Utilization of Mucuna pruriens whole pods to feed lactating hair ewes.

Twenty nine Pelibuey × Katahdin hair ewes rearing single lamb were used during 42 days of lactation to evaluate the effect of including the Mucuna pruriens whole pods in the diets of lactating ewes on milk production and offspring performance. Animals were distributed at random into three experimental diets: a control diet without Mucuna (M0), and two more diets with the inclusion of 13 (M13) and 26% (M26), of milled pods of Mucuna pruriens, respectively. Dry matter intake, was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among diets. Milk yield (P > 0.05) was 734, 786, and 694 g/day for diets M0, M13, and M26, respectively. Milk fat (P > 0.05), milk protein (P > 0.05), and milk lactose (P > 0.05) did not differ between treatments. Lambs had similar daily weight gain (P > 0.05) among diets (180, 174, and 171 g/day for diets M0, M13, and M26, respectively). Diets with Mucuna whole pods were 5.6 and 12.9% more profitable (M13 and M26, respectively) than control diet. Under the conditions of this work, Mucuna pruriens whole pods can be included up to 26% in the diets of lactating crossbred hair ewes without negatively affecting their productive performance during the first 6 weeks of lactation.

Effect of dietary inclusion of Leucaena leucocephala or Moringa oleifera leaf meal on performance of growing rabbits.

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effect of including either Leucaena leucocephala (LLM) or Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) as tropical feed resources at two levels (30 or 40 %) on growth performance, carcass traits, and economical efficiency of growing rabbits. A total of 60 California growing rabbits were randomly distributed into five experimental groups, each consisting of 12 rabbits and were allocated individually; the groups were control, 30 % LLM, 40 % LLM, 30 % MOLM, and 40 % MOLM. The experimental period lasted from 6 to 12 weeks of age. The results showed that rabbits fed control and 30 % MOLM diets had significantly the highest final body weight and daily weight gain being 2,040 and 2,000 g and 31.6 and 30.6 g/day, respectively. Similarly, the best feed conversion ratio was associated with 30 % MOLM and control groups (3.2 and 3.4), while the worst value was for 40 % LLM group (5.2). MOLM treatments recorded significantly the highest dressing percentage along with control group. The inclusion of MOLM by 30 and 40 % improved the economical efficiency (2 and 1.5) in comparison with the control group (1.1). The results suggest that MOLM can be included in growing rabbit diets up to 40 % without any adverse effect on growth performance or carcass traits with higher economical efficiency of growing rabbits.

Risk factors associated with the occurrence of the second-litter syndrome in sows in southeastern Mexico.

The objective was to estimate the incidence of and to determine the effect of some risk factors on the decrease of litter size at parity 2 of sows in three commercial farms in Yucatan, Mexico. Data on 8,592 farrowing records of 4,296 sows were analyzed using a binomial logistic regression procedure. The model included the fixed effect of farm (1, 2, and 3), year of farrowing (2003-2011), season of farrowing (dry, rainy, and windy), number of pigs born alive at first parity (<9, 9-10, 11-12, and >12 piglets), lactation length (<18, 18-24, and >24 days), and weaning to conception intervals (<4, 4-11, and >11 days). Fifty-five point eight percent of all sows presented a reduced or similar litter size at parity 2. The odds of decrease in the second litter size were 1.56 and 2.01 for farms 2 and 3, respectively. Higher odds were found for sows farrowing during the rainy and dry seasons (1.20 and 1.24, resp.) and for sows with large litters at parity 1 (>12 piglets, odds = 33.2). Sows with weaning to conception intervals <4 days and between 4 and 11 days had higher odds of a decrease in the second litter (1.78 and 2.74 pigs, resp.).

Egg production, egg quality and crop content of Rhode Island Red hens grazing on natural tropical vegetation.

The aim of this experiment was to study the suitability of the outdoor system for Rhode Island Red hens under the tropical conditions of southern Mexico. Twelve floor pens, each containing four birds, were divided randomly into two groups. The first group was raised indoors only, while each of the second group replicates had access to an outdoor area with natural-grown vegetation from 0800 to 1700 hours daily. Both groups fed ad libitum on a commercial layers diet. The results revealed no differences in body weight between treatments. The outdoor group recorded significantly higher egg laying rate (86.90 vs. 78.05 %), higher egg mass (50.66 vs. 45.30 g egg/hen/day), and higher feed intake (103.70 vs. 97.67 g/day) versus the indoor group. The outdoor group had eggs with darker yellow yolks (9.46 vs. 5.46), lower yolk, and higher albumen proportions (P < 0.05) versus the indoor group. The crop content of the outdoor hens consisted of 86.55 % concentrated feed, 6.30 % plant material, 2.27 % grit stones, 1.69 % snails and oyster shells, 1.25 % seeds, 0.95 % farm wastes, and 0.99 % insects, worms, and larvae. Of the outdoor hens, 43.1 % was observed to be in the range at each scanning time. The outdoor system in the tropics had beneficial effects on Rhode Island Red hen performance, and the hens utilized the outdoor area effectively and obtained various feed items.

Nutrient Digestibility and Metabolizable Energy Content of Mucuna pruriens Whole Pods Fed to Growing Pelibuey Lambs.

The nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance and in vivo metabolizable energy supply of Mucuna pruriens whole pods fed to growing Pelibuey lambs was investigated. Eight Pelibuey sheep housed in metabolic crates were fed increasing levels of Mucuna pruriens pods: 0 (control), 100 (Mucuna100), 200 (Mucuna200) and 300 (Mucuna300) g/kg dry matter. A quadratic (p<0.002) effect was observed for dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fibre (aNDF), nitrogen (N) and gross energy (GE) intakes with higher intakes in the Mucuna100 and Mucuna200 treatments. Increasing M. pruriens in the diets had no effect (p>0.05) on DM and GE apparent digestibility (p<0.05). A linear reduction in N digestibility and N retention was observed with increasing mucuna pod level. This effect was accompanied by a quadratic effect (p<0.05) on fecal-N and N-balance which were higher in the Mucuna100 and Mucuna200 treatments. Urine-N excretion, GE retention and dietary estimated nutrient supply (metabolizable protein and metabolizable energy) were not affected (p>0.05). DM, N and GE apparent digestibility coefficient of M. pruriens whole pods obtained through multiple regression equations were 0.692, 0.457, 0.654 respectively. In vivo DE and ME content of mucuna whole pod were estimated in 11.0 and 9.7 MJ/kg DM. It was concluded that whole pods from M. pruriens did not affect nutrient utilization when included in an mixed diet up to 200 g/kg DM. This is the first in vivo estimation of mucuna whole pod ME value for ruminants.

The nutritional effect of Moringa oleifera fresh leaves as feed supplement on Rhode Island Red hen egg production and quality.

This study aimed to evaluate the potential of Moringa oleifera fresh leaves (MOL) as feed supplement on the performance and egg quality of Rhode Island Red (RIR) hens under the tropical conditions of Yucatan, Mexico. Forty-eight RIR hens were allocated in 12 floor pen replicates each with four birds. Thereafter, the replicates were divided into three groups which were corresponded to ad libitum feed (control), ad libitum feed supplemented with MOL T1 (AL + MOL) and restricted feed amount (20% lower than control) with MOL T2 (RCD + MOL), respectively. T1 (AL + MOL) had higher egg laying rate (71.4% versus 66.6%), higher daily egg mass production (45.4 versus 41.9 g/day), lower feed intake (121.3 versus 127.5 g/day) and better feed conversion ratio (2.8 versus 3.2 g feed:g egg) versus control. T2 / (RCD + MOL) had lower values of body weight, egg laying rate, egg weight and egg mass, and recorded better feed conversion ratio than the control group. The control group recorded a higher percentage of pecked eggs versus T1 and T2 (6.5% versus 1.2% and 2.0 %). Similar intake of MOL (3.1 and 3.4 g DM/day) was recorded in T1 (AL + MOL) and T2 (RCD + MOL). Yolk color was improved significantly in T1 (AL + MOL) than both control and T2 (RCD + MOL), while T2 (RCD + MOL) had eggs with lower yolk and higher albumen percentages than the other two ad libitum groups. The results suggest that MOL could be used successfully as sustainable tropical feed resource for RIR hens.

Egg production and quality under three housing systems in the tropics.

The aim of this study was to evaluate egg production and quality of Rhode Island Red (RIR) laying hens in an outdoor system in the subhumid tropic. Eighty RIR laying hens were measured in two periods and housed randomly under three treatments: outdoor (O), indoor (I) and in conventional cages (C). Egg weight (55.88, 53.76 and 57.16 g, for O, I and C, respectively), food intake/hen/day (138.94, 129.74 and 162.90 g, for O, I and C, respectively) and food efficiency (3.13, 3.22 and 3.96 for O, I and C, respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by housing system; however, both egg production and final body weight were not different (P > 0.05). Yolk colour (10.76, 9.94 and 10.08 colour scale, for O, I and C, respectively), albumen weight (92.63, 92.28 and 90.08 g, for O, I and C, respectively) and yolk weight (15.19, 14.61, 15.48 g for O, I and C, respectively) were significantly (P < 0.05) influenced by housing system, but albumen height, Haugh units and egg shell weight remained similar (P > 0.05). Under the conditions of this study, outdoor egg production seems to be a sustainable system comparable to the commercial type based on wired cages.

Length of productive life of sows in four pig farms in the tropics of Mexico.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of some factors on the length of productive life (LPL), the number of parities (NP), and the culling interval (CI) of sows. The information from 2003 to 2009 of 3,746 sows with LPL and NP records and 5,819 sows with CI records from the four farms of Yucatan, Mexico was used. LPL was defined as the number of days between the first farrowing and culling or death and CI as the number of days between the last farrowing and culling. To determine the effects of farm, litter size at first farrowing (LSF1) and age at first farrowing (AF1) on LPL and NP, and of farm, LSF1 and culling reason on CI general linear models were used. Means and standard errors for LPL, NP, and CI were 496.4 ± 8.42 days, 3.35 ± 0.04 parities, and 48.3 ± 0.52 days, respectively. All factors had significant effects (P < 0.05) on LPL, NP, and CI. The sows from farm 2 stayed longer (806.0 days) and had more parities (5.25) than the sows from the other farms. Sows with the smallest litters (≤8 piglets) at first farrowing stayed the least time in the farm (675.1 days) and had the fewest parities (4.49). Gilts farrowing the first time before 331 days of age stayed longer time in the farm (726.4 days) and had more parities (4.81) in comparison with 331-348 and more than 348 days age groups. With respect to CI, the sows in farm 3 stayed the longest time in the farm. Sows with more than five parities were culled sooner after their last farrowing. In conclusion, differences between farms for LPL, PN, and CI were found. Females that farrowed at a short age and those with large litters stayed longer in the herd. Old sows and those culled for reproductive reasons stayed the least time in the herd after their last farrowing.

Efecto del nivel de clorhidrato de ractopamina y proteína en la dieta sobre el desempeño productivo y rendimiento en canal de pavos comerciales / Effect of ractopamine hydrochloride and protein level in the diet on the performance and carcass yield of growing turkeys

The effect of ractopamine hydrochloride (0, 5 or 10 ppm) and protein (22% and 24%) in the diet on the productive performance and carcass yield of growing turkeys was evaluated. Seventy two male turkeys from the Nicholas-700 line of 14 weeks old were used. The turkeys were fed ad libitum with the experimental diets during 28 days. The turkeys assigned to the treatments with ractopamine (RAC) had higher daily gains of weight (0.139, 0.154 and 0.156 kg/day for 0, 5 and 10 ppm, respectively) and were 400 and 500 g heavier at the end of the experiment (12.9 and 13.0 kg for 5 and 10 ppm respectively) than the turkeys of treatment 0 ppm of RAC (12.5 kg). RAC increased significantly (P < 0.05) the weight of the thigh (0.748, 0.793 and 0.809 kg for 0, 5 and 10 ppm) and wing (P < 0.06; 0.593, 0.589 y 0.626 for 0, 5 and 10 ppm). There was no effect of protein treatment and RAC on breast yield (P > 0.05). The results obtained in this work indicated that the RAC increased the daily weight gain and the yield of the thigh and wing from a concentration of 5 ppm in the diet.

Se evaluó el efecto del nivel de clorhidrato de ractopamina (0, 5 o 10 ppm) y proteína (22% y 24%) en la dieta sobre el desempeño productivo y rendimiento en canal de pavos comerciales. Se utilizaron 72 pavos machos de la línea Nicholas-700 de 14 semanas de edad. Los pavos se alimentaron ad libitum con dietas experimentales durante 28 días. Se encontró que los pavos asignados a los tratamientos con clorhidrato de ractopamina (CLRP) tuvieron mayores ganancias diarias de peso (0.139, 0.154 y 0.156 kg/ día, para 0, 5 y 10 ppm, respectivamente) y ganaron entre 400 y 500 g más peso al final del experimento (12.9 y 13.0, para 5 y 10 ppm respectivamente) que los pavos del tratamiento 0 ppm de CLRP (12.5 kg). Se encontró que el CLRP incrementó significativamente, (P < 0.05) el peso del muslo (0.748, 0.793 y 0.809 para 0, 5 y 10 ppm) y del ala (P < 0.06; 0.593, 0.589 y 0.626 para 0, 5 y 10 ppm). No se observó ningún efecto del nivel de proteína y de CLRP sobre el rendimiento de pechuga (P > 0.05). Los resultados obtenidos en este trabajo indican que el CLRP puede incrementar la ganancia diaria de peso y el rendimiento del muslo y el ala, desde 5 ppm.

Comparison of two dietary markers in the determination of amino acid digestibiliy in some foodstuffs for growing broiler chickens

Se determinó la digestibilidad ileal aparente de aminoácidos en maíz, sorgo, pasta de soya, gluten de maíz, harina de pescado, harina de carne y hueso, y salvado de trigo en pollos de engorda, utilizando dióxido de titanio y óxido de cromo como marcadores inertes de la dieta. Doce pollos fueron alimentados en dos ocasiones con 30g de cada ingrediente, con uno de los dos marcadores dietéticos, mediante la técnica de alimentación forzada. Se llevaron a cabo análisis de varianza con los resultados para determinar efectos de ingredientes y de marcadores. Se encontraron diferencias significativas en la digestibilidad de aminoácidos entre ingredientes, cuyo rango fue de 0,53 para cisteína en la harina de carne y hueso, hasta 0,97 para tirosina en pasta de soya. En todos los ingredientes los coeficientes de digestibilidad de aminoácidos calculados con base en titanio fueron mayores (P<0,05) que aquellos determinados con base en cromo. La excepción fue para salvado de trigo donde no se encontró efecto significativo del marcador utilizado (P>0,05). Los coeficientes de digestibilidad de aminoácidos mostraron una menor variación cuando el dióxido de titanio fue usado como marcador dietético. Se concluye que el dióxido de titanio es más confiable que el cromo como marcador dietético, siendo menos variable y obteniéndose mayor digestibilidad, lo cual indica una mayor recuperación

Utilización de la hoja de Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) y de Huaxín (Leuceana leucocephala) en la alimentación de aves criollas / Utilization of chaya leaf (Cnidoscolus chamansa) and huaxin leaf (leucaena leucocephala) in \"criollas\" poultry nutrition

Introducción. La utilización de forrajes nativos para la alimentación de animales domésticos es una práctica utilizada en las comunidades rurales de México, puesto que éstos son recursos fácilmente disponibles en los huertos. Estos forrajes están representados principalmente por gramíneas y leguminosas que han sido utilizados para la alimentación de ruminantes ; sin embargo, poco se ha estudiado la utilización de estos sustratos alimenticios para la alimentación de aves en traspatio. Objetivo. Se evaluó el comportamiento productivo, digestibilidad y beneficio económico de aves criollas alimentadas con Chaya (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) y Huaxín (Leucaena leucocephala). Material y métodos. Se midió la digestibilidad y energía metabolizable de la Chaya y el Huaxín en veinte gallos durante un periodo de veintidos días. En otro experimento se midió el consumo de materia seca, digestibilidad aparente, ganancia diaria de peso, conversión alimenticia y beneficios netos en 98 aves criollas de siete semanas de edad; se formaron siete grupos de tratamiento: sin inclusión de Chaya o Huaxín (grupo testigo) solo con aporte de sorgo-soya ; inclusión de 10, 20 y 30 por ciento de harina de Huaxín; 10, 20 y 30 por ciento de inclusión de harina de Chaya. Resultados. Los valores de digestibilidad de la materia seca y energía metabolizable aparente fueron, 42.1 por ciento y 1946 kcal/kg de materia seca para la Chaya y de 35.6 por ciento y 1365 kcal/kg de materia seca para el Huaxín, respectivamente. Se observó que las ganancias de peso, digestibilidad de la materia seca y conversión alimenticia se afectaron negativamente (p < 0.05) conforme se incrementó el porcentaje de forraje en las dietas. Las ganancias de peso, conversión alimenticia y digestibilidad de la materia seca fueron mejores (p < 0.05) en los tratamientos con Chaya que con Huaxín. Los beneficios netos estimados por la inclusión de Chaya y Huaxín al 10 por ciento, 20 por ciento y 30 por ciento fueron de $1.60, $1.40, $1.29 y de $1.53, $0.83, $0.23, respectivamente (pesos mexicanos). Conclusiones. La inclusión de forraje en las dietas afectó negativamente la digestibilidad y el comportamiento productivo de las aves; sin embargo, las aves alimentadas con Chaya se comportaron mejor que las aves alimentadas con Huaxín. El beneficio económico proporcionado por la Chaya en los dos niveles de inclusión fue mayor que el beneficio conseguido por el Huaxín.

Evaluación nutricia de la Leucaena leucocephala y del Brossimum alicastrum y su empleo en alimentación de cerdos / Nutritious evaluation of Leucaena leucocephala and Brossimum alicastrum in pig diets

Se utilizaron ocho cerdos castrados para llevar a cabo dos pruebas de digestibilidad con el objeto de evaluar el valor nutritivo de la Leucaena leucocephala y del Brossimum alicastrum en las dietas para los cerdos. En una prueba se estimaron los coeficientes de digestibilidad aparente de la Leucaena y en la otra los del Brossimum en cuanto a los siguientes componentes nutritivos: materia seca, proteína cruda, hemicelulosa, celulosa y energía. También se evaluó el efecto de estos forrajes sobre la digestibilidad de los componentes nutritivos de las dietas. En la primera prueba se utilizaron las dietas A, B, C y D que incluían 4 niveles de leucaena (0 por ciento, 10 por ciento, 20 por ciento, y 30 por ciento) y en la segunda las de las diestas E, F, G y H que incluían 4 niveles de Brossimum (0, 10, 20 y 30 por ciento). El consumo de materia seca tendió a disminuir conforme se incrementó el nivel de forraje en ambos experimentos. Las digestibilidad de las dietas también tendió a disminuir. Los coeficientes de digestibilidad de la materia seca, proteína cruda, hemicelulosa, celulosa y energía de la Leucaena fueron 39.9 por ciento, 34.9 por ciento, 59.7 por ciento, 43.4 por ciento y 33.1 por ciento respectivamente. Los coeficientes de digestibilidad de la materia seca, proteína cuda, hemicelulosa, celulosa y energía del Brossimum fueron 43.2 por ciento, 33.1 por ciento, 65.2 por ciento 57.1 por ciento y 41.2 por ciento respectivamente. La energía digestible calculada a partir de la energía bruta de la Leucaena y del Brossimum para los cerdos correspondió a 1475 y 1578 kcal/kg de materia seca respectivamente. Los resultados en cuanto a consumo y digestibilidad de las dietas indican que los cerdos tienen una baja capacidad para aprovechar dietas fibrosas; sin embargo, la utilización de forrajes es ventajosa desde el punto de vista de su costo y disponibilidad