Impact of chronic heat stress in broiler breeders on egg quality, hatchability, and day old chick quality.

Acute and chronic heat stress are critical stress factors in broiler breeder management. Acute heat stress not only can negatively impact maternal reproduction performance, but also their offspring's health and quality, whereas effects of chronic heat stress remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate effects of chronic mild maternal heat stress on egg quality, embryo development, and day-old chick quality.

Effects of hatching egg storage duration and warming rate from storage to incubation temperature on morphological broiler embryo development.

Hatching egg storage affects the development and survival of broiler embryos. Storage for longer than 7 d is associated with decreased hatchability, delayed hatching, and lower day-old chick quality. These negative effects may be mitigated by the rate at which eggs are warmed from storage temperature (18°C) to incubation temperature (37.

Investigating the relationship between dairy dam preconception and gestation characteristics and heifer offspring variables from birth to lactation.

Little is known about effects of maternal characteristics around gestation in cows on their female offspring in early and later life. The objective of the current study was to investigate the relationship between cow characteristics during the preconception and gestation period, and the BW, energy metabolism, hormones, immune function, liver enzymes, and milk variables of their female offspring from birth until the first 100 d after their first calving. Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (n = 154) were blocked according to parity, milk yield, and SCC, and randomly assigned to a voluntary waiting period (VWP) of 50, 125, or 200 d.

Crated sow breeding values for mothering ability reduce piglet mortality in free farrowing pens.

Selecting sows with a high genetic merit for mothering ability to ensure the survival of liveborn piglets may be a promising strategy to reduce piglet mortality in free farrowing (FF) systems. This genetic merit, reflected in the Estimated Breeding Value for Mothering Ability (EBVma), is currently estimated based on information from sows housed in conventional crated farrowing systems. Therefore, the objective of the present study was to assess the predictive ability of crated sow breeding values for mothering ability on early piglet mortality, litter characteristics, and farrowing performance in an FF environment.

Effects of husbandry practices on Ross 308 and Hubbard chicken hybrids welfare: HUSBANDRY EFFECTS ON BROILER WELFARE.

This study evaluated the impact of husbandry practices including enrichments, diet, stocking density, genotype, and outdoor access on welfare indicators in fast-growing Ross 308 and two genotypes of medium-growing Hubbard hybrids of chickens. The set of studies was designed with specific factors relevant to each genotype, with stocking density, perch enrichment and lucerne provision targeted for Ross 308 broilers and perch, outdoor access, as well as genotype (JA757 and JA787) for Hubbard chickens. Feather condition, footpad dermatitis (FPD), comb wounds, skin injuries, hock burn, lameness, dirtiness, toe damage, respiratory infections, and diarrhea were evaluated at the end of each production cycle.

Effect of on-farm hatching and elevated platforms on behavior and performance in fast-growing broiler chickens.

Alternative hatching systems compared to conventional hatchery-hatched systems showed positive effects on welfare of broiler chickens. In order to investigate an additional positive effect of elevated platforms, two hatching methods (on-farm [OH] vs. hatchery-hatched [HH]) and two environments from the first day onwards (with elevated platforms [enriched] vs.

Manure odor profiling for flock-level monitoring on commercial layer pullet farms: Vaccination events as a model stressor.

Continuous, non-invasive, and objective methods to detect flock-level responses to stressors, including intestinal health deviations, are currently lacking in poultry. This proof of principle study investigated the potential of manure odor profiling in monitoring stress responses in Lohmann Brown Classic, Lohmann LSL Classic and Lohmann LSL Lite layer pullets. Stressors were represented by a Salmonella vaccination given to the pullets at wk 3 of age (Dataset 1 and Dataset 2) and wk 16 of age (Dataset 4) and a viral/bacterial vaccine cocktail given at wk 12 of age (Dataset 3).

Effects of calving interval of dairy cows on development, metabolism, and milk performance of their offspring.

Extending the voluntary waiting period (VWP) for insemination in dairy cows is of interest as a strategy to reduce the frequency of calving events and inseminate at a moment with fewer fertility problems. Little is known about the calves born from dams with a different VWP followed by a different calving interval (CInt). The objective of the current study was to identify the effect of dam's CInt on body condition, metabolic status, and milk production of their offspring from birth until 100 DIM of the offspring's first lactation.

Discrimination of Lipogenic or Glucogenic Diet Effects in Early-Lactation Dairy Cows Using Plasma Metabolite Abundances and Ratios in Combination with Machine Learning.

During early lactation, dairy cows have a negative energy balance since their energy demands exceed their energy intake: in this study, we aimed to investigate the association between diet and plasma metabolomics profiles and how these relate to energy unbalance of course in the early-lactation stage. Holstein-Friesian cows were randomly assigned to a glucogenic ( = 15) or lipogenic ( = 15) diet in early lactation. Blood was collected in week 2 and week 4 after calving.

Corrigendum: Animal-based factors prior to infection predict histological disease outcome in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus- and -infected pigs.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.

Lactation body condition loss impaired conceptus development and plasma progesterone concentration at day 8 post-ovulation in primiparous sows.

The current study investigated effects of dietary amino acid (AA) availability on lactational body condition loss and metabolic status, in relation to reproductive parameters after weaning up to Day 8 post-ovulation. Primiparous sows (n = 35) were allocated to one of two lactation diets containing either low crude protein (CP, 140 g/kg) with a low percentage (8%) of slow protein in total protein (LL, n = 18) or high CP (180 g/kg) with a high (16%) percentage of slow protein (HH, n = 17). The HH diet was expected to improve AA utilization by supplying more AA, in a more gradual fashion.

Effect of voluntary waiting period on metabolism of dairy cows during different phases of the lactation.

An extended calving interval (CInt) by extending the voluntary waiting period (VWP) could be associated with altered metabolism in dairy cows. The aim of this study was first to evaluate the effects of VWP on metabolism and body condition during the first 305 d after the first calving in the experiment (calving 1), around the end of the VWP, and during pregnancy (280 d before calving 2). Second, the effects of the VWP on metabolism were determined from 2 wk before until 6 wk after calving 2.

Group level and individual activity of broiler chickens hatched in 3 different systems.

Information on the behavior of chickens hatched in different systems is limited and inconsistent across different studies. Changes in broiler activity can be measured automatically and continuously. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of 3 hatching systems on flock activity using a commercial tracking system, and to compare these findings to individual activity measured under experimental conditions.

Perception of laying hen farmers, poultry veterinarians, and poultry experts regarding sensor-based continuous monitoring of laying hen health and welfare.

Daily farm management practices play an essential role in determining and steering health, welfare and productivity of laying hen flocks. Optimal management requires expertise of farmers and coworkers, especially when hens are kept in complex, large-scale aviary systems. Relatively little sensor-based support is available to farmers, even though numerous research groups are working on developing technologies to continuously detect deviations in layer health and welfare.

Sow Nutrition, Uterine Contractions, and Placental Blood Flow during the Peri-Partum Period and Short-Term Effects on Offspring: A Review.

The birth process is a crucial event for piglet survival. Along with increasing litter sizes, not only has the duration of parturition increased, but placental blood flow per piglet has reduced and placental area per piglet has become smaller, making these piglets more susceptible for hypoxia. Diminishing the risk of piglet hypoxia by either reducing the total duration of parturition or increasing fetal oxygenation may reduce the incidence of stillbirth and early post-partum mortality.

Effects of hatching system on chick quality, welfare and health of young breeder flock offspring.

Alternative hatching systems have been developed for broiler chickens to provide immediately feed and water after hatch and reduce the number or severity of early life stressors. Besides beneficial effects of these alternative hatching systems on chick quality and performance, broiler health and welfare may be positively affected as well. Especially offspring from young broiler breeder flocks may benefit, as they have been shown to be more sensitive to preturbations than offspring from older breeder flocks.

Effects of trace minerals source in the broiler breeder diet and eggshell translucency on embryonic development of the offspring.

In 2 experiments, interactions between trace mineral (Zn, Mn, Cu, Se) source (organic or inorganic) in the broiler breeder diet and egg translucency (high or low) on egg characteristics and embryonic development were investigated. In the first experiment, eggs from old breeders (55-57 wk) and in the second experiment, eggs from prime breeders (34-36 wk) were used. Egg composition and bacterial load on the eggshell were analyzed in fresh eggs.

Provision of black soldier fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) in different ways benefits broiler welfare and performance, with largest effects of scattering live larvae.

Including black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in broiler diets has the potential to benefit broiler welfare and increase production performance, but the effects of dietary BSFL likely depend on the way BSFL are provided. In this study we aimed to discern the effects of different BSFL forms and provisioning methods by providing male broilers with no BSFL (CON), processed BSFL meal and oil incorporated in the feed pellets (INC-F), dried BSFL in the feeder on top of the feed (D-F), or dried or live BSFL scattered through the pen (D-S and L-S, respectively), and evaluating various indicators of broiler welfare and production performance. In all dietary BSFL treatments 8% of the total dietary dry matter content was replaced with BSFL.

Udder health of dairy cows with an extended voluntary waiting period from calving until the first insemination.

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of an extended voluntary waiting period (VWP) on SCC, SCC elevations and clinical mastitis incidence during the complete lactation and the first 6 weeks of the next lactation. Holstein-Friesian dairy cows ( = 154) were blocked for parity, expected milk yield, calving season and breeding value for persistency and were randomly distributed across 3 VWP (50, 125, or 200 d: VWP-50, VWP-125, VWP-200). Cows were monitored from calving until 6 weeks into the next lactation, or until culling.

Consequences of extending the voluntary waiting period for insemination on reproductive performance in dairy cows.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of extended voluntary waiting period (VWP) on ovarian cyclicity and reproductive performance of dairy cows. Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (N = 154) were blocked and randomly assigned to one of 3 groups with different VWP (50, 125 or 200 d: VWP-50, VWP-125 or VWP-200). Milk samples were collected 3 times a week and analysed for progesterone concentration.

Physiological and metabolic aspects of follicular developmental competence as affected by lactational body condition loss.

Metabolic demands of modern hybrid sows have increased over the years, which increases the chance that sows enter a substantial negative energy balance (NEB) during lactation. This NEB can negatively impact reproductive outcome, which is especially evident in primiparous sows causing a reduced second parity reproductive performance. The negative effects of the lactational NEB on reproductive performance can be partly explained by the influence of the premating metabolic state, during and after lactation, on the development of follicles from which oocytes will give rise to the next litter.

Consumption of Dietary Fiber with Different Physicochemical Properties during Late Pregnancy Alters the Gut Microbiota and Relieves Constipation in Sow Model.

Constipation is a common problem in sows and women during late pregnancy. Dietary fiber has potential in the regulation of intestinal microbiota, thereby promoting intestinal motility and reducing constipation. However, the effects of fibers with different physicochemical properties on intestinal microbe and constipation during late pregnancy have not been fully explored.

Disentangling Litter Size and Farrowing Duration Effects on Piglet Stillbirth, Acid-Base Blood Parameters and Pre-Weaning Mortality.

The current study evaluated interactions between farrowing duration and litter size on the level of asphyxia, vitality, percentage of stillbirth, and pre-weaning mortality of piglets. Farrowing duration was measured in 159 crossbred gilts and sows (Yorkshire × Dutch Landrace). Litter size ranged between 12 and 21 piglets.

Effects of a Multi-Suckling System Combined With Enriched Housing Post-Weaning on Response and Cognitive Resilience to Isolation.

Improving welfare is still a critical issue in pig husbandry. Upgrades of the housing environment seem to be a promising solution to optimise resilience as a whole, and therefore improve animal welfare. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of an alternative housing system to enhance cognitive resilience and also to promote the pigs' welfare.