• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1057-1066
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• 2007

Six male Gayal (Bos frontalis), approximately two years of age and with a mean live weight of $203{\pm}17$ kg ($mean{\pm}standard\;deviation$), were housed indoors in metabolism cages and fed bamboo (Sinarundinaria) leaves and twigs. After an adjustment period of 24 days of feeding the diet, samples of rumen liquor were obtained for analyses of bacteria in the liquor. The diversity of rumen bacteria was investigated by constructing a 16S rDNA clone library. A total of 147 clones, comprising nearly full length sequences (with a mean length of 1.5 kb) were sequenced and submitted to an on-line similarity search and phylogenetic analysis. Using the criterion of 97% or greater similarity with the sequences of known bacteria, 17 clones were identified as Ruminococcus albus, Butyrivibrio fibrosolvens, Quinella ovalis, Clostridium symbiosium, Succiniclasticum ruminis, Selenomonas ruminantium and Allisonella histaminiformans, respectively. A further 22 clones shared similarity ranging from 90-97% with known bacteria but the similarity in sequences for the remaining 109 clones was less than 90% of those of known bacteria. Using a phylogenetic analysis it was found that the majority of the clones identified (57.1%) were located in the low G+C subdivision, with most of the remainder (42.2% of clones) located in the Cytophage-Flexibacter-Bacteroides (CFB) phylum and one clone (0.7%) was identified as a Spirochaete. It was apparent that Gayal have a large and diverse range of bacteria in the rumen liquor which differ from those of cattle and other ruminants. This may explain the greater live weights of Gayal, compared to cattle, grazing in the harsh natural environments in which Gayal are located naturally.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.10
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• pp.1525-1538
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• 2007

Because of the increasing evidence of potential benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on human health, there is a need to investigate its status in commercial dairies and develop feeding strategies to enhance the content and supply of CLA in milk and milk products. A two-year experiment was conducted to study the status of milk fat c-9, t-11 CLA on four selected commercial dairy farms in Utah (two) and Idaho (two), USA. Farms A and C grazed cows on pasture and supplemented with 7.0 kg/cow per day of their respective grain mixes during summer, while conserved forage and grain mix was fed during winter. Farm B fed a total mixed diet all year, with 10% of diet dry matter as fresh cut pasture during summer. Farm D had 1/3 of its cows grazed on pasture and supplemented with a total mixed diet during summer, while the rest were fed a total mixed diet. All cows in Farm D were fed a total mixed diet during winter. Farms A, B, C, and D had on average 80, 400, 150, and 500 milking cows, respectively, with Holstein or its crosses as the major breed. On a year-round basis, Farms A and C produced milk with 60% or more milk fat c-9, t-11 CLA and transvaccenic acid (TVA) contents than Farm B. Similarly, Farm D produced 30% or more c-9, t-11 CLA and TVA in milk than Farm B. Milk fat content of CLA and TVA was 150-200% more during summer compared with winter. Individual cows varied from 0.16 to 2.22% in milk fat c-9, t-11 CLA contents and 89% of the cows had c-9, t-11 CLA contents between 0.3 and 1.0% of milk fat. Individual cow variation was larger on Farms A and C compared with Farm D, with least variation on Farm B. Variation was larger in summer than in winter. The bulk tank milk c-9, t-11 CLA content varied from 0.27 to 1.35% of milk fat. Cows on Farms A and C produced similar or higher amounts of milk fat c-9, t-11 CLA on a daily basis even though their milk yield was lowest among the dairies. Concentration and supplies of c-9, t-11 CLA and TVA were highest from June through September and lowest from February through April, which should be the months for targeting improvement in the content and supply of milk fat c-9, t-11 CLA and TVA.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.11
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• pp.1641-1648
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• 2015

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of various protein sources (soybean meal, SBM; cottonseed protein, CSP; double-zero rapeseed meal, DRM) on the internal quality of refrigerated eggs. A total of 360 laying hens (32 wk of age) were randomly allotted to six treatment groups (five replicates per treatment) and fed diets containing SBM, CSP, or DRM individually or in combination with equal crude protein content (SBM-CSP, SBM-DRM, and CSP-DRM) as the protein ingredient(s). A $6{\times}3$ factorial arrangement was employed with dietary types and storage time (0 d, 2 wk, and 4 wk) as the main effects. After 12 wk of diet feeding, a total of 270 eggs were collected for egg quality determination. The egg Haugh unit (HU) in the CSP, SBM-DRM, and DRM groups were significantly lower than those in the SBM and SBM-CSP groups. The hardness and springiness of the cooked yolk in the CSP group were significantly higher than those in the other treatment groups. A lower HU, lower yolk index and higher albumen pH were observed in the DRM group compared to the SBM and SBM-CSP groups when the eggs were stored to 4 wk, and the HU was improved in the CSP-DRM group compared to the DRM group (p<0.05). Higher yolk hardness was observed in the CSP group compared to the other groups during storage (p<0.05), but the hardness of the cooked yolk in the SBM-CSP and CSP-DRM groups showed no difference in comparison to the SBM group. In conclusion, CSP may ameliorate the negative effects of DRM on the HU of refrigerated eggs, and SBM or DRM may alleviate the adverse effects of CSP on yolk hardness.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.8
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• pp.1140-1149
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• 2015

This research aimed to define the energy requirement of Dorper and Hu Hybrid $F_1$ ewes 20 to 50 kg of body weight, furthermore to study energy requirement changes with age and evaluate the effect of age on energy requirement parameters. In comparative slaughter trial, thirty animals were divided into three dry matter intake treatments (ad libitum, n = 18; low restricted, n = 6; high restricted, n = 6), and were all slaughtered as baseline, intermediate, and final slaughter groups, to calculate body chemical components and energy retained. In digestibility trial, twelve ewes were housed in individual metabolic cages and randomly assigned to three feeding treatments in accordance with the design of a comparative slaughter trial, to evaluate dietary energetic values at different feed intake levels. The combined data indicated that, with increasing age, the net energy requirement for maintenance ($NE_m$) decreased from $260.62{\pm}13.21$ to $250.61{\pm}11.79kJ/kg^{0.75}$ of shrunk body weight (SBW)/d, and metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance (MEm) decreased from $401.99{\pm}20.31$ to $371.23{\pm}17.47kJ/kg^{0.75}$ of SBW/d. Partial efficiency of ME utilization for maintenance ($k_m$, 0.65 vs 0.68) and growth ($k_g$, 0.42 vs 0.41) did not differ (p>0.05) due to age; At the similar condition of average daily gain, net energy requirements for growth ($NE_g$) and metabolizable energy requirements for growth ($ME_g$) for ewes during late fattening period were 23% and 25% greater than corresponding values of ewes during early fattening period. In conclusion, the effect of age upon energy requirement parameters in the present study were similar in tendency with previous recommendations, values of energy requirement for growth ($NE_g$ and $ME_g$) for Dorper and Hu crossbred female lambs ranged between the NRC (2007) recommendation for early and later maturating growing sheep.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.1039-1048
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• 2007

Two experiments were conducted to determine whether leptin is a metabolic signal for gonadotropin secretion in ewes. In the first experiment, twenty-eight cyclic Chal ewes were assigned randomly to an energy restricted, no leptin group (ERNL) (60% of maintenance; n = 14) and an energy normal, no leptin group (ENNL) (100% of maintenance; n = 14) for 71 days (6 estrous cycles). Estrus was synchronized with seven consecutive injections of $PGF_{2{\alpha}}$ Biweekly, body weight (BW) and body condition score (BCS) were determined and blood samples were collected to measure plasma leptin concentration. Blood samples were also taken to determine plasma progesterone concentration twice weekly. After each PG injection from the second injection to the end of experiment, four ewes were selected and blood samples were collected at 20 minutes and at hourly intervals for 3 h to detect plasma LH and FSH concentration. In the second experiment, after the ceasing of the estrous cycle caused by energy restriction, six acyclic ewes were selected and randomly allotted to two groups (n = 3) and received the following treatment for four days. Ewes in an energy restricted, leptin group (ERL) were fed with a ration which provided 60% of maintenance energy requirements and intravenously injected with $4{\mu}g$ leptin/kg BW daily. Ewes in an energy excess, no leptin group (EENL) were fed with a ration that provided 180% (120%+60%) of maintenance energy requirements and intravenously injected with 1 ml saline daily. In both groups, blood samples were collected at 20 minutes and at hourly intervals for 3 h before feeding on d 0 and d 5, and for 3 h before and after injections as above on d 2 and d 4 to detect plasma LH and FSH concentration. In the first experiment, BW and BCS from the $2^{nd}$ estrous cycle, and leptin from the $3^{rd}$ estrous cycle to the end of the experiment significantly (p<0.05) decreased. In ERNL ewes, mean plasma concentrations of FSH significantly (p<0.01) decreased from the $4^{th}$ estrous cycle to d 71 and LH pulsatile secretion was suppressed on d 71, so that, mean plasma concentrations of LH (p<0.05), LH pulse frequency (p<0.01) and LH pulse amplitude (p<0.05) significantly decreased. In the second experiment, injection of leptin significantly increased mean circulating concentrations of LH (p<0.05), LH pulse frequency (p<0.01), LH pulse amplitude (p<0.05) and mean circulating concentrations of FSH (p<0.01) and leptin (p<0.01). High energy intake significantly (p<0.05) stimulated pulsatile secretion of LH and leptin secretion (p<0.01), but non-significantly increased plasma FSH concentration. The results of this study indicate that leptin is a metabolic signal for the GnRH-LH/FSH axis in feed-restricted fat-tailed ewes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.1547-1554
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• 2009

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of different sources of chromium on growth performance, blood profile and carcass trait in growing-finishing pigs. A total of 200 growing pigs (Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire)${\times}$Duroc, average initial weight 8.5 kg) were allotted to 5 treatments with 4 replicates per treatment and 10 pigs per replicate. Five treatments were designated as follows according to the source of chromium. i) Control (No chromium): corn-soybean meal based basal diet, ii) $CrCl_{3}$: control diet+200 ppb Cr as $CrCl_{3}$, iii) CrPic: control diet+200 ppb Cr as Cr picolinate, iv) CrMet-1: control diet+100 ppb Cr as Cr methionine, and v) CrMet-2: control diet+200 ppb Cr as Cr methionine. After the feeding trial, three pigs per replicate (12 pigs per treatment) were slaughtered for the evaluation of carcass traits. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed: gain ratio (F/G) were not different (p>0.05) among dietary Cr sources. However, whole-period ADG of pigs fed CrPic, CrMet-1 and CrMet-2 diets was higher (p<0.05) than for the control diet. Nutrient digestibility was not different (p>0.05) among dietary Cr sources, but the nutrient digestibility of pigs fed CrPic, CrMet-1 and CrMet-2 diets was higher (p<0.05) than for the control diet. BUN level decreased with more magnitude (p<0.05) in pigs fed Cr during the 20 to 50 kg period. Although both serum cholesterol and triglyceride were different (p<0.05) among treatments, there was no consistent response that could be related to the dietary Cr sources regardless of growth phase. However, the overall data suggested that serum cholesterol level increased as BW of pigs increased. Blood total protein (TP) increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed Cr only during the 90-110 kg phase, and blood creatinine (Creat) level was higher in $CrCl_{3}$ and CrPic treatments than in the control only during the 90-110 kg phase. Backfat thickness was thinner (p<0.05) in pigs fed CrMet-2 than in the control treatment. Therefore, lean percentage was higher (p<0.05) in CrMet-2 than in control pigs. However, dressing percentage and Longissimus muscle area (LMA) were not different (p>0.05) among treatments. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 200 ppb Cr, via either CrPic or CrMet, improved pig growth performance and nutrient digestibility. Moreover, dietary CrMet supplementation for the growing-finishing pig is evidently remarkable for improving both lean percentage of the carcass and backfat thickness.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.34-41
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• 2017

Objective: Two experiments were performed to evaluate the effects of coated slow-release urea on nutrient digestion, ruminal fermentation, nitrogen utilization, blood glucose and urea concentration (Exp 1), and average daily gain (ADG; Exp 2) of steers. Methods: Exp 1: Eight ruminally fistulated steers [$503{\pm}28.5kg$ body weight (BW)] were distributed into a d $4{\times}4$ Latin square design and assigned to treatments: control (CON), feed grade urea (U2), polymer-coated slow-release urea A (SRA2), and polymer-coated slow-release urea B (SRB2). Dietary urea sources were set at 20 g/kg DM. Exp 2: 84 steers ($350.5{\pm}26.5kg$ initial BW) were distributed to treatments: CON, FGU at 10 or 20 g/kg diet DM (U1 and U2, respectively), coated SRA2 at 10 or 20 g/kg diet DM (SRA1 and SRA2, respectively), and coated SRB at 10 or 20 g/kg diet DM (SRB1 and SRB2, respectively). Results: Exp 1: Urea treatments (U2+SRA2+SRB2) decreased (7.4%, p = 0.03) the DM intake and increased (11.4%, p<0.01) crude protein digestibility. Coated slow-release urea (SRA2+-SRB2) showed similar nutrient digestibility compwared to feed grade urea (FGU). However, steers fed SRB2 had higher (p = 0.02) DM digestibility compared to those fed SRA2. Urea sources did not affect ruminal fermentation when compared to CON. Although, coated slow-release urea showed lower (p = 0.01) concentration of $NH_3-N$ (-10.4%) and acetate to propionate ratio than U2. Coated slow-release urea showed lower (p = 0.02) urinary N and blood urea concentration compared to FGU. Exp 2: Urea sources decreased (p = 0.01) the ADG in relation to CON. Animals fed urea sources at 10 g/kg DM showed higher (12.33%, p = 0.01) ADG compared to those fed urea at 20 g/kg DM. Conclusion: Feeding urea decreased the nutrient intake without largely affected the nutrient digestibility. In addition, polymer-coated slow-release urea sources decreased ruminal ammonia concentration and increased ruminal propionate production. Urea at 20 g/kg DM, regardless of source, decreased ADG compared both to CON and diets with urea at 10 g/kg DM.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.9
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• pp.1249-1254
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of maturity stage on the nutritive value of wild mustard straw in terms of chemical composition, in situ, in vitro dry matter degradability and calculated ME. The nutritive values of wild mustard, Sinapsis arvensis hays harvested at three stages were evaluated by chemical composition, in vitro gas production and in situ dry matter degradation methods. Gas production or dry matter (DM) degradation were determined at 0, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h and their kinetics were described using the equation p = a+b(1-e$^{-ct}$). Maturity had a significant effect on both the chemical composition and degradability of wild mustard. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) (p<0.001) increased with increasing maturity whereas the crude protein (CP) (p<0.001) decreased. The gas produced after 96 h incubation ranged between 64.7 and 81.5 ml per 0.200 g of dry matter. The gas production (ml) at all incubation times and estimated parameters decreased with increasing maturity of wild mustard. The gas production at all incubation times and estimated parameters (a, b (a+b), metabolizable energy (ME) and organic matter digestibility (OMD)) were negatively correlated with NDF and ADF. The DM disappearance after 96 h incubation ranged between 50.8 and 76.1%. The in situ DM disappearance at all incubation times and estimated parameters decreased with increasing maturity of wild mustard. The in situ dry matter disappearance at all incubation times and some estimated parameters (c, a, b and effective dry matter degradability (EDMD)) were negatively correlated with NDF and ADF but positively correlated with CP. The nutritive value of wild mustard continually changed as it matured. Wild mustard, harvested at the proper stage of maturity offers considerable potential as a high quality forage for ruminants during the winter feeding period. The present study showed that if higher quality forage is an objective, wild mustard should be harvested at the early flowering stage.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1080-1087
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• 2004

A trial with twenty-four newly weaned Awassi lambs (initial body weight=21.5$\pm$0.8 kg) was conducted using a 3$\times$2 factorial design to study the effect of feeding three sources of protein supplements (soybean meal (SBM), sunflower seed meal (SSM), and cottonseed meal (CSM)), either untreated or formaldehyde-treated on the growth performance and carcass traits of Awassi lambs. Lambs were randomly assigned to one of the six diets (4 lambs/treatment diet) and were individually fed for a period of 107 days. Experimental diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. Final live weight and average daily gain (ADG) were affected by both source of protein and formaldehyde treatment (undegradable protein). Lambs fed untreated diets had better (p<0.01) daily gain compared to those fed formaldehyde-treated diets. Similarly total feed intake per animal was significantly (p<0.05) affected by protein source and formaldehyde treatment. Formaldehyde treatment caused a significant decrease (p<0.01) in feed intake compared to lambs fed untreated diets. Feed requirement per unit of gain was not affected by formaldehyde treatment during all periods of the experiment except for the second period (the second 28 day period), whereby untreated SBM, SSM and CSM had better feed conversion ratio (FCR) than the treated groups. Source of protein had a moderate effect (p<0.10) on FCR but had a significant effect (p<0.05) on hot and cold carcass weight, digestive tract empty weight and liver weight, with lambs fed SBM having higher values than lambs fed SSM and CSM diets. Supplementation with undegradable protein had a significant effect (p<0.05) on dressing-out percentage (p<0.05), final live weight, and hot and cold carcass weight (p<0.01). The lower values pertain to lambs fed treated diets compared to lambs fed untreated diets. In general, there were no significant differences among all carcass linear dimensions, carcass cut weights and dissected loin tissue weights for both treatments (protein source and formaldehyde treatment). Supplementation with undegradable protein but not the source of protein resulted in significantly higher dissected leg total bone weight (p<0.05), tibia and femur weight (p<0.05), and femur length (p<0.01) at the same carcass weight. Results suggest that the treatment of SBM, SSM and CSM with formaldehyde did not improve efficiency of feed utilization, lamb performance or carcass traits and that the SBM diet resulted in an increase in lamb performance compared to other experimental diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.115-121
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• 1989

A comparative slaughter feeding experiment with steer calves weighing 280 kg and a concurrent digestion trial with wether lambs was conducted to study the energy value of rice straw as influenced by ammonia treatment and mixing with alfalfa hay. Steers were ad libitum fed one of nine completely mixed experimental diets: basal (high concentrate); 25 or 50% of untreated rice straw (URS) or ammoniated (plastic covered bales, 4.6% $NH_3$ by weight) rice straw (ARS) proportionately replacing part of the basal; a 50:50 % mixture of URS or ARS and alfalfa replacing a proportion of the basal at 25 and 50%. Digestibility of the nine complete diets (pelleted to prevent sorting) was determined with four ad libitum fed lambs. Ammoniation increased crude protein level (from 3.6 to 10.8%) and in vitro dry matter digestibility of the rice straw by 15%. The improvement in DE, NEm and NEg by ammoniation of rice straw was 20, 52 and 117%, respectively. Ammoniation of rice straw fed as 50% of the diet improved gains over the diet containing 50% URS, but no significant influence on animal performance was observed when rice straw was fed at the 25% level. Each 10% addition of URS to basal diet decreased empty body gain of steers by 116 gram per day compared with a decrease of 70 gram per day when rice straw had been ammoniated. There was no beneficial effect of ammoniation when the roughage component of the diet was a 50:50 mixture of rice straw and alfalfa. Ammoniation of straw and inclusion of alfalfa generally increased the concentration of total volatile fatty acids in rumen fluid. Ammoniation resulted in reduced concentrations of acetic and propionic acid, but increased concentration of butyric acid. Digestibility of URS was improved by mixing with alfalfa. However, alfalfa hay did not influence digestibility of ARS. Diets in which ARS replaced the basal mixture at 25 and 50% had higher NEm and NEg values than comparable URS diets. The same pattern was observed in the straw: alfalfa mixtures, but differences between URS and ARS were significant only for the 50% roughage diets.