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Evaluation Of Alpha Amylase Containing Corn On Beef Cattle Performance And Digestibility And Double-Cropped Annual Forages Following Corn Harvest, Mckenna Brinton

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

One digestion and three feedlot trials evaluated the effect of a new corn hybrid containing an α-amylase enzyme trait, Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn (SYT-EFC) on site and extent of digestion, ruminal fermentation parameters, and feedlot performance. Experiments utilized corn containing the enzymatic gene (SYT-EFC) compared to commercially available corn (CON), processed as corn silage (CS) kernel processed or not (KP), dry-rolled corn (DRC), high-moisture corn (HMC), or a blend of DRC and HMC. Growing calves fed high inclusions of CS, displayed increased G:F when CS was KP, resulting in a 6.5% improvement in G:F. Hybrid and kernel processing did not …

Experimental Feeding Studies With Crickets And Locusts On The Use Of Feed Mixtures Composed Of Storable Feed Materials Commonly Used In Livestock Production, P. Straub, C. M. Tanga, I. Osuga, W. Windisch, S. Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Insects such as the Mediterranean field cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus and the Desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, are emerging as potential sources of human food and feed for livestock. High nutritive value and efficient feed conversion make them attractive for commercial production as novel livestock, but these properties strongly vary with the insects´ diet. Current mass-rearing protocols are based on fresh, non-storable feed materials. This requires constant supply and makes the systems sensitive to fluctuations regarding nutritional quality and safety. Hence there is a need to find storable, readily available feeds. Therefore, experimental diets were composed from the five different feed materials, …

Spatial And Temporal Variation In The Diet Composition Of Zooplankton In Mission Bay, Bryanna Paulson

Theses

Analyses of quantitative data on zooplankton diets are vital for understanding the drivers of zooplankton abundance within an ecosystem. Such analyses also provide insight into trophic pathways within the lower planktonic food web, which support populations of higher trophic level species. This study used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of size-fractionated plankton in Mission Bay, San Diego, CA to examine the spatial and temporal variation in zooplankton trophic ecology and determine potential environmental drivers of zooplankton community structure. Carbon stable isotopes reflect primary production sources in an organism’s diet, and nitrogen stable isotope ratios can be used to estimate …

Rescue And Reestablishment Of Chicken Models For Spontaneously Occurring Hashimoto’S Thyroiditis And Systemic Sclerosis/Scleroderma, Joseph Zolton Hiltz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The loss of biodiversity is a topic gaining popularity both in the political and scientific forums. Nearly 30 years ago researchers and politicians congregated in Rio de Janeiro (1992) to attend the first Earth Summit. It was the first meeting of its kind discussing the tangible pressing consequences of biodiversity loss as well as the potential long term ramifications. Many of the countries represented at this summit implemented short and long term plans in order to accurately measure losses of biodiversity as well as establishing organizations to help diagnose and remedy the current problems at hand. These new organizations and …

Prediction And Evaluation Of Breast Myopathy, Barbara De Almeida Mallmann

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broiler breast myopathies, including woody breast, white striping, and spaghetti breast, negatively impact the industry. Therefore, evaluation, prediction, and frequency of these muscle abnormalities on modern birds are important for decision making. Modern broilers are not highly active and often sit with the breast of the bird resting on the floor. Therefore, the first experiment was to promote bird movement and explore the impact on the breast myopathies. The movement was stimulated by human interaction (walking through pen) and higher light intensity so that birds walked around the pen more often throughout the day. The control group had normal low …

Technologies To Increase Animal Performance In Beef Production Systems, Caleb P. Weiss

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Three monensin levels during a stocker phase (0, 800, 1600 g/ton in a free choice mineral) and two levels during finishing (0 [U] or 37.5 mg/kg diet DM [M]) were used to determine the effects of monensin supplementation during a stocker and subsequent finishing phase on beef calves. Steers (n = 605, BW = 278 ± 27 kg) were fed pearl millet hay with soybean hull and corn gluten feed supplement (0.5% BW daily [AF basis] Block 1) or grazed fall wheat (Block 2), spring wheat (Block 3), bermudagrass (Blocks 4 & 5) or wheat with mixed-grass baleage (Block 6). …

A Simulation Tool For Evaluating The Environmental Impacts Of Management Scenarios For Modern Broiler Production Systems, Martin Andrew Christie

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this work is to provide a simulation tool that allows broiler production practitioners and researchers to simulate the effects of farm design and management practices on resource consumption and environmental impacts. This tool allows the user to design unique farms and simulates on farm processes required to raise broiler chicks to a marketable age. The use can input data such as farm location, broiler breed, flock size, ration type, barn dimensions, and climate control equipment specifications. The algorithms used to simulate broiler breed specific feed intake, broiler weight gain, and other on farm processes such as heating, …

The Influence Of Different Packaging Materials And Atmospheric Conditions On The Properties Of Pork Rinds, Kristi Kõrge, Katrin Laos

Journal of Applied Packaging Research

Rancidity development in high fat content products is a common off-flavor flaw in snack foods. Packaging is often used to avoid spoilage and extend shelf-life. The properties of pork rinds packaged in four different packaging materials with and without nitrogen were studied during 120 days of storage (22 °C, RH 60%, absence of light). The influence of different packaging materials and atmospheric conditions on pork rinds’ water activity, hardness, crispness and rancidity development was determined. The PET/PE packaging material had lower barrier properties for the product in both atmospheric conditions compared with PP/metPP (40 and 50 μm) and PET/PETmet/PE. PP/metPP …

Basal Diet Determined Long-Term Composition Of The Gut Microbiome And Mouse Phenotype To A Greater Extent Than Fecal Microbiome Transfer From Lean Or Obese Human Donors, Daphne Michelle Rodriguez Jimenez, Abby D. Benninghoff, Niklas D.J. Aardema, Sumira Phatak, Korry J. Hintze

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The Western dietary pattern can alter the gut microbiome and cause obesity and metabolic disorders. To examine the interactions between diet, the microbiome, and obesity, we transplanted gut microbiota from lean or obese human donors into mice fed one of three diets for 22 weeks: (1) a control AIN93G diet; (2) the total Western diet (TWD), which mimics the American diet; or (3) a 45% high-fat diet-induced obesity (DIO) diet. We hypothesized that a fecal microbiome transfer (FMT) from obese donors would lead to an obese phenotype and aberrant glucose metabolism in recipient mice that would be exacerbated by consumption …

Forage News [2019-07], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register for Heart of America and Western Kentucky Grazing Conferences today!
• The Clover Dilemma
• Improve Summer Pastures with Crabgrass
• Fall Grazing School Registration Now Open
• Clip Pastures to Reduce the Risk of Ergot

Sheep Weaning Best Practice, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Monitoring the health and liveweight of weaners is important to ensure their survival and for producers to maximise profit. Weaners are more susceptible than adult sheep to a number of health issues, as their immune system is still in development. Vaccination, drenching for worms and flystrike control are important management steps at weaning.

Growing Weaner Sheep, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

Weaners are the most difficult class of sheep to manage effectively, largely because they usually cannot consume enough energy while grazing dry pastures and crop stubbles.

There are a number of techniques you can apply to ensure your weaners are effectively managed, including setting and meeting growth targets, being vigilant on health and disease management and ensuring the weaners have their protein and energy needs met.

Postnatal Nutrient Repartitioning Due To Adaptive Developmental Programming, Robert J. Posont, Dustin T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The consequences of prenatal stress on lifelong metabolic function and health was first proposed by David Barker and Nicholas Hales with the publication of their Thrifty Phenotype Hypothesis in the early 1990s.1,2 Subsequent studies in humans and animals have further demonstrated that stress-induced adaptive fetal programming leads to tissue-specific changes in metabolic function and growth capacity.3,4 Developmental adaptations to the intrauterine nutrient restriction that accompanies most maternofetal stressors target regulatory pathways for nutrient utilization in non-essential tissues such as skeletal muscle.4-6 This aids intrauterine survival by re-appropriating nutrients to support neural, cardiac, and endocrine tissue function but reduces metabolic efficiency …

Inbreeding Alters Context‐Dependent Reproductive Effort And Immunity In Male Crickets, Kristin R. Duffield, Kylie J. Hampton, Thomas M. Houslay, John Hunt, Ben Sadd, Scott K. Sakaluk

Faculty Publications – Biological Sciences

Infection can cause hosts to drastically alter their investment in key life‐history traits of reproduction and defence. Infected individuals are expected to increase investment in defence (e.g., by increasing immune function) and, due to trade‐offs, investment in other traits (e.g., current reproduction) should decrease. However, the terminal investment hypothesis postulates that decreased lifespan due to infection and the associated reduction in the expectation for future offspring will favour increased investment towards current reproduction. Variation in intrinsic condition will likely influence shifts in reproductive investment post‐infection, but this is often not considered in such assessments. For example, the extent of inbreeding …

Impact Of Beta-Adrenergic Agonist Supplementation And Heat Stress On The Microbiome And Gastrointestinal Transcriptome Of Sheep, Erin Margaret Duffy

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Improving animal growth and efficiency are critical points of research as the world’s population and demand for agriculture products increase. Therefore, adaptions or changes in the gut are of interest to maximize growth efficiency and wellbeing of livestock. The gastrointestinal tract of the rumen plays many critical roles with the assistance of the associated microbial community. One way to improve animal performance is supplementation of β-adrenergic agonists (β-AA) which are commonly fed to cattle during the last 20-40 days of the finishing period, improving muscle growth by decreasing adipose deposition and increasing muscle accretion. Two β-AA, Ractopamine HCl (β1-AA) and …

Undergraduate Success In Animal Science Courses Based On Demographics, Motivation, And Online Courses, Haylee Anne Lavoie

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A deeper understanding of student demographics, motivation, and outlook of online vs. face to face courses in Animal Science is needed to allow educators to facilitate greater student success. The purpose of this study was to investigate student factors which effected their final grades. The following courses were surveyed at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln Animal Science Department: Animal Products (ASCI 210), Anatomy and Physiology of Domestic Animals (ASCI 240), Introduction to Companion Animals (ASCI 251), Companion Animal Behavior (ASCI 271), Companion Animal Nutrition (ASCI 321), Equine. Nutrition (ASCI 322), Equine Reproduction (ASCI 342), Animal Welfare (ASCI 370), Processed Meats …

A Look Into The Activity Budgets Of Captive Cotton-Top Tamarins (S. Oedipus), Jessica Phagan

The Pegasus Review: UCF Undergraduate Research Journal

Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are a species of New World Monkey that are small in size. They live in groups that typically contain family members, including a breeding pair and their offspring. Seven related individuals were observed for this study, which was designed to ensure and evaluate the activity budgets of each tamarin. The aim of the study was to determine whether the older tamarins possessed different activity levels than the younger offspring. Each cotton-top tamarin was observed for an hour per week over a ten-week period. Each activity— playing with other tamarins, active in general, eating, grooming or being …

Selected Quality Attributes Of Frozen Farmed Giant Grouper (Epinephelus Lanceolatus) As A Function Of Storage Temperature, Wen-Chieh Sung, Jing-Rong Lin, Tze-Kuei Chiou, Yu-Wei Chang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The effects of storage temperature (-20°C, -30°C and -55°C) on selected quality-related characteristics of vacuum packed frozen giant grouper fillets (Epinephelus lanceolatus) stored for 6 months were evaluated. The following quality attributes were measured: proximate composition, pH, thiobarbituric acid (TBA) value, total volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), ATP related compounds, K value, microbiological analysis, color, texture and sensory evaluation. Formation of TBA was low in the giant grouper fillet, with a value of less than 3.91 mg malondialdehyde (MDA) kg-1, after 6 months storage at -30 and -55°C. No significant differences were found in pH, total plate count (TPC), white index …

Effects Of Dietary Mortierella Alpine Meal Levels On Growth, Body Fatty Acid Composition And Arachidonic Acid Retention For Orange-Spotted Grouper, Epinephelus Coioides, Yu-Hung Lin, Man-Ting Chiu

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This study investigated the effect of using Mortierella alpina meal (MAM) as a dietary arachidonic acid (ARA) source on the growth, whole-body fatty acid composition, and ARA retention of the orange-spotted grouper (Epinephelus coioides). Four diets supplemented with 0% (control), 1%, 2%, and 5% MAM actually contained 0.93%, 1.14%, 1.34%, and 1.93% ARA. Four experimental diets were fed to triplicate groups of fish (initial weight: 7.21 ± 0.21 g) in a recirculating system for 8 weeks. The final body weight, weight gain percentage, specific growth rate, daily feed intake, feed efficiency, and survival of fish did not significantly differ (p …

Fish Performance, Nutrient Digestibilities, And Hepatic And Intestinal Morphologies In Grouper Epinephelus Fuscoguttatus Fed Fermented Copra Meal, Roger Edward P. Mamauag, Janice A. Ragaza, Trisha J. Nacionales

Biology Faculty Publications

Protein enhanced copra meal (PECM®) is an alternative, cheap, and sustainable source of plant protein for the aquafeed industry, albeit its use on carnivorous fish species has been very limited. A 70-day feeding trial using grouper Epinephelus fuscoguttatus (initial mean body weight of 1.86 ± 0.19 g) tested fermented copra meal as feed ingredient. Six isonitrogenous (crude protein of 45%) and iso-lipidic (crude fat of 11%) diets consisted of PECM®: a control diet at 0% soybean meal replacement (C); four diets replacing soybean meal at 25% (FC25), 50% (FC50), 75% (FC75), 100% (FC100) – all with methionine and lysine supplementation; …

Becoming The Good Shepherds, Eze Paez

Animal Sentience

It is very important that we clarify what we owe to nonhuman animals. To that end, we need a better understanding of animal cognition and emotion. Marino & Merskin’s target article is a welcome contribution to this project. Sheep, like most other animals, are sentient beings with interests of their own. It is wrong to discriminate against them based on species-membership or cognitive sophistication. We are morally required not to harm them, and to help them have the best possible lives, just as we would be in the case of human beings with similar interests. We must become the good …

Utilizing An Electronic Feeder To Measure Mineral And Energy Supplement Intake In Beef Heifers Grazing Native Range, Kacie L. Mccarthy, Sarah R. Underdahl, Michael Undi, Stephanie Becker, Carl R. Dahlen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Introduction

Grasslands in the Northern Plains provide the primary forage source for ruminants throughout much of the year (Schauer et al., 2004). Supplementation practices are often necessary to maintain production and offset forage nutritive decline throughout the grazing season (Schauer et al., 2004; Cline et al., 2009). Typically, to maintain a targeted production level, energy and protein supplementations are used for grazing livestock (Caton and Dhuyvetter, 1997). For developing heifers consuming low-quality forages, inclusion of energy ingredients into supplements may be beneficial for growth and reproductive performance (Schillo et al., 1992; Ciccioli et al., 2005; Cappellozza et al., 2014). In …

Ecological Effects Of Fear: How Spatiotemporal Heterogeneity In Predation Risk Influences Mule Deer Access To Forage In A Sky‐Island System, Christopher Lowrey, Kathleen M. Longshore, David M. Choate, Jyoteshwar R. Nagol, Joseph Sexton, Daniel Thompson

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Forage availability and predation risk interact to affect habitat use of ungulates across many biomes. Within sky‐island habitats of the Mojave Desert, increased availability of diverse forage and cover may provide ungulates with unique opportunities to extend nutrient uptake and/or to mitigate predation risk. We addressed whether habitat use and foraging patterns of female mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) responded to normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), NDVI rate of change (green‐up), or the occurrence of cougars (Puma concolor). Female mule deer used available green‐up primarily in spring, although growing vegetation was available during other seasons. Mule deer and cougar shared similar …

Forage News [2019-06], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Managing Pastures this Summer
• 2019 Western Kentucky Summer Forage Tour: Resuscitating a Rundown Farm
• The Wonder Grass: The Story of Tall Fescue in the United States now available
• UK Weed Sceicne to Host a Pair of Field Days at UKREC in Princeton
• Grass Decline? Check Your Cutting Height
• We're Producing and Feeding Less Hay

Development Of A Pediatric Model Of Nafld In Neonatal Iberian Pigs, Gabriella Veronica Hernandez, Victoria Alice Smith, Morgan Coffin, Daniel Columbus, Matthew Burd, Kimberly Sprayberry, Mark Edwards, Daniel Peterson, Darin Bennett, Robert Fanter, Christopher Kitts, Michael La Frano, Margaret Rice, Douglas Burrin, Magdalena Maj, Rodrigo Manjarin

Master's Theses

The prevalence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in children has increased over the past decades, creating a need for animal models that recapitulate the features of the pediatric disease. Iberian pigs have a leptin-resistant phenotype characterized by hyperleptinemia, hyperphagia, and extreme adipogenesis. We hypothesized that neonatal Iberian pigs fed a high fat high-fructose (HFF) diet will develop a pattern of liver injury resembling pediatric NAFLD. In addition, we sought to determine if a mixture of probiotics would prevent the disease. Animals were fed 1 of 4 diets containing (g/kg body weight × d) 0 g fructose, 11 g fat …

The Effects Of Providing Social And Nutritional Enrichment To Dairy Calves On Development, Behavior And Learning, Kendra Leigh Kutina

Master's Theses

The objective of this study was to measure the effects of both a nutritional (water nipple) and social (partner calf) enrichment on calf body weight, grain intake, water intake, behavior and learning. The enrichments included 1) water provided from a nipple vs. a bucket (nutritional) and 2) visual and tactile access to a partner vs. isolated rearing with no visual or tactile access to a partner calf (social). A total of 72 Holstein and Jersey dairy calves were pseudo-randomly distributed into 4 treatments at birth [Individual/Bucket (IB), Paired/Bucket (PB), Individual/Nipple (IN), Paired/Nipple (PN)]. Socially and nutritionally enriched calves drank more …

Validation Of A Commercial Automated Body Condition Scoring System On A Commercial Dairy Farm, Israel L. Mullins, Carissa M. Truman, Magnus R. Campler, Jeffrey M. Bewley, Joao H. C. Costa

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Body condition scoring (BCS) is the management practice of assessing body reserves of individual animals by visual or tactile estimation of subcutaneous fat and muscle. Both high and low BCS can negatively impact milk production, disease, and reproduction. Visual or tactile estimation of subcutaneous fat reserves in dairy cattle relies on their body shape or thickness of fat layers and muscle on key areas of the body. Although manual BCS has proven beneficial, consistent qualitative scoring can be difficult to implement. The desirable BCS range for dairy cows varies within lactation and should be monitored at multiple time points throughout …

Effect Of Cooled Perches On The Efficacy Of An Induced Molt In White Leghorn Laying Hens Previously Exposed To Heat Stress, J Y. Hu, P Y. Hester, Y Xiong, R S. Gates, M M. Makagon, H W. Cheng

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This study examined the effect of water chilled perches on hen production and physiological responses to induced molt during elevated temperatures. A total of 288White Leghorns at 82 wk of age were housed in 36 cages of 6 banks. Each bank was assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: cooled perches, air perches, and no perches. The hens were subjected to 2 heat episodes during their first laying cycle at week 21 to 35 and week 73 to 80, respectively. The hens were subjected to a 28 D nonfasted molting regimen starting at 85 wk of age. Cyclic heat of 32◦C …

Ecological Interventions To Prevent And Manage Zoonotic Pathogen Spillover, Susanne H. Sokolow, Nicole Nova, Kim M. Pepin, Alison J. Peel, Juliet R.C. Pulliam, Kezia Manlove, Paul C. Cross, Daniel J. Becker, Raina K. Plowright, Hamish Mccallum, Giulio A. De Leo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Spillover of a pathogen from awildlife reservoir into a human or livestock host requires the pathogen to overcome a hierarchical series of barriers. Interventions aimed at one or more of these barriers may be able to prevent the occurrence of spillover. Here, we demonstrate how interventions that target the ecological context in which spillover occurs (i.e. ecological interventions) can complement conventional approaches like vaccination, treatment, disinfection and chemical control. Accelerating spillover owing to environmental change requires effective, affordable, durable and scalable solutions that fully harness the complex processes involved in cross-species pathogen spillover.

This article is part of the theme …

A Revised Land Ethic: Sustainable And Spiritual Agriculture, Brooke Maitlan Parrett

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper proposes a return to the land and reconnection of spiritual practices through ethical teachings. Such a land ethic would involve answering the woes of industrial agriculture and providing a framework for farmers, consumers, and policymakers based on sustainable and spiritual considerations of the land. I analyze the loss of spiritual literacy and traditional ecological knowledge in the United States and discuss the spiritual history of agriculture in order to analyze contemporary religious perspectives on farming and agricultural ethics and thereby develop my own recommendations. The land ethic I propose combines sustainability and spirituality to develop intrinsic respect for …