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Animals
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The Application of Biostatistics in Animals
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The Application of Biostatistics in Animals

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 October 2023) | Viewed by 6011

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Solomon Woldeyohannes

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
2. Honorary Fellow, School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Interests: biostatistics; Bayesian statistics; sample size; asymptotic properties; animal research
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues, 

Biostatistics play a significant role in addressing research questions posed by researchers in the biological, medical, and public health fields. Researchers in the field of animal research apply basic and advanced statistical approaches for the handling of both simple and complex issues in the veterinary world. Recent developments in machine learning and data science, big data science, and Bayesian methods increase the possibility of the feasible application of biostatistics, as well as make it more interesting. A range of research outputs have already used various methods of biostatistics from basic to complex contexts.

In this Special Issue, we aim to gather recent applications of biostatistics in the field of animal research with a special emphasis on Bayesian statistics and machine learning approaches.

Dr. Solomon Woldeyohannes
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 2313 KiB  
Article
Effect of Environmental and Farm-Associated Factors on Live Performance Parameters of Broilers Raised under Commercial Tropical Conditions
by Gustavo A. Quintana-Ospina, Maria C. Alfaro-Wisaquillo, Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondon, Juan R. Ruiz-Ramirez, Luis C. Bernal-Arango and Gustavo D. Martinez-Bernal
Animals 2023, 13(21), 3312; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13213312 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1299
Abstract
Although temperature, relative humidity, and farm-associated factors are known to affect broiler live performance, data about the impact of these variables under commercial operations are still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperature, relative humidity, a thermal humidity index, management, [...] Read more.
Although temperature, relative humidity, and farm-associated factors are known to affect broiler live performance, data about the impact of these variables under commercial operations are still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of temperature, relative humidity, a thermal humidity index, management, and farm-associated factors on BW, BW gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality of broilers raised to 35 d under commercial tropical conditions. The data analyzed included performance records of Ross 308 AP broiler flocks placed between 2018 and 2020. Environmental monitoring information was obtained from electronic sensors that captured data hourly from 80 flocks in 29 farms. Farm-associated factors were gathered using a survey of 86 farms. Three data analyses were conducted in parallel. Correlation analyses, one-way ANOVA, and machine learning techniques were employed. Results indicated that BW and BW gain were reduced, and FCR worsened (p < 0.001) up to 21 d when chickens were mainly exposed to temperatures 2.5 °C lower than the recommended optimums for each age period. At the same time, mortality at 28 and 35 d increased. In conclusion, all farm-associated factors affected chicken live performance. Variable importance analysis indicated that performance results at 14 and 21 d were significant to predict BW at 35. At the same time, sex, distance between the hatchery and farm, and farm altitude accounted for the most significant contributions from the farm-associated factors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Biostatistics in Animals)
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15 pages, 2523 KiB  
Article
Data Analytics of Broiler Growth Dynamics and Feed Conversion Ratio of Broilers Raised to 35 d under Commercial Tropical Conditions
by Gustavo A. Quintana-Ospina, Maria C. Alfaro-Wisaquillo, Edgar O. Oviedo-Rondon, Juan R. Ruiz-Ramirez, Luis C. Bernal-Arango and Gustavo D. Martinez-Bernal
Animals 2023, 13(15), 2447; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13152447 - 28 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1978
Abstract
Data collection is standard in commercial broiler production; however, growth modeling is still a challenge since this data often lacks an inflection point. This study evaluated body weight (BW) dynamics, feed intake, BW gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality of broiler flocks [...] Read more.
Data collection is standard in commercial broiler production; however, growth modeling is still a challenge since this data often lacks an inflection point. This study evaluated body weight (BW) dynamics, feed intake, BW gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), and mortality of broiler flocks reared under commercial tropical conditions with controlled feeding to optimize FCR. The data analyzed included performance records of 1347 male and 1353 female Ross 308 AP broiler flocks with a total of 95.4 million chickens housed from 2018 to 2020. Decision trees determined high- and low-feed-efficiency groups using FCR at 35 d. Logistic, Gompertz–Laird, and von Bertalanffy growth models were fitted with weekly BW data for each flock within performance groups. The logistic model indicated more accurate estimates with biological meaning. The high-efficiency males and females (p < 0.001) were offered less feed than the low-efficiency group and were consistently more efficient. In conclusion, greater feeding control between the second and the fourth week of age, followed by higher feed allowance during the last week, was associated with better feed efficiency at 35 d in males and females. Additionally, models demonstrated that a reduced growth rate resulted in heavier chickens at 35 d with better feed efficiency and greater BW gain. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Biostatistics in Animals)
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17 pages, 1994 KiB  
Article
Comparison of Nonlinear Growth Models to Estimate Growth Curves in Kivircik Sheep under a Semi-Intensive Production System
by Nursen Ozturk, Pembe Dilara Kecici, Lorenzo Serva, Bulent Ekiz and Luisa Magrin
Animals 2023, 13(14), 2379; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13142379 - 21 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1303
Abstract
The Kivircik is an indigenous sheep breed from Turkey, and it has superior meat quality compared to other indigenous breeds. Therefore, farmers prioritize Kivircik lamb fattening instead of milk production. Here, we aimed to determine the best nonlinear growth model, i.e., Gompertz, Logistic, [...] Read more.
The Kivircik is an indigenous sheep breed from Turkey, and it has superior meat quality compared to other indigenous breeds. Therefore, farmers prioritize Kivircik lamb fattening instead of milk production. Here, we aimed to determine the best nonlinear growth model, i.e., Gompertz, Logistic, Von Bertalanffy, and Brody, to describe the growth curve of Kivircik lambs. The body weight data from birth until 150 days of age belonging to 612 lambs were used as the material of this study. The best fitting model was selected by considering the adjusted coefficient of determination (R2adj), residual mean square, and Akaike’s (AIC) and Bayesian information criteria (BIC). Even though the Brody model had a better statistical fit, considering its biological interpretation, the Gompertz model was identified as an appropriate model for describing Kivircik lamb growth. Male lambs, twin lambs, and lambs born in winter had higher mature live weights (44.2 kg, 71.2 kg, and 38.5 kg, respectively) and rate of weight gain (2.1, 2.6, and 2.0, respectively). However, our subgroups revealed a similar rate of maturity (0.01). Growth models are important tools for deciding the optimal slaughter age and they provide valuable information on the management practices of both sexes, birth types, and birth seasons. These results can be applied to breeding programs for early selection, enabling intervention strategies when needed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Application of Biostatistics in Animals)
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