Abstract
Our objective was to review the literature related to the health and management of newly received cattle published since a previous review by Duff and Galyean (2007). Bovine respiratory ...disease (BRD) continues to be a major challenge for the beef industry. Depending on disease severity, animals treated for BRD have decreased performance and lowered carcass value. Diagnosis of BRD is less effective than desired, and progress on developing real-time, chute-side methods to diagnose BRD has been limited. Systems that combine lung auscultation with temperature and body weight data show promise. Assessment of blood metabolites and behavior monitoring offer potential for early identification of morbid animals. Vaccination and metaphylaxis continue to be important tools for the prevention and control of BRD, but antimicrobial resistance is a concern with antibiotic use. Dietary energy concentration and roughage source and level continue to be important topics. Mineral supplementation has received considerable attention, particularly the use of organic vs. inorganic sources and injectable minerals or drenches given on arrival. The use of probiotics and prebiotics for newly received cattle has shown variable results, but further research is warranted. The health and nutrition of newly received cattle will continue to be an important research area in the years to come.
Lay Summary
Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) is a significant economic and animal welfare challenge for the beef industry. Experiments related to the health and management of newly received cattle published in the last 15 yr were reviewed. Limited progress is being made in developing accurate, real-time methods for diagnosis of BRD, and overall, diagnosis is less effective than desired. Measurement of lung and heart sounds combined with rectal temperature have been studied as diagnostic tools, as well as measurement of blood metabolites and remote monitoring of behavior. Vaccination for viral and bacterial BRD agents and mass treatment of cattle with antibiotics continue to be important tools for prevention and control of BRD, but the development of antimicrobial resistance is a concern. Energy and roughage concentration as well as roughage source continue to be important dietary considerations, as does mineral supplementation, with mineral source and injectable minerals receiving significant research attention. Probiotics and prebiotics fed to newly received cattle have shown variable results in terms of effects on the incidence of BRD and animal performance. Additional research is needed to define optimal diagnostic, management, and nutritional practices for newly received cattle.
Management and nutritional research conducted over the past 15 yr related to the health and nutrition of newly received beef cattle is reviewed.
A two-phase feeding study evaluating performance of rainbow trout and comparing luminal and mucosal gastrointestinal tract (GIT) bacterial community compositions when fed two alternative protein ...diets in two rearing systems was conducted. Alternative protein diets (animal protein and plant protein diets) balanced with crystalline amino acids: lysine, methionine and threonine or unbalanced, were fed to rainbow trout in two separate water systems (recirculating (RR) and flow-through (FF)) for a period of 16 weeks. The four diets, each contained 38% digestible protein and 20% fats, were fed to rainbow trout with an average weight of 12.02 ± 0.61 g, and sorted at 30 fish/tank and 12 tanks per dietary treatment. Phase 1 lasted for 8 weeks after which fish from each tank were randomly divided, with one-half moved to new tanks of the opposing system (i.e. from RR to FF and vice versa). The remaining halves were retained in their initial tank and system, and fed their original diets for another 8 weeks (phase 2). After the 16th week, 3 fish/tank were sampled for each of proximate analysis, body indexes and 16S rRNA analysis of GIT microbiota. Fish weight (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0030, P<0.0010) and body fat (P = 0.0008, P = 0.0041, P = 0.0177) were significantly affected by diet, diet quality (balanced or unbalanced) and system, respectively. Feed intake (P = 0.0008) and body energy (P<0.0010) were altered by system. Body indexes were not affected by dietary treatment and water systems. Compositional dissimilarities existed between samples from the rearing water and GIT locations (ANOSIM: (R = 0.29, P = 0.0010), PERMANOVA: R = 0.39, P = 0.0010), but not in dietary samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.004, P = 0.3140, PERMANOVA: R = 0.008, P = 0.4540). Bacteria were predominantly from the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Their abundance differed with more dissimilarity in the luminal samples (ANOSIM: R = 0.40, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.56, P = 0.0010) than those from the mucosal intestine (ANOSIM: R = 0.37, P = 0.0010, PERMANOVA: R = 0.41, P = 0.0010). Bacteria generally associated with carbohydrate and certain amino acids metabolism were observed in the mucosal intestine while rearing water appeared to serve as the main route of colonization of Aeromonas and Acinetobacter in the rainbow trout.
Arid climates have unpredictable precipitation patterns, and wildlife managers often provide supplemental water to help desert ungulates endure the hottest, driest periods. When surface water is ...unavailable, the only source of water for ungulates comes from the forage they consume, and they must make resourceful foraging decisions to meet their requirements. We compared two desert bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis nelsoni) populations in Arizona, USA: a treatment population with supplemental water removed during treatment, and a control population. We examined whether sheep altered their seasonal diets without supplemental water. We calculated water and nutrient intake and metabolic water production from dry matter intake and forage moisture and nitrogen content, to determine whether sheep could meet their seasonal daily water and nutrient requirements solely from forage. Diets of sheep were higher in protein (all seasons) and moisture (autumn and winter) during treatment compared to pretreatment. During treatment, sheep diet composition was similar between the treatment and control populations, which suggests, under the climatic conditions of this study, water removal did not influence sheep diets. We estimated that under drought conditions, without any surface water available (although small ephemeral potholes would contain water after rains), female and male sheep would be unable to meet their daily water requirements in all seasons, except winter, when reproductive females had a nitrogen deficit. We determined that sheep could achieve water and nutrient balances in all seasons by shifting their total diet proportions by 8-55% from lower to higher moisture and nitrogen forage species. We elucidate how seasonal forage quality and foraging decisions by desert ungulates allow them to cope with their xeric and uncertain environment, and suggest that, with the forage conditions observed in our study area during this study period, providing supplemental water during water-stressed periods may not be necessary for desert bighorn sheep.
Abstract
This experiment evaluated the effects of roughage levels and supplemental fat on intake, growth performance, health, and physiological responses of newly received finishing cattle during ...58-d receiving period. A total of 72 crossbred steers (initial body weight BW = 200 ± 13 kg) were used in a randomized complete block design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, consisting of two roughage levels (wheat hay at 30% R30 or 60% R60; dry matter DM basis) and two levels of supplemental fat (yellow grease at 0% −FAT; no additional fat or 3.5% +FAT; DM basis). Upon arrival, calves were individually weighed, blocked by off-truck shrunk BW, and assigned to 24 soil-surfaced pens (three calves per pen). Shrunk BW was also collected on day 58 for the calculation of average daily gain (ADG). Throughout the study, calves were assessed for bovine respiratory disease (BRD). Effects of roughage level × supplemental fat interaction were only observed for diet particle size distribution and estimated physically effective neutral detergent fiber (peNDF) of diets (P ≤ 0.10). Adding fat to R60 diets tended to increase the percentage of particles retained in the 8-mm screen (P = 0.06) and the estimated peNDF (P = 0.10), but did not affect R30 diets. Dietary roughage level did not affect DM intake (DMI; P = 0.85). Calves-fed R30 tended to have greater ADG and final BW than calves-fed R60 (P ≤ 0.08). Gain efficiency (gain:feed ratio; G:F) was greater for calves-fed R30 than calves-fed R60 (P = 0.01). Dietary roughage level did not affect morbidity and mortality (P ≥ 0.11). Supplemental fat did not affect DMI (P = 0.6) but tended (P = 0.09) to increase ADG compared to –FAT diets. The G:F was greater for calves-fed +FAT than –FAT (P = 0.03). The +FAT diet tended (P = 0.10) to increase the number of retreatments against BRD compared to −FAT, although the total number of antimicrobial treatments required to treat sick calves (P = 0.78) and the mortality rate (P = 0.99) were not affected by supplemental fat. Feeding +FAT diet tended (P ≤ 0.09) to increase plasma concentration of cortisol and immunoglobulin-G compared to –FAT. In summary, feeding 30% roughage diets or adding 3.5% yellow grease (DM basis) as supplemental fat increased G:F during the feedlot receiving period.
Supplementing 3.5% of yellow grease to receiving feedlot calves increased gain:feed.
Lay Summary
The low intake of feed that beef calves exhibit during the first weeks after feedlot arrival results in inadequate nutrient intake, especially energy, which leads to low rates of gain and decreased immune function and likely increases the risks for respiratory diseases. Increasing the energy density of receiving diets (Mcal/kg of dry matter) could result in increased energy intake of newly received finishing cattle. In this experiment, we evaluated the effects of two roughage levels (wheat hay at 30% R30 or 60% R60; dry matter DM basis) combined with two levels of supplemental fat (yellow grease at 0% −FAT; no supplemental fat or 3.5% +FAT; DM basis). Calves-fed R30 tended to have greater average daily gain and final body weight than calves-fed R60. Gain efficiency (gain:feed ratio; G:F) was greater for calves-fed R30 than calves-fed R60. Feeding +FAT tended to increase average daily gain compared to −FAT diet, and G:F was greater for calves-fed +FAT than −FAT. In summary, feeding 30% roughage diets or adding 3.5% of yellow grease increased G:F during the feedlot receiving period, with minimal impact on morbidity rate from respiratory disease.
Abstract
This experiment evaluated the impacts of administering a bovine appeasing substance (BAS) at feedlot entry to receiving cattle. Angus-influenced steers (n = 342) from 16 sources were ...purchased from an auction yard on day –1, and transported (12 hr; 4 trucks) to the feedlot. Upon arrival on day 0, shrunk body weight (BW; 240 ± 1 kg) was recorded and steers were ranked by load, shrunk BW, and source and assigned to receive BAS (IRSEA Group, Quartier Salignan, France; n = 171) or placebo (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether; CON; n = 171). The BAS is a mixture of fatty acids that replicate the composition of the bovine appeasing pheromone. Treatments (5 mL) were topically applied to each individual steer on their nuchal skin area. Steers were allocated to 1 of 24 drylot pens (12 pens/treatment) and received a free-choice diet until day 46. Steers were assessed daily for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) signs, and feed intake was recorded from each pen daily. Steer unshrunk BW was recorded on days 7, 17, 31, 45, and 46. Shrunk BW on day 0 was added an 8% shrink to represent initial BW, and final BW was calculated by averaging BW from days 45 and 46. Blood samples were collected from 5 steers/pen on days 0, 7, 11, 31, and 45. Pen was considered the experimental unit. Steer BW gain was greater (P = 0.04) in BAS vs. CON (1.01 vs. 0.86 kg/d, SEM = 0.05). Feed intake did not differ (P = 0.95) between treatments, resulting in greater (P = 0.05) feed efficiency in BAS vs. CON (171 vs. 142 g/kg, SEM = 10). Plasma cortisol concentration was greater (P = 0.05) and plasma glucose concentration was less in CON vs. BAS on day 7 (treatment × day; P = 0.07 and <0.01, respectively). Mean plasma β-hydroxybutyrate concentration was greater (P < 0.01) in BAS vs. CON (3.23 and 2.75 mg/mL; SEM = 0.12). Incidence of BRD was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in BAS vs. CON from days 6 to 10 and days 19 to 23 (treatment × day; P < 0.01), although overall BRD incidence did not differ (P = 0.20) between treatments (82.4% vs. 76.6%, respectively; SEM = 3.2). A greater proportion (P = 0.04) of BAS steers diagnosed with BRD required one antimicrobial treatment to regain health compared with CON (59.3% vs. 47.6%, SEM = 4.2). Hence, BAS administration to steers upon feedlot arrival improved BW gain during a 45-d receiving period by enhancing feed efficiency. Moreover, results suggest that BAS improved steer performance by facilitating early detection of BRD signs, lessening the disease recurrence upon first antimicrobial treatment.
Interest is increasing in grazing winter canola (
) as an alternative crop in winter wheat (
) rotations in the Southern High Plains (SHP) of the USA and similar environments. In this stidy, winter ...cereal rye (
) and winter canola pastures (forage) were compared for two winter growing seasons at New Mexico State University's Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center at Tucumcari, NM, USA, to determine the relative effect of pasture type on late-gestation beef cows and growing yearling cattle, along with the effect of grazing on canola grain production. Canola grain yields were reduced by 25% when canola was grazed until removal approximately one month after grazing was initiated, but before the onset of rapid regrowth after winter (641 vs. 486 kg grain ha
for never grazed or grazed canola, respectively,
< 0.0256). No differences existed for forage mass, nutritive value, or animal performance, although forage mineral composition of canola could be a concern. Grazing winter canola as a dual-purpose crop in the SHP and similar environments is feasible when proper grazing management is applied; producers should anticipate a 20-25% reduction in grain yield, but expect animal gains to offset that loss.
This study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing steers fed diets containing different feed additives: control (CTL; no feed additives); monensin ...26 mg/kg dry matter (DM); MON; a blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and capsicum (120 mg of a commercial product/kg DM; XT), or the combination of monensin and the blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and capsicum (26 mg/kg DM and 120 mg of a commercial product/kg DM, respectively; MON + XT). A total of 860 steers initial body weight (BW) = 334 kg were fed the basal diet (7% alfalfa hay and 93% concentrate; DM basis) containing the treatments during 154 days. Feed additives did not affect final BW, DM intake, average daily gain, and feed efficiency of finishing steers (P ≥ 0.12). Dressing percentage was lower for MON + XT than MON and XT (P = 0.01). Feeding XT tended to increase the percentage of the carcass with a small marbling score compared to MON (P = 0.09). The proportion of carcass grading premium choice tended to be greater for steers fed MON compared to XT (P = 0.07). The feed additives evaluated herein did not affect the growth performance of finishing beef steers and had little effects on carcass characteristics.
Forage-based beef production is one of the most productive agricultural systems, especially in semiarid, subtropical environments, yet it is temporally variable due to climatic factors. Dormant ...native perennial warm-season grasses are available for grazing from autumn through spring; however, their protein concentration is inadequate to support growing cattle. Winter cereal forages, such as triticale ×Triticosecale Wittm. ex A. Camus (Secale × Triticum), can fill fall through spring forage gaps with sufficient protein concentration. Triticale productivity was evaluated, and beef stocker performance on triticale was compared with supplemented native grassland for late winter pasture in each of three years at New Mexico State University’s Rex E. Kirksey Agricultural Science Center in Tucumcari, NM USA. Study results indicated that triticale pasture forage mass varied over the three years due to precipitation and different triticale planting dates each year, influencing the length of grazing period. Triticale provided late winter average daily gain approximately twice that of cattle grazing dormant native grass with protein supplementation (0.70 vs. 0.36 kg hd−1 d−1, p < 0.0001). Therefore, triticale can be utilized to provide adequate growth of young calves without the added costs of supplementation.
Nutritional ecology forms the interface between environmental variability and large herbivore behaviour, life history characteristics, and population dynamics. Forage conditions in arid and semi‐arid ...regions are driven by unpredictable spatial and temporal patterns in rainfall. Diet selection by herbivores should be directed towards overcoming the most pressing nutritional limitation (i.e. energy, protein nitrogen, N, moisture) within the constraints imposed by temporal and spatial variability in forage conditions. We investigated the influence of precipitation‐induced shifts in forage nutritional quality and subsequent large herbivore responses across widely varying precipitation conditions in an arid environment. Specifically, we assessed seasonal changes in diet breadth and forage selection of adult female desert bighorn sheep Ovis canadensis mexicana in relation to potential nutritional limitations in forage N, moisture and energy content (as proxied by dry matter digestibility, DMD). Succulents were consistently high in moisture but low in N and grasses were low in N and moisture until the wet period. Nitrogen and moisture content of shrubs and forbs varied among seasons and climatic periods, whereas trees had consistently high N and moderate moisture levels. Shrubs, trees and succulents composed most of the seasonal sheep diets but had little variation in DMD. Across all seasons during drought and during summer with average precipitation, forages selected by sheep were higher in N and moisture than that of available forage. Differences in DMD between sheep diets and available forage were minor. Diet breadth was lowest during drought and increased with precipitation, reflecting a reliance on few key forage species during drought. Overall, forage selection was more strongly associated with N and moisture content than energy content. Our study demonstrates that unlike north‐temperate ungulates which are generally reported to be energy‐limited, N and moisture may be more nutritionally limiting for desert ungulates than digestible energy.
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