Mammalian stress hormones influence the composition and activity of bacteria, which may be important to ruminants such as cattle that rely on these microorganisms for nutrient digestion. Therefore, two experiments were completed to determine if stress hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine impact fermentation and digestion characteristics of rumen microbes in an in vitro system.

Death loss associated with bovine respiratory disease (BRD) has continued to rise in recent decades, and as such, new approaches should be sought to mitigate BRD. Research suggests that the predisposing factors of gut barrier dysfunction (GBD) are like BRD in that they can both be triggered and aggravated by stress events, thus, they may occur simultaneously.

Sows produce characteristic vocalizations during estrus, including short high-pitched calls and longer rhythmic grunts. Recognizing these sounds helps farmers determine the appropriate breeding time. In commercial farms, background noise and the relatively short duration of estrus can make these vocal signals difficult to detect.

In harness racing, removing the shoes to race barefoot is commonly seen as it helps the horse to run faster. However, not all horses have hooves that can stand the increased wear and tear from racing barefoot, and the hind hooves have been shown to be extra vulnerable. Thus, racing barefoot could possibly violate animal welfare, and the debate continues over whether young trotters should be allowed to race barefoot.

This study explored how the livers of young goats adapt when they switch from their mother’s milk to solid feed. This dietary change requires major metabolic adjustments, but how the liver manages this shift at the molecular level is not well understood.

We studied whether wildfire smoke and fine particulate matter (which makes up most of smoke by mass) impacts bulls’ reproductive health, specifically if sperm samples collected at a Colorado breeding facility were saved for future use or were discarded due to poor quality. We analyzed 11,217 sperm quality records collected February 2021–October 2023 from 100 bulls.

This study investigates how adding 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) to cattle diet affects methane (CH4) emissions, animal performance, rumen microbiome, and metabolomic profile. We tested two doses of 3-NOP (65 and 85 mg/kg of dry matter) in Nellore cattle fed a high-concentrate diet and found lower CH4 emissions without compromising the animals’ health or performance.

Analysis of the management records of 181 Japanese Black beef calves (93 females and 88 males) indicated birth weight was significantly greater in calves with a visually thick umbilical cord. Additionally, birth weight was positively related to average daily gain during the fattening period, as well as to carcass weight.

This study evaluated the efficacy of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP), a feed additive marketed as Bovaer®10, on enteric methane (CH4) emissions in Hanwoo steers. Twelve Hanwoo steers (average body weight 342 ± 17 kg) were assigned to one of three dietary treatments: a control diet or the same diet supplemented with either 100 mg or 150 mg of 3-NOP per kg of dietary dry matter. Methane emissions were measured using whole-body respiratory chambers.

This study explored a natural way to improve chicken growth without using antibiotics. Researchers used bacteriophages viruses that attack specific bacteria to remove Enterococcus bacteria from the gut. These bacteria break down bile acids, which are important for digesting fats.

This study aims to improve the understanding of the genetic mechanisms underlying backfat thickness (BFT) in pigs. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) using imputed genotype data and phenotype data on average backfat thickness at 100 kg (BFT_100) from 4,144 Yorkshire pigs, which identified 11 independent significant variants and prioritized 17 candidate genes.

Feed restriction is thought to be both a primary and secondary cause of intestinal dysfunction and increased intestinal permeability. This may be exacerbated in post-weaning pigs due to their intestinal developmental stage and additional stressors including disease, transport, or environment.

Urinary tract diseases are a frequent health issue in cats and a common reason for veterinary visits. A major concern is urinary stone formation, which can cause discomfort and clinical signs in cats. Diet is a practical way to support urinary tract health and lower the risk of urinary stone formation, especially struvite stones.

Rising prices of major feed ingredients such as corn and soybean meals have increased the need for affordable and sustainable feeding strategies in poultry production. Dietary fat is a concentrated energy source and can improve feed quality, yet young chickens often cannot digest them efficiently due to their immature digestive systems.

Milk fat is a key indicator for assessing the quality of dairy products. Recently, a growing number of studies have focused on the molecular mechanisms by which non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) regulate milk fat synthesis. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are non-coding transcripts longer than 200 nucleotides (nt), which exert diverse biological functions.

Modern pork production has focused on growth, leanness, fat deposition, and feed efficiency, but EU consumer demand is shifting toward higher quality, more tender, and flavorful cuts, and hence greater emphasis on carcass composition and meat quality. Improving meat quality traits genetically is challenging, because traits like pH, tenderness, intramuscular fat, and meat color are hindered by the inability to record meat quality trait phenotypes on selection candidates.

Previous studies have reported that cattle grazing toxic fescue during gestation have decreased uterine artery diameter and give birth to lighter calves with decreased growth performance. Cattle supplemented with melatonin during gestation have been found to have increased uterine artery blood flow and offspring growth performance.

Maternal nutrition during gestation, especially during key periods of fetal growth and development, is vital for producing a calf capable of meeting its genetic potential. Reduced growth efficiency in offspring is detrimental to producer profitability because maternal nutrient repartitioning prioritizes development of the central nervous system over skeletal, muscular, and immune systems.

Heat stress directly impairs the sow’s ability to produce enough milk to feed her piglets. While several heat stress mitigation strategies have been developed and utilized to improve milk production in sows, none have leveraged genomic selection as a complementary method.

A chronic low-grade inflammatory state of the adipose tissue, concomitant with increasing adiposity, may contribute to decreased efficiency of feed utilization in late-stage finishing cattle. Supplementation with rumen-protected fish oil, containing the omega-3 fatty acids (FA), eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, could attenuate efficiency of feed utilization declines and adipose tissue inflammation by modulating the inflammatory balance to a pro-resolutive state.