Animal Sciences Commons^™

Forage News [2019-09], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Heart of America Grazing Conference
• Register now for Fall Grazing School, Sept. 10-11 in Versailles, KY
• Blue-green Algae: Dangerous to Pets and Livestock
• 12 Habits of Highly Successful Forage Producers
• Cover Crops Following Corn Silage
• Current USDA Hay Market Prices
• Alfalfa Checkoff Funds Two University of Kentucky Projects
• Watch for Fall Army Work in Pastures

Forage News [2019-08], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Reclaiming Rundown Farms - Western KY Summer Forage Tour
• Oats for Fall Pasture or Hay
• KFGC Central KY Field Day
• The Birth of a Rotational Grazing System
• Caldwell County Horse Farm to Host Field Day

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

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

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 …

Rediscovery Of The Endangered Carchi Andean Toad, Rhaebo Colomai (Hoogmoed, 1985), In Ecuador, With Comments On Its Conservation Status And Extinction Risk, Carolina Reyes-Puig, Gabriela B. Bittencourt-Silva, María Torres-Sánchez, Mark Wilkinson, Jeffrey W. Streicher, Simon T. Maddock, Ramachandran Kotharambath, Hendrik Müller, Francesca Nicole Angiolani Larrera, Diego Amieda-Reinoso, Santiago R. Ron, Diego Francisco Cisneros-Heredia

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Since 1984 there have been no records of Rhaebo colomai (Hoogmoed, 1985) within the territory of Ecuador. This species was known from 2 localities in the province of Carchi, northwestern Ecuador, and the department of Nariño, southwestern Colombia, which were reported in 1979 and 2015, respectively. We report the recent sightings of R. colomai at 3 new localities in Ecuador and discuss and evaluate this species’ extinction risk and conservation status.

Predicting Habitat Choice After Rapid Environmental Change, Philip H. Crowley, Pete C. Trimmer, Orr Spiegel, Sean M. Ehlman, William S. Cuello, Andrew Sih

Biology Faculty Publications

Decisions made while searching for settlement sites (e.g., nesting, oviposition) often have major fitness implications. Despite numerous case studies, we lack theory to explain why some species are thriving while others are making poor habitat choices after environmental change. We develop a model to predict (1) which kinds of environmental change have larger, negative effects on fitness, (2) how evolutionary history affects susceptibility to environmental change, and (3) how much lost fitness can be recovered via readjustment after environmental change. We model the common scenario where animals search an otherwise inhospitable matrix, encountering habitats of varying quality and settling when …

Forage News [2019-05], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register for 2019 Kentucky Fencing School in Russellville on May 30th
• Things in the Hay Production Book We Missed
• Insure High Quality Forage: Make Baleage
• Optimizing Production from Perennial Cool-Season Hayfields
• UK Equine Farm and Facilities Expo - May 30
• Purdue Extension Hosts Educational Events This Summer - June 21 and 22
• Tariffs, Water Reshuffled the Hay Export Deck

Forage News [2019-04], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register today for the Kentucky Grazing School
• Fencing School spaces still open in Burkesville and Russellville
• More Stuff Not in the Book
• Simplifying Grain Drill Calibration
• New Mandatory Paraquat Training Requirements for Applicators
• Grass-Fed and -Finished Beef Production & Marketing: an OAK Field Day - May 2, 2019

Forage News [2019-03], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Novel Tall Fecue Workshop - March 20
• Round Bale Binding Materials Evaluated
• Impact of Tedding on Alfalfa Silage
• Spring Grazing School April 23-24
• Spring Fencing School: 3 Dates, 3 Locations

Substantial Red Wolf Genetic Ancestry Persists In Wild Canids Of Southwestern Louisiana, Jennifer R. Adams, John J. Cox, Lisette P. Waits

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Concerns over red wolf (Canis rufus) extinction caused by hybridization with coyotes (C. latrans) led to the capture and removal of remnant wild wolves from southwestern Louisiana and southeastern Texas, United States, during the 1970s. Here we show that despite decades of unmitigated hybridization, and declaration of endangered red wolves as functionally extinct in the wild, red wolf mitochondrial or nuclear DNA ancestry persists in ∼55% of contemporary wild canids sampled in southwestern Louisiana. Surprisingly, one individual had 78–100% red wolf ancestry, which is within the range for 75% red wolf, red wolf backcross, or putative …

Forage News [2019-02], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Anne Bay Wins Second in National Contest
• Looks Like I need that Hay after all
• My Permanent Pastures Aren't
• Converting to Novel Entophyte Tall Fescue
• The Importance of Forage Analysis
• Chewing some Cud on Mud
• Insects in Livestock Feed and Hay

Optimizing Gastrointestinal Integrity In Poultry: The Role Of Nutrients And Feed Additives, Sunday A. Adedokun, Opeyemi C. Olojede

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Immunomodulation of the immune system by stimulating or suppressing one or both arms, is an emerging concept driven by the understanding of the host defense system. In particular, the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) functions not only as a site for digestion and absorption of nutrients but also acts as a metabolic and immunological organ. This serves as a barrier against abnormal presentation of luminal constituents, caused by dysfunctional intestinal epithelial barrier, to the mucosal immune system. Invasion by pathogens in the case of disease or stress or a massive influx of commensal bacteria overcomes the defensive mechanisms, resulting in the full …

Upcoming Events [2019], Christopher D. Teutsch, Christi L. Forsythe, Rehanon Pampell

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Uk Research Spotlight [2019], Christopher D. Teutsch, Christi L. Forsythe, Rehanon Pampell

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

• Simplifying Grain Drill Calibration J.M. Buckman, H. Adams, and C.D. Teutsch
• Performance of Stockers Grazing Diverse Summer Annual Forage Mixtures K.M. Mercier, C.D. Teutsch, S.R. Smith, E.L. Ritchey, K.H. Burdine, and E.S. Vanzant
• Nitrogen Application on Diverse Summer Annual Forage Mixtures K.M. Mercier, C.D. Teutsch, S.R. Smith, E.L. Ritchey, K.H. Burdine, and E.S. Vanzant
• Cultivar X Aphicide Interactions C.D. Teutsch, R.T. Villanueva, Z.J. Vilora, G.L Olson, and S.R. Smith
• Using Summer Annuals to Transform Forage Systems in Western Kentucky H. Adams, J.M. Buckman, and C.D. Teutsch
• Can Targeted Management Reduce Nimblewill in Pastures? K. Lea and S.R. Smith
• Nutritive Value …

Grazing Myths That Impact Profitability [Slides], Gregory S. Halich

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Grazing Myths That Reduce Profitability, Gregory S. Halich

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Many cattle farms have moved to rotational grazing in the past decade, and there are significant benefits associated with this grazing technique. However, one thing that I have noticed is that costs are not always accounted for when it comes to recommended rotational grazing practices. If you ignore costs, partially or fully, you will invariably do too much of whatever you are considering. In this light, I will highlight four grazing recommendations (myths) that many folks are often taking to extremes related to rotational grazing, and one additional myth (generic to grazing style) that is reducing the overall profitability of …

Estimating Pasture Forage Mass From Pasture Height, Ed Rayburn, John Lozier

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

How do you decide when to move animals to new pasture? How long can they feed on a pasture before they should be moved again? The short answer is, "It depends." It depends on the number and size of animals, pasture size, production goals, available alternative pastures, and the forage mass present in the pasture. In order to practice pasture budgeting, you need an estimate of forage mass measured as pounds of forage dry matter/acre.

A Falling Plate Meter For Estimating Pasture Forage Mass, Ed Rayburn, John Lozier

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

It is often helpful to have a reliable estimate of forage on offer to grazing livestock. Research has shown that there is a high correlation between forage height and dry matter yield. This correlation is improved when bulk height is determined by depressing the forage with a weighted plate. This weight plate technique referred to as a weighted disk meter, appears to improve the estimate of pasture yield. Different designs of weighted disk meters are called rising plate meters and falling plate meters depending on how measurements are taken. The weighted disk meter described here is a falling plate meter. …

Profitability At Eldon Farms: Guiding Principles, John Genho

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

Eldon Farms is a 7,000-acre farm in the Northern Piedmont of Virginia. Over the past 15 years, we have adopted a grazing program based on three principles. While the specifics of each operation are different, I believe these principles can be applied across a host of situations.

Forages At Kca Foreword [2019], Christopher D. Teutsch, Christi L. Forsythe, Rehanon Pampell

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

Forage News [2019-01], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Get NAFA's 2019 Alfalfa Variety Ratings
• Evaluation of the Efficacy of Various Herbicides for the Control of Broadleaf and Buckhorn Plantain in Alfalfa
• Save Hay by Reducing Feeding Waste
• Don't Miss "The Dollars and Sense of Grazing", Forages at KCA, January 18th in Owensboro
• Taking Stock
• Winter Meeting Rundown

Forms Of Supplemental Selenium In Vitamin-Mineral Mixes Differentially Affect Serological And Hepatic Parameters Of Growing Beef Steers Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue, Yang Jia

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Consumption of endophyte-infected tall fescue results in a syndrome of negatively altered physiological systems, collectively known as fescue toxicosis. Another challenge to endophyte-infected tall fescue -based beef cattle operations is that the soils often are selenium (Se) poor, necessitating the need to provide supplemental Se. To test the general hypothesis that different forms of supplemental Se would ameliorate the negative effects of fescue toxicosis, predominately-Angus steers (BW = 183 ± 34 kg) were randomly selected from herds of fall-calving cows grazing an endophyte-infected tall fescue pasture and consuming vitamin-mineral mixes that contained 35 ppm Se as sodium selenite (ISe), SELPLEX …

Trade-Offs Shape Carotenoid-Based Color Variation In Redheaded Pine Sawfly (Neodiprion Lecontei) Larvae, Maranda Gaines

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

Carotenoids serve various ecological roles in animals including coloration, immune responses, and vision. Carotenoid-derived coloration is greatly emphasized in the literature, particularly relating to mate choice and aposematic warning. However, the trade-offs between the color and non-color functions of carotenoids are not thoroughly explored. In the redheaded pine sawfly (Neodiprion lecontei), some larval populations have yellow pigmentation, using carotenoids derived from their diets for aposematic warning coloration. Other larval populations are white in color, having genetically lost the ability to produce the yellow pigment. Because carotenoids are essential to life functions in both the yellow and white populations, we aim …

Relationships Between Animal Temperament And Systemic Immune Responses In Beef Cattle Exposed To Conditions Associated With Conventional Management, Alexander W. Altman

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Measures of temperament have been shown to influence physiological responses. Exit velocity (EV) has been identified as an objective, robust measure of temperament that can be used to predict subsequent performance of cattle. Additionally, previous studies from our lab indicate this measure of temperament may be related to production of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), a cytokine associated with cell-mediated immunity (CMI). Whereas research has investigated effects of EV upon immune responses, the overall goal of these studies was to examine this relationship under a variety of scenarios including human handling, transportation, and exposure to endophyte-infected tall fescue (E+) for determination of its …

Improved Iron Status In Weanling Pigs Leads To Improved Growth Performance In The Subsequent Nursery Period, Tyler Chevalier

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objectives of this thesis were: 1) to assess the iron status of piglets, 2) to thoroughly evaluate the blood profile, growth performance, and tissue mineral concentration of young pigs during the pre and postweaning periods after receiving various dosages of iron (0, 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg iron) at birth, 3) as well as evaluate the effects of an additional iron injection before weaning on hematological measures, growth performance, and tissue mineral concentration postweaning. In the initial experiment, there was a 60% incidence of iron deficiency at weaning after administration of a 150 mg iron injection at birth. …

Microalgae And Zinc Source Supplementation Of Broiler Breeder Diets Affects Broiler Breeder Skeletal Development And Reproduction With Transgenerational Impacts On Offspring Performance And Skeletal Characteristics, Marquisha A. Paul

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Leg problems and disorders are of major concern for the poultry industry and animal welfare. Previous studies suggest that it may be possible to improve skeletal characteristics through nutrition. Omega-3 fatty acids, including Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), are essential nutrients and are known to play an important role in bone tissue development. FORPLUS™ (Alltech, Inc.) is an unextracted, whole-cell microalgae (Aurantiochytrium limacinum CCAP 4087/2) that contains 64% fat and 16% DHA. Zinc (Zn) is a trace element and essential nutrient for growth and skeletal development. Bioplex^® Zn (Alltech, Inc.) is a Zn proteinate that has been shown to be …

Using An Implantable Microchip For Measuring Body Temperature In Dairy Calves, Megan Woodrum, Melissa Cantor, Joao H. C. Costa

Posters-at-the-Capitol Presentations

Body temperature is frequently used as a method for determining if illness is present with fever detection. Taking rectal temperature or alternatively tympanic temperature can be time consuming and requires restraint of calves. Alternatives, such as implantable microchips that can be passively read using a radio frequency identification (RFID) scanner may allow for easier monitoring of body temperature.

This study aim was to validate an implantable microchip and to determine the best implant site.

The Evaluation Of Pathogen Survival In Dry Cured Charcuterie Style Sausages, Jennifer Michelle Mcneil

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival of non-O157:H7 STEC, Salmonella spp., and S. aureus in dry fermented sausages. Chorizo and Landjager sausages were inoculated with individual bacterial cocktails and stuffed into natural casings. Temperature, relative humidity, pH, and water activity were monitored through fermentation, drying, and storage. Bacterial counts were determined by serial dilution and plated in triplicates on selective media. Plates were incubated at 37°C for 24 hours and colony forming units per gram (CFU/g) were observed.

Results of the first study validate that contaminated raw materials contribute to pathogen survival and background bacteria outcompeted …

Effects Of Yeast-Derived Microbial Protein On Transition Dairy Cow Health And Performance, Gustavo Mazon Correa Alves

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The transition period for dairy cows is defined as the three weeks pre and postpartum. During the transition period, dairy cows experience a myriad of metabolic, managerial, and nutritional requirement changes. These changes lead to stress and increased susceptibility to diseases which can negatively affect lactational performance in the short and long term. However, dietary amino acid availability can have a dramatic impact on the health and performance of dairy cows around parturition. Thus, the objective of the thesis was to evaluate the effects of supplementing yeast-derived microbial protein, as an alternative protein source for dairy cows during the transition …