Impact of Replacing Different Levels of Panicum maximum in Rabbit Diets on Growth Performance, Hemato-Biochemical Profile, and Histological Responses of Some Internal Organs

There has been an interest in alternative sources in rabbit feeding. Therefore, the current study aimed to estimate the health status, growth performance, hemato-biochemical, and histological picture of some important internal organs in growing Newziland rabbits as a result of replacing different levels of Panicum maximum (PM) in its pelleted diet. A total of 35 weaned rabbits (20 males and 15 females) aged 5 weeks were purchased with an average body weight of 839.7 ± 7.05 g and 771.20 ± 9.19 g for males and females, respectively. Randomly, five equal rabbit groups were formed (7 rabbits in each group). The first group (control) was fed a basal diet without PM. The second, third, fourth, and fifth groups were fed pelleted diets containing PM with a replacing percent of 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of clover hay, respectively. All groups were fed ad libitum of pelleted feed for two months. The blood was aspirated individually three times, including at the beginning of the experiment (as zero time), after one month, and at the end of the experiment, respectively. The whole blood was used for the measurement of hemoglobin concentration, hematocrit percentage, erythrocytes, and total leukocyte counts. At the experimental end, in each group, 3 male rabbits were sacrificed and their internal organs including liver, kidney, cecum, and rectum were collected for histopathology. The live body weight was significantly affected by sex where males were heavier than females, also feed conversion ratio, growth rate, and feed intake were significantly affected by feeding on different levels of PM. Blood hemoglobin, hematocrit, and the total leukocytic count had a non-significant effect while the erythrocyte count increased significantly in all experimental groups. There were insignificant changes in plasma total protein, albumin, globulin, ALT, AST, creatinine, and glucose concentrations when different levels of PM were added. furthermore, the plasma total cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly decreased in rabbits fed PM, 75% and 100% when compared with 25%, 50%, and control groups. Finally, replacement PM instead of clover hay in pelleted diets till 75% was found to be the safety and optimum percentage for biological and healthy rabbits.

Southern African Large Frame Indigenous Veld Goat and Boer Goat Wether and Buck Tenderness and Colour of Six Muscles

Meat tenderness, water holding capacity (WHC) and colour attributes of six muscles (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL), Semimembranosus (SM), Biceps femoris (BF), Supraspinatus (SS), Infraspinatus (IS), Semitendinosus (ST)) from large frame Indigenous Veld Goats (IVG) and Boer Goats (BG) were studied. Weaner male Boer Goats (BG; n = 18; 10 bucks and 8 wethers) and large frame Indigenous Veld Goats (IVG; n = 19; 9 bucks and 10 wethers) were raised on hay and natural grass, and on a commercial pelleted diet to a live weight of 30 - 35 kg. All goats were slaughtered at a commercial abattoir and the dressed carcasses chilled at 4°C within 1-hour post-mortem. The muscles were dissected from both sides 24-hours post-mortem and aged for 1-day and 4-days. Variations in meat characteristics such as ultimate pH, WHC, percentage purge, myofibril fragment length, intramuscular fat, connective tissue characteristics, and Warner-Bratzler shear force. Bucks had higher L* and Hue-angle values, whereas wethers had increased a* and Chroma values. The muscle baseline-data will allow informed decisions to support muscle-specific marketing strategies, which may be used to improve consumer acceptability of chevon.

The Fatty Acid Profile of Meat from New Zealand White Rabbits Raised under Intensive and Extensive Production Systems

The aim of this study was to compare the fatty acid (FA) profile of meat from New Zealand White rabbits raised from 30 to 90 days of age under intensive (IPS) and extensive (EPS) production systems. In group IPS, the rabbits were housed in wire mesh cages with a slatted floor (16.7 animals/m2) and were fed a commercial pelleted diet. In group EPS, the rabbits were housed in free-standing cages on straw litter (2.5 animals/m2) and were fed a conventional farm-made diet (green fodder, barley grain, stale bread, hay). The FA profile of intramuscular fat (IMF) was analyzed in samples of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle. The analyzed production systems had no significant effect on the content of most FAs in IMF. However, the differences between group means contributed to more desirable values of the quality indicators of IMF (in particular in the LTL muscle) in group IPS. The study demonstrated that the claim that meat produced under less intensive farming systems is of superior quality could be an oversimplified generalization that should be validated in research.

PSXI-29 Effects of feed restriction on blood constituent concentrations in hair sheep

Forty-six Dorper, 47 Katahdin, and 41 St. Croix female sheep (initial body weight of 62, 62, and 51 kg, respectively, SEM=1.43; 3.8±0.18 yr of age) from 45 commercial farms in Midwest, Northwest, Southeast, and central Texas regions of the United States were used to evaluate effects of feed restriction on concentrations of blood constituents. A 50% concentrate pelleted diet was fed, with the amount varied in the first 4 wk to achieve stable BW. The amount of feed offered in wk 5–10 was set at 55% of that consumed in wk 3–4. Blood was sampled at the end of wk 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10, with constituent levels in wk 4 and 10 assumed relevant to conditions with different maintenance energy requirements (i.e., fed at maintenance and approximately 43% lower with restricted intake). There were some differences among breeds such as ones based on samples collected at all times in urea nitrogen (14.0, 13.7, and 15.4 mg/dl; SEM=0.31) and creatinine (0.945, 0.836, and 0.809 mg/dl for Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix, respectively; SEM=0.0253) but relatively few among regions and only one interaction between week and breed or region. There was a trend for a difference (P = 0.051) between wk 4 and 10 in the concentration of glucose (51.9 and 54.2 mg/dl; SEM=0.90), and there were differences (P < 0.05) in levels of lactate (23.9 and 20.3 mg/dl; SEM=0.89), urea N (16.4 and 13.0 mg/dl; SEM= 0.25), creatinine (0.808 and 0.919 mg/dl; SEM=0.0165), triglycerides (31.8 and 25.5 mg/dl; SEM=0.63), cholesterol (67.5 and 74.7 mg/dl; SEM=1.66), and cortisol (10.55 and 8.31 ng/ml for wk 4 and 10, respectively; SEM=0.0542). In conclusion, similar responses of different hair sheep breeds in blood constituent levels to feed restriction is in accordance with comparable effects on body weight and the maintenance energy requirement previously reported.

Effects of temperature and diet on pepsin enzyme activity of TGGG hybrid grouper, Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ x E. lanceolatus ♂

Aim: This study explores the influence of temperature and diet on pepsin enzyme activity in TGGG hybrid groupers. Methodology: Two hundred TGGG groupers (body weight 200±10 g; total length 22.5±1 cm) were equally distributed in three rearing tanks (1500 l capacity). After three weeks of acclimatization, the groupers were kept in 40 tanks (5 fish per tank, 20 tanks with pelleted diet and 20 with shrimp diets) for 30 days. All treatments were replicated five times. Results: Pepsin activity increased with increased temperature, from 22°C (2.10 U mg protein−1) to 30°C (5.64 U mg protein−1) when the groupers were given either pellet or shrimp as diet. The shrimp-fed group showed significantly increased pepsin activity compared to pellet-fed fish. Interpretation: The pepsin enzyme activities in TGGG hybrid groupers were significantly influenced by temperature and diet, but the interaction of these two factors was insignificant. The results suggest that shrimp-diets given at 30°C water was ideal for rearing TGGG hybrid groupers. This suggests that combination proliferates enzymatic activity, which may lead to faster digestion and faster growth rates compared to other combinations.

Substitution of non-forage fibre sources for cereal grains and molasses in calf starter on performance and development of ruminal function

One hundred and thirty-six, new-born female Holstein calves (body weight (BW) = 37.6±0.79 kg) were allocated to one of four starter feeds to evaluate the effects of replacing cereal grains and (or) molasses with non-forage fibre sources on intake, weight gain, and indicators of ruminal development. Diets consisted of a typical, low (16%) neutral detergent fibre (NDF) texturised calf starter, texturised calf starter with moderately higher (20%) NDF, texturised calf starter with moderately higher (21%) NDF and no molasses, and a complete pelleted high (25%) NDF calf starter. Average daily gains and starter intakes were unaffected by moderate levels of NDF. Average daily gain and feed intakes were increased in the preweaning phase but decreased in the postweaning phase by the high NDF complete pelleted diet. Total tract apparent NDF digestibility increased linearly with age but did not differ among diets. Blood concentrations of glucose and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) decreased and increased, respectively, with age. Further, blood BHB concentrations were largely unaffected by diet and did not change with increasing dry matter (DM) intake until a threshold was reached, and then increased linearly. Calf-side blood BHB testing resulted in an appreciable number of measurements below the limit of detection of the meter, resulting in censored data. Application of appropriate statistical methodology, required for proper parameter estimation from censored data, suggest the potential for successful field application of calf-side BHB measurements for monitoring starter intake and readiness for weaning in commercial settings. Feeding solely a complete pelleted calf starter throughout the starter phase may provide insufficient levels of effective fibre. Integration of the results of this study with previously published literature via a quantitative analysis suggests that maintaining intake may be the key to successful inclusion of non-forage fibre sources in calf starters.

Processing Matters in Nutrient-Matched Laboratory Diets for Mice—Energy and Nutrient Digestibility

Starch gelatinization is a major determinant of carbohydrate digestibility and varies with diet processing. Laboratory rodent diets are often marketed as identical, but are sold in different forms, regardless of the markedly higher starch gelatinization in extruded than in pelleted diets. Our hypothesis was that this would impact energy and nutrient digestibility in mice fed pellets or extrudate, respectively. Trial 1 showed that feeding C57BL/6 mice a standard maintenance diet in extruded form results in a significantly higher digestibility of organic matter, energy, and carbohydrates than the identical diet in pelleted form. The replication of the experiment, however, revealed a variation between batches of the same pelleted diet regarding starch and total dietary fiber contents. Given the significant differences in diet digestibility and the potential impacts of digestibility on nutrient utilization, the intestinal microbiome, and intermediary metabolism, trials performed with differently processed diets are not comparable. This might partly explain failures to reproduce results, especially in gastrointestinal or microbiome research. Considering this impact on experimental animals, the degree of starch gelatinization should be declared in the diet information for laboratory animal diets. The differences between batches of laboratory animal diets as observed in the pellets are not acceptable.

Performance of broilers fed mash or pelleted diets containing different soybean meal particle sizes

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different soybean meal particle sizes in pelleted or mash diets on broiler performance. A total of 1,440 male Cobb500 broilers, with 1 to 35 days of age, were evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized, in a 2x4 factorial arrangement, consisting of two feed physical forms and four soybean meal particle sizes (625, 775, 1,053, and 1,406 μm), totaling eight treatments, with nine replicates of 20 birds each. Feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were evaluated. There was a significant interaction between diet physical form and soybean meal particle size. From 1 to 21 days of age, the lowest feed intake and weight gain values were obtained with the mash diet containing 1,406 μm soybean meal particle size. From 1 to 35 days of age, the greatest weight gain is achieved when broilers are fed the pelleted diet with 1,406 μm soybean meal particle size.

The Effects of Pelleted and Unpelleted All Mash Broiler Diets on Performance, Carcass Quality and Internal Organ Developments of Broiler Chickens

The performance, carcass traits and internal organ development of broiler chickens as influenced by dietary form (pellet or mash) were assessed using 180 straight run Ana 2000, (14 to 63 days of age). Soyabean meal (SBM) mash diet was used as a reference diet. Full fat soybean (FFSB) was the other mash diet. The pelleted diet was a commercial source. Results showed lack of significant (P>0.05) influence of diet form on performance traits in the starter phase SBM mash diet produced the least feed cost per kg gain. In the finisher phase, feed intake and weight gain were not influenced significantly (P>0.05) by diet form but feed to gain ratio was improved significantly (P<0.05) for the SBM mash diet. Feed cost per kg gain was least on the pelleted diet. The cumulative effect of diets showed lack of significant (P>0.05) effect on feed intake. Weight gain was least (P< 0.05) for broilers fed FFSB diet. Broilers fed pelleted and SBM gained similar weights. Feed cost per kg gain was least on SBM mash diet. Relative values for New York dressed, dressed weights, and breast of birds fed FFSB mash were significantly (P<0.01) lower than SBM mash and pelleted diets. Sex had no influence on relative values except abdominal fat where females had significantly (P<0.05) more fat than males.

A COMPARISON OF BODY MASS INDEX AND WEIGHT GAIN AMONG MALE SPRAGUE DAWLEY RATS ON BROILER AND DOMESTIC CHICKEN MEAT FEED

Objective: To compare and evaluate the effects of broiler chicken fed with commercially offered feed and chicken fed with organic diet on BMI and weight gain in Sprague Dawley rats. Study Design: A randomized controlled trial. Place and Duration of Study: Multi-Disciplinary Laboratory of Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Army Medical College, Rawalpindi, and collaborated with Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad from November 2017 to April 2019. Methodology: Ninety male early weaned Sprague Dawley rats were arbitrarily assorted into three groups (n=30). Group I control rats were nourished on standard pelleted diet. Group II rats were nourished with organic chicken meat along with their standard pelleted diet. Group III rats were nourished with broiler chicken meat along with their standard pelleted diet. BMI and weight gain were estimated. All variables were calculated as Mean ± SD values. One-way ANOVA was applied to determine the significance among groups followed by Tuckey’s HSD post hoc test. p value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant. Results: The current study demonstrated significant increase in BMI (p ≤ 0.001) and weight gain (p ≤ 0.001) in both experimental groups as compared to control group. Conclusion: Based on the findings of our study we propose that broiler chicken meat consumption could be the probable cause of weight imbalances and out of proportion gain of weight and growth in experimental rats.