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Suckling Period (suckling + period)
Selected AbstractsSpatial Association in a Highly Inbred Ungulate Population: Evidence of Fine-Scale Kin RecognitionETHOLOGY, Issue 2 2008Jorge Cassinello We present the first evidence of fine-scale kin recognition, based on a continuous measure of relatedness, in ungulates. The spatial association between herdmates of a captive population of aoudad (Ammotragus lervia), where all the individuals are related, is analysed during resting time. Our goal was to estimate which factors influence individuals' associations. The study population is highly inbred, although it does not show serious deleterious effects caused by consanguinity. It comprises a single captive herd, reproducing freely and in good conditions for more than 10 yr. It emerges that kin, measured as the coefficient of relationship between two given herdmates, is the main factor determining the spatial association (e.g. average distance) of male,male and female,female dyads, as more-related individuals tend to rest closer to each other than less-related ones. As for male,female dyads, individuals of a similar age tend to stay closer. To rule out any familiarity confounding effects, individuals' cohabitation time in the herd was added as a random factor in the analyses. Concerning the type of dyad, mother,calf dyads are characterized by higher proximity than others, particularly during the suckling period, whereas males tend to stay closer to each other than females or male,female dyads, being also more kin-related. Female social rank does not influence spatial association between herdmates. These results are related to group composition of the species in the wild, which are characterized by intense mother,calf bonds and all-male groups that are probably kin-related. It is seen that adult male,female associations are not related to kinship, but to age similarity, which is in accord with the assumption that main family groups in the wild are formed by matrilineal lines, whereas males are the dispersing sex. [source] Field evaluation of the efficacy of a probiotic containing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis spores, on the health status and performance of sows and their littersJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 11-12 2004C. Alexopoulos Summary The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of BioPlus 2B, a probiotic containing Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis spores, on the health status and productivity of sows and their litters. A total of 109 gilts and sows were allocated into two experimental groups, as follows: untreated controls (UC) and BioPlus 2B (same feeding as the UC group plus BioPlus 2B) at a dose of 400 g/ton of feed (equal to 1.28 × 106 viable spores/g of feed). Treatment started from the day of allocation (14 days prior to the expected farrowing) up to the weaning day. Homogeneity of the groups was satisfied with regard to the parity. From the results it was evident that BioPlus 2B supplementation of the feed improved gilt/sow performance as shown by: (i) the increase of sow feed consumption during the first 14 days postpartum and (ii) the decrease of sow weight loss during the suckling period. Certain blood and milk parameters were significantly improved, as shown by higher serum cholesterol and total lipids concentrations and higher milk fat and protein content at mid-suckling period. As a consequence, a positive effect was also noticed as regard litter health and performance characteristics in terms of: (i) decrease in piglet diarrhoea score, (ii) decrease in pre-weaning mortality thus leading to increase in the number of weaned piglets per litter and (iii) increase in piglet body weight at weaning. Moreover, BioPlus 2B tended to improve the health status and fertility of sows demonstrating: (i) tendency to a lower proportion of sows with Mastitis-Metritus-Agalactia (MMA) problems and (ii) lower proportion of sows returning to oestrus. [source] Effect of L -carnitine supplementation on performance parameters in gilts and sowsJOURNAL OF ANIMAL PHYSIOLOGY AND NUTRITION, Issue 3-4 2001K. Eder The effect of L-carnitine supplementation during pregnancy and lactation on performance parameters of sows was studied. The trial comprised a total of 127 sows (40 gilts, 87 mature sows) which were divided into a control and a treatment group. All animals were fed individually and received basic feed mixtures for pregnancy and lactation with low carnitine concentrations (gestation diet: 4.7 mg/kg feed, lactation diet: 12.5 mg/kg feed). The rations of the sows in the treated group were supplemented with 125 mg L -carnitine per head and day during pregnancy and 250 mg L -carnitine per head and day during lactation. The animals of the control group received identical feed mixtures in identical amounts, but without the L -carnitine supplement. L -carnitine supplementation resulted in higher sow liveweight gains between day 1 and day 85 of pregnancy. The number of piglets per litter and the number born alive did not differ between the control sows and those treated with L -carnitine. However, the L -carnitine-supplemented sows produced only half as many non-viable piglets as the control animals. Moreover, litter weight and mean birth weight of piglets from L -carnitine-treated sows were higher than in the control sows. This effect was more marked in gilts (+8% higher litter weight, +9% higher piglet weight) than in sows (+7% and +6%, respectively). Piglets from sows whose ration was supplemented with L -carnitine showed higher liveweight gains during the suckling period (+12% for gilts, +4% for sows), which is why litter weights post weaning were also higher among the sows treated with L -carnitine than in the control sows (+14% for gilts, +10% for sows). Overall, the study shows that dietary supplementation with L -carnitine during pregnancy and lactation improves the reproductive performance of sows. [source] RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF THE PRENATAL VERSUS POSTNATAL PERIOD ON DEVELOPMENT OF HYPERTENSION AND GROWTH RATE OF THE SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATCLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHARMACOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY, Issue 1-2 2006Robert Di Nicolantonio SUMMARY 1To determine the relative roles of the prenatal and postnatal (preweaning) environment on the development of blood pressure and growth rate in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) of the Okamoto strain, we used combined embryo transfer and cross-fostering techniques between SHR and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats to produce offspring whose development was examined during the first 20 weeks of life. 2We measured litter sizes, bodyweights and tail-cuff blood pressures in offspring at 4, 8, 12 and 20 weeks of age. We also recorded heart, kidney and adrenal weights at 20 weeks of age, when the study concluded. 3We found that both the in utero and postnatal environments provided by the SHR mother could significantly affect WKY rat offspring growth rates, but blood pressure was unaffected in this strain. In SHR offspring, the SHR maternal in utero and suckling period both contributed to the rate of blood pressure development in the SHR, but not the final blood pressure of offspring at 20 weeks of age. This effect was greater for male than female offspring. Organ weights were largely unaffected by the perinatal environment in either strain. 4We conclude that although the SHR maternal in utero and immediate postnatal environment both contribute to the rate of blood pressure development in the SHR, they do not appear to contribute to the final blood pressure of offspring at maturity. The SHR maternal environment also alters growth rate that may, in turn, underlie these effects on SHR blood pressure development, particularly in males. [source] | ||||||||||