Meta-analysis of poultry organ weights and their relationship with meat yield.

Late-stage mortality is a significant challenge for the poultry industry, leading to substantial economic losses, concerns about animal welfare, and operational sustainability. Heart-related conditions, including ascites syndrome, pulmonary hypertension syndrome, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and sudden death syndrome, contribute significantly to this issue. The increasing prevalence of these conditions is potentially linked to intense selection pressure aimed at maximizing meat yield, particularly breast meat.

A genome-wide association study on rumination time in first-lactation dairy cattle.

Rumination time (RT) in dairy cattle is a crucial indicator of health, production, reproduction, and greenhouse gas emissions. With moderate heritability estimates for RT, there is potential for further analyses regarding the genetic architecture of the trait. To identify genomic regions associated with RT, we conducted a GWAS on SNPs in a cohort of 452 mid-first-lactation Canadian Holstein cows, followed by the annotation of genes and enrichment analyses of QTL.

Genetic parameter estimates for the use of an aviary with winter garden by laying hens.

The behavioral activity of laying hens in an aviary is indicative of their welfare and health. Furthermore, hens' usage of the different locations within an aviary has been shown to influence laying performance and egg quality. For example, hens that spent a longer duration of time in the nest during laying were observed to have lower laying performance.

Nutrition Capacity Assessment of Agriculture Extension Services in Nigeria.

Background: Achieving meaningful malnutrition reductions in Nigeria and other high-burden countries requires sustained improvements in diets, mediated through nutrition-sensitive agriculture and food systems. Yet, the capacity to design, plan, implement, and monitor such nutrition-sensitive systems is very limited, including within agricultural extension services delivery. Understanding existing capacity of actors required to implement nutrition change is crucial for effective capacity development.