treatments reduced taxons that contained pathogenic species. The approach to remediating resistance in poultry litter may be more effective if is focused on reducing bacterial pathogens.
Verify the effectiveness of various inclusions of butyrate on male broilers raised on used litter without antibiotics
Fritzlen, Cooper J.; Maurer, John J.; Wong, Eric A.; Persia, Michael E. (Elsevier, 2024-12)
An experiment was conducted to verify the effectiveness of butyrate (BA) in diets of broiler chickens raised without antibiotics and exposed to used litter. Dietary treatments included: negative control (NC), a nonsupplemented diet on fresh shavings; positive control (PC), the same nonsupplemented diet on used litter; 500 BA, similar diet with 500 ppm BA on used litter; 1,000 BA, similar diet with 1,000 ppm BA on used litter; 500/250 BA, similar diet with 500 ppm BA from 0 to 8 d and 250 ppm BA from 8 to 42 d on used litter; 1,000/250 BA, similar diet with 1,000 ppm BA from 0 to 8 d and 250 ppm BA from 8 to 42 d on used litter. From 0 to 8 d, the PC resulted in a 6.8 g decrease in BW gain (BWG) compared to NC, but this response was lost from 0 to 25 d or 0 to 42 d. There were no differences in mortality corrected, FCR (FCRm) between PC and NC. All BA treatments increased BWG in comparison to PC from 0 to 8 d, with no differences from NC. Butyrate improved 0 to 8 d FCRm compared to both PC and NC (P ≤ 0.05), but these responses were lost over time (P > 0.05). Butyrate increased apparent ileal digestibility of energy and DM (P > 0.05). Butyrate had no effect on oocyst shedding compared to PC (P > 0.05). Butyrate was able to ameliorate the negative performance effects with reused litter over the 8-d starter period and was able to increase ileal digestibility of energy and DM.
Effects of dietary enteric-released or pure benzoic acid on Ross 708 male broilers
Fritzlen, Cooper J.; Maurer, John J.; Chen, W.; Tan, Z.; Liu, H.; Peng, X.; Qin, Z.; Peng, Y.; Persia, Michael E. (Elsevier, 2024-12)
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of pure benzoic acid (PBA) or enteric-released benzoic acid (EBA) on performance, intestinal histology, apparent ileal digestibility (AID), cecal coliform and enterococci abundance, and litter moisture of broilers raised on used litter. Day-old male broiler chicks were assigned to control (Con), nontreated diet; positive control (BMD), Con + 50 ppm bacitracin methylene disalicylate; PBA, Con +1,000 ppm of PBA; EBA, Con +330 ppm of EBA. From 0 to 28 and 0 to 42 d, BMD outperformed the Con in either BW gain (BWG) or mortality corrected FCR (FCRm) (P ≤ 0.05). Over 0 to 28 d, EBA and PBA improved BWG and FCRm compared to the Con (P ≤ 0.05). When the entire 0 to 42 d period was considered, EBA improved both BWG and FCRm in comparison to Con (P ≤ 0.05). Supplementation with EBA and PBA resulted in inconsistent responses in duodenum and jejunum morphology; specifically, PBA decreased 28 d duodenal crypt depth and increased villus height to crypt depth ratio, while EBA decreased 28 d jejunum crypt depth (P ≤ 0.05). There were no differences in AID or cecal coliform counts (P > 0.05) due to treatment. However, PBA significantly reduced enterococcus counts at 42 d by 0.48 Log10 CFU/g compared to CON. These results suggest that EBA can increase BWG and decrease FCRm, while PBA performance was similar to CON. Additionally, benzoic acid decreased crypt depth, with the response being tissue-specific depending on the form of benzoic used.
Evaluation of corn particle size on the growth performance, intestinal permeability, pellet quality, and litter moisture of turkey hens raised without antibiotics
Lyons, Alyssa M.; Moritz, J. S.; Boney, J. W.; Persia, Michael E. (Elsevier, 2024-06)
An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of corn particle size (CPS) on turkey hen poult performance, intestinal permeability (IP), and litter dry matter. A total of 1,584 Hybrid turkey hen poults were raised in floor pens from 0 to 42 d. Poults were fed a crumbled starter 1 and pelleted starter 2 diet. The experiment was a 2 × 2 factorial with CPS in diet phase starter 1 (fine and coarse) and CPS in diet phase starter 2 (fine or coarse), resulting in 4 treatments of 18 replicates of 22 turkeys. Corn was ground using a hammermill with a 4.76 mm screen (581 µm; fine) or a 6.35 mm screen (964 µm; coarse). Pellet quality was determined using pellet durability index (PDI), modified pellet durability index (MPDI), and New Holmen Pellet Tester (NHPT). Body weight and feed intake were measured on D0 and D42. Feed conversion ratio was calculated from 0 to 42 d. Litter dry matter content and IP were measured on D42. Data were analyzed using JMP Pro 16.0 (P ≤ 0.05) and means were separated using Student's t test. Corn particle size did not impact starter 2 pellet quality (PDI, MPDI, and NHPT; P > 0.05). There were no interactions between dietary phase and CPS over 0 to 42 d. Overall, there was a CPS main effect over the starter 1 phase and hens fed coarse corn had decreased FI (P ≤ 0.01) and BW (P ≤ 0.01), however FCR was not affected (P > 0.05). Day 42 IP and litter dry matter content were not influenced by CPS in either diet phase (P > 0.05). These data indicate that coarse corn decreases both FI and BW of turkey hens when fed during starter 1, but had no effects on FCR, IP, and litter dry matter content when fed in starter 2. Although fine ground corn was needed to maximize performance in the starter 1 phase, coarse ground corn may be able to maintain turkey hen performance in the starter 2 phase while reducing milling costs.
Effects of essential oils and betaine on male broilers raised on used litter seeded with coccidia oocysts
Fritzlen, Cooper J.; Wilson, K. M.; Samper, J. M.; Persia, Michael E. (Elsevier, 2024-06)
An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of essential oils (garlic and cinnamon extracts) and betaine on growth performance and oocyst shedding of 42-day-old male broilers raised on used litter seeded with coccidia oocysts. Treatments included: negative control (NC) a nonsupplemented diet with broilers raised on fresh shavings, positive control (PC) the same nonsupplemented diet with broilers raised on used litter, the same diet formulation with 50 ppm of active salinomycin sodium (Bio-Cox 60;PC+Sal) raised on used litter, or the same diet formulation with 500 ppm of essential oils and 250 ppm of betaine (PC+EO+B) raised on used litter. The PC worsened performance (BW gain; BWG or mortality corrected FCR; FCRm) in comparison to NC and PC+Sal over 0 to 16 and 0 to 29 d (P ≤ 0.05) and 0 to 42 d (P ≤ 0.10). The PC+EO+B increased BWG relative to PC over 0 to 16 and 0 to 29 d (P ≤ 0.05) and from 0 to 42 d (P = 0.07). The PC+EO+B improved FCRm in comparison to PC over 0 to 16 and 0 to 42 d (P ≤ 0.05). The PC+EO+B was similar to NC and PC+Sal for BWG and FCRm across all time periods (P > 0.05). Oocyst counts were lowest in NC, highest in PC, and intermediate in PC+Sal and PC+EO+B for all periods. In conclusion, the reduced performance and increased oocyst shedding in the PC validate a mild coccidiosis infection and the combination of essential oils and betaine were able to ameliorate the negative effects.
Effects of peripartal rumen-derived direct-fed microbials supplementation on lactation performance, metabolism, ruminal fermentation, and microbial abundance in dairy cows
Bulnes, M.; Bonilla, J.; Suazo, M.; Michelotti, T. C.; Paz, A.; Lefler, J.; Marotz, C.; Embree, M.; Begalli, G.; Halfen, J.; Fernandes, T.; Trevisi, E.; Uddin, M. E.; Osorio, Johan S. (Elsevier, 2024-12-09)
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a rumen-derived direct-fed microbial (DFM) product on performance, blood biomarkers, ruminal fermentation, and bacterial abundance in dairy cows during the transition period until 100 DIM. Fifty-six Holstein cows were enrolled in a randomized complete block design from −21 to 100 DIM. Cows were blocked based on expected calving date, parity, and previous lactation milk yield for multiparous or genetic merit for primiparous cows. At −21 DIM, cows were randomly assigned to either a basal diet supplemented with 150 g/d ground corn (CON, n = 29) or a basal diet supplemented with ground corn plus rumen-derived DFM product (GF, 150 g/d ground corn + 5g/d of GF, n = 27; Clostridium beijerinckii at 1.0 × 107 cfu; Pichia kudriavzevii at 1.0 × 108 cfu; Ruminococcus bovis at 1.0 × 108 cfu; Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens at 1.0 × 108 cfu; Galaxis Frontier (GF), Native Microbials, San Diego), top-dressed once a day. All cows received the same basal close-up diet from −21 DIM until calving (1.56 Mcal/kg DM and 14.46% CP) and lactation diet from calving to 100 DIM (1.76 Mcal/kg DM and 15.69% CP). Blood samples were collected to measure biomarkers of metabolism, inflammation, and oxidative stress as well as rumen fluid via esophageal tubing for ammonia, VFA, and microbial abundance from a subset of multiparous cows (n = 12/treatment) at various time points from −22 to 100 DIM. Compared with CON, GF cows produced greater milk (+4.1 kg/d) during the post-fresh period (6 – 14 wk). However, GF cows tended to produce more milk (+2.9 kg/d) than CON during the entire trial (0 – 14 wk). Although DMI was not affected by treatment, GF cows had greater feed efficiency (+0.18, milk/DMI) in the post-fresh period. Compared with CON, GF cows had lower blood plasma glucose and higher BHB. Blood biomarkers showed greater concentrations of ceruloplasmin, haptoglobin, and reactive oxygen metabolites (ROM) in GF cows compared with CON. Compared with CON, GF cows had greater ruminal molar proportions of butyrate and tended to have greater valerate and lower acetate. These changes in ruminal VFA were coupled with alterations in ruminal microbial abundance, where compared with CON, GF cows tended to have a greater abundance of lactate-utilizing (Megasphaera elsdenii) but lower abundance of cellulose-utilizing species (Fibrobacter succinogens). Although greater ROM was accompanied by a mild inflammatory condition in GF cows, this was not detrimental to milk yield and DMI. Overall, our results suggest a potential benefit of supplementing GF in the transition period until 100 DIM positively impacts lactation performance.
Maternal Injectable Mineral Administration Effects on Calf Growth and Reproductive Parameters
Brenner, Makayla A.; Marques, Rodrigo S.; Posbergh, Christian J.; Zezeski, Abigail L.; Geary, Thomas W.; McCoski, Sarah R. (MDPI, 2025-01-24)
Limited trace mineral research has focused on the impacts of maternal trace mineral supplementation on offspring fertility. We hypothesized that maternal injectable mineral (INJ) administration during mid/late gestation would improve overall growth and reproductive parameters in offspring. Two-hundred and seventy-eight cows were enrolled in the study and blocked by body weight, parity, and day (d) of gestation, and randomly assigned to a treatment group: a group (MM, n = 138) that received a single INJ (Cu = 15 mg/mL, Mn = 10 mg/mL, Se = 5 mg/mL, and Zn = 60 mg/mL; Axiota, Ft. Collins, CO, USA) or control group (CON, n = 138), which did not. Following calving, adjusted birth weight and weaning weights were recorded. A subset of bulls was developed until one year of age (CON, n = 18; MM, n = 14) when two semen ejaculates were collected for sperm quality. Mineral injection calves were heavier at birth than CON (p = 0.05). A treatment by parity interaction was observed for an increase in progressive motility in MM bulls than CON (p = 0.10). Injectable mineral administration to the pregnant multiparous cow improved sperm progressive motility in bulls, but no improvements were observed when assessed via flow cytometry.

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