Lameness causes significant economic losses and serious welfare problems in dairy cows. Surveys carried out in the UK since 1960 have produced different results. In a recent survey (1989/1991) the annual incidence of lameness was put at 54.6 limb cases per 100 cows. The objective of the present survey was to measure the incidence of lameness, and type of lesions involved, in a group of typical UK herds using the Dairy Information System (DAISY).

A survey was carried out using computer based dairy cow records from 17 DAISY sites (veterinary practices and farms) in southern England. Lameness records from over 150 herds were examined for lameness cases (treated by the vet or farmer) recorded between July 1995 and June 1996. Data reliability was checked via personal contacts with veterinary surgeons involved with these herds. Data for the survey were finally derived from 50 Holstein/Friesian herds (average herd size 150 cows).

There is confusion in the literature as to the effects of carbohydrates in the diet of fishes. Warmwater, herbivorous fishes can digest more complex carbohydrates (Shiau and Chuang, 1995) while coldwater, carnivorous fish may digest glucose better. However high levels of dietary glucose may increase fat deposition in the viscera (Bergot, 1979). Furthermore, Kaushik and de Oliva-Teles (1985) reported that heat treatment of raw starch in diets for rainbow trout improved its utilisation. This study was conducted to determine the digestibility of diets containing raw wheat, extruded wheat, glucose and fish oil. The effects of these diets on growth performance and body composition of trout were also determined.

Rabbits are able to recycle most of the microbial protein produced in the caecum by means of caecotrophagy. Caecotrophagy consists in a selective retention in the caecum of fluid and small particles (as vehicles of microorganism) that results in two type of faeces. Excretion of large and indigestible particles constitute the hard faeces whereas excretion of fermented material generate caecotrophes or soft faeces, that are reingested for the animal. It is true that bacterial-N represents the major part of caecotrofes-N. However, a fraction of indigestible dietary N and some addition of endogenous N can modify the final nutritive value of the caecotrophes (Hörnicke & Bjornahg, 1980). The aim of this study was to compare the Nitrogenous composition of bacteria extracted from the caecum against caecotrophes.

Recently ,there is an incrase interest in fattening camals in Iran .This trial aimed to define the influence of dietary energy and protein levels on performance and carcass quality of camels in khorasan province.

For 80 days, nine diets with three metaboliseble energy 10.9, 8.8 or 7.6 MJ /kg DM and three crude protein levels 140, 120, or 100 g/kg DM were offerd ad lib to thirty six camels (mean initial weight 183 kg ± 7.7) , where each treatment were randomly allocated to four animals, that were housed individually. Food intakes were recorded daily. Throughout the trial , all animals were weighed at fortnightly intervals. At the end of the project ,two animals from each treatment were slaughtered and carcass quality were determined. Data were analysed as a 3x3 factorial Anova, with energy and protein were the main effects.

Weaning is associated with a dramatic change in the nutritional status of young animals, and many neonates experience a lag in their normal trajectory of growth post-weaning because they have little experience of ingesting solid food. In the wild, animals are able to learn which foods are ‘safe’ through the mammary transfer of volatile flavours present in the maternal diet. This mechanism could be harnessed in a commercial environment by the use of flavour imprinting, a technique where a characteristic flavour is included both in the maternal and weanling's diet (for pilot data see Campbell, 1976). The use of this method could be associated with considerable increases in the profitability of animal production, however, the whole area is poorly understood. The objective of this experiment was to enhance our understanding of the effect of flavour imprinting on the acceptability of solid food, and hence our ability to predict the diet selection and food intake of newly weaned animals.