ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of different beak trimming methods on the development, hematological parameters, cloacal temperature, beak length, egg quality, and laying performance of laying hens from 1 to 31 weeks of age. Nine hundred Lohmann White LSL-Lite laying hens were randomly assigned to three treatments based on beak trimming methods: infrared radiation, hot blade straight cut, and hot blade V-cut. Laying hens subjected to the hot blade V-cut method had lower feed intake, body weight gain, laying […]

ABSTRACT The study evaluates the influence of environmental enrichment on behavior, leucometry, and performance of commercial pigs. Thirty-two hybrid pigs (Landrace × Large White × Pietran), at 69 days of life, were divided into four groups and subjected to different environmental stimuli: concrete floor, with no enrichment (C); floor bedding with wood chips (CM); concrete floor, with mobiles (MO); floor bedding with wood chips and the presence of mobile (CM + MO). The study collected behavioral data of the animals […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with β-hydroxy-β-methylbutyric acid (HMB) on live weight loss and selected blood parameters in goat kids after transportation to the slaughterhouse. The study was performed with goat kids that were weaned at 30 days of age and divided into two groups (GK): a control group and an experimental group whose diet was supplemented with HMB (at 50 mg kg−1 of BW) for 60 consecutive days. At the […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate menthol and eugenol as anesthetics for early juveniles of curimba, Prochilodus lineatus. Juveniles of 4.0±0.5 g and a total length of 8.8±0.1 cm were exposed to the anesthetics menthol (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and 80 mg L−1) and eugenol (20, 30, 40, 50, 60, and 70 mg L−1) up to deep anesthesia. The anesthetic effects were evaluated measuring the induction time to deep anesthesia (characterized by loss of equilibrium, […]

ABSTRACT An experiment was conducted during 60 days with forty pacu males fed diets supplemented with increasing concentrations of ractopamine (0.00, 11.25, 22.50, 33.75, and 45.00 mg kg−1). Eight fish were evaluated for each experimental diet. Performance and survival rate of the fish were measured. At the end of the experiment, blood was collected to determine the levels of cortisol, triacylglycerol, and protein. Moreover, the liver was collected to determine the activities of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase and malic enzymes. The fillets […]

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of routine intramuscular injection of oxytocin to induce milk ejection on behavior assessed in terms of stress and rectal temperature in crossbred cows (Bos indicus × Bos taurus) in the tropics of Veracruz, México. Immediately after calving, cows were milked twice a day (n = 210) and randomly assigned to receive at each milking: 10 IU (0.5 mL) of oxytocin intramuscularly (n = 70); 0.5 mL of saline solution intramuscularly […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the influence of low-stress handling (LSH) on reactivity score and pregnancy rate during fixed-time artificial insemination (FTAI) for extensively raised Nellore cows. Multiparous cows (n = 126) were randomly allocated into two groups: G1 (n = 66) and G2, the control group (n = 60). Group G1 was subjected to LSH, in which the animals were handled in a calm and quiet manner, without loud noises or physical aggression, using the point […]

This study evaluated stress indicators of juvenile piau (Leporinus friderici) during and after a 4-hour transportation in order to establish an appropriate transportation protocol for this type of fish. Fish were transported in plastic bags (133.1 g/L) and sampled before loading, during 1, 2, 3 and 4 h and after transportation (2, 6, 12 and 24 h). Blood samples were analyzed for cortisol and glucose levels, hematocrit, hemoglobin level, number and mean corpuscular volume of erythrocytes. Water pH, dissolved oxygen, […]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hematic response of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fed diets supplemented with choline and submitted to temperature stress. The experimental period was realized in two phases: the first, during 109 days, and the second, for seven days. During the first stage, 192 fingerlings with average initial weight of 4 g were distributed in 32 net cages (200 L) allocated in 1,000-L aquaria. The diets were formulated to present 28% of digestible protein […]

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the inclusion of passionflower (Passiflora alata) in diets on performance, behavior, heterophil/lymphocyte ratio (H/L), corticosterone plasma levels (CPL) and immune response of quails. The study was carried out using 192 birds, distributed in randomized blocks with 4 diets (0, 125, 250 and 375 and 0, 250, 500 and 750 mg of passionflower/kg of feed for the rearing and laying period, respectively), 8 replicates and 6 birds per experimental unit. […]