Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) is aniticarcinogenic, antiatherogenic and antidiabetogenic actives. Research has therefore focused on methods of increasing CLA content in milk fat. Amount of CLA in milk fat was highly related to biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acid of rumen microbes. (Bauman et al., 1999). Linoleic acid (C18:2) were the precursors of CLA synthesis. The CLA was also synthesized in the mammary gland of lactating ruminants, using oleic acid (C18:1) as a precursor and activity of delta 9-desaturase (Griinari and Bauman, 1999). Linoleic acid is high in soybean oil (SO) (54.4%) and tuna oil (TO) (20.3%) while oleic acid is high in pork oil (PO) (43.5%) and groundnut oil (GO) (40.7%). Therefore, the objective of this experiment was to compare the increasing of CLA and fatty acid composition in milk fat form cows fed dietary oils obtained from either animal or plant sources.

The supply of high-concentrate diets results in the reduction in ruminal pH and the development of acidosis. Because the reduction of pH occurs at the same time as the diet is changed, the effects are confounded. For example, high-concentrate diets ferment towards propionate, and low rumen pH also results in greater propionate production. Which factor is responsible for the increase in rumen propionate? The objective of this study was to determine the effects of rumen pH and the type of diet (D) on rumen microbial fermentation, with the aim of developing simple mathematical model to describe these effects.

In vitro experiments have revealed that members of the Butyrivibrio group can convert linoleic (C18:2 n-6) and linolenic (C18:3 n-3) acid to VA (C18:1 trans-11), with some being able to further convert VA to stearate (C18:0). Advances in molecular microbial technology mean that we are now able to quantify these bacteria using quantitative PCR (qPCR) as well as look at total eubacterial and Butyrivibrio–specific population changes using Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE). The aims of this study were to assess the involvement of Butyrivibrio spp. in the biohydrogenation pathways in vivo as well as investigate whether other bacterial species may be involved.

Cereal grains are the most common sources of readily available energy for dairy cows. Several in vitro and in situ studies have measured starch degradability of cereal grains. However, most of these studies compared few samples and grain species and used only one method. Compared with protein, much less information is available on this topic. Such information would allow a more efficient use of energy and protein in dairy cow diets. The objective of this study was to determine starch degradation of 32 samples of 7 cereal grains using in vitro incubation with rumen fluid and a new method based on a boiling extraction with an enzymatic (thermo stable α-amylase) solution.

The proportion of the starch that escapes rumen degradation varies from 5 to 65% of the starch intake. It depends on the feeding level and the nature of the cereal, and for a same cereal, on its endosperm hardness, related to genotype and maturity, and on the technological treatments, including particle size (Huntington et al., 2006). The intestinal digestion of starch escaping rumen degradation essentially takes place in the small intestine and varies between 15 to 85% of the starch that arrives into the duodenum. As in the rumen, this variability would essentially be due to the intrinsic features of the maize that determines the accessibility of the starch to the endogenous enzymes, in particular the endosperm hardness and the particle size. The aim of this work was to evaluate the rumen starch degradation of maize and its residue digestion in the small intestine as function of particle size and endosperm hardness.

It has been shown that the rate of lipolysis and proteolysis differs significantly between red clover genotypes with different levels of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) activity (Lee et al. 2004). Sullivan and Hatfield, (2006) reported the development of genetically modified isolines of red clover with the PPO1 gene silenced. This material was used to examine the role of the red clover PPO enzyme on lipolysis and ultimately C18 polyunsaturated fatty acid biohydrogenation in batch culture. If the role of PPO in reducing ruminal lipolysis of plant lipids is proven it would influence breeding strategies for forages which exhibit this trait in an attempt to increase the levels of beneficial PUFA and decrease detrimental trans and saturated fatty acids in animal products.

The myriad putative health benefits of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and in particular the cis-9, trans-11 isomer, have stimulated interest in increasing its concentration in food. Ruminant fat is the main dietary source of CLA for humans and CLA is produced in the rumen by incomplete biohydrogenation of dietary linoleic acid (LA). It is now accepted that most CLA is synthesised post-ruminally by desaturation of vaccenic acid (VA) produced during ruminal biohydrogenation of (LA) and linolenic acid (LNA) (Griinari et al., 2000). Enhancement of VA synthesis in the rumen is therefore an important element of strategies to increase CLA concentration in tissue. The objective of this experiment was to determine the effect of controlling the rate of release of oil from camelina seeds, a novel source of both LA and LNA, on the accumulation of intermediates during ruminal biohydrogenation.

Artemia or brine shrimp is a crustacean animal that lives in conditions of high salinity in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. There is great potential for the culture and production of artemia in Iran. Artemia biomass is a good source of protein that can be used in poultry diets (Zarei et al., 2006). The objective of this study was to determine the protein digestibility of different sources of artemia in vitro and in vivo in comparison with fish meal.

Because digesta vary in pH in different gastrointestinal segments of poultry, exogenous phytase or xylanase may exhibit differences in activity along the gastrointestinal tract. Previous reports indicated that the stomach is the major site of exogenous microbial phytase activity, with no further activity found in the small intestine of piglets. Information regarding exogenous phytase or xylanase activity in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry is largely unavailable. Because exogenous phytase or xylanase activity in the digesta is extremely low, normal phytase or xylanase activity measurements are prone to errors resulting from background interference contributed by the exogenous inorganic phosphate or xylose in the digesta (Walsh et al., 1995). The aim of this study was to utilize electrophoresis activity stain to detect the activity of phytase or xylanase in different gastrointestinal segments of broiler chickens fed diets containing exogenous enzymes.

Recent advances in artificial insemination (AI) and semen preparation have led to an increase in the availability of equine genetics globally. Generally, less than half the stallion population produce semen of suitable robustness to maintain acceptable fertility post-freezing, and research is needed to improve not only the numbers of stallions whose semen can be successfully frozen, but also to increase the number of collections that meet fertility standards. The number of progressively motile sperm present during ovulation determines successful conception in horses. AI practitioners recommend that 500 million progressively motile sperm should be introduced into the mare’s uterus to ensure best chance of pregnancy (Matson and Pycock, 2006), and progressive motility is currently accepted as suitable for determining fertility in stallions. Established laboratory quality assessments are used to identify stallions with suitably robust semen for freezing and worldwide distribution, however fertility traits can be influenced by many factors, e.g. age, level of competitive performance or workload, nutrition, disease and stress (Tucker and Morris, 2006). In order to investigate the impact of such factors on semen quality, it is first important to determine the level of variation in semen quality between stallions that are currently used for frozen semen collections, which formed the main objective of the following study. This baseline can then be used to compare improvements in semen quality from various nutritional and management interventions, which form the basis of our ongoing research program.

Selection considerations for mares for breeding are varied. Most breeders consider factors such as performance, pedigree, progeny and conformation very carefully. It has been suggested (Roberts, 1986) that fertility rates may be comparatively poor (under 50% per cycle) in the aged (over 15 years) broodmare. This study (via survey) examined) the factors considered by event horse breeders when selecting mares for breeding and their stated knowledge of reproduction and physiology.

Good conformation and inherent soundness are major prerequisites in the performance horse (Holmstrom & Drevemo, 1997). One of the most common conformational faults associated with the equine forelimb is splint formation. Particularly in the case of young horses (<5 years old), the formation of splints along the medial and lateral aspects of the cannon bone (3rd metacarpal) is often a cause of lameness. The splint bones are the smaller 2nd (inner or medial) and 4th (outer or lateral) metacarpal bones that rest along-side the cannon bone and the inner splint bone tends to be more frequently affected. Several conditions/activities such as inappropriate nutrition, hard ground, direct trauma as in the opposing hoof hitting the inside splint bone of the opposite leg and poor conformation (off-set knees) create an increased risk of splint formation. Pasture management is an important feature of horse production and growing horses spend much of the year at grass. While at pasture, overly excessive play and motor activity (slipping, falling and jumping) might also induce splint formation and lameness. Splints generally result from inflammation of the ligament that knits the splint and cannon bones together leading to inflammation of the periosteum (periostitis) and new bone formation at the damage site. In cases where substantial blunt trauma occurs, it may also involve the cannon bone and the occurrence of single or multiple swellings. Newly formed splints can cause degrees of lameness of the affected limb, but rest is usually sufficient to overcome the damage. The objective of this study was to compare two different grassland husbandry systems for rearing young sport horses with regard to the prevention of occasional lameness and splint formation in the yearling while at summer pasture.

The most striking effect of effort in horses is an increase in energy requirements covered mainly by intakes of large amounts of cereals. Cereals are high in starch, an easily available carbohydrate. High starch feeding is a well known risk factor for the development of intestinal disorders and injuries such as laminites (Clarke et al., 1990). The use of oil in horses diets is an alternative to reduce cereals incorporation. Corn oil, soja oil or coconut oil are often incorporated owing to their good palatability. The aim of the present work was to propose linseed oil as an alternative for fat supplementation in horses rations.

Analysis of environmental factors within equine sporting competition is critical to understanding potential effects on performance. If such effects are occurring they need careful consideration within any performance assessment mechanisms that are subsequently undertaken on the data. Such effects may have implications for competitor’s selectors and trainers. Additionally and importantly if the performance data is being related to breeding information, these environmental effects may be playing a significant role in our subsequent judgements and predictions within breed improvement models.

Activity patterns of domesticated animals have largely focussed on hours of daylight and relatively few studies include detailed observations of night time activity. This has the potential to overlook behaviours of significance to the assessment of welfare. For example, stereotypic activities in laboratory mice are largely confined to dark periods, and consequently are not commonly reported by daytime laboratory workers. Use of low light video cameras coupled with infra-red or low intensity lighting now makes observation over entire light-dark cycle practical, whilst minimising disturbance to the sampled population. This paper describes the activity patterns of stabled horses over 24 hour periods. These observations can then be used as baseline for investigating the effects of changes to the stable environment on horses’ behaviour and welfare.

European breeding schemes have for many years routinely conducted evaluation of young (mainly at four to six years of age) sport horse as a part of their integrated breed improvement schemes (Whitaker and Hill, 2005 a). Such an approach has allowed assessment of horses as to their future worth as competition animals and helped to establish the potential genetic worth of animals to the populations. Furthermore such events act as part of the validation mechanism for the establishment of estimated breeding values. The UK has historically suffered from an unstructured and disparate approach to sport horse breeding (Whitaker and Hill 2005 a). However recently (over the last five years) various organisations have introduced competitions aimed at assessment of young sport horses. An example is the British Eventing Breeding Championships established in 2004. Four, five and six year old event horse compete in qualifying competitions and then participate in a one day championship event run in October. This study investigated the effect of both breed type and registry on final rank within competition for six year old horses completing competition in 2004 and 2005 championships.

The Sport Horse breeding industry in Great Britain has been in decline for many years. Once, the British were in the vanguard of the worldwide Sport Horse breeding industry, alongside a buoyant Thoroughbred breeding industry. However, in recent years Sport Horse breeding has floundered, with many competitive dressage and show jumping horses being purchased from overseas. (BHIC / Defra 2005) Research has been carried out to identify trends in Thoroughbred auction sales (Buzby and Jessup 1994, Robbins and Kennedy 2001), and Sport Horse auction sales (Hennessey and Quinn 2006). The British Equestrian Federation (BEF), through British Breeding, commissioned this research firstly to ascertain the demand for British bred horses and identify any trends contained within this demand, and secondly to obtain a snapshot of the current horse buying market place.

Promoting feed intake of lactating dairy cattle (particularly those in early lactation) is critical in terms of improving milk production, health, body condition and welfare of the animals (Grant and Albright, 1995). Therefore a good food supply is extremely important to the modern, high producing dairy cow. Feeder design and stocking density can have a major impact on feed intake and aggressive behaviour; therefore it is an important consideration when designing housing and managing livestock. The aim of the study was to investigate if increasing space allowance at the feed-face would reduce the frequency of aggressive interactions and competition. These changes in spacing may also lead to an increase in feeding activity in the time after provision of fresh feed.

Sociability refers to the extent to which animals seek social companionship. Individual differences in social behaviour exist between animals. It is important to measure individual social motivation in order to develop suitable temperament scores that can be used in future breeding programmes or as part of welfare assessment schemes. Runway tests have been shown as reliable methods of measuring sociability in animals (Birds Mills & Faure, 1991; Sheep Sibbald et al., 2005). The aim was to develop a suitable test that could be used to measure sociability of cows in a commercial situation. The following questions were addressed i) How repeatable is the runway test when carried out on dairy cattle, ii) Does a cow’s performance in a runway test correlate with social behaviour within a group house setting?

The ease with which posture changing occurs in pigs has welfare relevance since the duration of lying down and standing up behaviour may indicate the adequacy of floor type to give security of movement, and/or the mobility of animals after resting on floors differing in comfort. Standing and lying behaviours consist of a predictable sequence of movements, with stages between movements when the animal can pause in a relatively stable transition state. In sows, it has been suggested that the duration of one or more of these stages might be sensitive to both animal and environmental factors (Marchant and Broom, 1996); however whether this is the case in finishing pigs is less certain. The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate behaviours indicative of both the physical comfort of different types of floors and security of movement in finishing pigs.