ABSTRACT We aimed to evaluate the effects of sex and the linear and quadratic components of age of dam at calving, as well as apply a mixed model including maternal effect for the genetic evaluation of weaning (WW) and yearling (YW) weights. The phenotypic database was composed by Charolais, Caracu, Aberdeen Angus, and Canchim purebred and crossbred animals. Single-trait analyses were performed using models that included the maternal effect for WW and YW traits, and a model ignoring this effect […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to estimate adjustment factors of scrotal circumference for growth traits in Nellore cattle. Measurement at post-yearling of scrotal circumference from 100,107 Nellore was adjusted for six traits: age (A), body weight (BW), hip height (HH), conformation (C), precocity (P), musculature (M), and simultaneously for age and the other five traits (A-BW, A-HH, A-C, A-P, A-M), body weight and the other four traits (BW-HH, BW-C, BW-P, BW-M), and hip height and the other three […]

Abstract We investigated whether a panel of molecular markers previously associated with temperament has an effect on live growth traits. Phenotypic data from 412 Charolais cows categorized according to their age in adult and young cows were used to determine Pearson’s correlations between birth (BW), weaning (WW), and yearling live (YW) weight and temperament traits (measured as exit velocity [EV] and temperament score [TS]). For association analysis, selective genotyping of a group of 80 cows identified as the most docile […]

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of prebiotic fructooligosaccharide (FOS) supplementation on the development of Mangalarga Marchador suckling foals. Sixteen Mangalarga Marchador foals, from birth to 75 days of age, were evaluated in a completely randomized design, with two treatments (experimental group and control group) with eight repetitions (animals). The foals were evaluated through body weight, morphometric, and circumferential measures. The daily, weekly, and cumulative weight gains were recorded and the morphometric measures were: withers […]

The effect of a non-antibiotic growth-promoting component composed of natural phytomolecules, direct-fed microbials, glucomannan oligosaccharides, and organic acids on the performance, intestinal morphology and microbiology, plasma biochemistry, enzyme activities, visceral organ weights, and immune response of commercial broilers challenged with Escherichia coli was investigated. Three hundred and sixty one-day old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly divided into basal diet (control, CON); control plus 0.5 mL of culture materials containing 108 cfu/mL of E. coli (E. coli); control with […]

Forty male Naemi lambs were used to evaluate the effect of total mixed rations (TMR) alone or in combination with supplementation of alfalfa hay offered at different schedules on growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Lambs at the age of three months, with an average weight of 28.85±1.09 kg, were randomly selected and distributed into four different feeding systems, 10 lambs each, as follows: TMR diet (control); TMR plus 100 g alfalfa hay; TMR plus 200 g alfalfa hay every […]

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of molasses as a substitute for corn in diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics, fecal noxious gas emission, and meat quality in finishing pigs. A total of 120 [(Landrace × Yorkshire) × Duroc] pigs with an average initial body weight (BW) of 54.21±2.62 kg were used in this experiment. Pigs were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 dietary treatments on the basis of BW and sex (10 […]

Eighteen sows were used to determine the effect of dietary valine:lysine (val:lys) ratios on lactation performance in primiparous sows and litter performance. Sows, raised in individual pens, were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 experimental diets containing different standardized ileal digestibility (SID) val:lys ratios of 0.80 or 0.85. Corn-soybean-wheat-based diets were formulated to achieve the dietary treatments (0.86% or 0.87% SID lysine, and 0.69% or 0.74% SID valine). All diets were formulated to have 3,450 kcal metabolizable energy/kg. The experiment […]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the performance of 17 buffaloes (Mediterranean), from birth to slaughter age (720 days) with monthly measures of weight, thoracic perimeter, body length, and height at withers. At the end of experimental period, the animals were separated into two different groups for statistical analysis according to slaughter weight: light body weight (LBW, mean 517 kg) and heavy body weight (HBW, mean 568 kg). Buffalo growth occurs in the same way up to weaning […]

The objectives of this work were to evaluate the environmental effects (age of dam, type of birth and sex of lamb) and genetic groups (Hampshire Down and Ile de France, ½ and ¾ Hampshire Down, Ile de France and Suffolk, and ½ Texel) on performance and morphometric characteristics (height, length and heart girth) of lambs; to test regressions to predict live weight of lambs from body measurements; and to describe the growth type of the measurements as function of the […]