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Automatically Detected Pecking Activity in Group-Housed Turkeys
(2020-11-04)
Simple Summary
Cannibalism is one of the biggest welfare issues of today’s turkey husbandry. We hypothesized that changes in pecking activity might indicate imminent cannibalism. Therefore, in this pilot study a newly developed automatic pecking activity detection was validated, and continuously applied to gain information about pecking activity of group-housed turkeys during the rearing phase and before a cannibalistic outbreak. The pecking object was used by turkeys the whole recording time. Activity on the object ...
Aufsatz
Fecal Cortisol Metabolites in Dairy Cows: A Cross-Sectional Exploration of Associations with Animal, Stockperson, and Farm Characteristics
(2020-10-01)
To date, little is known about influences on cows’ physiological stress levels on farms. The present study explored associations of fecal cortisol metabolite concentrations (FCM) with (1) farm factors including human–animal contact, (2) cows’ fear behaviors towards humans, and (3) milk production and udder health, involving 25 dairy farms and repeated fecal samples (n = 2625) from 674 focal cows. Farm factors via interviews and observations, avoidance distance (AD) and qualitative behavior assessment (QBA) during a ...
Aufsatz
Vehicular Livestock Mobility in West Africa: Seasonal Traffic Flows of Cattle, Sheep, and Goats across Bamako
(2020-12-26)
Mali is a major livestock producing country in West Africa. However, in recent years, the sector has faced multiple challenges like farmer-herder conflicts, overuse of grazing and water resources, and the effects of climate change. Meanwhile, traditional livestock systems are becoming less important given the increased availability of vehicular transport for regional and international animal trade as well as new opportunities for more specialised urban and peri-urban production systems. To assess the role of Mali’s ...
Aufsatz
Suitability of Slower Growing Commercial Turkey Strains for Organic Husbandry in Terms of Animal Welfare and Performance
(2021-01-06)
Intensive turkey production with fast growing strains is often critically discussed regarding animal welfare problems. Studies evaluating the welfare status of both organic and less intensive selected turkey strains are limited, except in the slightly slower growing Kelly Broad Breast Bronze (Kelly). The aim of this study was to assess the welfare of turkeys from two strains with further decreased growth rate, Hockenhull Large Bronze (HoBr) and Hockenhull Black (HoBl), in comparison to Kelly under commercial organic ...
Aufsatz
Determining Relationships between Marbling Scores and Carcass Yield Traits of German Beef Bull Carcasses Using Video-Image Analysis at the 12th and 10th Rib Position of Longissimus Thoracis and EUROP Classification
(2020-12-30)
In contrast to other international beef classification systems, the European EUROP system disregards marbling in meat quality assessment. Instead, it focuses primarily on the assessment of conformation and fat score. Due to the lack of more specific assessment, beef quality in Germany is less known than beef produced in other countries and is largely incomparable to international standards. The aim of this study was to explore the potential of video-image analysis (VIA) for the assessment of bull carcasses for the ...
Aufsatz
Seasonal Variations in Voluntary Intake and ApparentDigestibility of Forages by Goats in the Chinese Altai Mountains
(2022-06-27)
Forage availability and quality directly impact animal performance, ultimately affecting productivity and health. This study aimed to understand the interaction between qualitative and quantitative vegetation availability and feed intake of goats on alpine pastures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. The daily grazing routes of three goats from a local herding family were monitored with GPS devices set at a logging rate of 64 s during spring and the early and late summer season in 2013 and 2014. The quantity and quality ...
Aufsatz
Ausbrüche von Histomonose bei langsamer wachsenden Putenlinien
(2021-09-02)
Histomonosis or Blackhead Disease is a poultry disease caused by infection with the protozoan parasite Histomonas meleagridis. Outbreaks are most frequent in turkey flocks, with often high mortality rates of up to 100%. During a study with three slower growing turkey strains on an organic farm in the years 2015 to 2018, in all three fattening batches outbreaks of histomonosis occured. The disease was diagnosed histologically by PAS-staining, in some cases PCR detection was performed. Heterakis gallinarum could not ...
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Exploration of production conditions: a step towards the development of a community-based breeding program for Butana cattle
(2020-11-17)
In Sudan, many Butana cattle farmers practice indiscriminate crossbreeding to improve the milk yield performance of cows, as organized breeding programs are lacking. Objectives of this study were to identify the current production conditions of Butana cattle and to determine farmers’ production objectives and trait preferences using a field survey. The overall aim was to explore the possibility of establishing a community-based breeding program for the genetic improvement of the breed. A semi-structured questionnaire ...
Aufsatz
Dairy Cows Are Limited in Their Ability to Increase Glucose Availability for Immune Function during Disease
(2023-03-12)
Simple Summary
Both immune defense and milk synthesis require large amounts of energy, particularly from glucose, resulting in competition between these functions if glucose availability is limited. Based on comprehensive data on cow nutrient intake and on cow health records, the magnitudes and dynamics of glucose and energy balances of dairy cows kept on an experimental farm were evaluated in the weeks before, of, and after a production disease was diagnosed. Because dry matter intake (DMI) decreased during the ...
Aufsatz
An insight into the runs of homozygosity distribution and breed differentiation in Mangalitsa pigs
(2022-10-18)
Mangalitsa pigs exhibit three distinct coat color patterns based on which they are described as Red, Blond, and Swallow-bellied. The current study investigated genome-wide diversity and selection signatures in the three breeds using fixation index, runs of homozygosity and population structure analyses. The analyses were originally based on quality-controlled data on 77 Mangalitsa animals from Germany, including 23 Blond, 30 Swallow-bellied and 24 Red Mangalitsa genotyped with a customized version of the ProcineSNP60 ...