Effect of dietary inclusion of graded levels of distillers dried grains with solubles on the performance, blood profile and rumen microbiota of Najdi lambs.

An experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design to evaluate the effect of including graded levels (0, 20, 30, 40 and 50% of diet) of dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) on growth performance, slaughter parameters, blood serum metabolites and rumen microbiota in weaned Najdi male lambs. Thirty-five lambs, initial body weight of 33.45 ± 0.

Developing a Simulated Online Model That Integrates GNSS, Accelerometer and Weather Data to Detect Parturition Events in Grazing Sheep: A Machine Learning Approach.

In the current study, a simulated online parturition detection model is developed and reported. Using a machine learning (ML)-based approach, the model incorporates data from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) tracking collars, accelerometer ear tags and local weather data, with the aim of detecting parturition events in pasture-based sheep. The specific objectives were two-fold: (i) determine which sensor systems and features provide the most useful information for lambing detection; (ii) evaluate how these data might be integrated using ML classification to alert to a parturition event as it occurs.

Legal Complexities of Animal Welfare in Australia: Do On-Animal Sensors Offer a Future Option?

The five freedoms and, more recently, the five domains of animal welfare provide internationally recognised frameworks to evaluate animal welfare practices which recognise both the physical and mental wellbeing needs of animals, providing a balanced view of their ability to cope in their environment. Whilst there are many techniques to measure animal welfare, the challenge lies with how best to align these with future changes in definitions and expectations, advances in science, legislative requirements, and technology improvements. Furthermore, enforcement of current animal welfare legislation in relation to livestock in Australia and the reliance on self-audits for accreditation schemes, challenges our ability to objectively measure animal welfare.

Prolonged continual consumption of oregano herb interferes with the action of steroid hormones and several drugs, and effects signaling across the brain-gut axis.

Herbs and spices have been used throughout human history for their medicinal qualities. The advent of cheap and readily available medicines have lessened the need for herbs and spices as traditional medicines, however, they are rapidly regaining popularity with rising interest of the general population in health, natural products and nutrition. The need for alternative medicines with antimicrobial properties, such as herbs and spices, has also come to the forefront in light of the recent bans of antibiotic use in the livestock industry, including the poultry industry.

Phytogenic products, used as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters, modify the intestinal microbiota derived from a range of production systems: an in vitro model.

The removal of antibiotics from the feeds used in the livestock industry has resulted in the use of a wide range of alternative antimicrobial products that aim to deliver the productivity and health benefits that have traditionally been associated with antibiotics. Amongst the most popular alternatives are phytogenic product-based extracts from herbs and spices with known antimicrobial properties. Despite embracing such alternatives, the industry is still largely unaware of modes of action, their overall effects on animal health, and interactions with other feed additives such as probiotics.

Influence of sanguinarine-based phytobiotic supplementation on post necrotic enteritis challenge recovery.

In the animal production industry, plant-derived antimicrobial phytobiotics are used as an alternative to antibiotics. Here we investigated the role sanguinarine-based phytobiotic in broiler recovery from Necrotic Enteritis (NE) infection. A total of 100 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to four treatments: negative control CTR (no challenge, no phytobiotic supplementation); positive control NE (NE challenged); phytobiotic SG (sanguinarine phytobiotic, 0.

Poultry feeds carry diverse microbial communities that influence chicken intestinal microbiota colonisation and maturation.

Microbial colonisation of the gastrointestinal tract of newly hatched chicks starts at hatch, seeded from the immediate hatching environment, and quickly results in dense colonisation. The role of ecological factors in gut colonisation has been extensively investigated, as well as the role of micro- and macronutrients in supporting and selecting for bacterial species highly adapted for utilising those nutrients. However, the microbial community contained in poultry feed and its influence on colonisation and maturation of gut microbiota has not been directly addressed.

Bacillus subtilis PB6 based probiotic supplementation plays a role in the recovery after the necrotic enteritis challenge.

In poultry production, birds are raised under intensive conditions, which can enable rapid spread of infections, with Clostridium perfringens-caused necrotic enteritis (NE) being one of the most devastating for the industry. The current investigation was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of Bacillus subtilis PB6 probiotic supplementation on bird's post NE recovery, based on chicken performance, cecal microbiota composition, ileum histomorphometric measurements, and short-chain fatty acid production in the cecum of the birds that were challenged with NE mid-production. Birds were split into four groups, including a negative control, positive control challenged with C.

Organic acid blend supplementation increases butyrate and acetate production in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenged broilers.

The burden of enteric pathogens in poultry is growing after the ban of antibiotic use in animal production. Organic acids gained attention as a possible alternative to antibiotics due to their antimicrobial activities, improved nutrient metabolism and performance. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of organic acid blend on broilers cecal microbiota, histomorphometric measurements, and short-chain fatty acid production in Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium challenge model.

Can accelerometer ear tags identify behavioural changes in sheep associated with parturition?

On-animal sensor systems provide an opportunity to monitor ewes during parturition, potentially reducing ewe and lamb mortality risk. This study investigated the capacity of machine learning (ML) behaviour classification to monitor changes in sheep behaviour around the time of lambing using ear-borne accelerometers. Accelerometers were attached to 27 ewes grazing a 4.

The Gut Microbiota of Laying Hens and Its Manipulation with Prebiotics and Probiotics To Enhance Gut Health and Food Safety.

The microbiota plays a vital role in maintaining gut health and influences the overall performance of chickens. Most gut microbiota-related studies have been performed in broilers, which have different microbial communities compared to those of layers. The normal gut microbiota of laying chickens is dominated by , , , , and at the phylum level.

Reduced environmental bacterial load during early development and gut colonisation has detrimental health consequences in Japanese quail.

Gastrointestinal colonisation by commensal microbiota is essential for the health and well-being of the host. We aimed to evaluate the influence of a reduced bacterial load environment on microbiota development and maturation, and the possibility of targeted colonisation via at-hatch administration of a selected bacterial strain. Japanese quail () were inoculated within 1 h of hatch with a freshly grown culture of a isolate derived from a healthy adult quail.

growth of gut microbiota with selenium nanoparticles.

The application of nanoparticles rose steeply in the last decade, where they have become a common ingredient used in processed human food, improving food properties such as shelf life and appearance. Nanoparticles have also attracted considerable interest to the livestock industry, due to their efficacy in intestinal pathogen control, with the regulatory and consumer driven push for the removal of antibiotic growth promoters. The influence of selenium (Se) nanoparticles was investigated on a diverse and mature broiler caecal microbiota using culturing and 16S rRNA gene sequencing methods for microbiota characterisation.

Oregano powder reduces Streptococcus and increases SCFA concentration in a mixed bacterial culture assay.

Food borne illnesses have a world-wide economic impact and industries are continuously developing technologies to reduce the spread of disease caused by microorganisms. Antimicrobial growth promoters (AGPs) have been used to decrease microbiological infections in animals and their potential transfer to humans. In recent years there has been a global trend to remove AGPs from animal feed in an attempt to reduce the spread of antimicrobial resistant genes into the human population.

Oregano: A potential prophylactic treatment for the intestinal microbiota.

Prophylactic use of antibiotics in poultry diets has been identified as a problematic practice because of its potential to exacerbate the spread of antibiotic resistance to human pathogens. A range of countries have opted to completely ban the use of antibiotics in animal feed. The animal production industries are looking for alternative ways to effectively control pathogens while providing the performance benefits previously secured by antibiotics in feed.

Characterisation of the intestinal microbiota of commercially farmed saltwater crocodiles, Crocodylus porosus.

The Australian saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus porosus) industry began commercially in the 1980s, producing skins for export and crocodile meat as a by-product. Industry research has thus far focused on strategies to improve production efficiency. In the current study, we utilised 16S rRNA sequencing to characterise the intestinal microbiome of Australian saltwater crocodiles.

Feed supplementation with biochar may reduce poultry pathogens, including Campylobacter hepaticus, the causative agent of Spotty Liver Disease.

Increased global regulation and restrictions on the non-therapeutic use of antibiotics in the poultry industry means that there is a need to identify alternatives that prevent infection while still conveying the growth and performance benefits afforded by their use. Biochars are produced by the incomplete pyrolysis of organic materials, with reports of use as a feed supplement and activity against pathogenic bacteria. In the current study the dose-dependent effects of biochar dietary inclusion in layer diets at 1%, 2% and 4% w/w were investigated to determine a) the efficacy of biochar as an anti-pathogenic additive on the intestinal microbiota and b) the optimal inclusion level.

Ultrastructure of the gastro intestinal tract of healthy Japanese quail () using light and scanning electron microscopy.

The Japanese quail () are popular both as an alternative protein source and as a model of choice for scientific research in several disciplines. There is limited published information on the histological features of the intestinal tract of Japanese quail. The only comprehensive reference is a book published in 1969.

Correlations between intestinal innate immune genes and cecal microbiota highlight potential for probiotic development for immune modulation in poultry.

Immune function is influenced by the diversity and stability of the intestinal microbiota. A likely trade-off of immune function for growth has been demonstrated in heavier breeds of poultry that have been genetically selected for growth and feed efficiency traits. We investigated the expression of selected innate immune genes and genes encoding products involved in intestinal barrier function to determine whether function changes could be consistently linked to the phenotypic expression of feed conversion ratio (FCR), a common measure of performance within poultry broiler flocks.

Comparative metabolic and ionomic profiling of two cultivars of Stevia rebaudiana Bert. (Bertoni) grown under salinity stress.

This study provides a comprehensive investigation on the impact of increasing NaCl concentrations on hydroponically grown Stevia rebaudiana cultivars (Shoutian-2 and Fengtian). Growth parameters including plant height, biomass and physiological responses including osmotic potential were measured. In addition, the levels of steviol glycosides, elements and primary metabolites were measured and statistically evaluated.

Transcriptional analysis of liver from chickens with fast (meat bird), moderate (F1 layer x meat bird cross) and low (layer bird) growth potential.

Background: Divergent selection for meat and egg production in poultry has resulted in strains of birds differing widely in traits related to these products. Modern strains of meat birds can reach live weights of 2 kg in 35 d, while layer strains are now capable of producing more than 300 eggs per annum but grow slowly. In this study, RNA-Seq was used to investigate hepatic gene expression between three groups of birds with large differences in growth potential; meat bird, layer strain as well as an F1 layer x meat bird.

At-hatch administration of probiotic to chickens can introduce beneficial changes in gut microbiota.

Recent advances in culture-free microbiological techniques bring new understanding of the role of intestinal microbiota in heath and performance. Intestinal microbial communities in chickens assume a near-stable state within the week which leaves a very small window for permanent microbiota remodelling. It is the first colonisers that determine the fate of microbial community in humans and birds alike, and after the microbiota has matured there are very small odds for permanent modification as stable community resists change.

Predicting Lameness in Sheep Activity Using Tri-Axial Acceleration Signals.

Lameness is a clinical symptom associated with a number of sheep diseases around the world, having adverse effects on weight gain, fertility, and lamb birth weight, and increasing the risk of secondary diseases. Current methods to identify lame animals rely on labour intensive visual inspection. The aim of this current study was to determine the ability of a collar, leg, and ear attached tri-axial accelerometer to discriminate between sound and lame gait movement in sheep.

Selenium nanoparticles in poultry feed modify gut microbiota and increase abundance of Faecalibacterium prausnitzii.

The poultry industry aims to improve productivity while maintaining the health and welfare of flocks. Pathogen control has been achieved through biosecurity, vaccinations and the use of antibiotics. However, the emergence of antibiotic resistance, in animal and human pathogens, has prompted researchers and chicken growers alike to seek alternative approaches.