Impact of mother genetic and resource environment on her offspring’s growth features in Munjal sheep

Summary The present study evaluated maternal and additive influences that contribute to phenotypic variation in various growth traits in Munjal sheep. The targeted traits that pertained to 2278 records of 706 lambs were birth weight (BWT), weaning weight (WT3), 6-month body weight (WT6), 12-month body weight (WT12), average daily gain (ADG1: 0–3 months; ADG2: 3–6 months, ADG3: 6–12 months of age) and their corresponding Kleiber ratios designated as KR1, KR2 and KR3. The direct heritability estimates for BWT, WT3, WT6, WT12, ADG1, ADG2, ADG3, KR1, KR2 and KR3 under animal models were 0.20 ± 0.08, 0.28 ± 0.08, 0.17 ± 0.07, 0.47 ± 0.09, 0.33 ± 0.08, 0.09 ± 0.06, 0.36 ± 0.10, 0.33 ± 0.08, 0.09 ± 0.06 and 0.32 ± 0.10, respectively. The estimates of maternal genetic effects contributed significantly and were 8% and 7% for BWT and WT3 traits, respectively, which highlighted the considerable role of maternal effects on early growth traits. Genetic and phenotypic correlations ranged from moderate to high between weaning and post-weaning traits. It was concluded that early selection that considered additive as well as maternal effects at weaning age may be delivered to the desired genetic progress in Munjal sheep.

Role of milk carbohydrates in intestinal health of nursery pigs: a review

Intestinal health is essential for the resistance to enteric diseases and for nutrient digestion and absorption to support growth. The intestine of nursery pigs are immature and vulnerable to external challenges, which cause negative impacts on the structure and function of the intestine. Among nutritional interventions, the benefits of milk are significant for the intestinal health of pigs. Milk coproducts have traditionally been used in starter feeds to improve the growth of nursery pigs, but their use is somewhat limited due to the high costs and potential risks of excessive lactose on the intestine. Thus, understanding a proper feeding level of milk carbohydrates is an important start of the feeding strategy. For nursery pigs, lactose is considered a highly digestible energy source compared with plant-based starch, whereas milk oligosaccharides are considered bioactive compounds modulating intestinal immunity and microbiota. Therefore, milk carbohydrates, mainly composed of lactose and oligosaccharides, have essential roles in the intestinal development and functions of nursery pigs. The proper feeding levels of lactose in starter feeds could be variable by weaning age, body weight, or genetic lines. Effects of lactose and milk oligosaccharides have been broadly studied in human health and animal production. Therefore, this review focuses on the mechanisms of lactose and milk oligosaccharides affecting intestinal maturation and functions through modulation of enterocyte proliferation, intestinal immunity, and intestinal microbiota of nursery pigs.

Weaning Age and Its Effect on the Development of the Swine Gut Microbiome and Resistome

Piglets are abruptly separated from their sow at weaning and are quickly transitioned from sow’s milk to a plant-based diet. This is the most important period in commercial swine production, yet the effect of weaning age on the long-term development of the pig gut microbiome is largely unknown.

Impacts of weaning age on dietary needs of whey permeate for pigs at 7 to 11 kg body weight

Background Whey permeate is an effective lactose source for nursery pigs and the most benefits are obtained when pigs are at 7 to 11 kg BW. Altering weaning ages could cause different length of early-weaner phases until 7 kg BW and thus it would influence the dietary need of whey permeate during 7 to 11 kg BW of pigs. This study aimed to evaluate if weaning ages would affect the dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs at 7 to 11 kg BW. Methods A total of 1,632 pigs were weaned at d 21 (d 21.2 ± 1.3) or d 25 (d 24.6 ± 1.1) after birth. All pigs had a common early-weaner feeds until they reached 7 kg BW. When pigs reached 7 kg BW within a weaning age group, they were allotted in a randomized complete block design (2 × 4 factorial). Two factors were weaning age groups (21 and 25 d of age) and varying whey permeate levels (7.50%, 11.25%, 15.00%, and 18.75%). Data were analyzed using the GLM and NLIN procedures of SAS for slope-ratio and broken-line analyses to determine the growth response to whey permeate and optimal daily whey permeate intake for the growth of the pigs weaned at different ages. Results Pigs weaned at 21 d of age had a common diet for 11 d to reach 7 kg BW whereas pigs weaned at 25 d of age needed 2 d. The G:F of pigs weaned at 25 d of age responded to increased daily whey permeate intake greater (P < 0.05) than pigs weaned at 21 d of age. Breakpoints were obtained (P < 0.05) at 88 and 60 g/d daily whey permeate intake or 17.0% and 14.4% of whey permeate for G:F of pigs weaned at 21 and 25 d of age, respectively. Conclusion Pigs weaned at an older age with a short early-weaner phase had a greater growth response to whey permeate intake compared with pigs weaned at a younger age with a long early-weaner phase. Altering weaning ages affected dietary needs of whey permeate for optimum growth performance of pigs from 7 to 11 kg BW.

Estimasi Nilai Heritabilitas Lingkar Dada dan Panjang Badan pada Kambing Peranakan Etawah di BPTU dan HPT Pelaihari Kalimantan Selatan

Evaluation in standardization really needs to be carried out, including whether the livestock is in accordance with the SNI vital statistics standard (Indonesian national standard). The purpose of the study was to estimate heritability and breeding values of body weight and vital statistics in Etawah Grade (PE) goats in BPTU and HPT Pelaihari Kalimantan Selatan. The material used were the performance records of 220 PE goats, offsprings of 35 males and 71 females. The variables measured were body length and chest girth at birth, weaning, and 1 year of age. Variance componenet were analyzed using variance analysisrade. Heritability was estimated using the paternal half-sib correlation method by applying SPSS software. Breeding value was estimated using the progeny test model. The highest breeding value on body length at birth, at weaning age and at 1 year of age were sire 3315 KK, sire 4093 OK, and sire 4007 OK, respectively. The highest breeding Value on chest girth at birth, weaning age and 1 year of age were sire 3983 HH, 3315 HH, and 3971 HH. The conclusion of this study were the heritability for body weight were categorized high and for statistic vital were varied from medium to high value.

511 Late-Breaking: Dietary Glycine Supplementation During Growing and Finishing Phases Increases Body Weight and Improves Meat Quality of Intrauterine Growth Restricted Pigs

Glycine is required for maximum growth and development for growing pigs. Traditional swine diets are deficient in glycine. This is concerning for intrauterine growth restricted (IUGR) pigs (20–25% of all pigs born) as they are born with low bodyweights and underdeveloped skeletomuscular systems. Therefore, IUGR piglets are culled at birth, as they are unlikely to survive and unable to reach market weight at the same rate as normal birthweight (NBW) littermates. Additionally, IUGR pigs are not fed to market weight due to undesirable carcass attributes at slaughter such as increased subcutaneous fat deposition and decreased overall desirable protein yield. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that providing dietary glycine supplementation in traditional corn- and-soybean meal-based diets would improve the growth rate of IUGR pigs between weaning (age 21d) and market weight (age 188d). Fourteen IUGR pigs (birthweight = 0.98±0.03 kg, mean ± SEM) and 20 NBW pigs (birthweight = 1.44±0.02 kg, mean ± SEM) were obtained at weaning and used for this study. Pigs from each birthweight group were randomly assigned to 1% glycine + 0.19% corn starch treatment group or 1.19% alanine group (isonitrogenous control). Data were analyzed by using 2-way ANOVA and Duncan multiple comparison test. At 188 d of age, glycine supplemented IUGR pigs were 4.4 kg heavier (P &lt; 0.05) than control IUGR pigs, and had similar (P &gt;0.05) body weights to those NBW counterparts. Feed intake did not differ among the treatment groups (P &gt;0.05). Additionally, glycine supplementation improved markers of meat quality in IUGR pig carcasses compared to control IUGR carcasses, including decreased backfat thickness, increased loineye area, and increased overall muscle score (P &lt; 0.05). Overall, results of this study show that dietary glycine supplementation to IUGR pigs post-weaning has positive effects on lean tissue gain and meat quality. (Supported by USDA-NIFA)

PSVI-19 Evaluation of birth weight, weaning weight and average daily weight gain of Holstein female calves carrying the SLICK1 allele of the Prolactin Receptor (PRLR) gene

Objectives of this study were to evaluate birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), and average daily weight gain (ADG) of female calves carrying the SLICK1 allele, i.e., the slick gene. Holstein cows in four dairy farms located in central California were inseminated with semen from two heterozygous slick Holstein sires to produce slick and non-slick calves. Calves were born during the cool season (November 2019-March 2020). BW was recorded for 125 calves in four farms within 24 h of birth; WW was recorded for 92 calves in three farms within one week of weaning. Weaning age was recorded at day of weighing. ADG was calculated as the weight difference between birth and weaning divided by days of age at weaning. Only female calves were used in the analysis. Statistical analyses were performed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS version 9.4. The model for BW included the effects of genotype, farm, sire, and the interaction between genotype and farm. The model for WW and ADG included the effects of BW, genotype, farm, weaning age, sire, and interaction between genotype and farm. Significant effects were considered as those with P &lt; 0.05. There was no difference in BW or WW between genotypes (BW: slick=40.1 ± 0.7 vs non-slick=39.7 ± 0.6 kg; P = 0.7 and WW: slick=82.5 ± 2.8 vs non-slick=80.9 ± 2.8 kg; P = 0.6). The mean age at weaning was 64.8 ± 0.4 and was similar for both genotype groups (P = 0.8). As a result, ADG was similar between genotypes (P = 0.7). There was a main effect of farm on BW, WW and ADG. Results indicate that slick heifer calves born in the cool season perform similarly to non-slick calves in regards to birth weight, average daily weight gain, and weaning weight. Funding provided by the Holstein Association USA Research Program and L.E. “Red” Larson Endowment.

PSXIII-19 The influence of weaning age and biocholine supplementation to post-weaning growth and reproductive development in Brangus heifers

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of earlier weaning in addition to biocholine supplementation on age at puberty of Brangus heifers. Brangus calves were randomized and divided into three weaning ages groups, at 30 (Hyper-early weaning; HW), 75 (Early weaning; EW) and 180 days (Conventional weaning; CW). Then, calves were supplemented using the additive Biocholine (BIO) or not (CON). Animals were subjected to puberty induction and transrectal ultrasonography was performed to assess the ovarian activity and the presence of corpus luteum to determine heifer puberty. We also evaluated the body weight (BW; Kg), hip height (HH; cm), thoracic perimeter (TP; cm) and BW:HH ratio during the experimental period. BIO group showed higher ADG (&gt;226g/day) when the animals were exposed to ryegrass pasture compared to CON (P &lt; 0.05). We observed an interaction between weaning x biocholine and CW-BIO heifers showed greater HH more compared to CW-CON (P &lt; 0.05). Overall, animals that have reached puberty at day 8 after puberty induction showed 331.0±23.14kg BW, 122.0±2.58cm HH and 165.4±3.45cm TP and 2.7±0.14 BW:HH. At the time of ovulation detection, the heifers from the HW group had 32.1kg BW, 3.93cm HH and 0.18cm BW:HH greater compared to CW (P &lt; 0.05). The BIO supplementation together with ryegrass pasture, led to an increase in ADG weight throughout the evaluated period. We concluded that HW heifers showed an adequate body development throughout the experimental period until puberty appearance at the same age as others weaned groups.

Growth and Slaughter Characteristics of Weaning Male Kids of Turkish Native Goat Breeds

There is little knowledge about the carcass potential of Turkish native goat breeds raised under different rearing conditions. It is necessary to compare the carcass characteristics of these breeds to minimize the effect of the rearing conditions. Therefore, this study aims to compare the growth, slaughter, and carcass characteristics of male kids at weaning age to eliminate the impact of rearing conditions. Kids born to Angora (n = 6), Hair (n = 6), Honamlı (n = 6), and Kilis (n = 6) Turkish native goat breeds, ranging in age from 2–3 years, were slaughtered at 90 days of weaning age and carcass characteristics were determined immediately. There were differences (p < 0.05) among breeds in terms of birth weight (BW) and daily weight gain (DWG) from birth to weaning age. Honamlı kids had higher BW and DWG than those of other breeds (p < 0.05). Similarly, carcass weights (hot–cold) and yields (hot–cold) of Honamlı kids were higher compared to kids born to other breeds (p < 0.05). Additionally, Honamlı and Hair kids had higher longissimus-dorsi (LD), and semitendinosus (ST) muscle weights compared to Kilis and Angora kids. Interestingly, Kilis kids had lower BW and DWG than those of other breeds (p < 0.05). There were significant differences (p < 0.05) among breeds in terms of non-carcass parts and organ weights. Positive correlations were calculated between cross-sectional area and weight (r = 0.793; p < 0.01), length and weight (r = 0.723; p < 0.01), and depth and weight (r = 0.698; p < 0.01) in LD muscle of all kids. A similar correlation trend was calculated for the ST muscle (cross-sectional area and weight; r = 0.699; p < 0.01, length and weight; r = 0.751; p < 0.01, and depth and weight; r = 0.528; p < 0.05) in all kids. In conclusion, the present study results showed that Honamlı kids could be used for fattening material due to their good carcass quality compared to other native breeds.