Effects of isoenergetic supplementation as water use mitigation strategy on water footprint and health of nursing bull calves.

Sustainable livestock systems focus on mitigating natural resource use such as water. Dietary management strategies can significantly reduce the water footprint of livestock animals; however, animal health is of concern when animals reduce water intake due to subacute dehydration. To evaluate potential consequences of this nutritional management intervention, a total of 23, 60 ± 3 days old nursing Holstein bull calves, weighing 94.

Effect of live yeast supplementation on energy partitioning and ruminal fermentation characteristics of steers fed a grower-type diet in heat-stress conditions.

The objective of this trial was to determine the influence of live yeast supplementation (LY), environmental condition (ENV), and their interaction (TRT) on energy partitioning, nitrogen metabolism, and ruminal fermentation dynamics of steers receiving a grower-type diet. The effects of LY and ENV were investigated using a 2 × 2 crossover design that spanned five periods. Eight Angus-crossbred steers were randomly split into pairs and housed in four outdoor pens outfitted with an individualized feeding system.

Technical note: Evaluation of sampling methods for methane concentration from in vitro fermentation.

The objectives of this multipart study were 1) to assess the efficacy of sampling methods of methane concentration ([CH4]) of headspace gas produced during in vitro gas production (IVGP) fermentation, 2) to verify whether headspace [CH4] sampled from an exetainer has the same [CH4] as the headspace of IVGP bottles, 3) to measure relative humidity (RH) within an IVGP bottle, and 4) to compare [CH4] on a dry-gas (DG) basis when accounting for water vapor pressure (Pw). The original IVGP protocol recommends placing bottles on ice (0 °C) for 30 min to stop fermentation (ICE). A laboratory protocol recommends placing the bottles in the refrigerator (4 to 6 °C) to slow fermentation for 48 h and subsequently allowing the bottles to return to ambient temperature before sampling (FRIDGE).

Characterization of body composition and liver epigenetic markers during periods of negative energy balance and subsequent compensatory growth in postpubertal beef bulls.

This study aimed to characterize the effects of dietary restriction and subsequent re-alimentation on body composition and hepatic gene expression of epigenetic markers of DNA methylation, RNA m6A methylation, and histone acetylation in the liver of postpubertal beef bulls. Twelve Angus × Hereford crossbred bulls (n = 6, 23 ± 0.55 mo [young bulls], 558 ± 6.

Sperm DNA 5-methyl cytosine and RNA N6-methyladenosine methylation are differently affected during periods of body weight losses and body weight gain of young and mature breeding bulls.

Aiming to characterize the effects of nutritional status on epigenetic markers, such as DNA 5-methyl cytosine (mC) methylation and RNA N6-methyladenosine (m6A) methylation, of bovine sperm, 12 Angus × Hereford crossbred breeding bulls were submitted to nutritional changes for a period of 180 d: no change in body weight (BW) (phase 1 = 12 d), BW loss (phase 2 = 78 d), and BW gain (phase 3 = 90 d) in a repeated measures design. Animals were fed Beardless wheat (Triticum aestivum) hay and mineral mix. Statistical analyses were performed using SAS 9.

Technical Note: The comparison of pH and redox potential in different locations in the reticulo-rumen of growing beef steers supplemented with different levels of quebracho extract.

Rumen acidosis is a common metabolic disorder occurring when organic acid production exceeds clearance capacity, reducing ruminal pH. The occurrence of acidosis has been directly correlated to the ratio of concentrate to forage in the diet. However, rates of substrate fermentation and acid absorption vary at different locations in the reticulo-rumen.

The influence of extended supplementation of quebracho extract to beef steers consuming a hay diet on digestion, ruminal, and blood parameters.

The addition of natural plant secondary compounds to ruminant feed has been extensively studied because of their ability to modify digestive and metabolic functions, resulting in a potential reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, among other benefits. Condensed tannin (CT) supplementation may alter ruminal fermentation and mitigate methane (CH4) emissions. This study's objective was to determine the effect of quebracho CT extract [QT; Schinopsis quebracho-colorado (Schltdl.

Nutritional Aspects of Ecologically Relevant Phytochemicals in Ruminant Production.

This review provides an update of ecologically relevant phytochemicals for ruminant production, focusing on their contribution to advancing nutrition. Phytochemicals embody a broad spectrum of chemical components that influence resource competence and biological advantage in determining plant species' distribution and density in different ecosystems. These natural compounds also often act as plant defensive chemicals against predatorial microbes, insects, and herbivores.

Comparison of in situ techniques to evaluate the recovery of indigestible components and the accuracy of digestibility estimates.

Indigestible components, including indigestible dry matter (iDM) and indigestible neutral detergent fiber (iNDF), play an integral role as internal markers for determining ruminal kinetics and digestibility estimations. However, the accuracy of internal markers is dependent upon the incubation technique utilized as bag type (BT) and incubation length (IL) can be significant sources of error. Previous studies have primarily focused on iDM and iNDF as digestibility markers, but few studies have compared digestibility estimates to those of acid detergent insoluble ash (ADIA).

Inclusion of quebracho tannin extract in a high-roughage cattle diet alters digestibility, nitrogen balance, and energy partitioning.

Condensed tannins (CT) might improve animal and system-level efficiency due to enhanced protein efficiency and reduced CH4. This study evaluated the impact of quebracho tannin (QT) extract fed at 0%, 1.5%, 3%, and 4.

Assessment of in situ techniques to determine indigestible components in the feed and feces of cattle receiving supplemental condensed tannins1.

Reliable assessments of indigestible dietary components are required when using internal markers to estimate diet digestibility and determine the potentially digestible portion of the fiber. The lack of a standardized methodology and understanding of how antinutritional factors influence indigestible residues can result in erroneous estimates with inconsistent variation across trials and among studies. Previous studies have detailed suitable bag porosity and sample size (SS) with incubation length (IL) varying from 96 to 504 h, with many assuming that 288-h IL yields truly indigestible components.

Effects of active dry yeast on ruminal pH characteristics and energy partitioning of finishing steers under thermoneutral or heat-stressed environment.

The objective of this trial was to determine the effects of supplementing active dried yeast (ADY) in the diets of finishing steers on energy and nitrogen metabolism and ruminal pH characteristics under thermoneutral (TN) or heat-stressed (HS) conditions. Eight British cross steers received 1 of 2 treatments (TRT) [either a control finishing diet (CON) or supplemented with 3 g/d of ADY] under 1 of 2 temperatures [TEMP: TN = 18 ± 0.55 °C and 20 ± 1.