Latest Updates in Livestock Nutrition, Processing and Breeding

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Farm Animal Production".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (25 February 2024) | Viewed by 4876

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Animal Science, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
Interests: animal nutrition; animal welfare; meta-analysis; systematic reviews

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Biotechnology, College of Life Science, Sejong University, Seoul 05006, Korea
Interests: feeding and meat quality; selective breeding and meat quality; protein sources, antibiotics and growth promoters

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As the world changes rapidly and the number of global challenges grows, it is crucial that we continuously improve our approaches to livestock production. We aim to meet the needs of a growing population while addressing environmental and sustainability concerns. The focus on livestock nutrition, processing, and breeding is crucial in achieving efficient and sustainable animal production practices. There is an ongoing quest for the latest updates and innovations in these areas, driven by a desire to reduce environmental impacts, enhance animal well-being, and improve the quality of animal products for consumption.

This Special Issue provides a platform for the publication of cutting-edge research that explores recent developments, effectiveness, and risk assessment in livestock nutrition, processing, and breeding. We invite you to submit your current scientific findings in the form of original research papers, communications, or comprehensive reviews on topics, including, but not limited to, the following:

  • Nutritional advances;
  • Feed processing technologies;
  • Breeding strategies;
  • Gut health and microbiome;
  • Environmental sustainability;
  • Biosecurity and disease management;
  • Technological integration;
  • Precision feeding and data analytics;
  • Consumer trends and product quality.

Dr. Chris Major Ncho
Dr. Allah Bakhsh
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • poultry
  • swine
  • cattle
  • sustainability
  • nutrition
  • feed processing
  • precision feeding
  • breeding strategies
  • microbiome

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • e-Book format: Special Issues with more than 10 articles can be published as dedicated e-books, ensuring wide and rapid dissemination.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

12 pages, 1209 KiB  
Article
Estimation of Carcass Trait Characteristics, Proportions, and Their Correlation with Preslaughter Body Weight in Indigenous Chickens in Southeastern Ethiopia
by Kefala Taye Mekonnen, Dong-Hui Lee, Young-Gyu Cho, Ah-Yeong Son and Kang-Seok Seo
Agriculture 2024, 14(1), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010050 - 27 Dec 2023
Viewed by 1214
Abstract
This study aimed to estimate carcass trait characteristics, proportions, and their correlation with the preslaughter body weight of indigenous chickens in Southeastern Ethiopia. Data from 42 healthy male chickens were collected and analyzed using SAS 2012 ver. 9.4, R software ver.4.3.1, and MetaboAnalyst [...] Read more.
This study aimed to estimate carcass trait characteristics, proportions, and their correlation with the preslaughter body weight of indigenous chickens in Southeastern Ethiopia. Data from 42 healthy male chickens were collected and analyzed using SAS 2012 ver. 9.4, R software ver.4.3.1, and MetaboAnalyst 5.0. The results indicated significant fixed effect of districts on dressed carcass weight, drumsticks, thighs, wings, and gizzard between Goba and Agarfa chickens (p < 0.05). The fixed effect of age and the district–age interaction effect were not significant. Principal component analysis revealed that PC1, accounting for 96.8% of the total variation between Goba and Agarfa chickens, was contributed by preslaughter and dressed carcass weight. Among the carcass components, the key contributors to differentiation between the Goba and Agarfa indigenous chicken carcass yields were the drumstick, thigh, breast (with/without keel bone), and back with thoracic weight (VIP > 1); there was a higher yield in Goba chickens. Preslaughter weight exhibited stronger correlations with most other traits, while dressing percentages displayed a negative correlation with various carcass components and edible giblet yields across the study districts. This study provides useful insights into carcass component characteristics and yields of indigenous Ethiopian chickens, which can increase our understanding of carcass components and their relationships with other qualities for improvement and further studies on poultry production. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Updates in Livestock Nutrition, Processing and Breeding)
Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1677 KiB  
Article
Biometric Trait Characterization and Multivariate Discriminant Analysis of Traditionally Bred Autochthonous Chickens in Ethiopia
by Kefala Taye Mekonnen, Dong-Hui Lee, Young-Gyu Cho, Ah-Yeong Son and Kang-Seok Seo
Agriculture 2023, 13(11), 2142; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture13112142 - 13 Nov 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1177
Abstract
The biometric characterization of autochthonous Ethiopian chickens has not been fully investigated in the study area. In this study, we aimed to conduct biometric trait characterization and multivariate discriminant analysis of traditionally bred autochthonous chickens in Ethiopia and assess the wide range of [...] Read more.
The biometric characterization of autochthonous Ethiopian chickens has not been fully investigated in the study area. In this study, we aimed to conduct biometric trait characterization and multivariate discriminant analysis of traditionally bred autochthonous chickens in Ethiopia and assess the wide range of phenotypic diversity within these populations. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used, and data on biometric traits and body weight were collected from adult chickens. Principal component and correlation analyses were performed to explore the discriminating factors and relationships among traits. All autochthonous chickens showed clear sexual dimorphism, with the Agarfa chickens having the highest biometric traits and body weight. Across the study area, the majority of biometric values showed variation between age group 1 (AG-1) and age group 3 (AG-3). All autochthonous chickens showed a strong correlation between wingspan and back length (p ≤ 0.001). Roosters and hens also showed a strong correlation between the keel and neck length (p ≤ 0.001). Principal component 1 (PC1) and principal component 2 (PC2) explained 56.44%, 55.09%, and 47.86% of the total variation in the original variables for all autochthonous chickens, roosters, and hens, respectively. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed the existence of biometric trait and body weight variations among autochthonous chickens from different districts. Therefore, genetic profiling should be performed to better understand the genetic potential of autochthonous Ethiopian chickens. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Updates in Livestock Nutrition, Processing and Breeding)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

10 pages, 731 KiB  
Review
Opportunities for Camelina Meal as a Livestock Feed Ingredient
by Justin J. Delver and Zachary K. Smith
Agriculture 2024, 14(1), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010116 - 12 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1860
Abstract
Camelina sativa is an annual oilseed crop that requires low inputs. Recently, interest in camelina oil for both human use and biofuel production has increased. Camelina oil extraction is performed through two main methods, namely, mechanical expulsion and solvent extraction. The resulting meals [...] Read more.
Camelina sativa is an annual oilseed crop that requires low inputs. Recently, interest in camelina oil for both human use and biofuel production has increased. Camelina oil extraction is performed through two main methods, namely, mechanical expulsion and solvent extraction. The resulting meals from the oil extraction process show promise as an animal feed due to their high crude protein content. Solvent extraction removes more oil from the seed, which results in a meal that is lower in fat and higher in crude protein concentration than expelled meal (3.52 vs. 13.69% and 41.04 vs. 34.65%, respectively). Solvent-extracted camelina meal has a similar chemical composition to canola meal but less crude protein and more fiber than soybean meal. Camelina meal is also limited by its anti-nutritional factors, mainly glucosinolates. Camelina meal contains 23.10 to 44.90 mmol/kg of glucosinolates, but processing methods may be able to decrease the total glucosinolates. Heat-treating the camelina meal can decrease glucosinolates and remove residual solvent in the solvent-extracted meal. The fungal fermentation of canola meal has also decreased glucosinolates, which could be used in camelina meal as well. The selective breeding of camelina varieties to decrease glucosinolates in the plant is also a solution to the high glucosinolates found in camelina meal. Current feed regulations in the US and Canada limit camelina meal to 10% inclusion in broiler chicken, laying hen, and cattle diets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Latest Updates in Livestock Nutrition, Processing and Breeding)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop