Iranian Journal of Animal Science
Year:2021 | Volume:52 | Issue:2|Papers Count:6

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using portulaca oleracea as a source of plant antioxidants for feeding fattening male lambs, on carcass traits, meat quality, and oxidative stability. Twenty-one male lambs with an average weight of 24±1.5 kg and 150±15 days old were fed with one of the experimental rations included a diet without portulaca oleracea as control, a diet containing 7.5%, and a diet containing 15% portulaca oleracea, for 84 days. The muscle (Longissimus dorsi) samplewas used to determine pH, chemical composition, colorimetric properties, and oxidative stability of meat. Meat lipid oxidation was determined after 1, 7, and 30 days of refrigerated storage using thiobarbituric acid (TBARS). The use of portulaca oleracea in diets improved meat color characteristics such as L, chroma, and Hue. The highest ash concentration and the lowest meat moisture were observed in the treatment of 15% portulaca oleracea (P<0.05). Meat pH was the lowest in the first hour after slaughter but did not differ at 24 h. Compared to the control, in both treatment groups feeding the lambs with portulaca significantly reduced the concentration of Malondialdehyde in the meat of the lambs and increased the meat oxidative stability (P<0.05). The results of this experiment showed that feeding portulaca oleracea by improving properties such as color and increasing the meat oxidative stability improves meat quality, which may have lead to an increase in its nutritional value in terms of human health.

The study objective was to evaluate the effects of reducing dietary starch content in fresh cow diets while maintaining NDF levels by substituting barley grain (BG), corn silage (CS), or both with beet pulp (BP) on DMI, lactation performance, serum mineral and metabolites concentrations, liver enzymes and liver functionality index (LFI), serum insulin and revised quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (RQUICKI). Thirty-six multiparous cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 experimental diets from calving to 21 days in lactation. Experimental diets were a high-starch diet with ground BG (CO; 24.9% starch; 0% BP) and 3 low-starch diets where BP substituted for either BG (BB; 19.6% starch; 7% BP), CS (BC; 20.6% starch; 12% BP) or CS and BG (BCB; 20.3% starch; 12% BP). Relative to CO cows (16.50 kg/d), DMI was greater for BC (17.70 kg/d) and BCB (17.50 kg/d) cows, but it was lesser in BB (15.60 kg/d) cows. Similar to DMI results, milk yields tended to be greater for BC (37.89 kg/d) and BCB cows (37.81 kg/d) compared to CO cows (35.41 kg/d), but BB cows (33.05 kg/d) tended to produce less milk than CO cows. Relative to CO, cows fed BB had lower serum glucose concentrations, whereas cows fed BC and BCB had higher serum glucose. Serum insulin concentrations were lower for BB cows than for other exprimental groups. Relative to CO, serum NEFA and BHB concentrations were lower for BC and BCB, but was similar between BB and CO. The RQUICKI was lower for CO, BC cows than BB cows, and cows in BCB tended to have less RQUICKI compared to BB during postpartum. The concentrations of gamma glutamyl transferase were lower in BC and BCB cows relative to CO and BB cows. The cows fed CO and BB had higher serum bilirubin relative to cows fed BC and BCB diets. Although, LFI for CO cows was similar to cows on BB, BC and BCB, BC cows had higher LFI than BB cows and tended to have greater LFI than CO cows. Overall, reducing dietary starch by replacing CS (BC) or a mix of CS and BG (BCB) with BP positively affected DMI and milk yield and indicated improved energy metabolism and liver function during the first 21 d of lactation compared to when BP was fed instead of BG to reduce starch (BB).

In this study, chemical compositions of black seed meals samples were determined. 18 male weaning Zandi lambs with an average body weight of 23.5 ±1.5 kg were used in a completely randomized design in three groups of six in individual pens. Experimental treatments were: 1) control (basal diet with 12% soybean meal and without black seed meal), 2) diet containing 6% soybean meal and 9% black seed meal and 3) diet containing 18% black seed meal and without soybean meal. The concentration of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, NDF, ADF, ADIN, and crude ash of black seed meal samples were 97.53±0.58, 31.26±0.99, 15.16 ± 0.61, 25.95 ± 1.34, 14.2±0.80, 0.69±0.04 and 5.07 ± 0.24, respectively. Replacement of soybean meal with black seed meal in the diet of experimental lambs had no effect on final body weight, daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, dry matter intake, dressing percentage, tail and total body fat deposition. Albumin and total protein were higher for lambs fed by diet containing 18 % black seed meal compared to other treatments (P <0.05). However, the concentration of blood triglyceride, cholesterol and urea nitrogen were not differed between experimental groups. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude fat and protein were not affect by feeding of experimental diets. It seems that black seed meal can be used in the diet of fattening lambs up to 18% without adverse effect on performance and nutrients digestibility of growing lambs.

Ticks are important ectoparasites in equids which causes economic losses in animal husbandry of Iran and worldwide. This study was aimed to determine frequency and species diversity of hard ticks in equids in Turkman sahra, Iran. 240 equids were randomly selected and examined from 2018-2019. Ixodid ticks were collected from body surface of examined animals and identified. Of all examined equids, 37.91% horses, and 4.16% donkeys were infested with a total number of 357 ixodid ticks. Tick indices (tick number per animal) were 3.53.  The highest prevalence of hard ticks was found in ≥3 years-old equids in the region. There was significant difference between prevalence and different age groups of infested animals. Of all examined ticks (357), three genera including Hyalomma spp., Rhipicephalus spp. and Dermacentor spp. with four species. i.e. Hyalomma anatolicum (65.26%), H. marginatum (10.64%), Rhipicephalus bursa (22.12%) and Dermacentor marginatus (1.96%) were identified. Ixodid ticks’ infestations occured throughout the year with the highest prevalence in spring. There was significant difference between prevalence of hard ticks and seasons in this study. The results revealed that species diversity and ixodid ticks’ infestations were prevalent in the equids of Turkman sahra, Iran.

Lactation length is different in individual cows, which is generally converted to a 305-day standard using curve fitting models for genetic and management practices. Individual curves do not have a standard shape in all cases, and can deviate from the standard pattern according to factors such as individual differences, and type of fitted models. These non-standard curves, called atypical, resulted from incorrect estimated parameters of the curves; which consist of: continuously increasing or decreasing and reversed standards. This study was conducted to investigate the importance of atypical curves in estimation of 305-day milk production, by fitting two nonlinear models? Wood (empirical) and Pollott (biological), on 7659 and 6692 test-day milk yield of 977 and 776 first calving Iranian Simmental and Jersey cows, during 2007-2020, using R software. Different patterns obtained based on the combination of increasing (b) and decreasing (c) phase parameters of curves. The number of standard curves from the Pollott and Wood models were 85.5% and 62.2% for Simmental, and 83.1% and 70.6% for Jersey cows, respectively. Only continuously increasing curves were observed in both breeds in Pollott model (14.8% and 16.9%, Simmental and Jersey cows, respectively); Whereas in Wood model, all 3 groups of atypical curves were observed, which the reversed standard was the most (22.3% and 16.5%, Simmental and Jersey cows, respectively). Based on the findings, at the time of standardizing the production of dairy cows (national evaluations), not only differences between breeds, but also special attention to the production of atypical curves, should be paid (to correct or discard them).

The current study aimed to optimize artificial insemination in aged broiler breeder hens in two experiments. In the first experiment, the effect of (two) different diluted semen temperatures (5 and 25 °C) of Hubbard rooster (40 roosters, 58 weeks of age) on fertility, hatchability and sperm penetration (SP) rate in the perivitelline layer of Hubbard hen (180 hens) were investigated. In the second experiment, three (different) sperm concentrations (100 (C100), 200 (C200), and 400 (C400) million sperm in 0.25 mL per hen) of Hubbard roosters (40 roosters, 62 weeks of age) on fertility, hatchability and SP rate of Hubbard broiler breeder hens (270 hens) were explored. In the first experiment, the results showed that the temperature of 5 °C of diluted semen compared to the 25 °C, increased percentage of hatchability of set eggs, hatchability of fertile eggs, and SP and decreased early embryonic mortality. The results of the second experiment showed the highest percentage of fertility and SP rate were observed at treatment C400. Also, in this experiment that highest percentage of hatchability of set eggs and hatchability of fertile eggs and lowest early embryonic mortality were observed at treatment C400. Return on investment (ROI) of the treatments C200 and C400 was approximately 2.9 and 1.4, respectively. In overall, the results of this study showed that (in attention to ROI and hatchability) to optimize artificial insemination of aged broiler breeder hens we can use a sperm concentration of 200 to 400 million in 0.25 mL per hens at 5 °C.