No abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate swine females of different genetic lines submitted to different reproductive management and housing systems during pregnancy on reproductive performance and animal welfare parameters. After artificial insemination protocol, 524 females were divided into two gestation housing systems: PEN1=animals housed in individual stalls during the breeding and after group-housed; PEN32=animals housed in individual stalls from breeding until 32 days of pregnancy and after group-housed. The number of piglets born, and the pregnancy and farrowing rates were evaluated. Welfare parameters related to the pregnancy phase were used. Females who weaned more piglets in the previous farrowing had a higher number of piglets born at the next farrowing. The pregnancy rate was affected by the number of semen doses. The farrowing rate was not influenced by the evaluated parameters, with average value of 91.36%. There was no effect of the gestation housing system and the genetic lines on pregnancy and farrowing rates, with values above 90.0%. The animal welfare indicators showed more compromised parameters in PEN1 system. PEN1 system did not impair the reproductive performance although it presented more compromised animal welfare parameters.

The use of blood metabolites (BM), fecal starch (FS), and apparent digestion of starch, (ATTSD) as indicators of feed efficiency (FE) in beef cattle in the feedlot was studied. Fourteen bulls were used, originating in an industrial cross, without a defined racial group, with mean body weight of 284.86kg, individually fed, being evaluated in a 42-day confinement system. After the evaluation, the animals were divided into two groups according to the individual FE: high feed efficiency (HE) and low feed efficiency (LE). There was a difference between the groups in the variables FE, feed conversion (FC), final weight (FW), and daily weight gain (DWG). The FE had a positive correlation with DWG, FC, and FW. There was no difference between the groups for the variables BM, FS, and ATTSD, nor was there any correlation between these variables and FE. Considering the feed cost, the HE animals proved more profitable. BM, FS, and ATTSD did not statistically show potential to be used as indicators of FE, despite the evidence of numerical differences of these variables between the different groups, tendency of correlations with FE, and discriminating function with potential assertiveness.

RESUMO O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar os efeitos da utilização do engaço da banana (Musas pp) e do resíduo da pupunha (Bactrisgasipaes) sobre a saúde ruminal e hepática de bovinos. Para isso, foram realizados dois experimentos. No experimento I seis novilhas mestiças das raças Holandês e Jersey com idade entre 6 e 8 meses receberam 0,25% do peso vivo de matéria seca de engaço de banana na dieta. No experimento II sete vacas da raça Holandês, multíparas receberam 0,5% do peso vivo de matéria seca de resíduo de pupunha na dieta. Em ambos os experimentos a oferta e as sobras foram pesadas para determinar a ingestão diária de matéria seca. As coletas de líquido ruminal e de sangue foram realizadas nos dias 0, 1, 4, 7,14 e 21 do período experimental. Nos mesmos dias foram avaliados os movimentos ruminais. No líquido ruminal foram avaliados o pH, a motilidade de protozoários e o tempo de oxido redução. Foram realizadas as análises séricas da enzima gama glutamiltransferase. Apenas no primeiro dia dos experimentos houveram maiores alterações nos parâmetros, principalmente na oxido-redução e movimentação de protozoários, retornando à normalidade nos dias seguintes. Conclui-se que a adição de até 0,5% e 0,25% do peso vivo de matéria seca de resíduo de pupunha e de engaço de banana, respectivamente, na dieta de bovinos, não influenciaram negativamente os indicadores de saúde ruminal e hepática, indicando que ambos os resíduos podem ser utilizados como fonte alternativa de volumoso para bovinos. Palavras-chave: análises bioquímicas, bovinocultura, engaço de banana, resíduo de pupunha.

This unedited manuscript has been accepted by RCCP for future publication and is provisionally published on our website. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley review before final publication. Please note that this advance version may differ from the "Ahead of print" and also from the final version. Performance and financial efficiency of three dairy production systems in southern Brazil Desempeño productivo y eficiencia financiera en tres sistemas de producción lechera en el sur de Brasil Desempenho produtivo e a eficiência financeira em três sistemas de produção de leite no sul do Brasil