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Animal Science Alumni Newsletter, Summer/Fall 2009

Department of Animal Science: Departmental News

From the Interim Department Head’s Desk-- Dr. Sheila E. Scheideler
2009 Block & Bridle Honoree: Homer Buell
Other Block and Bridle Activities
Companion Animal Club: SEECA: Students for the Education of Exotic and Companion Animals
Student Teams: Meats Judging Team, Horse Judging Team, 2008-2009 Livestock Judging Teams, Equestrian Team, Beef Merchandising Class, Ambassadors
New Faculty: Dr. Karla (Hollingsworth) Jenkins, Panhandle Research & Extension Center in Scottsbluff; Dr. Deb Hamernik, Agricultural Research Division (ARD)
Emeriti Faculty: Catching Up with Abe Aberle; Award for Engagement of Emeriti Faculty
Awards and Recognitions
Deaths: Dr. Ann Hollingsworth, Thad Ita, Vance Uden
Updates: Joseph Baumert, …

Fecal-Sac Ingestion By Spotted Towhees, Jenny E. Mckay, Michael T. Murphy, Sarah Bartos Smith, Jennifer K. Richardson

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Altricial nestlings encase excrement in fecal sacs that parents remove by either ingesting them or transporting them away from the nest. Ingestion may allow energetically or nutritionally deprived parents to recapture energy or nutrients that might be lost because of nestlings' inefficient digestion (the "parental-nutrition hypothesis"), but ingestion may also permit parents to avoid flights from the nest that interfere with parental care (e.g., brooding young; the "economic-disposal hypothesis"). We used a hypothetico-deductive approach to test the two hypotheses' ability to account for fecal-sac ingestion by the Spotted Towhee (Pipilo maculatus). We confirmed the parental-nutrition hypothesis' predictions that …

Sheep Updates 2009, Brown Besier, L. J. E. Karlsson, J. C. Greeff, A. C. Schlink, Mark Ferguson, Greg Lee, Sue Hatcher, Bruce Michael, Rob Woodgate, Darren Michael, Mandy Curnow, Julia Smith, John Young, Andrew Thompson, Chris Oldham

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors:

1. Scouring Management and Worm Control, Brown Besier, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

2.Breeding sheep for resistance to breech strike:- Selection results in WA, LJE Karlsson, JC Greeff & AC Schlink, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

3.Future Ewe - matching genetics to the production system, Mark Ferguson, Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia

4. Within-flock selection of ewes: opportunities for gains in reproduction, Greg Leeand Sue Hatcher, NSW Department of Primary Industries & Australian CRCforSheep Industry Innovation (Orange)

5. Managing Merinos …

The Stall-Design Paradox: Neck Rails Increase Lameness But Improve Udder And Stall Hygiene, F. Bernardi, J. A. Fregonesi, C. Winckler, D. M. Veira, M. A. G. Von Keyserlingk, D. M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

Housing conditions for dairy cows are thought to af-fect lameness, but almost no experimental work has addressed this link. The aim was to assess the effect of one feature of free-stall design, the position of the neck rail, testing the prediction that cows will be more likely to become lame if using pens with the neck rail positioned such that it prevents standing fully inside the stall. Cows (n = 32) were housed in 8 pens. Treat-ments were tested using a crossover design; treatments were allocated alternately to pens at the beginning of the experiment and switched halfway through the …

Managing Your Horse On A Tight Budget, Patricia Evans

All Current Publications

This publication gives tips to giving your horse the proper love and care it needs while sticking to a budget.

18th Biennial Cheese Industry Conference, Various Authors

Cheese Industry Conference

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Early Spring Growth Annual Ryegrass Pasture Consumption On Parameters Associated With Laminitis In Horses, Morgan Nicole Akers

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Ten adult Quarter Horses (5 mares and 5 geldings) were placed in dry lot for 90 days and allowed free choice access to a diet consisting of average quality orchard grass hay, salt and water. The horses were then allowed free choice access to early-growth annual ryegrass pasture, salt and water for a 28 day period. Random hay and grass samples were analyzed for nutrient content. Blood samples were collected at 6 am, 8 am, 6 pm, and 8 pm on the final day of hay consumption and on the 4th, 9th and 28th days of grass consumption. Samples were …

Animal Pleasure And Its Moral Significance, Jonathan Balcombe

Sentience Collection

This paper presents arguments for, and evidence in support of, the important role of pleasure in animals’ lives, and outlines its considerable significance to humankind’s relationship to other animals. In the realms of animal sentience, almost all scholarly discussion revolves around its negative aspects: pain, stress, distress, and suffering. By contrast, the positive aspects of sentience – rewards and pleasures – have been rarely broached by scientists. Yet, evolutionary principles predict that animals, like humans, are motivated to seek rewards, and not merely to avoid pain and suffering. Natural selection favours behaviours that enhance survival and procreation. In the conscious, …

Landbird Migration In The American West: Recent Progress And Future Research Directions, Jay D. Carlisle, Susan K. Skagen, Barbara E. Kus, Charles Van Riper Iii, Kristina L. Paxton, Jeff F. Kelly

Intermountain Bird Observatory Publications and Presentations

Our knowledge of avian behaviors during the non-breeding period still lags behind that of the breeding season, but the last decade has witnessed a proliferation in research that has yielded significant progress in understanding migration patterns of North American birds. And, although the great majority of migration research has historically been conducted in the eastern half of the continent, there has been much recent progress on aspects of avian migration in the West. In particular, expanded use of techniques such as radar, plasma metabolites, mist-netting, count surveys, stable isotopes, genetic data, and animal tracking, coupled with an increase in multi-investigator …

Yolk Androgens And Development In American Kestrel Nestlings, Melanie Dawn Berg

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Maternally derived yolk androgens affect many aspects of phenotypic development. To explore this phenomenon I injected clutches of American kestrels (Falco sparverius) with one of three different dosages of testosterone + androstenedione or with vehicle. Morphological measurements taken from nestlings 26 days after hatching showed no significant treatment effect. In 2007, nestlings with more yolk androgens had lower hatching mass and higher hematocrit levels 15 days after hatching than nestlings with less yolk androgens, but the effects disappeared by day 26. In 2008, there were no effects of androgens on mass or hematocrit. Because the results were not …

Effects Of Direct And Indirect Predator Cues On Heteromyid Seed Selection And Seed Fate, Kelly J. Sivy

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Many factors affect foraging behavior of rodents, including predation risk, which is thought to influence seed selection and seed handling by desert rodents in patchy environments. Understanding forces that drive seed selection and seed fate can aid understanding of rodents' impacts on vegetation structure and dynamics. In a feeding arena study, we tested how indirect and direct predation cues influence seed selection and handling behaviors (e.g., scatterhoarding and larderhoarding) of two heteromyid rodents, Dipodomys ordii (Ord's kangaroo rat) and Perognathus parvus (Great Basin pocket mouse), foraging on three seed species. The indirect cue was shrub cover: one half of the …

Isolation And Characterization Of Different Aggregates Of Lipid From Bovine Milk, Ankur Jhanwar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bovine milk fat globules naturally vary from less than 0.2 µm to 15 µm in diameter. Milk has at least two distinct distributions of fat globules. While the majority (~90%) of globules in milk are of the smaller distribution (average diameter of 0.4 µm), virtually all the fat is carried in the larger globules (average diameter 3.5 µm). This distribution suggests some compositional and/or functional significance might exist between the two populations of fat globules, which may be related to origin of these globules in the lactating cell.

Milk fat globules have a unique structure, composed of a core droplet …

Greater Sage-Grouse Ecology, Chick Survival, And Population Dynamics, Parker Mountain, Utah, David K. Dahlgren

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We estimated survival of ~ 1-day-old chicks to 42 days based on radio-marked individuals for the Parker Mountain greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) population. Chick survival was relatively high (low estimate of 0.41 and high estimate of 0.50) compared to other studies. Brood-mixing occurred for 21 % of radio-marked chicks, and within 43 % of radio-marked broods. Our study showed that brood-mixing may be an important ecological strategy for sage-grouse, because chicks that brood-mixed experienced higher survival. Additionally, modeling of chick survival suggested that arthropod abundance is important during the early brood-rearing period (1 - 21 days). We also …

Culturally Speaking: Raw Milk Quality, Phillip S, Tong

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Behavioral Application In Wildlife Photography: Developing A Foundation In Ecological And Behavioral Characteristics Of The Zanzibar Red Colobus Monkey (Procolobus Kirkii) As It Applies To The Development Exhibition Photography, Matthew Jorgensen

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A fundamental understanding of Zanzibar red colobus monkey (Piliocolobus kirkii) behavior can be used to increase the efficiency of a photographic expedition and to increase the impact and value of a subsequent exhibition of the photographs taken. Preliminary research on cercopithecine monkeys, as well as the individual species, was paired with animal behavior experience in the development and execution of a photographic expedition to Jozani Forest. Collected photographs were compiled, organized, analyzed and edited before final selection of twenty five pieces meant for exhibition. These shots were assessed for their aesthetic, documentary and educational quality both individually and collectively as …

Nutrient And Fiber Type Relationships In Barrosã Muscles, P. Costa, L. C. Roseiro, V. Alves, Chris R. Calkins, R. J. B. Bessa, C. Santos

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Fiber type and nutrient compositions from Biceps femoris (Bf), Longissimus dorsi (Ld) and Supraspinatus (Ss) muscles of 10 Barrosã calves were determined and the respective relationships investigated by principal component analysis (PCA). The Ss muscle had higher proportion of type IIA fibers than Bf (P < 0.001) and Ld (P < 0.01), higher percentage of oxidative fibers than Ld muscle (P < 0.01) and lower proportion of IIB fibers than Bf (P P < 0.01). The latter muscle had higher intramuscular total lipids (ITL) (P P c9t11-CLA (P < 0.001), saturated fatty acids (SFA) (P < trans fatty acids (TFA) (P P P < n-6 PUFA (P < n-3 PUFA (P < 0.01), polyunsaturated/saturated fatty ac¬ids ratio (P/S) (P < 0.001) and hypocholesterolaemic/hypercholesterolaemic fatty acid ratio (h/H) (P P < and phospholipids (PL) (P < 0.05) contents were found in Ss muscle. Cholesterol amount was unaffected by anatomical location and ranged from 0.50 to 0.54 mg/g. Barrosã muscles were not well dis¬tinguishable by PCA since, based on fiber and nutritional compositions, they did not clearly present different pat¬terns. Barrosã-PDO veal is a low fat meat providing 367–558 mg of n-6 PUFA and 151-172 mg of n-3 PUFA of which 67–78 mg are EPA + DHA (based on 150 g consumption). The n-6 …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 66 - Scientific Review Of The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery, Western Australia, Michael O'Neill, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

In December 2008 the Hon Norman Moore MLC, Minister for Fisheries Western Australia appointed two independent experts to assess separately 1) the validity of scientific advice to management and 2) options to manage recreational fishing of west coast demersal scalefish. The following review (1) assesses the validity of research outlining the status of baldchin groper (Choerodon rubescens), West Australian dhufish (Glaucosoma hebraicum) and snapper (Pagrus auratus) as described in the terms of reference. In addition to the terms of reference, an opinion was requested regarding the current appropriateness of the research advice (Wise et al 2007) and the resulting management …

Sociality And Reconciliation In Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta Monachus), Lynnsey Lee Morrison

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

For animals living within socially complex groups, it is beneficial for all individuals to maintain group cohesion. Conflicts often arise in groups, which could potentially have high costs both to the subordinate and dominant members, and could lead to group instability. It has been shown numerous times that highly social group members participate in affiliative relationships with other group members discriminately. They also perform related behavior patterns such as reconciliation at a high rate, which could strengthen group stability. Reconciliation occurs when an affiliative interaction takes place between two individuals following an agonistic encounter. The rate of affiliation is higher …

Effects On Hatchability Due To Pre-Incubation Warming Of End Of Lay Broiler Breeder Eggs, William Andrew Greenwald

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Mangrove-Exported Nutrient Incorporation By Sessile Coral Reef Invertebrates, Elise F. Granek, Jana E. Compton, Donald L. Phillips

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coastal mangrove forests were historically considered as a source of organic matter (OM) for adjacent marine systems due to high net primary production; yet recent research suggesting little uptake through the food web because of low nutritional quality, challenges the concept of trophic linkage between mangrove forests and coral reefs. To examine the importance of mangrove forests to coral reef nutrient availability, we examined sessile reef-forming invertebrate consumers including hard corals, sponges, a bivalve mollusc, polychaete annelid and tunicate, and potential sources of OM (decaying mangrove leaves, microalgae, macroalgae, and seagrass) in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Using stable isotope analyses …

2008 Ksu Insortmil/Usaid Poultry Experiment In West Africa, S. Issa, J. D. Hancock

INTSORMIL Presentations

INTSORMIL (funded by USAID) promotes the use and marketability of sorghum and millet in developing nations around the world.

A key objective is to provide technology transfer that will improve production, storage, marketing, and utilization of sorghum and millet.

An additional objective is to build human capital via student training and collaboration with colleagues in targeted regions of the world.

Justification: We were approached by potential collaborators from the National Institute for Agronomic Research in Niger (INRAN).

Sorghum is the second most produced cereal (after millet) in Niger.

Locally produced sorghum is generally less expensive than imported corn, yet imported …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No. 63 - Western Rock Lobster Ecological Risk Assessment, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia, International Risk Consultants Group Of Companies

Fisheries Occasional Publications

This Ecological Risk Assessment, conducted by IRC Environment (part of International Risk Consultants) and Department of Fisheries WA (FWA) was the result of an initiative by the WA Fishing Industry Council (WAFIC) and (FWA). This report is based on a risk assessment workshop undertaken in February 2001 at the FWA Marine Research Laboratories in Waterman but includes additional background material to justify some of the rankings of the workshop.

The broad intent of the workshop was to provide a register of the potential main ecological risks that arise from the various activities carried out by the western rock lobster (WRL) …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.057 - Introduced Marine Species In Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

As the largest State in Australia, Western Australia (WA) has a long and relatively pristine coastline that stretches over 12,500 km, or over 20,700 km if the State’s 3,747 islands are included. The coast ranges over 20 degrees of latitude from the temperate south coast to the northern tip of the tropical Kimberley. There are a wide variety of coastal marine habitats in this vast area. The south coast has extensive white sandy beaches interspersed with granite headlands. A diverse range of nearly 800 species of temperate marine algae, or seaweeds, occurs in the area. With 26 species, the seagrasses …

Effect Of Noxious Stimulation Upon Antipredator Responses And Dominance Status In Rainbow Trout, Paul J. Ashley, Sian Ringrose, Katie L. Edwards, Emma Wallington, Catherine R. Mccrohan, Lynne U. Sneddon

Aquaculture Collection

A potentially painful experience may modify normal behavioural responses. To gauge the importance of pain relative to predation or social status, we presented competing stimuli, a predator cue or an unfamiliar social group, to two groups of noxiously treated rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. In the predator cue experiment, fish were classified as bold or shy. Noxiously stimulated fish did not show antipredator responses, suggesting that pain is the imperative. In the social status experiment, noxiously stimulated fish held individually and undisturbed showed an increase in respiration rate and plasma cortisol. As a comparison, we used the dominant or subordinate fish …

National Beef Market Basket Survey- 2006: External Fat Thickness Measurements And Separable Component Determinations For Beef From Us Retail Establishments, C. L. Mason, K. L. Nicholson, J. C. Brooks, R. J. Delmore, W. R. Henning, D. D. Johnson, C. L. Lorenzen, R. J. Maddock, R. K. Miller, J. B. Morgan, B. E. Wasser, B. L. Gwartney, K. B. Harris, D. B. Griffin, D. S. Hale, J. W. Savell

Animal Science

A market basket survey for beef retail cut composition at the retail level (four stores each from two chains in each city) was conducted in 11 US cities from January to March 2006. Beef cuts (n = 17,495) were measured for external fat thickness with cuts from the chuck (0.05 cm), round (0.05 cm), and miscellaneous (0.04 cm) having less (P < 0.05) fat than cuts from the loin (0.11 cm) and rib (0.11 cm). Beef cuts (n = 1327) were separated physically into separable components with round cuts having more (P < 0.05) separable lean (96.63%) than chuck cuts (86.81%) and miscellaneous cuts (86.18%), which had more (P < 0.05) separable lean than loin cuts (84.53%) with rib cuts (69.34%) having the lowest (P < 0.05) separable lean. Chemical fat from the separable lean differed (P < 0.05) between each cut category: round cuts (3.71%), miscellaneous cuts (4.99%), loin cuts (5.60%), chuck cuts (6.90%), and rib cuts (8.61%). Ground beef samples (n = 235), with declared lean/fat percentages ranging from 73/27 to 96/4, had overall chemical fat values of 13.41% and moisture values of 67.42%. This survey documents the current beef retail cut and ground beef composition, which is helpful to those who need this information for various dietary and marketing purposes.

Getting Into Sheep An Introductory Guide To Sheep Management, Keith Croker, Roy Butler

Bulletins 4000 -

Sheep husbandry can be an interesting and rewarding activity but before starting to work with or buy sheep ask yourself if you are prepared to spend the time and effort to care for them.

Sheep cannot be placed in a paddock and forgotten. The sheep, along with their water, feed and fences must be inspected regularly. If you do not live on the farm, or visit it only infrequently, make sure there is a responsible person available who is willing to inspect and manage the sheep on your behalf.

Wool Desk Report February 2009: Time Of Lambing In Australian Flocks, Keith Croker, Kimbal Curtis, Jane Speijers, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock published reports

Producers throughout Australia were surveyed in 2005, 2006 and 2007 to identify the times when they lambed their ewes. This study was undertaken by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia for Australian Wool Innovation Limited and the Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre.

The start of lambing followed similar patterns in the years surveyed. However, lambing of Merino ewes began last in Tasmania and earliest in South Australia and Western Australia.

Data for Merino first cross ewes were collected in 2007 when Tasmania had the latest lambings and Queensland the earliest lambings.

Combined results for the three years …

2009 Nebraska Swine Report

Nebraska Swine Reports

Contents:

Nutrition

Effect of Corn Dried Distillers Grains with Solubles (DDGS) on Growth Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Growing-Finishing Gilts with Previous Exposure to DDGS in the Nursery

Feeding Value of Diets for Growing-Finishing Pigs with Varying Concentrations of Corn Distillers Dried Grain with Solubles (DDGS)

Effects of Distillers Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) and Paylean® Supplementation on Growth Performance of Growing-Finishing Pigs

Economy of Adding Fibrous Feedstuffs to Sow Gestation Diets

Nutrition During Gilt Development and Genetic Line Affect Reproductive Rate Through Parity 1

In Vivo and In Vitro Expression of Porcine Zinc Transporter (ZnT) 1 mRNA

Health

Effect …

Management Of Merino Weaners For Optimum Production, Patricia Harper, Keith Croker, Danny Roberts

Bulletins 4000 -

Sheep mortality during the first year of life is a large problem on many farms and poses a significant animal welfare issue for Australian agriculture. Post weaning mortality is estimated to cost the Australian sheep industry more than $89 million annually through reduced income, poor productivity and increased management expenses (Sackett et al. 2006).

A high mortality rate among weaners reduces the number of surplus animals available for sale and the number of potential breeding replacements. This, in turn, affects the selection intensity for desirable traits and the flock’s rate of genetic improvement.

Ill thrift and poor growth of weaner …

Extending Grazing And Reducing Stored Feed Needs, Don Ball, Edward N. Ballard, Mark Kennedy, Garry D. Lacefield, Dan Undersander

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Why extend the grazing season? For most livestock producers, extending the grazing season for their animals, or otherwise filling gaps in pasture forage availability to reduce stored feed needs, should be a high priority objective.