Feature Papers of Ruminants 2024–2025

A special issue of Ruminants (ISSN 2673-933X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 December 2025 | Viewed by 1920

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Centro de Saúde e Tecnologia Rural, Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Patos, Brazil
Interests: feeding; fermentation; goat; sheep; meat; milk; nutrition; rumination
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Guest Editor
Beef Cattle Institute, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506, USA
Interests: energy metabolism; feedlot nutrition; grazing management; liver abscess; production systems; sustainability
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ruminant animals play a crucial role in sustainable agriculture by converting abundant resources, like rangelands, pastures, and crop residues, into food for humans. This has been a practice for thousands of years, aligning with farming principles; however, there has been debate over using human-edible food for ruminants. Critics question to what degree this is necessary or beneficial. Some argue that focusing solely on gross calorie or protein values overlooks the fact that much of the feed used in animal production is not suitable for direct human consumption, and that this can increase food costs. The efficiency of converting human-edible energy and protein into meat or milk varies based on factors like diet and countries' farming practices.

For this Special Issue of Ruminants, we are seeking the submission of manuscripts from all ruminant-related fields from our international readers, aiming to compile research that sheds light on the efficiency and significance of ruminant animals in food production in addition to the relationship between animal production and the different diets of ruminant animals, including their contribution to environmental impact.

You are welcome to send short proposals for feature paper submissions to the Editorial Office ([email protected]) before submission.

We look forward to receiving your manuscripts.

Dr. Leilson Rocha Bezerra
Dr. Phillip Lancaster
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. Ruminants is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly 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 1000 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

  • cattle
  • feeding
  • fermentation
  • fiber
  • goats
  • greenhouse gases
  • protein production
  • sheep
  • ruminant
  • sustainability

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

10 pages, 550 KiB  
Article
Behaviour of Cows with Johne’s Disease (Paratuberculosis)
by Gemma L. Charlton, Jeanette Churches, Emma C. L. Bleach and Vivi M. Thorup
Ruminants 2024, 4(4), 533-542; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4040037 - 11 Nov 2024
Viewed by 562
Abstract
Johne’s disease (JD) significantly reduces the welfare of cattle worldwide. As changes in lying and feeding behaviours are considered important tools for assessing health and early detection of diseases, the aim of this study was to compare lying and feeding behaviours of JD-positive [...] Read more.
Johne’s disease (JD) significantly reduces the welfare of cattle worldwide. As changes in lying and feeding behaviours are considered important tools for assessing health and early detection of diseases, the aim of this study was to compare lying and feeding behaviours of JD-positive (JD5) and JD-negative (JD0) cows around peak lactation. The cows were fitted with an accelerometer-based sensor to record step counts and lying behaviour. They were also fitted with a pressure-based halter from approximately 56 d post-partum to collect feeding and rumination data. Every 3 months, the cows were milk sampled to test for naturally occurring JD using an ELISA. JD5 cows [n = 14 (two positive results in any four consecutive ELISAs)] were matched to JD0 cows [n = 14 (consecutive negative ELISAs)] based on lactation stage, parity, age, and milk yield. Of the 28 cows, 9 JD5 and 9 JD0 cows provided sensor data for analysis. JD5 cows spent 1.7 h/d less lying compared to JD0 cows. No differences in time spent eating were found; however, JD5 cows spent 1.1 h/d longer ruminating and produced 80 more feed boluses/d than JD0 cows around week 8 of lactation. The reason JD5 and JD0 cows behave differently around peak lactation is unclear and therefore warrants further investigation focusing on behaviour, milk yield, and feed intake among cows with JD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Ruminants 2024–2025)
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15 pages, 851 KiB  
Article
Changes in the Fatty Acid Composition of Vegetable Oils Affect the Feeding Behavior, Feed Preference, and Thermoregulatory Responses of Sheep
by Évyla Layssa G. Andrade, José M. Pereira Filho, Kevily Henrique de O. S. de Lucena, Yuri C. S. Barreto, Ronaldo L. Oliveira, Bonifácio B. de Sousa, Antônio Fernando de M. Vaz, Juliana Paula F. de Oliveira, Mozart A. Fonseca and Leilson R. Bezerra
Ruminants 2024, 4(3), 433-447; https://doi.org/10.3390/ruminants4030031 - 7 Sep 2024
Viewed by 1005
Abstract
This research evaluated the effects of energy supplementation on sheep’s feeding behavior, feed preference, and thermoregulatory responses using technical cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) and different vegetable oils with different unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) compositions. The experiment was completely randomized with five treatments: a [...] Read more.
This research evaluated the effects of energy supplementation on sheep’s feeding behavior, feed preference, and thermoregulatory responses using technical cashew nutshell liquid (CNSL) and different vegetable oils with different unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) compositions. The experiment was completely randomized with five treatments: a mixture of CNSL (0.5%) + vegetable oils [canola (high in monounsaturated fatty acids—MUFA), and corn, soybean, sunflower, or cottonseed oil (high in polyunsaturated fatty acids-PUFA) at 1.5%] based on total diet dry matter, with eight replications. Forty uncastrated male sheep, with an average initial BW of 24.44 ± 1.5 kg, were evaluated for 70 days. The CNSL + vegetable oil blend did not affect DM and neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) intake (p > 0.05). However, diets with canola oil resulted in higher SFA intake (p < 0.05) than other oils. The canola oil + CNSL blend led to a higher intake of UFA and MUFA and lower PUFA intake than other oil blends (p < 0.05). Sheep fed canola oil ruminated fewer boli per day than those fed soybean and sunflower oils. Using three sieves (pef1.18) reflected in higher sheep aNDF intake. Respiratory frequency and surface temperature of sheep were lower before feeding than 3 h after, without effects of the type of oil. Higher serum creatinine and cholesterol levels were observed in sheep fed CNSL with corn and canola oils compared to other oils. Serum calcium was lower in sheep fed CNSL with soybean and canola compared to sunflower and corn. Including CNSL with vegetable oils with different FA compositions did not affect physiological and thermographic variables. However, sheep showed better diet selectivity and lower bolus rumination with higher MUFA (canola oil) content. Including CNSL with canola oil in sheep diets is recommended, as it increases dietary energy content, enhances diet selectivity, reduces PUFA intake, and does not impact animal health. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Feature Papers of Ruminants 2024–2025)
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