Effects of music stimulus on behavior response,cortisol level,and horizontal immunity of growing pigs

An enriched environment is widely used to improve domestic animals’ welfare and promote their natural behaviors. Music can reduce abnormal behavior in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. However, little is known about the effects of music on pigs. This study aims to explore the effects of repeated music stimulation on the behavior, physiology, and immunity of growing pigs. A total of 72 hybrid piglets (Large White × Duroc × Minpig) were randomly divided into three groups, including music (Mozart K.448, 60 to 70 dB), noise (recorded mechanical noise, 80 to 85 dB), and control (natural background sound, <40 dB), and 6 h sound stimulation was given per day (1000 to 1600 hours) from 40 to 100 d of age. The behavioral activities of the pigs were observed during the music stimulation, and their serum cortisol, salivary cortisol, and serum immune indices were also measured. Compared with the control group, the music group and noise group increased activity but decreased lying of pigs (P < 0.05). A significant increase in tail-wagging, playing, and exploring behaviors of pigs was found in the music group (P < 0.05), and the noise significantly increased the aggressive behavior of the pigs (P < 0.05). Tail-wagging, playing, exploring, manipulating, and aggressive behaviors decreased over time. Short-term (8 d) music stimulus had a lower cortisol level than that of the noise and control groups (P < 0.05), whereas long-term (60 d) music stimulus increased immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels (P < 0.05) and decreased interleukin-4 (IL-4) level (P < 0.05). Long-term noise stimulus significantly reduced the level of IgG (P < 0.05) but did not affect the level of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ levels (P > 0.05). In conclusion, short-term music stimulus (8 d) reduced the stress response, whereas long-term music stimulus (60 d) enhanced the immune responses. In addition, the noise increased the aggressive behavior, and long-term noise reduced the immunity of the growing pigs.     

饲养系统和日粮对羔羊屠宰性能和肌肉矿物质含量的影响

文章旨在探讨不同饲养系统和日粮对羔羊生长、屠宰性能及肌肉矿物质含量的影响。试验将平均体重为（13.97±0.55）kg的120只羔羊随机分为3组，每组4个重复，每个重复10只。T1组在室内饲喂基础浓缩料，每天补充100 g稻草，T2组在室内饲喂基础浓缩料，每天补充100 g稻草和锌硒复合矿物质（0.2 mg/d硒，50 mg/d锌），T3组在室外放牧，除了采食苜蓿草外，每天额外补充100 g稻草和100 g燕麦。试验时间为9周。结果：T1和T2组羔羊的末重、日增重、半胴体重、下肢深度、下肢重量、眼肌面积、颈、胸肌、肾重量均显著高于T3组（P＜0.05），但骨盆骨重量显著低于T3组（P＜0.05）。各处理组羔羊的可食用部分和骨盆肌肉重量无显著差异（P＞0.05）。T2组63 d羔羊血液硒含量较T1和T3组分别显著提高了19.83%和25.0%（P＜0.05），血液锌含量较T1和T3组分别显著提高了31.71%和45.91%（P＜0.05）。T3组羔羊肌肉钙含量较T1和T2组分别显著提高了8.79%和5.37%（P＜0.05）。T2羔羊肌肉硒和锌含量较T1和T3组分别显著提高了41.18%、65.52%和38.19%、46.15%（P＜0.05），T2和T3组羔羊肌肉钾含量较T1组分别显著提高了3.27%和4.28%（P＜0.05）。结论：在本试验条件下，放牧羔羊胴体的脂肪含量低于室内饲养的羔羊，室外放牧可以提高肌肉钙和钾含量，但肌肉硒含量降低。 [关键词]饲养系统|羔羊|屠宰性能|矿物质     

A releaser pheromone that attracts methyltestosterone- treated immature fish in the urine of ovulated female rainbow trout

SUMMARY: Behavioral experiments concerning a releaser pheromone in the urine of female rainbow trout were performed using immature fish administered orally with 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) during the non-spawning season. The urine was collected by catheter. The frequency of entries of test fish was recorded in each channel scented by test and control solutions in a Y-maze trough. The behavior of both MT-treated and control fish demonstrated that they could not discriminate the differences between distilled and environmental water as control solutions. There was also no difference between MT-treated and control fish when distilled and environmental water were introduced. The MT-treated immature fish were attracted to the channel scented by ovulated female urine. Neither coelomic fluid nor the immature female urine had any effect on the behavioral responses of MT-treated fish, while immature control fish had no preference for the urine of ovulated females. These results suggest in rainbow trout that ovulated female urine contains a releaser pheromone to attract mature males, and that androgens are involved in the sensory mechanisms detecting the releaser pheromone in fish.     

高蛋白料精等量替代鱼粉饲喂肥育猪对比试验

应用高蛋白料精等量替代鱼粉饲喂肥育猪 ,其结果在 42d试验期内高蛋白料精组头均增重 19.0 6kg ,比鱼粉组多增重 2 .12kg ,增重率提高 12 .5 2 %,头均多增收益 2 1.2 1元 ,差异显著 (P <0 .0 5 )。     

齐卡商品肉兔在不同饲养条件下的育肥效果

作者在不同条件下，采用全窝育肥法，重复两年、两个季节测定了齐卡商品肉兔的育肥效果；探讨了温度、季节、营养水平、育肥始重对育肥效果的影响。结果表明：在试验场育肥２５０只齐卡商品兔，９０日龄育肥重２．３３～２．５３公斤，日均增重３１克以上，耗料指数３．３１：１，育肥成活率９５％以上，屠宰率５２％，净肉率８０％，肉骨比５．３５：１，兔肉品质正常。在农村条件下育肥１８０只，９０～１００日龄育肥重２．２～２．４公斤，耗精料指数２．５５：１，育肥成活率８８％～９３％。饲养齐卡商品兔与饲养二元杂交兔相比，每只可增加经济收入２０％以上。育肥季节和始重明显影响育肥未重（Ｐ＜０．０５）。依据本试验，作者建议齐卡商品兔适宜３５日龄断奶，育肥始重应不低于６００克；寒冷季节育肥，育肥第一月的室温应不低于１０℃。育肥适宜营养水平建议消化能（ＤＥ）２６００～２７００大卡／公斤，粗蛋白（ＣＰ）１８％，粗纤维（ＣＦ）１２％以上。     

Adverse impact of industrial animal agriculture on the health and welfare of farmed animals

Industrial animal agriculture is grounded in the concept of maximizing productivity and profit. Selective breeding for maximum productivity in one characteristic of the animal (e.g. milk yield in cows, or breast meat in broiler chickens) has resulted in genotypes and phenotypes that may predispose the animals to poor health and welfare. The conditions in which these individuals are kept may also frustrate many inherited behaviors that they are strongly motivated to perform. In order to curb the resulting harmful aberrant behaviors, such as feather‐pecking in chickens, we sometimes resort to mutilating the animals. In many places chickens are routinely de‐beaked by means of a hot metal guillotine. Compassion in World Farming (an international organization that promotes the humane treatment of farm animals) believes that it is unethical to treat sentient beings in such ways. We have a duty to respect farm animals' sentience by providing them with housing conditions that take their needs and wants into account, and by reverting to the use of dual‐purpose, slower‐growing breeds that have the potential for good welfare. Alternatives to current farming practices are available, and we owe it to the animals, and to our consciences, to pursue them.     

张家川县放牧补饲条件下的肉牛增重试验

经对12—18月龄西杂一代阉牛10头,采取以放牧为主、夜间补饲,育肥90d,试验表明试验组平均总增重86.4±44.4kg,平均日增重0.96±0.69kg,12月龄的6头日增重1kg,育肥效果显著。     

三阶时滞泛函微分方程解的渐近性

本文讨论一类三阶时滞泛函微分方程解的渐近性质,给出了若干解的有界性及解趋于零的判定准则.