Precision Feeding and Management of Farm Animals, 3rd Edition

Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in demand for animal products, due to recent demographic and dietary changes, as well as societal concerns related to the environment (climate change), reduction of greenhouse gases (GHGe), human health (non-use of antibiotics and synthetic growth promoters), and animal welfare (increase in organic production systems) has led to the development of precision livestock farming (PLF) technologies. These provide farmers with a platform for real-time monitoring and management of performance parameters, animal health and welfare, grazing patterns, and animal feeding in a continuous and automated way, presenting the opportunity to improve productivity, evaluate production parameters, and, thus, develop genetic selection strategies and/or detect health problems at an early stage.

The aim of this Topic is to address the above issues by exploring the potential of PLF and to discuss the possible benefits and risks arising from the use of such technologies.

Prof. Dr. Manuel Gonzalez-Ronquillo
Prof. Dr. Marta I. Miranda Castañón
Prof. Dr. Einar Vargas-Bello-Pérez
Topic Editors

Keywords

Participating Journals

Journal Name	Impact Factor	CiteScore	Launched Year	First Decision (median)	APC
Agriculture agriculture	3.3	4.9	2011	19.2 Days	CHF 2600	Submit
Dairy dairy	-	4.4	2020	27.8 Days	CHF 1200	Submit
Poultry poultry	-	-	2022	28.8 Days	CHF 1000	Submit
Veterinary Sciences vetsci	2.0	2.9	2014	21.2 Days	CHF 2100	Submit
Animals animals	2.7	4.9	2011	16.1 Days	CHF 2400	Submit

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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All Agriculture Dairy Poultry Veterinary Sciences Animals

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Supplementary material:
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17 pages, 329 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Guanidinoacetic Acid and Its Impact on the Performance, Carcass and Meat Quality of Growing and Finishing Nellore Cattle

by Letícia Carolina Bortolanza Soares, Leticia Kim Huang, Germán Darío Ramírez-Zamudio, Murilo Soler de Magistri, Joao Marcos Bovetto de Campos Valim, Vinicius Laerte Silva Herreira, Patricia Maloso Ramos, Carl Robertson Dahlen, Nara Regina Brandão Cônsolo, Saulo Luz Silva and Paulo Roberto Leme

Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(5), 425; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12050425 - 30 Apr 2025

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Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) supplementation during the growing and finishing phases on Nellore bulls’ performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. Fifty-two Nellore bulls were randomly assigned to four treatments: control (CON, without GAA) and three GAA levels (3, [...] Read more.

This study evaluated the effects of guanidinoacetic acid (GAA) supplementation during the growing and finishing phases on Nellore bulls’ performance, carcass traits, and meat quality. Fifty-two Nellore bulls were randomly assigned to four treatments: control (CON, without GAA) and three GAA levels (3, 6, and 9 g/kg dry matter [DM] in the growing supplement; 0.3, 0.6, and 0.9 g/kg DM in the finishing diet). During the 280-day growing phase, bulls were kept in paddocks, while in the 74-day feedlot finishing phase, they were housed in collective pens. Body weight, average daily gain, and carcass ultrasound measurements were recorded in both phases. Feed intake was recorded daily during finishing, and carcass traits were evaluated post-slaughter. GAA supplementation during the growing phase did not affect performance or ultrasound carcass traits (p ≥ 0.12). In the finishing phase, increasing GAA doses linearly reduced body weight gain (p = 0.03) without affecting carcass traits assessed by ultrasound or post-slaughter (p ≥ 0.10). GAA supplementation linearly reduced cooking loss (p = 0.02) without influencing other meat quality parameters (p ≥ 0.11). It is concluded that, under the conditions of this study, GAA supplementation did not affect performance or carcass traits, except for reduced weight gain at the highest dose, but reduced water loss from cooked meat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Precision Feeding and Management of Farm Animals, 3rd Edition)

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Supplementary File 1 (ZIP, 234 KiB)

19 pages, 263 KiB  

Open AccessArticle

Dietary Calcium and Protein Levels Influence Growth Performance, Intestinal Development, and Nutrient Utilization in Goslings

by Yuanjing Chen, Guoqiang Su, Ning Li, Zhengfeng Yang, Haiming Yang and Zhiyue Wang

Vet. Sci. 2025, 12(4), 310; https://doi.org/10.3390/vetsci12040310 - 28 Mar 2025

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This study evaluated the effects of dietary calcium (Ca) and crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzyme activities in goslings during the brooding period. A total of 972 one-day-old Jiangnan White goslings were assigned to a [...] Read more.

This study evaluated the effects of dietary calcium (Ca) and crude protein (CP) levels on growth performance, nutrient utilization, intestinal morphology, and digestive enzyme activities in goslings during the brooding period. A total of 972 one-day-old Jiangnan White goslings were assigned to a 3 × 3 factorial design with three levels of Ca (0.32%, 0.96%, and 2.88%) and three levels of CP (14.5%, 18.5%, and 22.5%). Results showed that moderate Ca (0.96%) and CP (14.5–18.5%) levels optimized growth performance, with higher body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and average daily feed intake (ADFI), while excessive Ca (2.88%) impaired growth and the feed conversion ratio (FCR). Intestinal morphology was enhanced by 0.96% Ca and moderate CP levels, as reflected by greater villus height and crypt depth. Digestive enzyme activities in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were significantly influenced by dietary treatments, with moderate nutrient levels supporting optimal enzymatic efficiency. Nutrient utilization analyses revealed that Ca and CP levels interacted to optimize calcium, phosphorus, and protein metabolism, with the highest utilization rates observed at 0.96% Ca and 14.5% CP. These findings emphasize the importance of balanced dietary formulations to enhance growth performance, nutrient absorption, and metabolic efficiency in goslings, providing practical insights for improving poultry production. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Precision Feeding and Management of Farm Animals, 3rd Edition)

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Open AccessArticle

Multi-Omics Analysis Reveals the Negative Effects of High-Concentrate Diets on the Colonic Epithelium of Dumont Lambs

by Shufang Li, Hairong Wang, Boyang Li, Henan Lu, Jianxin Zhao, Aiwu Gao, Yawen An, Jinli Yang and Tian Ma

Animals 2025, 15(5), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15050749 - 5 Mar 2025

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Abstract

Feeding HC diets has been found to induce metabolic dysregulation in the colon. However, the mechanisms by which changes in colonic flora and metabolites damage the colonic epithelium are poorly studied. Therefore, the present experiment used a multi-omics technique to investigate the mechanism [...] Read more.

Feeding HC diets has been found to induce metabolic dysregulation in the colon. However, the mechanisms by which changes in colonic flora and metabolites damage the colonic epithelium are poorly studied. Therefore, the present experiment used a multi-omics technique to investigate the mechanism of colonic injury induced by high-concentrate diets in lambs. Twelve male Dumont lambs were randomly split into two groups: a low-concentrate diet (LC = concentrate/forage = 30:70) group and a high-concentrate diet (HC = concentrate/forage = 70:30) group. The results showed that the HC group presented significantly increased lipopolysaccharide (LPS) concentrations in the colonic epithelium and significantly decreased serum total cholesterol (TC), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) levels (p < 0.05), which led to cavities and inflammatory cell infiltration in the colonic epithelium. The HC group had significantly lower pH and less VFAs in colon contents, as well as a significantly increased abundance of bacteria of the genera [Eubacterium]_coprostanoligenes_group, Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group, Treponema, Clostridia_UCG-014, Alistipes, Ruminococcus, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group, UCG-002, Bacteroidales_RF16_group and Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group compared to the LC diet group. These microorganisms significantly increased the level of metabolites of cholic acid, chenodeoxycholic acid, LysoPA (P-16:0/0:0), methapyrilene, and fusaric acid. A transcriptome analysis showed that cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, glutathione metabolism, and the peroxisome signaling pathway were downregulated in the colon epithelium of the lambs fed the HC diet. Therefore, the HC diet caused epithelial inflammation and oxidative damage by affecting the interaction between the microbial flora of the colon and metabolites and the host epithelium, which eventually disrupted colon homeostasis and had a negative impact on sheep health. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Precision Feeding and Management of Farm Animals, 3rd Edition)

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