• Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.161-168
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• 2000

The experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of extension of grazing duration in late autumn on grass growth in following spring, in order to improve the rate of self-sufficiency for roughage feed. Plant height, total biomass and litter production of herbage were increased when the grazing was finished early in late autumn. The proportions of clover and litter, and amounts of animal intake were decreased, with extended grazing duration in late autumn. But when the grazing was finished late in autumn, the contents of crude protein (CP, %) of herbage were increased, contents of acid detergent fiber (ADF, %), neutral detergent fiber (NDF, %) and crude ash (%) were decreased in pasture after grazing, therefore the contents of total digestible nutrients (TDN, %) and relative feed value (RFV) of herbage were improved. The early end grazing showed that plant height, total biomass and litter production of herbage in following spring were higher than those in late end grazing. However, increased yields were not significantly different among end grazing treatments (0.12-0.15 tonha), except for the final end grazing in late autumn (0.01 tonha). With extended grazing duration in late autumn, the contents of CP of herbage in following spring were increased, contents of ADF, were decreased, and RFV were improved. (Key words : Extension of grazing duration, Plant height, Biomass, Amount of intake, Increased yield, Crude protein, TDN) rll\ulcorner c# qiil x i 9 ~ 1 a% * (College of Natural Resources, Taegu Univ., Kyongsan, 71 2-714, Korea) * $4 4 qiil 34 qq(Co1lege of Liberal Arts & Sciences, Yonsei Univ., Wonju, 220-701, Korea) '* 8 * jL@%ft@ &@%(Faculty of Agriculture, Hokkaido Univ., Sapporo, 060 Japan)

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1407-1416
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of genotype (slower-growing vs. fast-growing) and production system (access to outdoors vs. indoor) on the growth performance, carcass yield and meat quality (chemical composition, physicochemical and sensory properties) of chickens. The experiment was performed on 1,040 day-old hybrid male chickens of two genotypes. Slower-growing chickens (Hubbard JA957, certified) and fast-growing chickens (Hubbard F15) were fed identical diets until 65 days of age. Both genotypes (each represented by 520 birds) were divided into two subgroups and were raised in pens on litter with outdoor access or in indoor confinement without outdoor access (four replications per subgroup, each of 65 birds). Until day 21, the birds stayed in the indoor facility, in deep-litter pens. The birds could forage on pasture 12 h daily, commencing at three weeks of age. Stocking density was 0.13 $m^2$ floor space per bird in pens on litter, and 0.8 $m^2$ per bird in grassy yards. Compared with fast-growing, slower-growing chickens were significantly lighter (by 17%), had a lower breast and thigh muscle yield and a higher abdominal fat content, but they were characterized by higher survival rates at 65 days, a higher protein content and a lower fat content of breast meat. Outdoor access had no negative effects on the growth performance, muscle yield, the fatty acid profile and oxidative status of meat lipids. The meat of free-range chickens was darker in color, it had a higher protein content and a better water-holding capacity, but it was less juicy than the meat of birds raised indoors.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.2
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• pp.199-210
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• 2021

A number of management issues can be used as drivers for change in order to improve animal welfare and nursing capacity of the hyperprolific sow. Group housing of sows during gestation is a recommended practice from the perspective of animal welfare. Related health issues include reproductive health and the locomotor system. It appears that management of pregnant sows in groups is challenging for a producer and considerable skill is required. We explored the benefits and challenges of group housing, including feeding issues. Increasing litter size requires additional attention to the mammary gland and its ability to provide sufficient nursing for the growing litter. We discuss the fundamentals of mammary development and the specific challenges related to the hyperprolific sow. We also address challenges with the farrowing environment. It appears that the old-fashioned farrowing crate is not only outdated in terms of welfare from the public's perspective, but also fails to provide the environment that the sow needs to support her physiology of farrowing, nursing, and maternal behaviour. Studies from our group and others indicate that providing the sow with a loose housing system adequate in space and nesting material, along with reasonable chance for isolation, can be considered as fundamental for successful farrowing of the hyperprolific sow. It has also been shown that management strategies, such as split suckling and cross fostering, are necessary to ensure proper colostrum intake for all piglets born alive in a large litter. We thus conclude that welfare and nursing capacity of the sow can be improved by management. However, current megatrends such as the climate change may change sow management and force the industry to rethink goals of breeding and, for instance, breeding for better resilience may need to be included as goals for the future.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.536-546
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• 2024

Objective: This experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of grain-based pecking blocks on productivity and welfare status at two commercial broiler welfare-certified farms. Methods: Production and welfare indicators were assessed at two farms (designated Farm A and B). Both farms had two windowless houses with forced tunnel-type ventilation and housed broilers at stocking densities of approximately 16.7 birds/m² (Farm A) and 16.8 birds/m² (Farm B). Each house was divided into two or three equal sections and was provided with or without pecking blocks. Grain-based pecking blocks, measuring 25 × 25 × 25 cm, were given to broilers in both farms at 1 block per 1,000 birds. Various parameters including productivity (body weight and flock uniformity), corticosterone levels (in fecal droppings and feathers), footpad dermatitis, hock burn, feather dirtiness, gait score, litter quality, body surface temperature, and volatile fatty acids in fecal samples were assessed at 26 days of age, whereas litter quality was analyzed at 13 and 26 days of age. Results: There were no significant effects of providing pecking blocks on productivity (body weight and uniformity), fecal and feather corticosterone, welfare indicators (i.e., footpad dermatitis, hock burn, feather cleanliness, and gait score), and litter quality (i.e., moisture, nitrogen, and pH). No differences in body surface temperature between the control and enrichment treatments were noted in Farm B, but body surface temperatures of the head (p = 0.029) and legs (p = 0.011) in the enrichment vs. control group were elevated in Farm A. Butyrate concentration in the enrichment vs control group was higher in Farm B (p = 0.023), but this effect was not detected in Farm A. Conclusion: It is concluded that grain-based pecking blocks did not affect performance and welfare indicators. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the potential impact of grain-based pecking blocks on gut health indicators.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Environment and Ecology Conference
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• 2007.10a
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• pp.41-46
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• 2007

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.1-15
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• 2016

Annual litterfall production and leaf area index (LAI, $m^2/m^2$) were estimated using litter traps in Gwangneung, Mt. Taewha and Mt. Gariwang. Annual total litter fall production including branch, bark, others was the highest in Gwangneung($7497.3{\pm}326.5kg/ha/yr$), which had the highest basal area at late successional stage, and followed by Mt. Taewha($5929.1{\pm}225.8kg/ha/yr$) and Mt. Gariwang($3,210.1{\pm}220.1kg/ha/yr$). Mt. Gariwang had the lowest litterfall production due to high elevation and short growing season even with the higher stand density and basal area than Mt. Taewha. Similarly, LAI, which was calculated by multiplying the mass of leaf litter with specific leaf area, was the highest in Gwangneung($5.99{\pm}0.69$) and followed by Mt. Taewha($5.20{\pm}0.24$) and Mt. Gariwang($4.06{\pm}0.42$) and the upper canopy species had the highest leaf area index in every sites (Gwangneung : 4.72, Mt. Taewha : 3.08, Mt. Gariwang : 2.19). However, species specific LAI estimation based on the relationship between basal area and leaf area was limited due to upper canopy species non-proportionality of basal area with LAI. In addition, the comparison between direct and indirect LAI measurement showed the importance of canopy clumping, especially at high density. Our study emphasized the necessity of direct LAI measurement using litter fall traps especially at temperate deciduous forest with diverse species.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.1479-1488
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• 2022

Objective: This work was to determine coat inheritance and evaluate production performance for crossbred pigs from Berkshire×Chenghua (BC) compared with Chinese indigenous Chenghua (CH) pigs. Methods: The coat color phenotypes were recorded for more than 16,000 pigs, and the genotypes of melanocortin 1 receptor (MCIR) gene were identified by sequencing. The reproductive performance of 927 crossbred BC F4 gilts and 320 purebred CH gilts was recorded. Sixty pigs of each breed were randomly selected at approximately 60 days of age to determine growth performance during fattening period, which lasted for 150 days for BC pigs and 240 days for CH pigs. At the end of the fattening period, 30 pigs of each breed were slaughtered to determine carcass composition and meat quality. Results: The coat color of BC pigs exhibits a "dominant black" hereditary pattern, and all piglets derived from boars or sows genotyped E^D1 E^D1 homozygous for MC1R gene showed a uniform black coat phenotype. The BC F4 gilts displayed a good reproductive performance, showing a higher litter and tear size and were heavier at farrowing litter and at weaning litter than the CH gilts, but they reached puberty later than the CH gilts. BC F4 pigs exhibited improved growth and carcass characteristics with a higher average daily live weight gain, lower feed-to-gain ratio, and higher carcass lean meat rate than CH pigs. Like CH pigs, BC F4 pigs produced superior meat-quality characteristics, showing ideal pH and meat-color values, high intramuscular fat content and water-holding capacity, and acceptable muscle-fiber parameters. C18:1, C16:0, C18:0, and C18:2 were the main fatty acids in M. longissimus lumborum in the two breeds, and a remarkably high polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio of ~0.39 was observed in the BC F4 pigs. Conclusion: The BC F4 pigs exhibit a uniform black coat pattern and acceptable total production performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.464-470
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• 2014

One of the most important traits for both animal science and livestock production is the number of offspring for a species. This study was performed to identify differentially evolved genes and their distinct functions that influence the number of offspring at birth by comparative analysis of eight monotocous mammals and seven polytocous mammals in a number of scopes: specific amino acid substitution with site-wise adaptive evolution, gene expansion and specific orthologous group. The mutually exclusive amino acid substitution among the 16 mammalian species identified five candidate genes. These genes were both directly and indirectly related to ovulation. Furthermore, in monotocous mammals, the EPH gene family was found to have undergone expansion. Previously, the EPHA4 gene was found to positively affect litter size in pigs and supports the possibility of the EPH gene playing a role in determining the number of offspring per birth. The identified genes in this study offer a basis from which the differences between monotocous and polytocous species can be studied. Furthermore, these genes may harbor some clues to the underlying mechanism, which determines litter size and may prove useful for livestock breeding strategies.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.163-169
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• 1985

The composition rates of litters were studied at Camellia japonica forests in Koje-Do and Haenam, and at Quercus acuta, Quercus acutissima, Cryptomeria japonica, and Chamaecyparis abtusa forests in Haenam. Total amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and sodium in litter samples were measured and the relation between these amounts and decomposition rate was studied. Annual litter production were rarely different at each forest in Haenam. The amount of accumulated organic matter was about 4 times greater at C. japonica forest in Koje-Do than at the C. japonica forest in Haenam. These amounts were 5, 282.1 $\pm$ 1, 026.03g/m2 in Koje-Do and 1, 420.7 $\pm$ 384.77g/$m^2$ in haenam. The decomposition rate were rarely differnet at each forest in Haenam, but the rates showed great difference at C. japonica foreests in Koje-Do and Haenam. The rates were 0.093 and 0.313 at C. japonica forests in Koje-Do and in Haenam respectively. The sodium contents were 0.472% and 0.229% on L layer and on Css layer of C. japonica forest in Koje-Do, while they were 0.034% and 0.043% on L layer, and on Css layer of C. jpaonica forest in Haenam. It is sugested that much difference in the salt contents in the forest floor was present from the results of sodium content measured at each site, and that the decomposition rate was affected by the much concentration of salt in Koje-Do.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.315-320
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• 2002

Test-day records (n=13677) sampled from 896 ewes in 5-9 (${\mu}$=7.5) monthly test-days were used to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters of test-day yields, lactation milk yield (TMY), length of the milking period (DAYS) and three measures of persistency of milk yield in Boutsico dairy sheep. Τhe measures of persistency were the slope of the regression line (${\beta}$), the coefficient of variation (CV) of the test-day milk yields and the maximum to average daily milk yield ratio (MA). The estimates of variance components were obtained under a linear mixed model by restricted maximum likelihood. The heritability of test-day yields ranged from 0.15 to 0.24. DAYS were found to be heritable ($h^2$=0.11). Heritability estimates of ${\beta}$, CV and MA were 0.15, 0.13, 0.10, respectively. Selection for maximum lactation yields is expected to result in prolonged milking periods, high rates of decline of yields after peak production, variable test-day yields and higher litter sizes. Selection for flatter lactation curves would reduce lactation yields, increase slightly the length of the milking period and decrease yield variation as well as litter size. The most accurate prediction of TMY was obtained with a linear regression model with the first five test-day records.