Porcine Breeding Management in a Large-scale Piggery with Microbial Fermentation Bed

[Objective] The behavior of eating, drinking, defecating and peeing of 1 500 pigs in a large-scale microbial fermentation bed-equipped piggery was observed. We hoped to find some simple indicators that could reflect the health status of swinery and to provide experience for the swinery performance management in large-scale microbial fermentation bed-equipped piggery. [Method] The body weight （BW）, daily BW gain, feed intake and other indicators of different-day-old pigs were recorded in details. Based on the recorded data, the models between BW, BW gain, average daily feed intake and feed/gain ratio and growth days （d） were established. In addition, the incidences of pox-like macula （dermatitis）, diarrhea （gastrointestinal disease）, cough （respiratory disease）, stiff pig （malnutrition）, conjunctivitis （eye disease） and foot inflection （trauma） among fattening pigs were also investigated. [Result] The BW range, average BW, daily BW gain, breeding days, daily feed intake range, average daily feed intake, staged feed intake, accumulated feed intake, feed/gain ratio and accumulated feed/gain ratio of different-day-old pigs were studied, respectively. Four dynamic models were established for the growth of pigs： （1） the BW （y）-age （x） mod- el： y=0.758 9x-19.883 （3=0.993 7）; （2） the BW gain （y）-age （x） model： y=1.039 5x05051 （F=0.885 4）; （3） the average daily feed intake （y）-age （x） model： y=0.023 5x-0.334 3 （F=0.991 7）; （4） the feed/gain ratio （y）-age （x） model： y=0.022x＋0.427 8 （P=0.988 5）. Based on these models, the corresponding theoretical growth value of pigs at different growth stage could be predicted. The main diseases occurred among the swinery in the large-scale microbial fermentation bed piggery included pox-like macula （dermatitis）, diarrhea （gastrointestinal disease）, cough （respiratory disease）, stiff pig （mal- nutrition）, conjunctivitis （eye disease） and foot inflection （trauma）. The deadly infec- tious diseases had been not found among the pigs. [Conclusion] When the actual BW, BW gain, average daily feed intake and feed/gain ratio were all lower than the theoretical values predicted by the models, the management should be enhanced. The average daily feed intake of 60 to 65-day-old pigs was lower than the theoretic value, indicating that the pigs could not adapt nicely to the fermentation bed at the very early stage. When the pigs grew up to 70 to 75 d old, the average daily feed intake was higher than the theoretical value, indicating that the pigs had adapted to the fermentation bed. In particularly, average daily feed intake of 75-day-old pigs was higher than the theoretical value by 21%. It was suggested the fermentation bed was conducive to the growth of pigs. Considering the occurrence of diseases among pigs, the overall incidence was relatively low. The incidence of each disease was all lower than 10% with little difficulty in treating. If the management of mattress was strength- ened, such as paying attention to feeding and keeping water clean, many diseases could heal by themselves.

Socio-Economic and Technical Characteristics of Beef Cattle Breeding in Ndé Division, West Region of Cameroon

Insight is here provided into the socio-economic and technical characteristics of cattle production in the Ndé Division (West Cameroon region). Using a semi-structured questionnaire, information on the activity was assessed following onsite visits and interviewing breeders. Through a random sampling scheme, 110 breeders in the four subdivisions of the Ndé Division were shadowed. The majority (98.18%) of breeders were men aged 20 to 40 and married (91.82%). They belong to the Mbororo ethnic group, having cumulated more than 10 years in the activity. Most respondents (50.91%) did not attend school and earn their living mainly from livestock (78.18%). Cattle were raised for sale and to feed the breeder’s family (77.27%). The main mode of acquisition of animals was through inheritance (81.82%). The cattle breeds were mostly made up of white Fulani (70%), living in private farms using a combination of stake and barbed wires (67.27%) as fences. The combination of natural fodder and cooking salt was used by most breeders (59.09%) as a daily ration. Reproduction was by natural mating (97.07%). Parasites (internal and external) and foot-and-mouth disease were the main diseases reported by the majority of farmers. Self-treatment (50%) was the main prophylactic measure taken by farmers in case of disease symptoms. Cattle herders faced several challenges, such as insufficient pasture (67.27%), agro-pastoral conflicts (76.36%) and diseases (90.91%). Cattle breeding was rather a widespread activity with no particular restriction.

Determination of Breeding Target and Marginal Benefit Calculation of New Type of Shuxuan Beef Cattle

[Objectives]To make targeted breeding of new type of Shuxuan beef cattle,study and determine the breeding target traits of new type of Shuxuan beef cattle.[Methods]The difference method was used to calculate the marginal benefit of each target trait,and the economic weight of the corresponding breeding target trait was obtained.[Results]The marginal benefits of weaning weight,fattening daily gain,18-month weight,carcass quality,dressing percentage,pure meat percentage,age at first calving,calving interval and stay group time were 35.86,13.76,13.05,421.96,375.55,22.58,-4.45,-27.53,and 1555.24,respectively.The relative economic weight ratio of growth traits,carcass traits,and reproductive traits was close to 4∶1∶5.Through marginal benefit analysis,the economic benefits obtained by improving carcass quality,dressing percentage and stay group time were significantly higher than other traits.[Conclusions]It is expected to provide a theoretic basis for establishing the target trait selection indicators for the new type of Shuxuan beef cattle.

Genetic background analysis and breed evaluation of Yiling yellow cattle

Traditionally, Chinese indigenous cattle is geographically widespread. The present study analyzed based on genome-wide variants to evaluate the genetic background among 157 individuals from four representative indigenous cattle breeds of Hubei Province of China： Yiling yellow cattle （YL）, Bashan cattle （BS）, Wuling cattle （WL）, Zaobei cattle （ZB）, and 21 indi- viduals of Qinchuan cattle （QC） from the nearby Shanxi Province of China. Linkage disequilibrium （LD） analysis showed the LD of YL was the lowest （~=0.32） when the distance between markers was approximately 2 kb. Principle component analysis （PCA）, and neighbor-joining （NJ）-tree revealed a separation of Yiling yellow cattle from other geographic nearby local cattle breeds. In PCA plot, the YL and QC groups were segregated as expected; moreover, YL individuals clustered together more obviously. In the N J-tree, the YL group formed an independent branch and BS, WL, ZB groups were mixed. We then used the FST statistic approach to reveal long-term selection sweep of YL and other 4 cattle breeds. According to the selective sweep, we identified the unique pathways of YL, associated with production traits. Based on the results, it can be proposed that YL has its unique genetic characteristics of excellence resource, and it is an indispensable cattle breed in China.

Protection and Utilization of Yellow Cattle Breed Resources in China

Based on the general situation and genetic diversity of yellow cattle breed resources in China,this paper discusses the protection,development and utilization of Chinese yellow cattle breed resources,in order to provide reference basis for the development,utilization and sustainable development of local yellow cattle breeds in China.

Sensory quality of meat from eight different types of cattle in relation with their biochemical characteristics

The present study compared eight breeds of cattle differing in gender （heifers, buls and steers） to determine associations between muscle characteristics and meat sensory qualities of theLongissimus thoracis muscle. Animal types differed in al the muscle characteristics and sensory qualities. Many correlations among muscle characteristics and among sensory qualities were consistent for most animal types. Isocitrate dehydrogenase （ICDH） activities alowed discrimination of muscles with respect to myosin heavy chain （MyHC）-I proportions for al animal types. Lactate dehydrogenase （LDH） and phos-phofructokinase （PFK） activities were positively correlated for most animal types. Overal liking was correlated with beef lfavour and abnormal lfavour in al animal types and with global tenderness for al animal types except for Charolais cross breed steers. For al animal types except for Angus×Friesian heifers, beef lfavour and abnormal lfavour were negatively correlated. Overal liking was not correlated with juiciness. PFK, ICDH and citrate synthase （CS） activities were strongly associated with tenderness, beef lfavour and overal liking when average values for al animal types were used. However, associations between muscle characteristics and sensory qualities within animal types were weak and inconsistent.

Breeding Soundness Examination of Breeding Bull after Infecting Mycoplasma wenyonii

[Objective] The research aimed to study the reproductive health of breed- ing bull after infecting Mycoplasma wenyoniL [Method] The blood and semen quality of breeding bull before and after drug treatment was studied by the methods of blood routine examination and breeding soundness examination （BSE）. [Result] Be- fore the treatment with primaquine phosphate, slight anaemia was seen in diseased bull and a lot of M.wenyonfi were seen on blood smears. The scrotal wall of dis- eased bull swelled, testis was softened, the semen quality was reduced, semen quality was decreased and the proportion of primary and secondary deformed sperms was increased. After drug treatment, M.wenyonfi quickly disappeared from blood and the clinical systems were gradually alleviated, so BSE of breeding bulls after one month was passed. [Conclusion] The research laid the foundation for fur- ther study on the relationship between M.wenyonfi and the reduction of bull＇s repro- ductive functions.

The evolving role of Fourier-transform midinfrared spectroscopy in genetic improvement of dairy cattle

Over the last 100 years,significant advances have been made in the characterisation of milk composition for dairy cattle improvement programs.Technological progress has enabled a shift from labour intensive,on-farm collection and processing of samples that assess yield and fat levels in milk,to large-scale processing of samples through centralised laboratories,with the scope extended to include quantification of other traits.Fourier-transform midinfrared(FT-MIR)spectroscopy has had a significant role in the transformation of milk composition phenotyping,with spectral-based predictions of major milk components already being widely used in milk payment and animal evaluation systems globally.Increasingly,there is interest in analysing the individual FT-MIR wavenumbers,and in utilising the FT-MIR data to predict other novel traits of importance to breeding programs.This includes traits related to the nutritional value of milk,the processability of milk into products such as cheese,and traits relevant to animal health and the environment.The ability to successfully incorporate these traits into breeding programs is dependent on the heritability of the FT-MIR predicted traits,and the genetic correlations between the FT-MIR predicted and actual trait values.Linking FT-MIR predicted traits to the underlying mutations responsible for their variation can be difficult because the phenotypic expression of these traits are a function of a diverse range of molecular and biological mechanisms that can obscure their genetic basis.The individual FT-MIR wavenumbers give insights into the chemical composition of milk and provide an additional layer of granularity that may assist with establishing causal links between the genome and observed phenotypes.Additionally,there are other molecular phenotypes such as those related to the metabolome,chromatin accessibility,and RNA editing that could improve our understanding of the underlying biological systems controlling traits of interest.Here we review topics of importance to phenotyping and genetic applications of FT-MIR spectra datasets,and discuss opportunities for consolidating FT-MIR datasets with other genomic and molecular data sources to improve future dairy cattle breeding programs.

Report on a breeding objective that may reduce the carbon footprint of extensive cow-calf production systems

Most measurements for beef improvement in South Africa are per individual (weaning weight, calving interval, growth rate, etc.). A measurement that expresses performance per constant unit, e.g. kilogram calf weaned per Large Stock Unit (LSU) can eventually be translated to kilogram calf produced per kg CO2 equivalent. A LSU is defined as a bovine requiring 75 MJ Metabolisable Energy (ME) per day. If more kilogram weaner calf can be produced per LSU (KgC/LSU), the carbon footprint of beef can be reduced. This study used breed average values to investigate the KgC/LSU for the 30 beef and dual purpose breeds in South Africa. The breeds were categorized in the following breed types: Sanga (indigenous to South Africa) Sanga derived, Zebu, Zebu derived, British and European. No relationship was found between cow weights and KgC/LSU, indicating that it is independent of cow weight between breeds. However, when the data is summarized into breed types, the Sanga and European breed types produce the least KgC/ LSU and Sanga derived breed types the most. This high value of the Sanga derived breeds is probably due to retained heterosis. Composite breeds are mostly intermediate to parental breeds for individual traits but superior for composite traits and KgC/LSU is a composite trait. These calculations were only done on breed averages. A genetic analysis on a breed level to estimate genetic parameters for this trait, and its genetic correlations with other traits now needs to be done before a decision can be taken whether selection for KgC/LSU will be feasible. The ultimate aim with a trait like this is to reduce the carbon footprint of weaner calf production since more kilogram calf will be produced per LSU (constant feed unit).

Pollution Control Programs of Large-Scale Livestock and Poultry Farms in the Dianchi Lake Basin

With the enlarging scale and intensifying production of livestock and poultry breeding, the environment pollution becomes increasingly prominent in the Dianchi Lake Basin since 1990s. According to the survey of ＂The First National Census of Pollution Sources＂, occurrence and discharge of pollutants in large-scale livestock and poultry farms in this region were first understood. The pollution characteristics of large-scale live- stock and poultry breeding were also analyzed deeply. On this basis, the significance of pollution control programs for environment protection was investigated from aspects of pollution control policy, technology management and publicity.

Association between microsatellite markers and bovine tuberculosis in Chadian Zebu cattle

Bovine tuberculosis (BTB) is a considerable threat to livestock keepers and public health in many developing and underdeveloped countries. We investigated associations between 20 microsatellite markers and three phenotypes for BTB in a sample of the Chadian cattle population. The phenotypes measured were: 1) single intra-dermal comparative cervical tuberculin test (SICCT) performed on live animals, 2) presence of lesion post-slaughter, 3) a bacteriological tissue culture test for Mycobacterium bovis using the samples with observed lesions and 4) a predicted Bayesian model (BM) estimate of a true BTB disease status using all tested animals. All traits were recorded in binary form and as either 1 = presence or 0 = absence. A total of 224 animals for SICCT, lesion and BM traits and 96 animals with bacteriological culture test were genotyped. Generalised linear models were fitted to the binary BTB phenotypes that consisted of age (covariate), sex (2 levels), breed (2 levels) and markers (alleles: 5 - 14 levels) as explanatory variables and implemented in R using glm with a logit link function. The model was fitted for each marker, separately. Six out of 20 markers tested were significantly associated with at least one trait considered;these were ILSTS005, ILSTS006, TGLA227, BM2113 and CSRM66. Genomic regions around these markers may serve as a basis for further functional investigations. This is the first study to report association of microsatellite markers with bovine tuberculosis traits in African or Chadian cattle population.

Problems in the Development of China's Dairy Cow Breeding and the Countermeasures

This article offers an overview of the development of dairy cow breeding in China,and analyzes the problems in the development of dairy cow breeding in China as follows:the breeding scale is small;the pasture grass production cannot meet demand;the proportion of fine breed is not high and the dairy cow yield per unit is low;it lacks epidemic prevention and quarantine mechanism;economic benefits of large-scale breeding are not high.These problems have become bottleneck in the development of the dairy cow breeding.Finally countermeasures are put forward for the development of dairy cow breeding in China as follows:developing large-scale breeding,and increasing subsidies;supporting the development of grass industry,and ensuring the supply of good feed;strengthening cultivation and promotion of fine breed,and promoting the quality of fresh milk;improving the accountability system of dairy products,and giving play to supervisory role of the news media.

发酵酒糟在养牛产业中的应用研究进展

酒糟作为酿酒产业的副产物,近年在动物饲料中被广泛应用,其可替代日粮中的部分精料用于畜禽养殖,在一定程度上可缓解畜禽养殖业的饲料短缺问题。酒糟经过微生物发酵后能延长储存时间,而且能提高饲料中粗蛋白质含量及优化氨基酸组成,同时降低粗纤维含量,营养价值较高,提升了酒糟的饲用价值。本文主要对几种发酵酒糟特点、利用方式及发酵酒糟在养牛产业中的应用效果的研究进展进行综述,以期为发酵酒糟饲料化的研发与应用奠定基础。

新疆育肥牛标准化生产养殖技术

随着我国经济的快速发展,人们对高档牛肉的需求日益增高。政府加大了对养殖业的扶持力度,育肥牛生产得到很好的发展,养殖户也越发重视育肥牛标准化生产养殖技术的进步与升级。我国养殖业改革有赖于新时期育肥牛标准化生产养殖技术的发展,在当下时期应进一步加深对我国育肥牛生产流程及技术的了解、关注。新疆是畜牧业大省,具有丰富的天然草场和饲草料来源,应当更加重视育肥牛的相关养殖、育肥工作以及各种重大疾病的预防工作。因此,该文主要讨论目前新疆育肥牛标准化生产养殖技术工作的问题,为今后育肥牛养殖工作提供相关指导,以保证育肥牛养殖技术工作能够更好的提高和完善。

我国肉牛产业高质量发展水平的测度及影响因素研究

肉牛产业高质量发展是稳定肉牛生产、平缓肉牛价格波动和保障肉牛市场供应的根本途径。文章基于2012—2022年30个省市区面板数据,采用熵值法分析肉牛产业高质量发展水平,并运用双向固定效应模型探讨我国肉牛产业高质量发展的影响因素。结果表明:研究期内我国肉牛产业高质量发展水平总体呈现缓慢波动上升趋势;我国肉牛产业高质量发展主要得益于质量安全和技术水平提高;4大肉牛生产地区肉牛产业高质量发展水平最高的是中原肉牛区,其次是东北肉牛区,再次是西南肉牛区和西北肉牛区;经济发展水平、市场化水平、交通条件、城镇化率和环境规制均能够显著促进我国肉牛产业高质量发展。因此,应提升肉牛养殖技术创新水平,强化肉牛产品质量安全,完善肉牛养殖地区协调机制,为加快构建肉牛产业高质量发展新格局提供参考。

新疆褐牛肉用品系群体选育成效评价

为评价伊犁地区新疆褐牛肉用品系群体选育效果,选取健康状况良好、符合品种特征的新疆褐牛以及新疆褐牛肉用品系一世代、二世代进行了体尺、活体超声波等指标测定。结果:选育后的12、24、36月龄新疆褐牛肉用品系一世代、二世代体高、十字部高、体斜长、胸围、胸深、胸宽、尻长、腰角宽和髋宽均极显著高于同月龄新疆褐牛(P<0.01),12、24月龄新疆褐牛肉用品系二世代胸围、体斜长均显著高于同月龄一世代(P<0.05),36月龄新疆褐牛肉用品系二世代体高、十字部高、体斜长均极显著高于同月龄一世代(P<0.01);10、12、24、36月龄新疆褐牛肉用品系母牛二世代肌间脂肪含量极显著高于同月龄一世代(P<0.01);6、12、18月龄新疆褐牛肉用品系公牛二世代肌间脂肪含量极显著高于同月龄一世代(P<0.01),且12、18月龄背膘厚度显著低于同月龄一世代(P<0.05)。综上,新疆褐牛肉用品系二世代体尺指标均优于新疆褐牛及一世代,且肌间脂肪沉积能力强于一世代。

新疆褐牛及其肉用类型群体选育进展

新疆褐牛是以新疆地方品种牛哈萨克牛为母本,经过多品种杂交,历经数十年选育形成的乳肉兼用牛品种。随着时代的不断发展和人民对于农产品的消费亲睐,综合考虑新疆肉牛优势产区的生态环境、生产条件和接受程度,确定了新疆褐牛的选育方向和技术路线。该文主要从新疆褐牛品种培育历程、选育方向确定和肉用类型群体选育技术与进展方面进行阐述,旨在推动品种改良和品种形成,为其他肉牛新品种选育提供借鉴。

发酵杂交构树饲料在牛羊生产中的应用

发酵杂交构树饲料是以杂交构树为原料通过青贮发酵所得到的一种新型非常规饲料,具有蛋白含量高、制作成本低等优点,已被广泛应用于解决当前蛋白质饲料不足问题的尝试中。本文综述了发酵杂交构树的营养价值及其发酵方法,并对其在牛羊养殖中的应用进行了整理讨论,为发酵杂交构树今后在反刍动物生产中的进一步推广利用提供理论参考。

基于视频分析的规模化奶牛智能监测技术研究进展

奶牛智能监测是规模化奶牛养殖的重要环节,视频分析技术具备无接触、低成本及智能分析优势,已成为当前规模化奶牛智能监测技术研究的热点。奶牛目标检测、目标跟踪以及个体和行为识别技术对规模化奶牛监管具有重要意义,复杂养殖环境中的光照、昼夜交替变化、围栏遮挡以及牛群数量繁多导致的相互遮挡是影响规模化奶牛智能监测的重要因素。本文对基于视频分析的奶牛智能监测技术研究中常用的深度模型及应用情况进行综述,提出了当前研究中面临的问题与挑战。分析发现,注意力机制、混合卷积等技术是提高模型识别准确率的有效方法,轻量化模块有利于减少模型的复杂度与计算量;计算复杂度、普适性、准确性等是影响该技术推广应用的因素;具体应用时,需要针对奶牛养殖环境、奶牛状况等进行具体分析以不断满足规模化养殖的需求。

我国地方肉牛品种差异化高质量发展模式探究

近年来,肉牛产业比较效益较低,受猪牛肉市场价格非常态联动以及地方品种普遍的生产效益较低等因素影响,肉牛产业发展的支撑效应逐渐弱化。该文解析了新常态下我国肉牛产业的新特征,并对地方品种支撑肉牛产业差异化发展新模式进行了探究,提出了我国地方肉牛差异化高质量发展模式的关键举措。