In response to sustainability and ethical pressures, the poultry industry continually explores strategies to enhance animal performance, health, and welfare while reducing feed costs and environmental impact from nutrient excretion. One promising approach is the adoption of low crude protein (CP) diets.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the digestibility of energy and amino acids (AA) in pistachio blanks and wheat middling fed to growing pigs. In Experiment 1, the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) were determined and results indicated that pistachio blanks had greater apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter and gross energy, as well as greater DE and ME compared with wheat middlings.

Strategies to reduce the incidence of disease and subsequent usage of antibiotics in dairy cattle are highly desirable. One strategy that warrants additional research is the prolonged feeding of colostrum during the early pre-weaning phase of life.

Understanding the role of the microbiota—the collection of microorganisms living in and on animals—is becoming increasingly important in livestock breeding. However, because these microbial communities are highly complex and influenced by many factors, studying their effects can be difficult. To help address this challenge, researchers developed a new software tool called HoloSimR...

Mortality and early removal of breeding female rabbits reduce farm productivity and animal welfare. We tracked the fecal microbiota in does, comparing healthy females with those that later died or were culled for infertility. We also followed how a mother’s mortality/culling and microbiota might affect the survival of her kits.

Pigs can be fed diets in meal or pelleted form using different delivery methods (dry, wet/dry, or liquid). Pellets are fed (typically via dry or wet/dry feeding) to improve feed efficiency, while liquid feed, which maximizes growth rate and is associated with poorer feed efficiency, is generally prepared with meal. Research is required on how these feed forms and delivery methods influence the bacterial communities (bacteriome) of feed...

The February Edition of The Giving Herd, an ASAS Foundation Newsletter

This study explored the effects of zinc (Zn) supplementation for 42 days prior to transit and transit duration on performance, energetic demand, and feeding behavior of Angus-crossbred steers. Researchers provided a diet with and without supplemental Zn with half of each diet group assigned to either a short (8 h) or long (18 h) trucking duration.

Antibiotics have traditionally been used in poultry farming to prevent gut infections and promote growth, but growing concerns about antibiotic resistance and food safety have created a need for natural alternatives. This study investigated catechu powder, a plant-based extract rich in natural compounds with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, as a feed supplement for broiler chickens.

Early weaning is a common practice in pig production, but it can reduce growth, damage intestinal structure and function, and weaken immune function, often leading to diarrhea. In the past, antibiotics were widely used to prevent these problems, but growing restrictions on antibiotic use have created the need for new strategies.

Boar taint describes an undesirable odor or taste present in pork from some entire male pigs (boars). To prevent it, male pigs are typically castrated, which is a painful and stressful procedure. We recently demonstrated that dietary supplementation with biochar (BC), a charcoal-based binding agent, successfully prevented boar taint in up to 89% of affected animals.

Many cat owners are concerned about how much water their cats drink, given the link between water intake, dehydration, and disease development. For this review, 32 papers were evaluated to determine the impact of water intake on hydration-related outcomes in cats.

Any deviation from the bright cherry-red color of beef, such as dark-cutting condition during grading, leads to discounted carcasses and subsequent economic losses. Dark-cutting beef is characterized by lower glucose and glycogen levels. Although it is known that enzymes and metabolites involved in carbohydrate metabolism are downregulated in dark-cutting beef, limited information is currently available on lipid profiles.

A lot is known about how diet affects gut health in humans, but much less is known about how it impacts dogs. This study assessed whether a laboratory cell model of the dog gut that mimics the small intestine, could support efforts to understand these effects. To achieve this, cells were exposed to either lipopolysaccharide and/or butyrate, compounds known to promote or reduce inflammation, respectively.

This study evaluated the use of defatted black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFLM) as a sustainable, alternative protein source for dog food. BSFLM is a novel ingredient from insects and is rich in essential nutrients such as protein and amino acids. We tested whether including BSFLM at 15% or 30% in dog diets would affect nutrient digestion, gut health, immune function, and overall food acceptance by dogs.

To better understand the lipids that are present in the whole food beef matrix, shotgun lipidomics analysis was performed on beef lean muscle, intramuscular fat, and subcutaneous fat. In these tissues, 882 lipids were quantified; each tissue type exhibited distinct lipid signatures.

Piglets born small or exposed to stressful experiences early in life are more likely to grow poorly. These animals increase size differences within the group, which can lead to higher production costs for the farmer. The objective of the present study was to evaluate metabolic indicators and dietary habits in light-born piglets with varying early-life growth rates.

Beef × dairy crossbred cattle are becoming an increasingly important source of feeder cattle to the U.S. beef industry. However, the carbon footprint of this source of beef under contrasting growing regimens is largely unknown. We conducted a partial life-cycle analysis to estimate and compare the carbon footprint of beef × dairy and beef steers who were either grown on pasture or in confinement prior to being finished at a commercial feedlot.

Morphological defects in cattle can affect animal welfare, performance, and farm profitability. In this study, we analyzed data from over 180,000 Nellore cattle to estimate the prevalence of several morphological defects, including depigmentation, feet and legs malformation, chamfer deviations, loin and jaw defects, hump irregularities, and navel abnormalities.

On December 30th, Secretary of Agriculture Rollins signed a memorandum establishing new priorities for future research and development activities funded by USDA. It is common for USDA leadership to set new priorities after a change in administrations. The new research and development activities funded by USDA will be focused on projects that address one or more of the following priorities: