Animal Sciences Commons^™

Incorporation Of Summer Annual Mixtures Into Grazing Systems In Kentucky, Kelly Marie Mercier

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Utilizing summer annual grass-legume forage mixtures has the potential to improve forage yield and nutritive characteristics, and/or animal performance during times when cool-season pasture growth is limited by high temperatures. Legumes can utilize atmospheric nitrogen, which can increase crude protein and forage digestibility in mixtures. As nitrogen application generally improves both the yield and nutritive characteristics of summer annual forages, but can have a negative effect on legume competitiveness, nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for legume-containing summer annual mixtures are not well established.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the feasibility of utilizing summer annual mixtures in Kentucky, USA. The first experiment …

Science-Based Regulation Of Pharmacological Substances In Competition Horses, Jacob Machin

Theses and Dissertations--Toxicology and Cancer Biology

Current testing methodologies within equine forensic toxicology focus on arbitrary thresholds and zero-tolerance policy. Modern analytical chemistry’s limits of detection are low enough that oftentimes femtogram-per-milliliter amounts of a substance can readily be identified in both blood and urine of a horse. For most pharmacologically relevant compounds, these concentrations have no relevance to pharmacological effect. It is therefore crucial that testing methodologies to determine appropriate thresholds and cut-offs be developed that are driven by biological activity rather than arbitrary limits of detection. This dissertation looks to address this by suggesting a system of calculated Effective Plasma Concentrations by which a …

Pharmacokinetics And Reward-Related Behaviors Of Ethanol In Male And Female Japanese Quail (Coturnix Japonica), Shannon Eaton

Theses and Dissertations--Psychology

Ethanol is one of the most widely used and abused drugs. Problem use is associated with many different health problems and the economic burden is in the billions of dollars. Additionally, many people have difficulty controlling their ethanol consumption and about 5% of adults end up with an alcohol use disorder (AUD). Many people with an AUD often find themselves in a cycle of binge, remission, and relapse.

Following ethanol consumption ethanol enters the bloodstream from the small intestine where it gets distributed to peripheral tissues. Ethanol in the bloodstream is cleared from the system by the liver. The primary …

Rumen And Serum Metabolomes In Response To Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Seed And Isoflavone Supplementation In Beef Steers, Taylor B. Ault-Seay, Emily A. Melchior-Tiffany, Brooke A. Clemmons, Juan F. Cordero, Gary E. Bates, Michael D. Flythe, James L. Klotz, Huihua Ji, Jack P. Goodman, Kyle J. Mclean, Phillip R. Myer

Kentucky Tobacco Research and Development Center Faculty Publications

Fescue toxicosis impacts beef cattle production via reductions in weight gain and muscle development. Isoflavone supplementation has displayed potential for mitigating these effects. The objective of the current study was to evaluate isoflavone supplementation with fescue seed consumption on rumen and serum metabolomes. Angus steers (n = 36) were allocated randomly in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments including endophyte-infected (E+) or endophyte-free (E−) tall fescue seed, with (P+) or without (P−) isoflavones. Steers were provided a basal diet with fescue seed for 21 days, while isoflavones were orally administered daily. Following the trial, blood and rumen …

Grand Challenge In Animal Nutrition, David L. Harmon

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Regression-Derived Ileal Endogenous Amino Acid Losses In Broiler Chickens And Cannulated Pigs Fed Corn Fiber, Wheat Bran, And Pectin, Sunday A. Adedokun, Olayiwola Adeola

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The objective of these studies was to determine the effect corn fiber (CF), wheat bran (WB) and pectin (PEC) on basal ileal endogenous amino acid (EAA) losses in broiler chickens (Exp. 1) and cannulated pigs (Exp. 2) using the regression method. Semi-purified diets containing 100 g/kg of CF, WB, or PEC (broiler chickens) and CF or PEC (pigs) were fed to replicate cages consisting of eight birds per cage of 21-d-old broiler chickens and six replicates of pigs consisting of one pig per pen. Ileal endogenous His, Glu, and Pro losses were higher (p < 0.05) for CF and WB compared with birds fed diets containing PEC. Contrasts between CF and WB showed higher (p < 0.05) ileal endogenous nitrogen, total amino acid, His, Ile, Met, Glu, Pro, and Tyr losses in birds fed the CF diets (Exp. 1). Contrasts of EAA losses between birds fed the WB and PEC diets showed higher (p < 0.05) losses for His, Glu, and Pro. In the cannulated pigs, CF resulted in higher (p < 0.05) ileal endogenous His, Leu, and Tyr losses. In summary, CF induced higher ileal EAA losses in broiler chickens and cannulated pigs.

Effect Of Folic Acid Supplementation And Dietary Protein Level On Growth Performance, Serum Chemistry And Immune Response In Weanling Piglets Fed Differing Concentrations Of Aflatoxin, Ding Wang, Merlin D. Lindemann, Mark J. Estienne

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Effects of folic acid and protein levels on growth and serum chemistry in pigs fed aflatoxin were determined in two experiments. Increasing aflatoxin (250 to 800 ppb) decreased (P < 0.05) weight gain and feed intake for both of the 35-day trials. In Experiment 1, increasing aflatoxin (0, 250, 500 ppb), increased linearly (P < 0.05) aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALKP) and ɣ-glutamyl transferase (GGT). Folic acid (0, 2.0, 5.0, 12.5 ppm) increased linearly (P < 0.05) serum K, Ca, P, Mg, and AST with the largest effect observed at 12.5 ppm. Folic acid decreased (P < 0.05) blood urea nitrogen (BUN): creatinine and Na:K. In Experiment 2, aflatoxin (800 ppb) increased (P < 0.05) glucose and GGT, and decreased (P < 0.05) Na:K and albumin:globulin. Increasing protein from 15 to 18% elevated BUN: creatinine (P < 0.05), albumin: globulin (P < 0.05), albumin (P < 0.05) and ALKP (P < 0.05). Folic acid (2 ppm) elevated (P < 0.05) BUN, and interacted with both aflatoxin (P < 0.10) and protein (P < 0.05) on BUN. Adding folic acid to aflatoxin contaminated diets improved some measures of clinical chemistry in Experiment 1 but not traditional growth performance measures. The higher protein level reduced the effects of aflatoxicosis on growth.

Detection Of Organic Free Radicals And Reactive Oxygen Substances Using Chemically-Stimulated Luminescence From Structured Compound Semiconductors, William L. Boatright

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Patents

A method of monitoring for the presence of an oxidizing chemical species in an aqueous or non-polar environment includes steps of exposing a structured compound semiconductor material to the oxidizing chemical species in the environment and detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted by the structured compound semiconductor material upon exposure to the oxidizing chemical species. The structured compound semiconductor material is a phytate scaffold material and a metal dopant.

Detection Of Hydroperoxides Using Chemically-Stimulated Luminescence From Structured Compound Semiconductors, William L. Boatright

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Patents

A method of monitoring for the presence of a hydroperoxide in an aqueous or non-polar environment includes steps of exposing a structured compound semiconductor material with peroxidase activity to the hydroperoxide in the environment and detecting electromagnetic radiation emitted by the structured compound semiconductor material with peroxidase activity upon exposure to the hydroperoxide. The luminescence emitting semiconductor material with peroxidase activity consists of a primary semiconductor material with a dopant prepared on a phytate scaffold.

The Impact Of Feeding Cannabidiol (Cbd) Containing Treats On Canine Response To A Noise-Induced Fear Response Test, Elizabeth M. Morris, Susanna E. Kitts-Morgan, Dawn M. Spangler, Kyle R. Mcleod, Joao H. C. Costa, David L. Harmon

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Interest is increasing regarding use of Cannabidiol (CBD) in companion animals due to anecdotal evidence of beneficial behavioral and health effects. The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the influence of CBD on behavioral responses to fear-inducing stimuli in dogs. Sixteen dogs (18.1 ± 0.2 kg) were utilized in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square design experiment with treatments arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial, consisting of control, 25 mg CBD, trazodone (100 mg for 10–20 kg BW, 200 mg for 20.1–40 kg BW), and the combination of CBD and trazodone. A fireworks model of noise-induced fear …

Synthetic Alkaloid Treatment Influences The Intestinal Epithelium And Mesenteric Adipose Transcriptome In Holstein Steers, Kyle J. Mclean, Ransom L. Baldwin Vi, Congjun Li, James L. Klotz, J. Lannett Edwards, Kyle R. Mcleod

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Holstein steers (n = 16) were used to determine if a synthetic alkaloid, bromocriptine, would alter the transcriptome of the small intestine and adjacent mesenteric adipose. On d 0, steers were assigned to one of two treatments: control (CON; saline only) or bromocriptine (BROMO; 0.1 mg/kg BW bromocriptine mesylate injected intramuscularly every 3 d for 30 d). Steers were slaughtered and midpoint sections of jejunal epithelium and associated mesenteric fat were collected for RNA isolation. Transcriptome analysis was completed via RNA-Seq to determine if BROMO differed compared with CON within intestinal epithelium or mesenteric adipose mRNA isolates. Differential expression …

Effects Of Supplementation Of Microalgae (Aurantiochytrium Sp.) To Laying Hen Diets On Fatty Acid Content, Health Lipid Indices, Oxidative Stability, And Quality Attributes Of Meat, Bing Liu, Jiang Jiang, Dongyou Yu, Gang Lin, Youling L. Xiong

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

The present study is conducted to investigate the effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-rich microalgae (MA, Aurantiochytrium sp.) on health lipid indices, stability, and quality properties of meat from laying hens. A total of 450 healthy 50-wk-old Hy-Line Brown layers were randomly allotted to 5 groups (6 replicates of 15 birds each), which received diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0% MA for 15 weeks. Fatty acid contents and quality properties of breast and thigh muscles from two randomly selected birds per replicate (n = 12) were measured. The oxidative stability of fresh, refrigerated, frozen, and cooked …

Trace Mineral Leaching From Equine Compost, Ashley L. Fowler, Mieke Brummer-Holder, Karl A. Dawson

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Mineral leaching from compost can be environmentally disruptive. Little information is available regarding trace mineral leaching from equine-sourced compost. The objective of this study was to quantify the mineral content and leaching potential of compost produced from feces of horses fed different amounts and forms (organic or inorganic) of trace minerals. Nine horses were fed three treatments in a 3 × 3 replicated Latin Square design. The dietary treatments were provided as a daily pellet: CON (pellet without added trace minerals), ING (added inorganic trace minerals), and ORG (added organic trace minerals). The added trace minerals were Co, Cu, Mn, …

Response Of Broiler Chickens In The Starter And Finisher Phases To 3 Sources Of Microbial Phytase, O. O. Babatunde, J. A. Jendza, P. Ader, P. Xue, Sunday A. Adedokun, O. Adeola

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

A broiler chicken study was conducted for 42 D to evaluate their responses to 3 commercially available microbial phytases. Growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and bone mineralization at days 21 and 42 posthatching were used as parameters of evaluation. The study was a randomized complete block design with 12 treatments, 8 replicate pens, and 25 birds per pen. Treatments included a positive control (PC), a negative control (NC) with crude protein (CP), nonphytate phosphorus (P), and calcium (Ca) reduced by 18, 1.5, and 1.8 g/kg, respectively; the NC + 4 levels of phytase A (250, 500, 750, 1,000 FTU/kg), 3 levels …

Form Of Supplemental Selenium In Vitamin-Mineral Premixes Differentially Affects Early Luteal And Gestational Concentrations Of Progesterone, And Postpartum Concentrations Of Prolactin In Beef Cows, Sarah Carr, Yang Jia, Benjamin R. Crites, Charles Hamilton, Walter Burris, J. Lannett Edwards, James C. Matthews, Phillip J. Bridges

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Soils with marginal to deficient levels of selenium (Se) are widespread in the northwest, northeast, and southeast US. Supplementation to the diet of forage-grazing beef cattle with a vitamin-mineral mix containing additional Se is recommended in these geographic regions. We have reported that the form of supplemental Se provided to Angus-cross beef cows can affect circulating levels of progesterone (P4) on day 6 of the estrous cycle, a time when increased P4 is known to promote fertility. The objectives of this study were to (1) confirm and expand upon our initial report that the form of Se provided to cows …

Amino Acid Requirements In Horses, Chan Hee Mok, Kristine L. Urschel

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Evaluating amino acid requirements, specifically threonine requirements, in horses will enable better feed formulation and result in economic production, improved animal health, and reduced environmental pollution. However, the current knowledge of protein and amino acid requirements in horses is still limited. Because horses have a unique digestive system and consume a variety of feed ingredients, their protein digestibility may be affected than other species by different feed composition, and thus amino acid requirements are susceptible to vary between situations. Therefore, a careful evaluation of amino acid require ments with a proper method is needed for various conditions. This review will …

Thoroughbred Racehorse Welfare Through The Lens Of ‘Social License To Operate—With An Emphasis On A U.S. Perspective, Camie Heleski, C. Jill Stowe, Julie Fiedler, Michael L. Peterson, Colleen Brady, Carissa Wickens, James N. Macleod

Agricultural Economics Faculty Publications

This review addresses the question of whether Thoroughbred horse racing is sustainable in the context of current social values. A recently acknowledged framework, known as ‘Social License to Operate’ (SLO), provides us with a lens through which to view and assess racehorse welfare. In multiple surveys of the general public, the horse owning public, and university students, the primary topics of concern regarding Thoroughbred racing show considerable concordance: concern about catastrophic injuries—particularly as related to track surfaces, concern over the racing of two-year-olds, whip use by jockeys, drug/medication policies, and aftercare opportunities for retired Thoroughbred racehorses. Legitimacy of an industry, …

Myoglobin Post-Translational Modifications And Fresh Beef Color Stability, Yifei Wang

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Surface color of fresh beef is the major trait influencing consumers’ purchase decisions. Fresh beef color is determined by the myoglobin (Mb) redox stability. Post-translational modifications (PTMs) play a critical role in regulating Mb structure and functionality. This thesis focuses on the PTMs in Mb and their impact on fresh beef color stability.

In the first experiment, Mb PTMs in beef longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle during postmortem aging and their influence on fresh beef color stability were examined. Beef LL muscle from nine (n = 9) beef carcasses (24 h postmortem) were subjected to wet-aging for 0, 7, 14 …

Genetic Analysis Of The Endangered Gray Bat Species (Myotis Grisescens), Emma Fitzgerald

Lewis Honors College Capstone Collection

This study attempts to analyze the genetics using specific haplotype sequences of the endangered gray bat to determine genetic events that have happened in the past as well as determining how the species population has changed over time. We were able to conduct a Tajima’s D test to investigate whether a potential bottleneck has occurred. A linear regression of the genetic vs. geographical distance was produced to investigate the patterns of haplotype distribution. The species past distribution was compared to the current distribution using known collected specimens. A map of future predictions was constructed using present and future climate layers …

The Economics Of Milk Quality Management Practices And Milk Pricing In Simulated United States Dairy Herds, Derek Thomas Nolan

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Mastitis is considered one of the most common and costly diseases in the dairy industry. Intramammary infection status at a herd level is measured using somatic cell count (SCC). Understanding the total cost of an elevated somatic cell count can help influence dairy farmers to lower SCC and select management practices to produce higher quality milk. The first objective of our research was to determine if the cost of an elevated somatic cell count to farms can be decreased through the adoption of management practices with varying expenses. Using stochastic simulation modeling, the adoption of three differently priced management practices …

The Role Of Melatonin In Biological Rhythms Of Songbirds, Clifford E. Harpole

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

In vertebrates, melatonin is a hormone that is produced and secreted at night and inhibited by light. This unique “darkness-only” expression profile makes it an intellectually appealing candidate for a means of transmitting temporal information to an individual, both time of day and time of year.

In passerine birds, “time of day” information is certainly transmitted via melatonin secretion. The primary producer of systemic melatonin in this family of birds is the pineal gland, and surgical removal of it causes a bird to become arrhythmic in constant conditions. I find that as pinealectomized house sparrows (Passer domesticus) become …

Diet Of A Recently Reintroduced River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Population In Taos County, New Mexico, Gabriela Alexandra Wolf-Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

North American river otters (Lontra canadensis), native to every U.S. state and Canada, experienced extensive population decreases and range reduction until the mid-20th century as a result of overexploitation and habitat loss during European colonization. The last known river otter in New Mexico was killed on the Gila River in 1953, although unverified reports continued thru 2008. After a nearly 60-year absence from New Mexico, 33 adult river otters were reintroduced to the Rio Pueblo de Taos in the northern part of the state between 2008-2010; however, they were not subsequently monitored or studied. I characterized diet of …

Microbial Interactions Between Compost Bedded Pack Barn Bedding And Teat Exposure In Transition Dairy Cattle, Tanya Lynn France

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Compost bedded pack barns utilize composting methods which provide a soft surface for dairy cows to lie on. This requires optimal microbial growth, which may increase the exposure of mastitis-causing pathogens to the teats of early lactation animals. Bedding characteristics, bedding bacteria, and bacterial counts on the teat skin, teat ends, and in the milk of early lactation dairy cows housed on a compost bedded pack were assessed over a 6-month time. The main objective was to determine the relationship between environmental effects (bedding characteristics and weather conditions) and cow-level (teat skin, teat end, milk) bacteria counts over time in …

The Role Of Feed Additives In Mitigating The Effect Of Stressors On Growth, Digestibility, Intestinal Morphology, Permeability, And Immune Response In Poultry, Yemi Olojede Burden

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the interactive effects of dietary supplements in birds exposed to different stressors, on growth performance, nutrient, and energy digestibility, antioxidant status, intestinal permeability, and immune status. The first study was conducted to evaluate the effect of a commercially available algae-based antioxidant, containing Selenium yeast (EconomasE™, EcoE) and two inorganic sodium sources (NaCl and NaCl+NaHCO3) on growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility and utilization, antioxidant, and immune status of broilers challenged with oral gavage of dexamethasone (DEX). The inclusion of either of the sodium sources did not affect plasma corticosterone and antioxidant status levels, growth …

Effect Of Different Fat Sources And Vitamin E Isoforms/ Levels On Carcass Characteristics, Meat Quality, And Belly/Bacon Characteristics Of Pigs Grown To Heavy Slaughter Weights (>150kg), Marlee Kelley

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Two separate studies were conducted to evaluate the potential interaction of fat sources and vitamin E (VE) on heavy slaughter weights. In Study 1, a total of 64 individually-fed pigs (28.41 ± 0.83 kg) were randomly assigned to 8 dietary treatments in a 4×2 factorial arrangement. Fat treatments included cornstarch (CS), tallow (TW), corn oil (CO), and coconut-oil (CN). VE treatments were dietary alpha-tocopheryl-acetate (ATA) at 11 and 200 ppm. In Study 2, a total of 72 individually fed pigs (28.55 ± 1.16 kg) were randomly assigned to 12 dietary treatments in a 2 × 6 factorial arrangement. Fat treatments …

Optimizing Animal Welfare In Commercial Laying Hens Through Novel Management Practices And Farm Manager Evaluation, John R. Brunnquell

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The commercial production of pasture and free-range eggs in the United States is expanding rapidly. According to the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Management Assistance, in May of 2019 there were 2.6M pasture hens and 4.5M free-range hens representing 1.9% of the nation’s laying flock. There is little industry and/or academic experience with this style of production in the United States. Programs such as the European Layer Training Initiative (ELTI), which emerged in 2019, have tried to fill this void but participation from the US was low. The principal sources for guidance of commercial free-range egg production in the …

Impact Of Ergot Alkaloid And Estradiol 17b On Whole-Body Protein Turnover And Expression Of Mtor Pathway Proteins In Muscle Of Cattle, Taylor Dawn Ferguson

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Beef cattle consuming endophyte infected tall fescue typically exhibit reduced performance in terms of both decreased dry matter intake (DMI) and growth rates. It has been suggested that lower concentrations of circulating IGF-1 (an important stimulator of the mTOR pathway and ultimately protein synthesis), as observed with consumption of ergot alkaloids, contribute to reduced growth rates. The objective of the current study was to determine if fescue-derived alkaloids decrease muscle protein synthesis though inhibitory action on the mTOR pathway via a direct effect on signal proteins, and if these negative effects can be alleviated by implantation with anabolic agents. Thirty-two …

Forage News [2019-11], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Climate Change: Are Livestock a Problem
• Kentucky Alfalfa Conference
• Get the Most from Grazing Cornstalks
• The More You Know, the Smarter You Grow
• Wendell Berry Center hosts First Grazing School
• USDA Hay Markets - October 22, 2019
• Publication of the Month: Using Dry Lots to Conserve Pastures
• Kids these Days...

Forage News [2019-10], Department Of Plant And Soil Sciences, University Of Kentucky

Forage News

• Register now for the Heart of America Grazing Conference
• Western KY Grazing Conference
• Pasture Walk with Jim Gerrish
• Harvest Drought Stressed Soybeans for Hay

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