Comparison of ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions during the fattening of pigs, kept either on fully slatted floor or on deep litter

Five successive batches of fattening pigs were raised, each during a four month period, on a totally concrete slatted floor in one experimental room and on straw based deep litter in another. The rooms were automatically ventilated to maintain a constant ambient temperature. Available floor space was of 0.75 m² per pig kept on the slatted floor and 1.20 m² per pig kept on the deep litter. With this last system, about 46 kg of straw were supplied per pig throughout a fattening period. The slurry pit was emptied and the litter removed after each batch. Once a month, the emissions of ammonia (NH₃), nitrous oxide (N₂O), methane (CH₄), carbon dioxide (CO₂), and water vapour (H₂O) were measured continuously for 6 consecutive days by infra-red photoacoustic detection.The performance of the animals was not significantly different according to the floor type.Gaseous emissions from pigs raised on the slatted floor and on the deep litter were, respectively, 6.2 and 13.1 g per pig per day for NH₃, 0.54 and 1.11 g per pig per day for N₂O, 16.3 and 16.0 g per pig per day for CH₄, 1.74 and 1.97 kg per pig per day for CO₂ and 2.48 and 3.70 kg per pig per day for H₂O. Except for the CH₄ emissions, all the differences were significant (P < 0.001). Thus, pig fattening on deep litter releases nearly 20% more greenhouse gases than on slatted floor, with 2.64 and 2.24 kg of CO₂-equivalents, respectively (P < 0.001). Whatever the floor type, emissions increased from the beginning to the end of the fattening periods by about 5 times for NH₃, 4 times for N₂O, 3 times for CH₄ and 2 times for CO₂ and H₂O. Correlation coefficients between CO₂-emissions and H₂O, NH₃ and CH₄ emissions were, on average for both floor types, 0.82, 0.77 and 0.74, respectively.Although rearing pigs on straw generally has a good brand image for the consumer, this rearing system produces more pollutant gases than keeping pigs on slatted floors.     

Attitudes of European citizens towards pig production systems

The objective of the study is to map citizen attitudes towards pig meat production systems, and to investigate whether these attitudes associate with pork and pork product consumption. A conjoint experiment was carried out with empirical data collected from 1931 individuals in four European countries with higher-than-average per capita meat consumption (Belgium, Denmark, Poland and Germany). The experiment was based on the following pig farming characteristics: herd size, housing and floor type, efforts to reduce the impact of the production system on the environment, animal feed designed for producing pork with specific fat content, and finally the preferred quality characteristics of the pork end-product. The results of the conjoint analysis were used for a subsequent cluster analysis in order to identify European citizen clusters. Respondents' socio-demographic profile, attitudes towards issues that are expected to influence the way people evaluate pig meat production systems, and consumption frequency of various pork products are used as background information to identify segment profiles. Pork appears to play a substantial role as a part of the diet for most respondents in the four countries of this study. The results of the conjoint experiment at the sample level show that people assigned most importance to animal and environmental well-being as criteria to discriminate between “good” and “bad” pig production practices, despite the fact that their attitudes towards environmental protection, animal welfare and industrial food production were only moderately strong. Moreover, the results of the cluster analysis allowed small-sized, clear-cut clusters of citizens to appear, which pay attention to specific pig farming attributes. In conclusion, attitudes towards environment and nature, animal welfare and the need for an environment-friendly food production were indeed related to citizens' specific attitudes towards pig farming at the cluster level. However, the relationship between citizenship and consumption behaviour was found to be weak. What people think in their role as citizens related to pig production did not appear to significantly influence their pork consumption choices.     

The effect of three space allowances on the physiology and behavior of weaned pigs during transportation

Stocking density is an important aspect of transport, which could affect animal health and welfare, especially in pigs simultaneously experiencing weaning stress. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effect of three different space allowances on the physiology and behavior of weaned pigs during transport. A commercial semi-trailer with compartments that provided 0.05, 0.06 and 0.07 m²/pig was used throughout the study. All three space allowances were represented on both the upper and lower decks during each replicate. A constant of 100 pigs were loaded into each experimental compartment. Pigs were then transported for 112.5 ± 6.5 min to the wean-to-finishing site using the same route for each replication. This experiment was replicated 4 times. The experimental unit was the compartment. Prior to and after transport, blood samples were taken from a sub-set of pigs (n = 32 pigs/space allowance) for analysis of physiological and immune measures, and body weights and lesion scores were also recorded. Data loggers were fitted inside the trailer to record temperature, humidity, and wind speed. Cameras were placed in each experimental compartment to record behavior and postures of pigs during transport. The frequencies of standing, lying, sitting, standing-rearing on another pig, lying/huddling on top of another pig, total active and total inactive behaviors were recorded using 1-min scan samples during the entire duration of transport. Inside trailer temperature ranged from − 2.4 to 21.7 °C and inside trailer relative humidity ranged from 28.4 to 89.2% during transport. Cortisol, the neutrophil:lymphocyte (N:L) ratio, blood urea nitrogen, total bilirubin, total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase, and creatine kinase were higher (p < 0.05) in pigs after transport regardless of space allowance. Skin lesions were more severe (p < 0.001) in pigs after transport regardless of space allowance. Pigs spent more (p < 0.001) time active during the first 75 min of transport compared with the last 30 min, regardless of space allowance. Pigs spent less (p < 0.01) time standing on another pig during transport at 0.07 m²/pig compared with pigs transported at 0.06 m²/pig. Higher cortisol concentrations and N:L ratio in weaned pigs after transport suggest that these pigs experienced stress, however space allowance did not appear to influence this response. Space allowances of 0.05, 0.06 or 0.07 m²/pig did not differentially influence pig well-being during a 112-min transport period as measured by changes in physiological measures.     

Effect of a short duration feed withdrawal followed by full feeding on marbling fat in beef carcasses

The effect of feed withdrawal for 48 h, prior to initiation of the finishing (fattening) period (75 d) on carcass marbling fat was studied in 120 European × British cross-bred heifers with an average weight of 585 ± 39 kg. Heifers were randomized in a 2 × 2 factorial design experiment with two dietary management treatments, where half the heifers were provided the feed components of steam rolled barley and barley silage either free choice or as a total mixed ration (TMR) containing 87% steam rolled barley and 13% barley silage with ad libitum vitamins and minerals via salt blocks for all animals. Within each dietary management treatment, 30 heifers were denied feed (water was available) for 48 h prior to the two week adaptation to the high grain diet preceding the 75 d finishing period. At the end of the 48 h feed denial blood samples were collected from the jugular vein prior to feeding for determination of glucose and insulin concentrations, which indicated that 48 h feed withdrawal consistently decreased (P = 0.0001) plasma concentrations of both glucose and insulin but the ratios of the concentrations of glucose to insulin were not affected. At slaughter samples of subcutaneous fat from the brisket (BF) and skirt muscle (pars costalis diaphragmatis; PCD) were procured for determination of chemical fat content, fat dissected from the muscle and for enumeration of adipocytes, less than 35 μm in diameter and to determine the average cell size in the dissected fat and from the BF by flow-cytometry of adipocytes fixed in osmium tetroxide. The carcass characteristics were also obtained. Although no differences due feed withdrawal for 48 h were evident for carcass weight, percent lean (saleable) meat yield, rib eye area, average fat cover, fat content of PCD or BF, the US marbling score was increased (P = 0.048) and the amount of dissected fat from the muscle tended to be higher (P = 0.107), thus 81% of the carcasses graded “US Choice” or “Canada AAA,” or displayed at least a “small” amount of intramuscular fat as compared (P = 0.0807) to 68% of the heifers not denied feed. Based on more than three years of weekly prices of carcasses that graded “Canada AAA” and “Canada AA,” these experimental results suggested that the expected price of a finished heifer could increase by $4.61 Canadian if a 48 h feed withdrawal was imposed prior to initiation of the finishing phase. Although significant differences in adipocyte numbers due to a single time 48 h feed withdrawal prior to initiation of the finishing phase were not detected, the carcass quality factors were affected leading to an odds ratio of 1.84 times in favour of cattle carcasses to grade “Canada AAA” than if fed continuously.     

Case study: The effect of inbreeding on the production and reproduction traits in the Elsenburg Dormer sheep stud

Data of the Elsenburg Dormer sheep stud, which was kept closed since inception, were collected over a period of 62 years (1941–2002). The breed is a composite, resulting from a cross of Dorset Horn rams with South African Mutton Merino ewes. These data were analysed to quantify the increase in actual level of inbreeding and to investigate the effect of inbreeding on phenotypic values, genetic parameters and estimated breeding values. After editing 11954 pedigree, 11721 birth weight (BW) and survival, 9205 weaning weight (WW) and 7504 reproduction records were available for analysis. The mean level of inbreeding (F) of all animals over all years was 16%; 14% for dams and 16% for sires. Mean, minimum and maximum F for the lambs in 1997 (when 3 rams from outside were introduced) were 22%, 21% and 24% respectively. Estimates of inbreeding depression for individual inbreeding of 1% were − 0.006 kg for birth and − 0.093 kg for weaning weight respectively. These were the only estimates that were significantly (P < 0.01) different from zero. No significant effects of inbreeding on the other traits were found. There were virtually no differences in the genetic parameters estimated when fitting the two models (inclusion or exclusion of inbreeding coefficients as covariates). Estimates of the phenotypic variance differed slightly for WW between the two models. Ranking of animals were studied for weaning weight when the two models were considered. The high correlation coefficients (0.990) indicate that the use of inbreeding coefficients did not cause important changes in ranking of animals and sires for WW. It was concluded that slow inbreeding (rate of inbreeding of approximately 1.53% per generation over 19 generations) allows natural selection to operate and to remove the less fit animals. At any given mean level of F, less inbreeding depression would then be expected among the individuals who accumulated the inbreeding over a larger number of generations. Nevertheless, inbreeding coefficients should be considered when mating decisions are made, to limit the possible deleterious effects of inbreeding on productive and reproductive traits and to detect animals “resilient to” higher levels of inbreeding.     

Effects of concentrate levels on fattening performance, carcass and meat quality attributes of Small East African × Norwegian crossbred goats fed low quality grass hay

To assess the effects of finishing Small East African × Norwegian crossbred goats with concentrate diets on the fattening performance, carcass and meat quality, 32 castrated crossbred goats (9.5 months old, 17.1 kg BWT) were equally allocated into four levels of concentrate supplementation. The concentrate levels were: Zero access to concentrate (T0), 33% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance (T33), 66% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance (T66) and 100% access to ad libitum concentrate allowance (T100). Each animal had access to ad libitum grass hay. Ad libitum concentrate intake for the goats was 663 g/d, which supported ME intake of 8.7 MJ/head/d. The attained maximum daily gain was 96 g/d. T100 and T66 goats were comparable in slaughter weight but the former had 2 kg heavier (P < 0.05) carcasses than the latter. T100 and T66 goats were similar in carcass fatness scores, though both were fattier (P < 0.05) than other diet groups. Dressing percentage (DP) was expressed in three different ways. In all but commercial DP, T100 were comparable to T66 goats, but all were higher than the other diet groups. For T0 goats, pH-values remained above 6 even after 24 h post-mortem. Cooking losses increased (P < 0.05) with increasing levels of concentrate supplementation. Moreover, among the muscles assessed, M. rectus abdominis had the least cooking loss. Warner–Bratzler shear force values of cooked muscles were highest (P < 0.05) in M. gluteobiceps, followed by M. vastus lateralis, while M. psoas major and longismus dorsi aged for 6 days had the least values. Finishing Small East African × Norwegian crossbred goats at 66% access to their ad libitum concentrate intake gives optimum carcass and meat quality, and that any increase above this level seems not to improve meat production.     

Effect of feeding regime, growth intensity and age at first insemination on performances and longevity of Holstein heifers born during autumn

An experiment was performed on 113 heifers born during three successive autumns (1987, 1988, and 1989) and aimed to study the effect of rearing strategy on performances and longevity. From 4–12 mo of age, heifers were grazing (G) or fed indoors with two levels of a corn-silage based diet (CS) with a high (CSH) or low (CSL) level concentrate. Age at first calving was 24 months (AFC24), but, because of seasonal calving management, some animals calved at 36 months of age (AFC36). From 4–12 mo of age, average daily weight gain (ADG) of G, CSL and CSH heifers was 874, 736 and 890 g/d, respectively. G and CSH heifers had the same ADG from 4–12 mo of age, whereas G and CSL heifers had the same ADG from 4 mo of age until puberty. Puberty was detected for 106 heifers, occurring at 269 (SD = ± 28) d of age at a weight of 286 (± 36) kg. On average, CSH heifers were 28 d younger at puberty (P < 0.001). In AFC24 heifers, fertility after one insemination was higher for CS heifers than for G heifers (77 and 55%, respectively). When heifers were adults, it corresponded to 77 and 96%, respectively. During their 1st lactation, AFC24 (G and CSL) heifers tended to have a higher milk peak than CSH heifers (27.3, 28.8 and 24.7 kg/d, respectively). On average, each cow completed 2.64 lactations (range = 0–7), but this parameter varied significantly (P < 0.05): 2.81 (G), 2.67 (CSL), 2.30 (CSH). Productive life was 852 d long, with significant differences between groups (945, 890 and 663 d for G, CSL and CSH groups, respectively). Culling rate during the first four lactations was around 38%. A deleterious effect of an excessive growth rate between 120 and 300 d, corresponding to body weight varying between 150 and 260 kg, was noted. In practice, this indicates that growth rates should be controlled before puberty, but a high growth rate is possible between puberty and first insemination without major problems.     

The effect of dietary protein content on calcium and phosphorus retention in the growing Iberian pig

The effects of dietary protein content (DPC) from excessive (192 g/kg DM) to marginally deficient (101 g/kg DM) upon whole-body retention of Ca and P was studied in 25 purebred Iberian pigs growing from 15 to 50 kg BW by means of a comparative slaughter experiment which included a digestibility trial. Ca and P retention related to intake remained unaffected at 0.228 ± 0.0072 and 0.184 ± 0.0052, reaching 3.64 ± 0.119 and 2.00 ± 0.057 g Ca and P per day respectively. Pigs fed on diets containing protein levels in excess of requirements had significantly higher concentrations of Ca and P (P < 0.05) in their bodies (14.41–14.99 and 7.88–8.08 g Ca and P/kg fat-free empty-body gain respectively) than those given adequate or marginally deficient amounts of dietary protein (11.80–12.72 and 6.61–7.01 g Ca and P/kg fat-free empty-body gain respectively). In a second experiment, made with 25 Iberian pigs of 21 kg initial weight, daily intakes of Ca and P to maintain zero retention were determined using five experimental diets in which the concentrations of Ca and P were varied by the addition of graded levels of Ca carbonate and inorganic phosphate to a basal diet balanced in protein-to-energy ratio (131 g CP; 13.8–14.4 MJ ME/kg DM). Growth rate and protein deposition were unaffected by the level of Ca and P in the diet and reached average values of 485 ± 15.4 and 103 ± 1.2 g/d. Increasing the dietary Ca and P levels increased the absolute amounts of Ca and P retained daily from 0.69 to 5.77 and 1.12 to 3.70 g respectively (P < 0.001). Highly significant (P < 0.001) curvilinear regressions were obtained when relating Ca and P absorption or retention (g/d) with Ca and P intake (g/d). From these equations, daily maintenance requirements of 105 and 72 mg/kg BW for Ca and P respectively were obtained. Average total net requirements of Ca and P for the Iberian pig at this stage of growth were estimated to be 5.25 and 3.10 g/d respectively, considerably lower than those reported for conventional and high-performance pig genotypes.     

Effect of neutral detergent soluble fibre on digestion, intestinal microbiota and performance in twenty five day old weaned rabbits

The effect of neutral detergent soluble fibre (NDSF) level on digestibility, fermentation traits, intestinal microbiota and performance was studied in weaned rabbits. A control diet (DA) containing 103 g NDSF/kg DM included dehydrated alfalfa as the main source of fibre. Another diet (B-AP) was formulated by replacing half of the dehydrated alfalfa with a mixture of beet and apple pulp resulting in 131 g NDSF/kg DM. A third diet (OH) was obtained by substituting half of the dehydrated alfalfa with a mix of oat hulls and a soybean protein concentrate and contained 79 g NDSF/kg DM. All diets contained similar levels of total fibre (NDSF + neutral detergent fibre), starch and protein (446, 208, and 199 g/kg DM, respectively). Forty-two rabbits (14/diet) weaned at 25 days were used to determine faecal digestibility from 32 to 35 days of age. This group, plus another nine rabbits/diet (23/diet), were used to determine weight of stomach and caecum and their contents, caecal fermentation traits and similarity rate (SR) of intestinal microbiota. Another 105 and 245 weaned rabbits were used to determine growth traits and mortality, respectively. From 25 to 39 days of age, rabbits were fed the experimental diets and from 39 to 60 days they were fed a commercial diet, including robenidine hydrochloride in all diets. Drinking water was supplemented with apramicine sulfate and tylosine tartrate throughout the experimental period. Faecal and energy digestibility increased linearly by 8% and NDF digestibility by 43% between extreme diets with NDSF inclusion (P < 0.001). Weight of total gastrointestinal tract decreased linearly and quadratically with NDSF reduction (P = 0.008 and P = 0.089, respectively). Stomach pH decreased linearly with increasing levels of NDSF (P ≤ 0.041). Weight of caecal contents increased linearly between animals fed OH and B-AP diets (P < 0.001). Level of inclusion of NDSF had no effect (P ≥ 0.12) on pH, VFA concentration and VFA molar proportions in caecal contents. Treatments appeared to influence the SR of caecal microbiota but a lesser effect was observed on ileal microbiota. Post weaning feed efficiency (25–39 days) increased linearly (P < 0.001) with NDSF inclusion by 10% between extreme diets, and by 3% in the whole fattening period (P = 0.027). Average feed intake during the post weaning (25–39 days) and the whole fattening period increased with NDSF reduction (P ≤ 0.079). No effect of NDSF was detected on average daily gain (P ≥ 0.15). Mortality decreased linearly with increasing levels of NDSF in the post weaning and in the whole fattening period (P = 0.086 and 0.016, respectively).     

GxE interactions for growth and carcass leanness: Re-ranking of boars in organic and conventional pig production

The objective of this study was to evaluate genotype by environment interactions for growth rate and carcass leanness in organic and conventional pig production environments. Organic breeding values for fattening traits were estimated for 37 Hampshire AI-boars based on slaughter records registered for 1805 crossbred offspring raised in an organic environment. The offspring were born and raised in herds certified for organic production. The statistical model included the fixed effects of sex, litter size at 2 weeks and herd. It also included the random effects of herd-year-season, birth litter and animal. Conventional breeding values for the same boars were captured from the breeding organization’s genetic evaluation. In the organic environment h² was estimated to 0.30 and 0.37 for growth rate and carcass leanness, respectively (r_g = − 0.11). Spearman rank correlations between organic and conventional breeding values, based on 29 boars with ≥ 20 progenies, were 0.48 for growth rate and 0.42 for carcass leanness. Both correlations were significantly different from 0 and 1. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate weak genotype by environment interactions for both growth rate and carcass leanness in organic and conventional pig production environments, and there is some re-ranking of boars’ breeding values between environments.     

Evaluation of the Rice pelvimeter for measuring pelvic area in double muscled Belgian Blue cows

The accuracy of the Rice pelvimeter for measuring pelvic area of double muscled Belgian Blue (BB) cattle was investigated by comparing measurements in the live animal with these obtained from the same animal after slaughter. Pelvic measurements from 466 BB-cows aged 2–10 years old and of an excellent carcass qualification (S and E in the SEUROP classification) were measured with the pelvimeter approximately 12 h prior to, and by graded ruler within 2 h after, slaughter. The mean difference of measurements between living and dead cattle were − 0.2 cm for pelvic width (95% limits of agreement − 2.5–2.1 cm), and 1.2 cm for pelvic height (95% limits of agreement − 1.8–4.1 cm). The correlation coefficient between all pelvic measurements was between 0.46 and 0.59 (p < 0.001). The age of the animals influenced only pelvic height whilst carcass weight influenced all the components of the pelvic area. There was a significant correlation between the pelvimetric measurements of the birth canal in living cattle obtained using a Rice pelvimeter compared to actual measurements obtained from the carcass. The Rice pelvimeter is a suitable tool for assessing accurate pelvic skeletal conformation and to select animals in this breed with a larger birth canal and hence less dystocia problems.     

The response of Japanese quails (heavy body weight line) to dietary energy levels and graded essential amino acid levels on growth performance and immuno-competence

The response of growing quails (n = 900, divided into 36 subgroups) to dietary levels of essential amino acids (EAA) at different energy levels on growth and immunity was investigated. Nine diets including three levels of metabolizable energy (ME, 11.30, 12.13 and 12.97 MJ ME kg^− 1) each at three levels of EAA (low, medium and high) in a 3 × 3 factorial design were formulated. Each diet was offered to 4 replicated groups up to 5 weeks of age. The ratio of lysine to protein and the level of methionine and threonine to lysine remained almost similar in all the diets as specified by NRC [NRC, 1994. Pages 44–45 in Nutrients requirements of poultry. 8th ed. Natl. Acad. Press, Washington, DC.]. Body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio did not differ statistically due to the treatments i.e. interaction of ME and EAA levels. However, there was linear increase in body weight gain with increased EAA levels during 0–3 or 0–5 weeks of age. Feed intake increased linearly with the decreased ME (P < <0.01) and increased EAA (P < 0.01) in diets. Feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved (P < 0.01) linearly with increase in dietary ME concentration from 0–3 or 0–5 weeks of age. FCR and energy efficiency improved in diets with medium and high levels of EAA during 0–3 weeks, while it did not differ during 0–5 weeks of age. Protein efficiency (PE) improved linearly (P < 0.01) with decreased EAA levels during 0–3 or 0–5 weeks of age, and also with the increase in dietary ME level during 0–5 weeks growth phase. Nitrogen retention per unit energy intake was significantly higher in diet containing 12.97 MJ ME kg^− 1 with high level of EAA. Humoral (SRBC) and cellular (PHA-P) immune response and yield of immune organs did not differ due to ME, EAA or ME x EAA. Therefore, it can be concluded that the optimum level of dietary ME is 11.30 MJ kg^− 1 with CP 25.83%, lysine 1.49%, methionine 0.58% and threonine 1.17% on dry matter basis during 0–5 weeks of age for gain. However for optimum feed conversion, the growing quails require diet with ME 12.97 MJ kg^− 1 with CP 23.23%, lysine 1.30%, methionine 0.50% and threonine 1.02% for 0–5 weeks of age.     

冬季新型发酵床猪舍与普通猪舍温度比较分析

在长江中下游地区冬季低温时期对新型发酵床猪舍与普通猪舍室内平均温度变化规律进行了对比分析。结果表明：冬季新型发酵床育肥舍室内平均温度波动幅度较大，而普通育肥舍室内日平均温度波动幅度较小；在冬季中午室外温度较高时新型发酵床育肥舍室内日平均温度基本能达到普通育肥舍室内日平均温度（P〉0．05），而在早上和晚上室外温度较低时猪舍室内的日平均温度明显低于普通育肥舍内日平均温度（P〈0．05）。试验表明，冬季新型发酵床育肥猪舍室内日平均温度具有显著变化差异。     

Effect of castration on productive performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of Iberian pig females reared under intensive management systems

Sixty crossbred (Iberian dam × Duroc sire) females, 80 days of age (17.6 ± 0.13 kg body weight, BW), was used to investigate the effect of castration on productive performance, carcass and meat quality and fatty acid profile of backfat (BF). There were 2 treatments (intact females, IF; castrated females, CF) and 5 replicates of 6 pigs per treatment. Pigs were reared indoor under an intensive production system, ovariectomized at 92 days of age (26.1 ± 0.19 kg BW) and slaughtered at 267 days of age (143.6 ± 6.49 kg BW). Meat samples were taken at longissimus dorsi muscle at the level of the last rib and BF samples were taken at the tail insertion. For the entire experiment (18 to 144 kg BW), IF ate less feed and were more efficient than CF (P < 0.05). Also, IF had less carcass yield (P < 0.01) and fat thickness at the gluteus medius muscle (P < 0.05) and tended to have lower backfat depth (P < 0.10) than CF. However, IF had higher shoulder yield at 2 and at 24 h post mortem (P < 0.05) and after trimmed (P < 0.10) than CF. The pH₂₄ of the semimembranosus muscle tended to be lower for IF than for CF. Also, IF had more moisture (710 vs. 691 g/kg) and less fat (66.4 vs. 91.2 g/kg) in the longissimus dorsi muscle than CF (P < 0.05). Meat from IF was more lightness (higher L value; P < 0.01), redder (higher a value; P < 0.001) and had more intensive color (higher c value; P < 0.001) than meat from CF. Backfat was more saturated in CF than in IF (P < 0.05), mostly because of the higher palmitic acid (P < 0.05) and the lower linolenic acid (P < 0.05) content. We conclude that intact females have better productive performance and shoulder yield but less carcass yield than castrated females and that castration does not improve meat quality. Therefore, when animal welfare, cost of castration, productive performance and carcass and meat quality traits are considered, the use of intact females rather than castrated females is recommended for the production of Iberian pigs reared under intensive management systems.     

Long-term cattle gain responses to stocking rate and grazing systems in northern mixed-grass prairie

The effects of stocking rate and grazing system on gains of yearling beef cattle grazing rangelands have largely been addressed in short-term (< 10 years) studies, and often stocking rates are confounded within grazing systems with higher stocking rates for short-duration rotational grazing systems compared to season-long grazing. A grazing system (season-long and short-duration rotational grazing) × stocking rate (light: 16 steers/80 ha, 18.0 animal unit days/ha; moderate: 4 steers/12 ha, 30.1 animal unit days/ha; and heavy: 4 steers/9 ha, 40.1 animal unit days/ha) study was initiated in 1982 on northern mixed-grass prairie. Here, we report on the final 16 years (1991–2006) for yearling beef cattle gains. Average daily gains (kg/head/day) across all years with season-long grazing decreased with increasing stocking rate and grazing pressure. Heavy stocking rates reduced average daily gain by 16% and 12% compared to light and moderate stocking rates, respectively. In contrast to average daily gain, beef production (kg/ha) increased with increasing stocking rate and grazing pressure. Cattle gains were reduced by 6% with short-duration rotation compared to season-long grazing over the study period, with differences between systems observed in years with average, but not dry or wet, spring (April + May + June) precipitation. Grazing season gains (kg/head) and beef production both exhibited significant increasing hyperbolic relationships with spring precipitation, with the percentage of variation explained by spring precipitation substantially higher (62–83%) for beef production compared to grazing season gains (32–45%). The influence of spring precipitation on cattle gains suggests that incorporation of these relationships into modeling efforts for strategic planning and risk assessment will assist land managers in better matching forage and animal resources for greater sustainability in this highly variable environment.     

Estimation of some productive and reproductive effects on longevity of beef cows using survival analysis

Longevity of beef cows defined as the length of productive life from first calving to culling was estimated in this study. Data from 1800 cows belonging to Hereford, Angus, Simmental, Charolais, Limousin and Blonde d' Aquitaine breeds were analysed using survival method. The results indicate effects of breed, calving season, and calving difficulty on longevity (P < 0.05); however, herd, age of the cow at first calving, sex and weaning weight of their calves did not affect (P > 0.05) the length of productive life. Hereford had significantly greater (10.3 years) estimated length of productive life than Angus (8.1 years), Simmental (7.9 years), and Charolais (7.1 years), which had similar estimated longevity. Limousin (5.9 years) and Blonde d' Aquitaine (5.2 years) were similar in estimated longevity, but less than the other breeds studied. Cows that calved first in spring or summer were estimated to have longer productive life (7.2 years and 9.9 years) and less risk of early culling than those calving in autumn (5.7 years) and in winter (5.1 years). Longer productive life (6.2 years) was estimated across breeds for cows calving without assistance or with a little assistance (6.9 years) compared to those needing veterinary assistance (2.8 years) or having stillbirth (4.6 years). The results highlight that breed, calving season and calving difficulty of beef cows may have important effects on length of productive life. Special attention should be devoted to these effects.     

Effect of breed on fattening performance, slaughter and meat quality characteristics of Awassi and Morkaraman lambs

The influence of breed on fattening performance, slaughter and meat quality traits was studied in Awassi and Morkaraman male lambs at approximately 8 months of age. All of the groups were fed a diet consisting of concentrate mixture offered ad libitum, and 300 g of grass hay per lamb per day during 60-day fattening period. Initial live weight, final live weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion efficiency (concentrate and hay consumption for 1 kg of live weight gain) were 39.63 kg, 55.08 kg, 0.258 kg and 6.37 for Awassi; 40.54 kg, 55.58 kg, 0.234 kg and 6.77 for Morkaraman, respectively. The effect of breed on fattening performance and slaughter traits except for LD area was not significant. In addition, meat colour parameters (L = lightness, a = redness, b = yellowness, H = hue angle and C = chroma), pH values, drip loss and sensory attributes were not affected by breed in present study. A significant muscle effect was observed for instrumental measurements of some meat quality characteristics as meat colour parameters (L, a and C), collagen, drip loss, pH, moisture and protein content, WBS, and for some sensory attributes (tenderness, juiciness, acceptability and number of chewing). Results of this study indicate that fattening performance, slaughter and meat quality traits were similar between Awassi and Morkaraman male lambs.     

Grass steer production system to improve carcass and meat quality

Three different production systems for autumn born dairy steers, managed more or less intensively, have been investigated. The aim of the production systems were to use a basic diet of grass, either grazed or conserved as silage or hay, combined in various proportions. The animals were slaughtered, aiming for the same degree of fattening, but at three ages. The intensive management aimed at slaughter in January–February at 26–28 months of age after indoor finishing with silage or hay. An “intensive out-of-season” management wished improve at slaughter at 28–30 months of age. Finally an extensive management with finishing at grazing resulted in slaughter in May–June at 30–33 months of age.

In three successive factorial experiments, 106 steers of two genotypes, Holstein and Montbéliard were reared to test the effects of the three production systems. The animals were evaluated for productive traits, carcass quality and biochemical characteristics of m. longissimus thoracis and m. rhomboideus thoracis.

For both breeds, the “extensive” animals produced heavier carcasses (+ 20 kg between “intensive” and “extensive”; P < 0.002). The carcass conformation evaluated by the EUROP classification did not differ between the production systems. The estimated percentage of adipose tissue of the carcass was significantly lower for the “extensive” steers (P < 0.05). The shear force measured on raw meat was not significantly affected by the production system, but after cooking, the shear force was higher for the extensive management as was the total collagen content. The haeminic iron content was always lowest in the intensive management. The results of these three series of experiments show that it is possible to produce steers with a feeding regime consisting mainly of grass (from 87% to 94% of the dry matter intake) grazed or harvested as hay or silage. To make the best use of the herbage resources of the farm and to limit the purchase of concentrates, the production of autumn born steers slaughtered at 32 months seems to be an attractive production system for dairy farmers.     

Hoof disorders, locomotion ability and lying times of cubicle-housed compared to pasture-based dairy cows

Forty six spring-calving Holstein–Friesians (12 primiparous, 34 pluriparous) were block-paired (expected calving date, parity, body condition score and genetic merit) and allocated to either a PASTURE or HOUSED system for a full production cycle (− 40 to 305 days relative to calving). Both hind claws were inspected on six occasions (− 40, 10, 35, 85, 120 and 210 days relative to calving) to determine the severity of 5 disorders (sole and white line area haemorrhages, white line disease, heel horn erosion, digital dermatitis and other lesions). Six aspects of locomotion ability (tracking, spine curvature, speed, head bobbing, general symmetry and abduction/adduction) were assessed from 1 (normal) to 5 (abnormal) every 2 weeks. Throughout the study records of clinical lameness were kept for all animals. Lying times of 26 block-paired cows (PASTURE n = 13, HOUSED n = 13) were recorded automatically every 5 min for 48 h at 33, 83 and 193 days post-calving. Data were analysed using mixed models for repeated measures, logistic regression and survival analysis, as appropriate. The severity of hoof disorders was lower for PASTURE compared to HOUSED cows from 85 days post-calving onwards (P < 0.05). HOUSED cows had a greater hazard ratio (P < 0.01) of presenting an abnormal (i.e. scoring ≥ 3) tracking (2.8), spine curvature (2.3), head bobbing (3.6), general symmetry (3.0), abduction/adduction (4.2) and for the average (3.9) of all locomotion aspects investigated (i.e. abnormal locomotion). Furthermore, HOUSED cows had a greater odds ratio (6.5, P < 0.01) of clinical lameness from day 180 post-calving onwards. Mean total lying times per 48 h period were shorter (P < 0.001) for HOUSED compared to PASTURE cows (18.1 h, SE 0.71 vs. 20.5 h, SE 0.73). In summary, from day 85 post-calving to the end of the production cycle PASTURE cows had less severe hoof disorders, better locomotion ability and reduced likelihood of clinical lameness compared to similar cows in a HOUSED system. The PASTURE system also facilitated longer, undisrupted lying times that have beneficial implications for lameness. A PASTURE system therefore improved cow welfare in terms of lameness compared to a HOUSED system.