Nutrition Commons^™

Response Of Broiler Chickens To Variation In Dietary Nutrient Content, Sarah Diane Goodgame

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rising feed costs, environmental pollution concerns targeted at animal agriculture, a worldwide focus on sustainability and the never ending battle to improve production and efficiency within the poultry industry challenges nutritionists to focus on products to improve nutrient digestibility and decrease feed costs while at the same time maximizing performance. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on improving nutrient utilization of protein sources with protein liberating enzymes currently available commercially. The research also conducted addresses the addition of crystalline amino acids valine and isoleucine and their effect on improving efficiency of broilers.

The first research project compared the efficacy …

Influence Of Nutritional Modifications On Sow, Litter, And Nursery Performance, Benjamin Edward Bass

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Two separate series of experiments were conducted to determine: 1) the influence of dietary arginine supplementation in late gestation on reproductive performance, and 2) the impact of a whole yeast product in gestation, lactation, and weaned pig diets on reproductive, growth, and immune parameters.

In the first study 99 sows were provided a control diet, or the control diet supplemented with 1% L-arginine from gestation d 93 to 110. Compared to control-fed sows, no differences were observed in reproductive parameters, however a tendency for increased gestational weight gain was observed for sows provided supplemental arginine.

In a second study, 98 …

Variations In Carotenoids In Plasma From Jersey Cows At An Organic Dairy Compared To A Conventional Dairy Over Time, Jillian M. Smith

Honors Theses and Capstones

Interest in organic milk is increasing. By USDA Certified Organic standards, animals must be fed on pasture for a minimum of 120 days. Research indicates that various factors such as diet impact the nutritional quality and composition of milk. The objective of this study was to understand how feeding practices affected bovine plasma carotenoid concentrations over time. Plasma samples were collected from 9 cows fed on pasture at an organic dairy and from 9 cows fed total mixed ration (TMR) at a conventional dairy. Components were extracted from the plasma and separated via High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results showed that …

Intake, Digestibility, Insitu Disappearance And Ruminal Fermentation Of Bermuda Grass Hay By Lactating Beef Cows Offered Corn Or Hominy Feed As Supplements, Zibani Madzonga

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hominy feed, a co-product of dry corn milling, has been evaluated to a limited extent in feedlot and dairy rations, but has not been evaluated as a supplemental energy source for lactating beef cows. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of level of hominy feed supplementation on intake, digestibility, in situ DM disappearance, and ruminal fermentation characteristics of medium quality bermudagrass hay. Five ruminally cannulated lactating beef cows (BW = 596 kg, SE = 13.9) were used in an experiment with a 5 × 5 Latin square design. Treatments were low hominy (LH; 0.25% …

The Effects Of Slow Release Urea On Nitrogen Metabolism In Cattle, Vaughn B. Holder

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

The objective of this research was to investigate the effects of slow release urea on N metabolism in cattle. The ruminal behavior of Optigen®II and the effect of basal diet on the in situ degradability of urea and Optigen®II were evaluated. The effect of slow release urea and its interaction with degradable intake protein (DIP) level in the diet on N retention and excretion was evaluated utilizing 8 Holstein steers in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment. In addition, the effect of slow release urea and DIP level on ruminal and systemic urea kinetics was evaluated using stable isotope …

Changes To The Equine Hindgut Microflora In Response To Antibiotic Challenge, Brittany E. Harlow

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Antibiotics are important to equine medicine, but can cause detrimental side-effects including reduced feed intake, allergic reactions, and diarrhea. Antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD) is attributed to disruption of the hindgut microflora, permitting proliferation of pathogenic microbes. The objectives were to evaluate the effects of antibiotics on beneficial fecal bacteria, AAD-associated pathogens, microbial species richness and fermentation. Horses were assigned to treatment groups: control (no antibiotics, n=6), trimethoprim-sulfadiazine (oral, n=6), or sodium ceftiofur (IM, n=6). Fecal samples were taken during adaptation (3 wk), antibiotic challenge (1 wk), and withdrawal (1 wk). Fecal cellulolytics decreased by >99% during challenge and did not recover …