JOURNAL OF RUMINANT RESEARCH
Year:2015 | Volume:3 | Issue:2|Papers Count:10

To investigate the nutritive value of egg and the possible use of waste eggs and spray-dried whole egg, as alternative protein source in neonatal calves, an experiment was done using twenty female and male Holstein calves. The treatments were: 1) milk without egg (control), 2) milk contain 7.5% raw egg, 3) milk containhng 7.5% raw egg and biotin (1 mg/kg), 4) milk contain, 7.5% spray-dried whole egg powder, in a 57/d feeding trial. Data were analyzed in a completely randomized design (CRD). The results showed that there were no significant differences between treatments on body weight (BW), average daily gains (ADG), dry mater (DM) intakes and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of calves. Digestibility of dry matter in control and milk containing 7.5% raw egg and biotin increased significantly. The concentration of cholesterol, triglycerides, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) were not significant difference versus treatment control. The Concentration of blood ferritin significantly increased by egg powder. There were no significant differences between treatments on IgG and total protein of blood calves. Results of experiment showed that feeding of calves with milk contain 7.5% egg, without negative effets on performance and blood parameters of calves.

An experiment was conducted to determine the interaction effects of grain type with different ruminal ferment ability of starch in prepartum diet (ground barley and corn) and nonfiber carbohydrate level in postpartum diet sixty multiparous Holstein cows randomly assigned to experimental diets. The cows were used based on expected calving date and fed 24±3 d prepartum diets and then randomly assigned to postpartum diets during 28 d. Blood samples were collected at beginning and calving day and d 21 of the trial. Daily milk production and weekly milk content were measured during 28 d. Data was analyzed to determine the interaction effects of peripartm diets. There were no significant difference between prepatum diets for plasma metabolites except for total protein and non strified fatty acids (P<0.05) which was higher for barley based diet. There were no significant difference between prepartum diets for milk production and contents. In postpartum, the cows fed low level of non-fiber carbohydrate diet had greater fat corrected milk and fat percentage and total solid (P<0.01). Also these cows had lower levels of plasma glucose and albumin (P<0.01) and higher level of phosphorous and betahydroxy butyric acid (P<0.01) and alanine amino transferase (P<0.05). The interaction effects were not significant. Generally the results showed that increased rumen ferment ability of starch in prepartum diets hadn' t positive effects in postpartum cows and postpartum responses are dependent to postpartum diets. Decreased non fiber carbohydrate (starch as a most fraction) in postpartum diets can improve multiparous postpartum Holstein cows’ performance.

The objective of this study was to evaluate some environmental factors (sex, season and year of birth, birth type and dam age) on fleece weight, estimate of phenotypic and genetic parameters and trends of this trait on Cashmere goat of the southern Khorasan. GLM procedure of SAS software version 1.9 was used to assess the significant environmental effects on this trait. Records of 1455 kids, the progeny of 127 sires and 562 dams, collected between 1996 and 2012, were used to estimate phenotypic and genetic parameters. Results showed that Cashmere weight was significantly higher in males than females. Genetic analyses was carried out by MTGSAM program. The results of this study indicated that the effects of year of birth and sex at 5% and remaining effects at 1% were significant. To detecting of maternal additive genetic effect and maternal permanent environmental effect, six different animal models were fitted for fleece weight. The most appropriate model according to Akaikes information criterion was model 3with direct additive genetic and permanent environmental maternal effects. Direct and maternal heritability for first fleece weight were 0.49 and 0.09. The results indicated that fleece weight was influenced by maternal genetic effects. The genetic and phenotypic trends for this trait were estimated near to zero and insignificant. It seems, developing of selection index and removing of the environmental obstacles are major steps in the development of genetic and increase profitability in this Cashmere goat population.

For the first time in Iran, the device automatically recorded the activity of chewing design, manufacturing and evaluated for identify eating, ruminating and chewing activity behavior. During this experiment two multiparous Holstein cows (early lactation) at individual place (4×3 m) were kept and they keep with the same ration and feeding chewing of activity in two forms eye witnesses (1, 5 and 10 minutes) and using the automatic device 4 consecutive days during the chewing activity recorded. No significant differences between two ways to eat, rumination, chewing, time of eating to food consumed, rumination time to feed intake, chewing time to feed intake and rumination time to eating time that demonstrate a function correctness and was acceptability the device automatically records chewing activity. Using the automatically recorded chewing, the number of chewing during rumination per second 1.16±0.077 (time), the number of chewing during eating every second 1.26±0.095 (time), every meal time rumination 62±6 (second), the displacement per serving rumination 566±64 (cm), the displacement eat in one minute 482±22 (cm), rest time between each meal rumination 5±0.44 (second) and the number of chewing during eating 72±12 (1 min), respectively, which the data is very valuable for researchers animal science. According to the obtained data this study by device automatically records chewing activity Can be concluded the major disorder due to eating is animals craving to eat, because animals during eating 1.26 times per minute your jaw moves as well as the movement of the jaw is 482 cm per minute, in the event that the time of animal rumination to move your jaw is slowly (1.16 times) and movement of the jaw is a greater range (566 cm), indicating the relaxed state and rest is the rumination time. Scientifically examined with experiment conducted device automatically records chewing activity and it was confirmed the accuracy of performance. It is hoped, in the future, animal nutritionists can use these devices in their scientific and research projects conveniently and easily and extract more acceptable results and to extract more acceptable results in order to discuss the scientific community with greater confidence. The results show used automated device recording chewing activity in addition to exactly measurement eating time, ruminating and chewing activity can evaluated another valuable information of chewing behavior dairy cow.

Effects of feeding pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on dry matter intake, performance, and carcass characteristics, carcass components and blood metabolites were examined in this study. During a pretrial period, 33 southern Khorasan (Iran) cross-bred kids were fed a similar diet and dry matter intake, performance, Growth and carcass characteristics, carcass components and blood metabolites were recorded. Male kids were fed diets containing 10% PSP supplements without and with 2 g/kg urea for 85 days. The kids had an initial live weight of 13.9 ± 0.4 kg and were fed a mixed ration ad libitum (2/6 Mcal/kg ME and 16% crude protein). There was no difference in dry matter intake, performance due to diet. The PSP dietary supplementation no affected hot carcasses, cold carcasses, quality meat and components carcasses consist of neck. The PSP diet reduced (P<0.05) kidney fat and abdominal fat weight. The feeding PSP reduced (P<0.05) TG, LDL, glucose and insulin concentration in the blood but HDL concentration in the blood plasma at PSP fed kids were higher (P<0.05) than control.

Iranian native species are considered as part of the national asset and their preservation is important. Due to severe decrease in their population size in some parts of Iran, more attention to these species from conservation genetics perspective is required. The goal of this study was to analyse the DNA sequence of the D-loop region of mitochondria in Iranian camels and draw the phylogenetic tree. For this study 10 blood samples from Dromedary and 15 blood samples from Bacterian camels were collected. After DNA extraction, D-loop region was amplified with specific primers using PCR, and then the fragments were sequenced. In studied populations, 3 and 6 haplotypes were observed in single-humped and double-humped Iranian camels, respectively. The Neighbor-Joining phylogenetic test showed that Iranian camels have the lowest genetic distance with Arabian camels and it can be concluded that Iranian camels has genetic similarities with Arabian camels.

In comparison to traditional breeding methods, using genomic information causes considerable increase in response for selecting young animals which have no phenotypic records. Genomic selection refers to selection based on estimated breeding value (BV). The purpose of this study was to survey the effects of heritability of trait and the numbers of QTL on accuracy of estimating genomic BVs. For this reason, genome design and required population was done by computer simulation. The results of the effects of trait heritability on the accuracy of genomic BV estimation showed that the accuracy of genomic BV estimation of reference group via three strategies of trait heritability 0.05, 0.1 and 0.25 were 0.790, 0.827 and 0.876, respectively. Therefore, increasing the level of trait heritability increased the accuracy of estimated BV. In strategies for numbers of 4, 10, 20 and 40 simulated QTLs (in each chromosome) through the genome, the calculated accuracy in reference group was 0.813, 0.833, 0.826 and 0.798, respectively. Totally, with increasing the simulated QTL, the range of alterations of the accuracy was not significant. Also, the alterations of accuracy along the consecutive generations from 51 to 57 generation had a decreasing trend in all four strategies.

The aim of this study was to compare different nonlinear and linear regression models and artificial neural network (ANN) for fitting of growth curve in Lori–Bakhtiari sheep breed. Six nonlinear regression models of Negative Exponential, Brody, von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, Logistic and Richards, and two linear regression models of second and third degree polynomial functions along with ANN were used. In total 29517 body weight records of 6320 lambs collected from birth to yearling were analyzed. The data were collected at the Breeding Station of Lori-Bakhtiari sheep in Shahrekord, Iran. The comparison of the models was carried out using coefficient of determination (R2), error mean square (MSE) mean absolute deviation (MAD) and mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) values. All models investigated in the current study fitted the growth data well in Lori–Bakhtiari sheep, according to different goodness of fit criteria. The results indicated that ANN model generated better growth curve fitting of Lori-Bakhtiari sheep than linear and nonlinear growth models and could be used an as alternative method for growth modeling. Regarding the whole models, the artificial neural network was found to be statistically most appropriate model followed by Brody, third degree polynomial, second degree polynomial, Von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, Richards, Logistic and negative exponential growth models, respectively. However, non-linear growth models used to describe the growth will be applicable than the linear models and artificial neural networks. The nonlinear growth models can summarize the growth phenomena in terms of several parameters, with biological interpretation. Among the nonlinear and linear models, the Brody and third degree polynomial functions were better than other models. Negative correlations between the A and k parameters were obtained in all six nonlinear growth models in this study indicated that the sheep with smaller mature weight will be maturing faster. The analysis of variance on the Brody growth curve parameters showed that year of birth and sex significantly influenced (P<0.01) all growth curve parameters. Age of dam had only a significant effect (P<0.05) on k value and did not contribute to differences in A and B values. Type of birth had significant effect (P<0.01) in the B and k values and did not influence on the A value. The results of this study suggest that the most appropriate growth model of Brody can help in the determination of management problems, regulation of feeding programs, and determination of optimum slaughtering age at the Lori-Bakhtiari sheep breeding station.

The objective of this study was to study the current reproductive performance of Iranian Holstein dairy cattle. A total of 221, 501 records from heifers and cows of parity 1 to 5 calved in 60 herds collected by Bonyad Organization and Vahdat Cooperative Ltd., during 2001 to 2011, was used. The statistical analysis of data was conducted using generalized linear models and regression procedures of SAS software. In cows, means ± SD were for 405.7 ± 78.7 d. for calving interval, 127.5 ± 63.5 d. for open days, 75.4 ± 27.5 d. for days from calving to first insemination, 63.5 ± 52.1 d. for interval between first and last artificial insemination, 2.7 ± 1.8 for number of insemination per conception, 68.9 ± 28.5 d. for duration of dry period and 37.6 ± 32.1% for conception rate. In heifers, number insemination per conception, age at first service and conception rate were 2.0 ± 1.4, 454.0 ± 37.7 d., 63.0 ± 32.0 %, respectively. The linear regression coefficient of least square means for each trait of interest on calving year was defined as phenotypic trend. The trends for all studied traits were undesirable and statistically significant; conception rate for example showed a negative and significant trend of 1.3 ± 0.2 % in cows and 1.9 ± 0.2 % in heifers. Statistical analysis showed that increase in milk production had undesirable and significant effects on reproductive performance; for every 100 kg increase in milk yield, calving interval and open days for example, increased by about 0.5 and 0.4 d., respectively. Current situation emphasized that more attention to reproductive traits is required.

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of age at first calving (AFC) on calving interval (CI) and dry period length (DP) of dairy cows in semiarid climate of Iran. Records of 57870 first lactation dairy cows were collected from 601 herds during 1995 to 2009 by the Animal Breeding Center of Iran. The analysis was performed using mixed models procedure. Variance components were estimated via restricted maximum likelihood method in a univariate animal model using DMU software. The data were divided in two groups as AFC£26 mo (group 1) and AFC>26 mo (group 2). The average AFC for all data, group 1 and group 2 were 26 (±2.5), 24 (±1) and 28 (±2.5) mo, respectively. The average CI and DP were 375 (±47), 67 (±20) day for group 1 and 380 (±50), 69.5 (±22) day for group 2, respectively. The estimates of heritability of CI and DP were 0.037 (±0.008), 0.022 (±0.006) for group 1 and 0.026 (±0.009), 0.00 for group 2, respectively. Phenotypic trend of CI and DP was negative and significant for two groups (P<0.05). The difference between average estimated breeding values of CI and DP for group 1 were lower than group 2 and significant (P<0.01). The results of this study showed that cows calving at a young age in semiarid climate of Iran had lower CI and DP during their first lactation.