玉米青贮与花生秧配比对奶牛瘤胃中花生秧降解特性的影响

本试验旨在研究玉米青贮与花生秧配比对奶牛瘤胃中花生秧降解特性的影响。选择4头体重、生理状态、生产性能相近,装有永久瘤胃瘘管的中国荷斯坦奶牛,分别饲喂含有玉米青贮与花生秧不同配比的全混合日粮(TMR),3种TMR中玉米青贮与花生秧的干物质(DM)配比分别为3.9∶1.0(A组)、1.2∶1.0(B组)、0.4∶1.0(C组)。试验分3期进行,依次进行A、B、C组试验。每期预试15 d,采样期4 d;共57 d。采用尼龙袋瘤胃降解技术测定花生秧在奶牛瘤胃中DM、粗蛋白质(CP)、中性洗涤纤维(NDF)和酸性洗涤纤维(ADF)的72 h瘤胃降解率,并求得目标养分的动态降解参数及有效降解率。结果表明:1)花生秧的DM在瘤胃中有效降解率为56.49%~59.62%,CP为40.45%~47.36%,NDF为33.26%~35.20%,ADF为36.31%~37.45%。2)B组DM的有效降解率显著高于C组(P0.05),极显著高于A组(P0.01);B、C组的CP有效降解率显著高于A组(P0.05)。3)B、C组的NDF快速降解部分含量显著高于A组(P0.05);3种TMR对花生秧粗NDF和ADF有效降解率无显著影响(P0.05)。由此可见,花生秧具有较高的饲用价值。本试验条件下,玉米青贮与花生秧DM配比为1.2∶1.0时,可有效提高花生秧DM和CP的瘤胃降解率。     

奶牛免疫功能的影响因素

影响奶牛免疫功能的因素复杂,围产期、能量负平衡以及饲料蛋白质、维生素、某些微量元素的缺乏会引起的奶牛出现免疫功能的降低,饲料中添加某些维生素、微量元素、壳聚糖、酵母细胞壁等添加剂可以增强奶牛的免疫功能,此外,某些中药也可增强奶牛的免疫功能。     

河南省郏县红牛肠道寄生虫感染情况调查

为了解河南省郏县红牛肠道寄生虫感染情况，采用卢戈氏碘液染色法、饱和蔗糖溶液漂浮法和改良抗酸染色法对河南省郏县地区某红牛养殖场及散养红牛的218份新鲜粪便样本进行了检查，结果发现寄生虫总感染率为66.5%，共检出4种肠道寄生虫，其中球虫、圆线虫、鞭虫和绦虫感染率分别为61.5%、2.3%、6.9%和7.8%，混合感染率为11.5%，阳性粪便中虫卵或卵囊感染强度以轻度感染为主。结果表明，河南省郏县红牛肠道寄生虫感染较为普遍，应加强其肠道寄生虫病的防治。     

中国荷斯坦牛干奶期长度的群体特征及其与生产性能的关系

本研究旨在探究北京地区中国荷斯坦牛干奶期长度（DPL）的变化规律及其变异对奶牛各项生产性能的影响，包括产奶性能、繁殖性能、初乳品质和乳房健康。收集了北京地区34个牧场出生于2009—2018年136 231头中国荷斯坦牛的干奶日期、生产性能记录、繁殖性能记录等。通过整理试验牛群的干奶记录，揭示了北京地区中国荷斯坦牛1胎和2胎DPL的群体规律，利用固定模型分析了胎次、产犊季节、场-产犊年和初产月龄对DPL的影响；此外，利用固定模型分析了DPL的变异对日产奶量、乳脂率、乳蛋白率、首末次配种间隔（interval from first to last insemination，IFL）、产犊至首次配种间隔（interval from calving to first insemination，ICF）和初乳品质的影响，利用Logistic回归过程分析了DPL的变异对首次配种受胎率（conception rate of first insemination，CR）、首次配种56 d不返情率（56-days non-return rate of first insemination，NRR56）、难产率和乳房健康的影响。研究结果显示，北京地区中国荷斯坦牛DPL平均为58.81 d，胎次、产犊季节、场-产犊年和初产月龄均对DPL有显著影响（P<0.05）。DPL的变异对日产奶量、乳蛋白率、ICF、CR、NRR56、难产率和乳房健康有显著影响（P<0.05）。干奶期短的奶牛测定日平均乳蛋白率、CR和NRR56更高；DPL适中的奶牛测定日平均产奶量更高、乳房健康水平更好、ICF更短、难产率更低。本研究在国内利用大规模牛群数据揭示了中国荷斯坦牛DPL的群体规律，可为中国规模化奶牛场提升管理水平提供参考。     

分娩应激对围产期奶牛免疫机能的影响

本文分析了围产期奶牛的分娩应激对其免疫机能的影响,并从宏观和微观上进行了详细的阐述,为围产期奶牛的饲养管理提供了理论依据。     

发酵床垫料饲养荷斯坦牛试验报告

选择饲养密度、品种一致的荷斯坦牛,分为试验组和对照组,对照组砖面平养,试验组采用发酵床垫料,饲养试验中对产量、环境卫生等指标进行测定。结果显示,试验组的产奶量、料奶比等指标明显好于对照组;试验组牛舍NH3浓度低于对照组,粪便降解充分,奶牛均匀躺卧在垫料上。说明建立的试验方法可行,为生物环保养殖技术应用于奶牛生产提供参考依据。     

The Blonde d’Aquitaine T3811>G3811 mutation in the myostatin gene: association with growth,carcass, and muscle phenotypes in veal calves

The mutation T3811 → G3811 (TG3811) discovered in the myostatin gene of the Blonde d’Aquitaine breed is suspected of contributing to the outstanding muscularity of this breed. An experiment was designed to estimate the effect of this mutation in an F2 and back-cross Blonde d’Aquitaine × Holstein population. By genotyping all known mutations in the myostatin gene, it was ensured that the TG3811 mutation was indeed the only known mutation segregating in this population. Fifty-six calves (43 F2, 13 back-cross) were intensively fattened and slaughtered at 24.0 ± 1.4 wk of age. The effects of the mutation were estimated by comparing the calves with the [T/T] (n = 18), [T/G] (n = 30), and [G/G] (n = 8) genotypes. Highly significant substitution effects (P < 0.001), above + 1.2 phenotypic SD, were shown on carcass yield and muscularity scores. Birth weight (P < 0.001) was positively affected by the mutation (+0.8 SD) but not growth rate (P = 0.97), while carcass length (P = 0.03), and fatness (P ≤ 0.03) were negatively affected (–0.5 to –0.7 SD). The characteristics of the Triceps brachii muscle were affected by the mutation (P < 0.001), with lower ICDH activity (oxidative) and a higher proportion of myosin type 2X muscle fibers (fast twitch). The effects of the TG3811 mutation were similar to those of other known myostatin mutations, although the Blonde d’Aquitaine animals, which are predominantly [G/G] homozygous, do not exhibit extreme double muscling.     

The effect of life history events on carcass merit and price of cull dairy cows

Cull dairy cows contribute almost 10% of national beef production in the United States. However, different factors throughout the life of dairy cows affect their weight and overall body condition as well as carcass traits, and consequently affect their market price. Therefore, the objectives of this study were: (1) to assess relationships between price ratio and carcass merit of cull dairy cows sold through several sites of an auction market and (2) to investigate the effect of animal life history events and live weight on sale barn price (BP) and price ratio (as a measure of relative price), as an indicator of carcass merit. Data from 4 dairy operations included 3,602 cull dairy cow records during the period of 2015 to 2019. Life history events data were collected from each dairy operation through Dairy Comp software; live weight and price were obtained periodically from the auction market, and the carcass data were provided by a local packing plant. Cow price in dollars per unit of live weight ($/cwt) and price ratio were the 2 outcome variables used in the analyses. Price ratio was created aiming to remove seasonality effects from BP (BP divided by the national average price for its respective month and year of sale). The association between price ratio and carcass merit traits was investigated using canonical correlation analysis, and the effect of life history events on both BP and price ratio was inferred using a multiple linear regression technique. More than 70% of the cows were culled in the first 3 lactations, with an average live weight of 701.5 kg, carcass weight of 325 kg, and dressing percentage of 46.3%. On average, cull cows were sold at $57.0/cwt during the period considered. The canonical correlation between price ratio and carcass merit traits was 0.76, indicating that price ratio reflected carcass merit of cull cows. Later lactations led to lower BP compared with cows culled during the first 2 lactations. Injury, and leg and feet problems negatively affected BP. Productive variables demonstrated that the greater milk production might lead to lower cow prices. A large variation between farms was also noted. In conclusion, price ratio was a good indicator of carcass merit of cull cows, and life history events significantly affected sale BP and carcass merit of cull cows sold through auction markets.     

Genetic potential for residual feed intake and diet fed during early- to mid-gestation influences post-natal DNA methylation of imprinted genes in muscle and liver tissues in beef cattle

Discovery of epigenetic modifications associated with feed efficiency or other economically important traits would increase our understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying these traits. In combination with known genetic markers, this would provide opportunity to improve genomic selection accuracy in cattle breeding programs. It would also allow cattle to be managed to improve favorable gene expression. The objective of this study was to identify variation in DNA methylation between beef cattle of differential pre-natal nutrition and divergent genetic potential for residual feed intake (RFI). Purebred Angus offspring with the genetic potential for either high (HRFI) or low (LRFI) RFI were prenatally exposed to either a restricted maternal diet of 0.5 kg/d average daily gain (ADG) or a moderate maternal diet of 0.7 kg/d ADG from 30 to 150 d of gestation. We performed DNA methylation analysis of differentially methylated regions (DMR) of imprinted genes (Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) DMR2, IGF2/H19 imprinting control region (ICR) and IGF2 receptor (IGF2R) DMR2) using post-natal samples of longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle taken from male and female calves at birth and weaning, and of LD muscle, semimembranosus (SM) muscle, and liver samples collected from steers at slaughter (17 months of age). Interestingly, for all three DMR investigated in liver, LRFI steers had higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. In LD muscle, IGF2/H19 ICR methylation differences for heifers at birth were due to pre-natal diet, while for steers at birth they were mostly the result of genetic potential for RFI with LRFI steers again having higher levels of methylation than HRFI steers. While results from repeated measures analysis of DNA methylation in steers grouped by RFI revealed few differences, in steers grouped by diet, we found higher methylation levels of IGF2 DMR2 and IGF2R DMR2 in LD muscle of restricted diet steers at weaning and slaughter than at birth, as well as increased methylation in LD muscle of restricted diet steers compared with moderate diet steers at weaning and/or slaughter. Our results suggest that differential pre-natal nutrition, and divergent genetic potential for RFI, induces tissue- and sex-specific alterations in post-natal IGF2 and IGF2R methylation patterns and that these patterns can vary with age in Angus beef cattle.     

Bacterial community analysis of purulent material from liver abscesses of crossbred cattle and Holstein steers fed finishing diets with or without tylosin

Liver abscesses in feedlot cattle are polymicrobial infections. Culture-based studies have identified Fusobacterium necrophorum as the primary causative agent, but a number of other bacterial species are frequently isolated. The incidence of liver abscesses is highly variable and is affected by a number of factors, including cattle type. Holstein steers raised for beef production have a higher incidence than crossbred feedlot cattle. Tylosin is the commonly used antimicrobial feed additive to reduce the incidence of liver abscesses. The objective of this study was to utilize 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequence analyses to analyze the bacterial community composition of purulent material of liver abscesses of crossbred cattle (n = 24) and Holstein steers (n = 24), each fed finishing diet with or without tylosin. DNA was extracted and the V3 and V4 regions of the 16S rRNA gene were amplified, sequenced, and analyzed. The minimum, mean, and maximum sequence reads per sample were 996, 177,070, and 877,770, respectively, across all the liver abscess samples. Sequence analyses identified 5 phyla, 14 families, 98 genera, and 102 amplicon sequence variants (ASV) in the 4 treatment groups. The dominant phyla identified were Fusobacteria (52% of total reads) and Proteobacteria (33%). Of the top 25 genera identified, 17 genera were Gram negative and 8 were Gram positive. The top 3 genera, which accounted for 75% of the total reads, in the order of abundance, were Fusobacterium, Pseudomonas, and Bacteroides. The relative abundance, expressed as percent of total reads, of phyla, family, and genera did not differ (P > 0.05) between the 4 treatment groups. Generic richness and evenness, determined by Shannon–Weiner and Simpson’s diversity indices, respectively, did not differ between the groups. The UniFrac distance matrices data revealed no clustering of the ASV indicating variance between the samples within each treatment group. Co-occurrence network analysis at the genus level indicated a strong association of Fusobacterium with 15 other genera, and not all of them have been previously isolated from liver abscesses. In conclusion, the culture-independent method identified the bacterial composition of liver abscesses as predominantly Gram negative and Fusobacterium as the dominant genus, followed by Pseudomonas. The bacterial community composition did not differ between crossbred and Holstein steers fed finishing diets with or without tylosin.