فصلنامه پژوهشهای علوم دامی ایران
سال شانزدهم شماره 1 (بهار 1403)

Various methods have been used to evaluate the digestibility coefficients of nutrients. The total fecal collection (TFC) method is a reliable approach for determining the digestibility of rations in live animals. In this method, animal are kept in a metabolic cage in to collect all the feces, making it the most accurate method for measuring feed digestibility. Total fecal collection (TCF) is one of the most accurate direct procedures to determine apparent digestibility. Despite its accuracy, TFC is labor-intensive and time-consuming when evaluating a wide range of feed samples and requiring a large number of animals. Moreover, animals should be confined in stalls, considering that being surrounded will be accepted by camels for a short period and training is necessary for camels fed with ration containing high amounts of energy. Other disadvantage of keeping the animal trapped includes the potential impact on animal metabolism. These problems led to separation from the animal's normal behavior. Accurate measurement of food intake and fecal collection is a tough work. Digestibility coefficients can be measured indirectly by markers. Various indigestible markers include polyethylene Various indigestible markers include polyethylene, chromium oxide (Cr2O3), acid detergent lignin (ADL) and acid-insoluble ash (AIA) have been used to determine the digestibility of nutrients in different parts of gastrointestinal tract. By the end of 19th century, lignin was considered as a potential internal marker for the estimation of digestibility. Because no specific enzymes exist for degradation of lignin in mammals or in anaerobic bacteria, different results have been re-ported by researchers when using ADL for the estimation of digestibility. Digestibility was reported to be underestimated when using AIA as a natural marker. However, it is difficult to apply this method to grazing animals. AIA is one of the most common internal indicators for determining apparent digestion coefficients. One of the advantages AIA compared to other markers is simplicity of analysis and it does not need special equipment. This study aims to evaluate the nutrient apparent digestibility of different diets in camels using AIA, ADL and TFC.

The field phase of the research was conducted at Asrar Sabzevar Agricultural Research Station, and the laboratory phase was conducted at the Animal and Poultry Nutrition Laboratory of Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources. Four male camels (age=1 year, BW= 116.3±9.35 kg) were used in a completely random design to measure the apparent digestibility of nutrients in wheat straw and wheat straw with rice hull using AIA, ADL, and TFC. The experimental period was 42 days (2 periods of 21 days) with 14 days of adaptation to experimental diets and 7 days of data collection. Camels had free access to water, and feeding was done once a day at 8 A.M.

The results showed no significant difference between TFC and AIA for measuring the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude fat, crude protein, neutral detergent insoluble fibers, and acid detergent insoluble fibers in wheat straw and wheat straw with rice hull (P>0.05). However, digestibility was significantly higher in TFC than in ADL (P<0.05).

The recovery percentage of AIA marker was 92.8±92.38 in the diet of 75% wheat straw with 25% rice hull. Based on the study's results, AIA can be used as a suitable internal indicator to measure digestibility in camels if the recovery percentage is more than 90%. The amount of digestibility measured using AIA was close to the amount of digestibility measured using TFC.

To optimize livestock production and health, sufficient amounts of minerals are necessary in the diet. Zinc (Zn) is a trace element and an essential mineral in animal nutrition, and is found in many enzyme systems. The presence of Zn is necessary to ensure the physiological activities of several hormones. In addition, zinc plays an essential role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nucleic acids, and its deficiency can disrupt several vital cellular reactions. Organic sources of Zn are more biologically active than inorganic sources, and their high accessibility has led to the use of more organic Zn compounds for feeding animals. However, results comparing the bioavailability of organic and inorganic sources of zinc in ruminant nutrition differ. According to the National Research Council (2007), the recommended requirement for Zn in growing lambs is approximately 33 mg Zn/kg DM. The amount of zinc in surface soils of Iran is usually less than 0.8 mg/kg and the plants grown in these soils and used as animal feed are deficient in this element. However, a few studies have been conducted to identify the best source of zinc for growing local lambs; therefore, the present study aimed to compare the effects of supplementing 30 mg Zn/kg DM from common organic sources of zinc (zinc methionine and zinc glycine) with inorganic sources of zinc (zinc sulfate and zinc oxide) on performance, digestibility, blood and rumen parameters in crossbred Zel fattening male lambs.  

This study was conducted at the research station of the Department of Animal Sciences, Sari University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran. Twenty-five male lambs aged 3-4 months and with average body weight (25.5 ± 1.4 kg) were assigned to five treatments with five repetitions, as a completely randomized design for 70 days, including 2 weeks of adaptation to basal diet and 8 weeks of data collection. The experimental treatments were as follows: 1) basal diet without zinc supplement (containing 19.39 mg Zn/kg DM) as the control group, 2) basal diet + 30 mg Zn/kg DM as zinc methionine, 3) basal diet + 30 mg Zn/kg DM as zinc glycine, 4) basal diet + 30 mg Zn/kg DM as zinc oxide, and 5) basal diet + 30 mg Zn/kg DM as zinc sulfate. Dry matter intake, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were determined. The acid-insoluble ash (AIA) internal indicator method was used to determine the apparent digestibility of feed nutrients. Blood samples were collected on the 70th day prior to the morning meal. To determine rumen parameters, rumen fluid was collected 3h after morning feed consumption. The chemical compositions of the experimental samples, including (dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, NDF, and ADF) were measured according to standard methods.

The results showed that total weight gain, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved in lambs received organic zinc supplements (zinc methionine and zinc glycine) compared to the control group (P<0.05). The apparent digestibility of organic matter in the diets supplemented with zinc methionine and zinc glycine was significantly higher than that of the other treatments (P<0.05). The digestibility of NDF and ADF in lambs receiving zinc methionine, zinc glycine and zinc oxide was improved compared to the treatment containing zinc sulfate and the control group (P<0.05). Serum glucose and zinc concentrations were significantly higher in all lambs receiving zinc supplements than the control group (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference in serum albumin, cholesterol, urea nitrogen, copper and iron concentrations between experimental treatments. Feeding zinc supplements had no effect on pH, ammonia nitrogen and the concentration of volatile fatty acids in the rumen fluid.

The results of this study show that the addition of 30 mg Zn/kg DM from organic zinc supplements (zinc glycine and zinc methionine) and inorganic zinc supplements (zinc sulfate and zinc oxide) meets the needs of growing lambs fed a basal diet containing 19.39 mg Zn/kg DM. The use of zinc supplements in the diet of fattening lambs improved growth performance, serum zinc and glucose concentrations, and crude fiber digestibility. There were no differences among the treatments supplemented with organic sources of zinc.

Breeding quality calves with a desirable genetic potential is one of the important criteria in dairy herds. In recent years, particular attention had been paid to calf breeding, especially to the composition of starter. Early weaning and encouraging the calf to consume solid feed reduces the incidence of various diseases, including diarrhea. It was important to transfer the calf from the non-ruminant state to the active ruminant state as soon as possible for the improved health and growth of the dairy calf. To transition from a liquid feed to a solid feed containing grains and forage, it was necessary to address several challenges. These included adapting the digestive system, enabling ruminal fermentation, and improving the digestion of nutrients through the intestine. Grains, which are full of carbohydrates, were considered to be the main source of energy in ruminants, leading to an excess in the growth of rumen epithelium. Corn grain was a major source of energy in ruminants as a digestible source. In comparison with other grains, the starch available in the corn grains was digested more slowly in the rumen. To use it to its full potential, its bio-availability should be increased so that a higher level of energy was released from the starch.

This experiment was performed in the Astan Qods Razavi dairy farm, Mashhad, Iran. Forty Holstein calves, consisting of 20 male and 20 female, with an average birth weight of 42.4 Kg (± 4.3) were used from birth to 70 days. Calves were birth and immediately separated from their dam and weighting, then they were transferring to individual pen. On the third day, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two treatments. The experimental treatment included: 1) low starch, and 2) high starch. All calves received colostrum for 3 d and then whole milk at 15% of body weight in the two equal meals, morning (5:00 A.M) and evening (15:00 P.M), until weaning. Calves’ accesses to water and starter ad libitum and starter was mixed with 5% of alfalfa hay chopped (% of DM). Composition of starter did not change throughout the experiment. Starter intake was record daily. Body weight determine every two weeks until the end of experiment. Fecal consistence was scored daily. Blood sample was harvested from jugular vein for collection of blood serum. Blood metabolites including: glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, albumin, total protein, ALT, AST, and urea were analyzed. Skeletal development was measured and recorded using special instruments on the 3, 56 and 70 days. Data were analyzed using SAS version 9.4 as a randomized completely design with GLM method and tendencies were reported at 0.05<P<0.10. Least square means for each treatment are reported in the tables and were separated using Tukeys test.

The results of this study showed that the use of the different level of starch had no significant effect on the starter feed intake, average daily gain, feed efficiency, fecal score and skeletal growth parameters of calves. Serum concentration of total protein, triglyceride, albumin, cholesterol, urea. ALT, and AST not affected by experimental treatments. ADG was not influenced by treatment in experiment. Our results are consistent with the observations of Zhang et al. (2010). There were no treatment effects on the blood parameters measured over time, which aligns with the findings of Soltani et al. (2020).The treatments did not affect fecal scores, as reported in the studies by Soltani et al. (2020). There were no significant differences in the initial, daily change, and final parameters, which is similar to the findings of Soltani et al. (2020). Additionally, starter intake, total dry matter intake (DMI), and weaning body weight (BW) were not affected by the experimental diets. This result is consistent with the observations of Lesmeister and Heinrichs (2004).

The result of this study showed that different levels of starch had no marked effects on body weight, daily feed intake, feed efficiency, fecal score, skeletal growth and blood metabolites.

Nowadays, excessive exploitation of natural resources and excessive grazing of pastures has led to a sharp decrease in feed sources for ruminant animals. Considering the fact that today most of the feed materials needed by livestock are expensive, replacing them with cheaper feed materials, in a way that does not result in a decrease in livestock productivity is of great importance. Oak fruit is one of the cheap feed that can be used in animal feed. Livestock feeding with oak fruit is particularly important due to high production per unit area, non-competition with human nutrition and easy access. The Alborz Mountains in the northern part of the country are covered by oak forests, from Talash forests to Naharkhoran forests in Gorgan, according to the climatic conditions and altitude, there are several species of oak trees. Therefore, considering the abundance of oak fruit in the forests of the central part of Mazandaran province and also the lack of scientific studies on the effects of consumption of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on degradability indicators and microbial protein production, the present study is to investigate the effect different levels of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on  ruminal fermentation, morphology, ruminal degradability and  microbial protein synthesis in crossed Zell and Atabai fattening male lambs.

In the first study, from the number of 20 fattening male lambs mixed with Zel and Atabai with an mean age of 5.5±0.38 months and an initial weight of 27±0.4 kg in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 repetitions for 90 The day was used. The experimental treatments included the control group (no oak fruit + polyethylene glycol) and treatments containing levels of 10, 20 and 40% in the dry matter of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea in the diet. In the second study, the number of 3 fistulaized Zell sheep with mean weight of about 40 kg and an average age of approximately 10 months were used to estimate the parameters of degradability. The oak fruit used in this study was randomly collected from oak trees of the Bolandmazo species (Quercus castaneifolia C. A. Mey) in different forest areas of Mazandaran province from late summer to early autumn. Data obtained were analyzed by statistical software SAS (version 1.9).

The results of rumen fermentation parameters showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids, bacterial population and protozoa of rumen fluid (P<0.05). The highest and lowest concentrations of ammonia nitrogen were observed in the control group and the 20% processed oak fruit treatment, respectively. In the concentration of total volatile fatty acids, the treatment of 20% of processed oak fruit had the highest concentration and the treatment of 40% of processed oak fruit had the lowest concentration. There was no significant difference between the experimental treatments in the results of the morphological characteristics of the rumen villi. Degradability parameters of dry matter and crude protein were determined under the influence of experimental treatments (P<0.05). In the parameters of degradability of dry matter and crude protein, rapidly degraded fraction, constant rate of degradation and effective degradability with different passage rate had significant differences between experimental treatments (P<0.05). In dry matter degradability parameters, the control group and the treatment group of 40% processed oak fruit had the highest and lowest value of rapidly degraded fraction and constant rate of degradation, respectively. The results of gas production parameters showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in gas production potential, short chain acids, digestibility of organic matter and metabolizable energy (P<0.05). The results of excretion of purine derivatives and microbial protein production showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental treatments in the amounts of excreted allantoin, xanthine+hypoxanthine, excreted purine derivatives, absorbed purine derivatives and microbial protein (P<0.05).

The general results of the current research showed that an increase in the concentration of volatile fatty acids, degradability of dry matter and crude protein, as well as the production of microbial protein was observed with consumption of 40% processed oak fruit. Also, an increase in the population of ruminal fluid bacteria and protozoa was observed in the treatment of 20% processed oak fruit. In general, it is recommended to use the level of 40% of processed oak fruit in feeding fattening lambs.

Moghani sheep, one of the dominant meat breeds among Iranian sheep, is known for its good body size, resistance to changes in weather conditions, and capacity to produce heavy-weight lambs. The Romanov breed is known worldwide for its early sexual maturity, long breeding season, and high productivity. Among high-yielding breeds, the Romanov breed achieves higher twinning and fertility, higher weight of ewes, optimal shelf life of lambs, and heavier final weight of lambs. During past years, increasing productivity of Iranian native sheep breeds, including the Moghani breed, has been implemented through cross-breeding with high-yielding foreign breeds such as the Romanov breed to improve growth and twining rates and reduce size of the fat-tail. Crossbreeding is a way to improve poor production and reproductive characteristics of livestock. Due to the lack of information regarding the fattening performance and carcass characteristics of the Romanov-Moghani crossbreeds, the aim of this study was to investigate the fattening performance carcass characteristics, blood parameters, feed intake and digestibility of Moghani and Romanov-Moghani crossbreed fattening lambs under diets with different energy levels. This research was conducted using 24 male lambs (10 Moghani lambs and 10 Romanov-Moghani cross-bred lambs) as a factorial design with 4 experimental groups and 6 replications (lambs) in each group. The duration of the experiment was 75 days. The experimental groups in this research include: 1) Moghani lambs fed low energy diet, 2) Moghani lambs fed high energy diet, 3) Romanov-Moghani lambs fed low energy diet, 4) Romanov-Moghani lambs fed high energy diet. A rumen-protected energy powder (Energizer RP-10, IFFCO, Johor, Malaysia) was used to increase the energy level in high-energy diets. Fattening performance was measured by weighing the lambs every two weeks. At the end of the experiment, all the lambs were slaughtered and the carcass characteristics, including hot carcass percentage, cold carcass percentage, tail percentage, and back fat thickness were measured. After 24 hours of storage in 4ºC, back-fat thickness between the 14th and 13th vertebras were measured with a digital caliper. Blood samples were drawn from the jugular vein of all lambs 3 hours after feed consumption, and the samples were immediately centrifuged at 3500 rpm for 15 minutes then the plasma samples were frozen at -20 ºC till analysis day determining concentrations of blood parameters including glucose, blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, triglyceride, total protein, albumin, and globulin were determined using commercial kits and spectrophotometer. All the data were analyzed in the form of a completely random design and factorial experiment using the GLM method for statistical analysis. The results showed that Moghani lambs had significantly more tail percentage and lower tailless carcass percentage than Romanov-Moghani mixed lambs. Feeding a diet with a higher level of energy by feeding protected rumen fat decreased the percentage of the tail and increased the percentage of the carcass without the tail. Moghani lambs fed with high-energy diet had the highest back fat thickness compared to all groups. On the other hand, the average daily weight gain was only influenced by the energy level of the diet. Based on the results, Romanov-Moghani crossbred lambs had a higher weight gain than Moghani lambs, and feeding fat supplement improved livestock performance. Due to the fact that no significant difference was observed in the feed consumption of lambs due to fat supplement feeding, therefore, the better fattening performance of lambs in the groups fed with fat supplement can be attributed to the increase in energy intake in these animals as well as the higher efficiency of the metabolic energy conversion of fats compared to carbohydrates (McDonald et al., 2012). Based on the obtained results, Romanov-Moghani cross-bred lambs had a higher weight gain than pure lambs, and also fat supplement feeding improved the performance of livestock. Therefore, crossbreeding fat-tailed Moghani breed with a tailless breed such as Romanov can be considered as an efficient method to reduce carcass tail percentage and improve carcass yield. On the other hand, providing energy in the form of fat may also result in a relative decrease in the tail percentage. In general, the results of this experiment indicated that crossbreeding fat-tailed Moghani breed with a tailless breed like Romanov can be considered as an efficient method to reduce tail percentage and improve carcass yield. On the other hand, providing energy in the form of fat may also lead to a relative decrease in tail percentage.

Barley grain is the main feed for cattle in many regions of the world. The digestibility of barley grain is restricted by its fibrous shell and intact pericarp. The extent and rate of digestion of ruminal carbohydrates and barley grain can be manipulated through processing. Barley processing can be a valuable tool to optimize the production of lactating dairy cows. The application of combinations of heat, moisture, time and mechanical action may influence the quality of processed barley grains. Micronization is a rapid thermal treatment (30-90s) using infrared radiation and has great application potential in the feed industry due to simple construction and operation. It has been demonstrated in a number of experiments that organic acids, including lactic acid and malic acid, alter the chemical composition and nutritional value of cereals. Essential oils are naturally occurring plant products that are rich in chemical composition and have various biological properties. The interactions between starch and phenolic compounds have attracted increasing attention in recent years. The aim of this study was developed to determine the impact of chemical processing through steam flaking or steam-infrared flaking of barley grain on physical and chemical properties, and protein and carbohydrate fractionations. 

The ethanolic Foeniculum vulgare (Pv) or Acanthophyllum (Ap) extract were prepared by dissolving 100 g of dried and ground Pv or Ap in 500 mL of 96% v/v ethanol/water and shaking for 72 h. Then, the extracts were filtered through a Whatman No. 1 paper (Whatman Ltd., Maidstone, England). The residual solvent from the ethanolic extract was removed using a rotary evaporator. Barley grain was then mixed thoroughly with distilled water at a ratio of 10% by weight and treated with either 1% lactic acid (La) or 1% malic acid (Ma). Subsequently, the samples were treated with a 5% solution of Ap or Pv. The processed grains were steamed for approximately 35 minutes at 96°C. The steam-cooked grains were then divided into two groups, with one group exposed to infrared radiation for 55 seconds (SIF). All cooked grains were then flaked (SF) using a designed flaker machine. Physical properties, following the Giger-Reverdin method (2000), and chemical composition, based on AOAC standards (2012), of the samples were then analyzed. Crude protein was calculated as N × 625. NDF and ADF contents were determined according to the method proposed by Van Suste et al. (1991). Starch content was evaluated using anthrone and sulfuric acid (Rose et al., 1991). Bulk density was determined by weighing 100 ml of the samples. Water holding capacity was assessed using the method described by Robertson and Eastwood (1998).The grain density was defined as the ratio of the mass of the grain to the particle volume occupied by the sample (Aghajani et al., 2012). Crude protein and carbohydrate fractionations were performed according to Higgs et al (2015). Carbohydrates were divided into five fractions based on different degradation rates in the rumen: A4 (water soluble carbohydrates or sugar), B1 (starch), B2 (soluble fiber), B3 (digestible fiber), and CC (ingestible fiber). 

All the physical properties of the processed barley grain were significantly affected by chemically and physically methods applied in this study (P < 0.05). The highest bulk density and water holding capacity were shown in both SF and SIF processing. The results of this study indicated that the contents of CP, ADF, NDF, EE,Ash, amylose and amylopectine were significantly affected by the chemically and physically processing (P< 0.05). The CP content of the grains treated with Ap and Ma had higher compared with that of Pv and La. In addition, NDF concentration of the grains processed by SF method was greater than that of SIF (P < 0.05). Both CP and NDF content of the processed grain were higher for (SIFBApMa) and (SIFBApLa) rather than those of the other treatments (P< 0.05). The soluble true protein, insoluble true protein and indigestible protein fractions of the processed grain were affected by both chemically and physically processing methods (P < 0.05). The soluble true protein fraction in the grain treated by Ap was greater than that of the Pv. The indigestible protein fraction increased in Pv treatments compared the Ap treatments. Significant differences were found between the processed grains regarding the total carbohydrates, non-fiber carbohydrates, soluble fiber, digestible fiber and Indigestible fiber carbohydrate fractions (P<0.05). The carbohydrates, non-fiber carbohydrates and soluble fiber carbohydrate fractions were greater (P< 0.05) in the SIF than those of SF method. Digestible fiber and Indigestible fiber fractions were lower (P< 0.05) in La than Ma treatments. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that processed barley grain with organic acids (Malic acid or Lactic acid) and using extracts of Acanthophyllum or Foeniculum vulgare accumpany through physical processing (steam flaking or steam- infrared -flaking) make an improvement in nutritional value of the grain. In this study, bulk density and water holding capacity were greater in steam flaking rather than steam-infrared-flaking method. Regarding the CP fractionations, processed barley grain with Acanthophyllum extract through steam-infrared-flaking displayed significant alter in the fractions. Lactic acid processed grain through steam-infrared-flaking showed an enhancedment in both non fiber carbohydrates and soluble fiber concentration of the grain. Present data showed a positive impact of both chemically and physically methods applied in barely grain, however, further investigation regarding protein and carbohydrate molecular responses are needed to be evaluated.

Application of suitable feed additives can increase feed utilization, improve production and improve health. Years ago, growth-promoting antibiotics were used at high levels in diets to increase poultry performance (Ronquillo & Hernandez, 2017). However, its remnants remain in the animal's body and create microbial resistance in the animal, and humans also develop microbial resistance by consuming it. Therefore, there is a need to find substances that can replace antibiotic growth stimulants in the diet. The aim of these alternatives is to increase performance while protecting the environment and animal health (Ogbuewu, koro, Mbajiorgu, & Mbajiorgu, 2019). Therefore, probiotics such as Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast have been investigated as a feed additive to improve the performance and health of animals (Al-Khalaifah, 2018). It is thought that probiotics improve performance by affecting the natural microbial community and improving the absorption process in the intestine (Sohail et al., 2011). Also, symbiotic are able to work both in the small intestine and in the large intestine and have the effect of probiotics and prebiotics at the same time (Ai et al., 2011; Bengmark, 2002). Gut cognition can affect the amount of nutrient absorption (Miles, Butcher, Henry, & Littell, 2006; Rahimi, Grimes, Fletcher, Oviedo, & Sheldon, 2009) and as a barrier against disease agents (Brown, 2011). Saccharomyces cerevisiae, also known as baker's yeast, is a type of yeast that is added to food formulas in poultry diets (Elghandour et al., 2020). Saccharomyces cerevisiae contains significant levels of digestible proteins, vitamins, magnesium and zinc, whose wall has many features such as polysaccharide α-D-mannan, chitin and β-D-glucan (Alizadeh et al. ., 2016) which plays an important role in beneficial microbial balance in the gut, tissue proliferation in the gut and lymphocytes (Council, 1994). In most studies, no reliable results were obtained with diets supplemented with yeast. Beneficial effects on animal health and performance may be due to the use of detectable yeast strains and levels, diet compositions, animal species and their age (Bolacali & İrak, 2017). Therefore, in order to investigate the potential effects of using commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in Japanese quail diet as a feed additive on growth performance, some serum parameters, intestinal morphology and the number of Clostridium perfringens and E-coli bacteria. It was done in the waste.Materials and Methods This experiment was conducted in order to investigate the effect of different levels of Chitacell commercial yeast on performance, carcass characteristics, intestinal morphology and blood parameters in the form of a completely randomized design with 7 treatments, 6 replications and 12 chicken in each experimental unit and a total of 504 chicken. One day Japanese quail mixed of two sexes was performed. At the end of the experiment (d 35), 2 Japanese quails from each replicate were weighed and slaughtered. Visceral and lymphoid organs were also weighed and recorded. About 8g of the contents from duodenum, jejunum and ileum were collected in 80 mL physiological saline for pH value measurement. Blood samples were collected from the same Japanese quails used for carcass traits and were centrifuged at 3000 rpm for 10 min, then stored for later analysis at -20°C. In order to measure E. coli and C. Perfringens bacteria in feces, standard plate counting method was used. And also Duodenum specimens were collected and fixed in 10% neutral buffered formalin solution for 24 h, then embedded in paraffin and sectioned at 4 μm. The following parameters were measured: (i) villous height (VH), (ii) depth of crypt (CD) and (iii) ratios of VH/CD. The effects of different levels of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth performance of Japanese quail chicks are reported in Table 2. The results of this study show that the experimental treatments had no significant effect on feed consumption. The group fed with 0.75, 1.1, 1.25 and 1.5 percent of yeast could significantly increase weight compared to the control group (P<0.05). Also, the food conversion ratio in the groups receiving 0.75 and 1 g/kg of Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast feed compared to the control groups and 0.25 and 0.5 g/kg of yeast in the diet decreased significantly (<0.05). P). According to the results of this experiment, it has been reported that live yeast has a favorable effect on feed conversion ratio and final weight gain in broiler chickens (Borda-Molina, Seifert, & Camarinha-Silva, 2018). Abdominal fat and thymus size were significantly affected by experimental treatments (P<0.05). Thus, adding yeast levels higher than 0.75 g/kg reduced the fat in the ventricular area, while the size of the thymus increased compared to the control group. It has also been shown that the percentage of carcass, liver, stone, heart, spleen and bursa of Fabricius were not affected by experimental treatments (P<0.05). It has been reported that live yeast reduces abdominal fat and increases thymus size. In fact, yeast stimulates the intestinal immune system by acting as a non-pathogenic microbial antigen and creates an effect similar to adjuvants. By adding the level of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the amount of total protein and albumin in the blood increased significantly (P<0.05). On the other hand, cholesterol and triglyceride in the blood decreased significantly by adding different levels of commercial Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast (P<0.05). Superoxide dismutase and catalase in serum increased significantly with increasing yeast consumption (P<0.05). On the other hand, interleukin 1 and 6, as well astumor necrosis factor alpha decreased significantly (P<0.05) with the increase in the level of yeast in the diet. Results of this research showed that the use of commercial yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has favorable effects and it can also be said that the best level used is 0.75 grams per kilogram of feed.

The Japanese quail is a species known for its short production period and high productivity. Due to their small size and low feed requirements, they are considered a cost-effective option for egg production compared to other poultry species. Additionally, quail eggs are recognized for their superior nutritional value compared to regular chicken eggs. However, there is a need for effective methods to enhance productivity, especially in stressful situations. Previous research has indicated that the use of certain dietary supplements can address this issue and improve the productive traits of birds. Therefore, there is considerable scientific interest in studying the effects of natural compounds such as black seed and L-carnitine on the productive performance of laying Japanese quails, both under normal conditions and during heat stress. Investigating these factors can provide valuable insights into the development of strategies to effectively manage and optimize egg production in laying Japanese quails. This, in turn, would contribute to the sustainability and profitability of the poultry industry. In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of black seed, L-carnitine, and vitamin E on the productive performance, carcass characteristics, blood biochemical parameters, and immune responses of Japanese laying quails.

A total of 500 Japanese laying quails were included in this study. They were divided into two temperature conditions: normal temperature and high temperature (36 degrees Celsius for 6 hours per day). Additionally, there were five experimental treatments: control diet (without any additives), black seed (1.5% black seed diet), L-carnitine (250 ppm + control diet), 1.5% black seed + 250 ppm L-carnitine diet, and Vitamin E diet (200 ppm + control diet). This resulted in a 5x2 factorial experiment with a total of 10 treatments, 5 replications, and 10 quails per replication. The study consisted of three phases: an adaptation period to the experimental diets lasting two weeks, exposure to the designated temperature conditions for five weeks, and a three-week recovery period. During these phases, various parameters were measured and recorded, including productive performance, carcass characteristics, and blood biochemical and immune indicators (such as triglyceride, cholesterol, LDL, HDL concentrations, heterophil, and lymphocyte percentages) under both heat stress and recovery periods in Japanese laying quails. Data analysis was performed using the Generalized Linear Model (GLM) method with the assistance of SAS software. Mean comparisons were conducted using Tukey's multiple range tests.

The results of this study revealed several important findings. During the initial two weeks of the experiment, the consumption of feed containing black seed + L-carnitine led to the highest feed intake, while diets containing black seed, black seed + L-carnitine, and vitamin E demonstrated the highest egg mass compared to the control group (P<0.05). During the heat stress period, high temperatures caused a decrease in feed intake, egg weight, egg production, and egg mass. However, the consumption of feed containing black seed + L-carnitine resulted in increased feed intake, and diets containing black seed, black seed + L-carnitine, and vitamin E showed increased egg production and mass compared to the control group. Furthermore, vitamin E exhibited a better conversion coefficient (P<0.05). During the recovery period, high temperatures led to a decrease in feed intake but an increase in bird body weight. The control group exhibited the lowest feed intake and body weight, whereas diets containing black seed, black seed + L-carnitine, and vitamin E demonstrated the highest egg production and egg mass compared to the control group. Birds fed diets with black seed and vitamin E exhibited a better conversion coefficient (P<0.05). Regarding carcass yield and relative liver weight, the effect of environmental temperature and experimental treatments during both heat stress and recovery periods was not significant. However, the consumption of black seed, L-carnitine, and vitamin E was found to increase carcass yield and relative heart weight. Additionally, high temperatures increased the relative liver weight (P<0.05). Moreover, birds fed control and black seed diets at normal and high temperatures exhibited higher blood cholesterol levels compared to other experimental treatments. In normal temperature conditions and diets containing vitamin E and L-carnitine, a higher percentage of lymphocytes was observed in the blood. In high temperature conditions and diets containing L-carnitine and vitamin E, the heterophil to lymphocyte ratio was also higher (P<0.05).

Finally, the findings of this study highlight the beneficial effects of incorporating black seed, L-carnitine, and vitamin E into the diet of Japanese laying quails, both under normal and high-temperature conditions. These dietary interventions have shown positive impacts on the performance of the quails. Consequently, these results can serve as valuable guidance for quail breeders and producers in selecting suitable feed regimens to manage heat stress in Japanese quail layers, thereby enhancing performance efficiency, carcass characteristics, and blood lipid and immune parameters.

one of the most important and practical tools in increasing the production and profit of dairy cattle herds is to determine the exact aims of breeding, suitable genetic selection and breeding of premium cows. Based on animal breeding, breeders should make sure that the difference in the genetic merit of one or several traits leads to the difference in the phenotypic performance of the animal. Therefore, they want to reliably identify and select superior sires within and between breeds. Considering the importance of bulls in dairy herds and the use of their semen on a very wide level, this study aims to compare the information of genetic-economic indicators and productive, reproductive and health traits in the semen catalog of bulls with the actual performance of their daughters in Isfahan herds.

In this research, the information of 16 Holstein dairy herds located in Isfahan province during the years 2002 to 2017, was used. The number of productive livestock in the target herds was between 1000 and 5000 heads. Finally, 18,559 cows from the first to the fifth period of lactation, obtained from artificial insemination, which had known sires, were used. The genetic evaluation information of each sire that was used includes predicted transmitting ability (PTA), genetic-economic indicators: lifetime net merit (LNM$) and lifetime fluid merit (LFM$), production traits: milk, fat, protein, reproductive traits: sire conception rate (SCR), daughter pregnancy rate (DPR), daughter calving ease (DCE), daughter stillbirth (DSB) and health traits: production life (PL), somatic cell score (SCS), resistance to mastitis disease (Mas), metritis (Met) and retained placenta (RP) was based on the official evaluation of August 2019 by the USA council on dairy cattle breeding. Mixed and generalized linear models were used to assess the relationship between sire's PTA and daughters’ record. Sire's PTA were milk, fat, protein, daughter pregnancy rate, production life, somatic cell score, daughter calving ease, daughter stillbirth and lifetime net merit and lifetime fluid merit indices. Daughter records were milk-305, fat-305 and protein-305, open days, calving interval, age of first calving, number of productive days, calf birth weight, somatic cell score, number of inseminations per pregnancy, history of dystocia, stillbirth, metritis, retained placenta and mastitis traits. In this study, the analysis of data was done using R software and lme4 and lmerTest software packages.

Based on the results, PTA milk and SCR of most of the bulls used in herds were average, while they were lower values for LNM$ and LFM$ indices and PTA, Fat, Pro and PL traits and higher values for SCS and DSB traits. Correlation between indices and PTA of different traits of sires showed that the highest correlation was between LNM$ and LFM$ indices and the lowest was between SCR and DSB, Milk and SCR and RP and SCR traits. The correlation between sires' PTA and their daughters' performance in productive, reproductive and health traits showed that the correlation level was in the range between -0.19 and 0.16. Also, the regression coefficients of productive, reproductive and health traits of daughters were estimated based on the PTA of their sires in the studied herds, which ranged from -32.273 (between the PTA of daughter calving ease and milk-305) and 3.679 (between PTA fat and milk-305). The estimation of the odds ratio of some traits from sires' PTA on the daughters' health and reproductive (classifiable) traits showed that values were close to one for mastitis resistance, daughters' pregnancy rate and production life traits from sires' PTA which indicates the low effects of sires' PTA on their daughters' performance. However, the estimation of the odds ratio of PTA sires, related to metritis disease resistance, somatic cell score, resistance to retained placental and daughters calving ease traits had inverse relationship with the metritis and retained placental diseases (0.85, 0.67 and 0.74) and direct relationship with dystocia (1.23), respectively. The transmitting ability of sires is predicted based on the performance of their daughters in dairy cattle breeding farms, the data of those farms were available to the semen production company, the difference between conditions such as climate and breeding management of the mentioned herds and the herds of this study, can be affected the interaction of genotype and environment.

In this study, the correlation coefficients between random variables of sires' PTA for productive traits (milk, fat and protein) with their daughters' performance were calculated to be higher compared to reproductive and health traits. Also, the rate of OR of resistance to metritis and RP diseases, SCS and DCE, showed the effects of sires' PTA on the performance of their daughters. Therefore, according to the results, it is possible to take more advantage from sires predicted transmitting ability for milk, fat, protein, DPR and SCS in proper selection of semen and improving the phenotypic performance of daughters. While available information in genetic evaluations of other traits were less reliable, probably due to low heritability or high genetic by environment interactions.

Maintaining sperm quality and reducing contaminants will ensure the success of fertilization. The presence of bacterial contamination in the reproductive system of animals and their transfer to the semen causes a decrease in sperm quality and problems of disease transmission through inseminated. During the process of freezing and thawing, cold shock as well as environmental microbial pollution causes sperm quality to decrease. Zinc oxide nanoparticles, in addition to increasing the antioxidant capacity, also have antibacterial effects. The sperm membrane of ruminants are rich in unsaturated fatty acids and Zinc is as a cofactor of biological antioxidant biomolecules that suggested zinc increases protecting cell membrane and other inside organelles. Conventional chemical methods are expensive and require the use of chemical compounds/ solvents as reducing agents, which are toxic and as a risk factor for environment. Green chemistry reduces the risk of pollution at the source level, and instead of producing waste, it can use waste materials as a source of producing nanoparticles. This technology focuses on selecting reactions (for example biological molecules such as polyphenols, flavonoids, carbonyl and protein compounds) that are compatible with the environment. In this research, green zinc oxide (gZnO) nanoparticles are produced from saffron petals. Sperms were collected from 6 Afshari rams and after checking and confirming the quality, the sperms were mixed together in a 4x4 factorial design with 4 levels of antibiotics (0, 50, 75 and 100) recommended percentage and 4 levels of gZnO (0, 7.5, 10 and 12.5) μg/ml were added to the each diluent and entered to the freezing process. In order to check the quality of sperm after freezing CASA system were used. Membrane functionality was measured using osmotic method. The total microbial load was estimated using the colony count on blood-agar medium method. The results showed that 12.5 µg/ml level of gZnO nanoparticles becomes destructive and reduced quality of sperm, but the lower levels of gZnO significantly (P<0.05) increased the quality of sperm motility.  Rapid progressive motility, progressive motility and total motility were significantly increased at 7.5 and 10 μg/L levels compared to other levels (P<0.05).  Also, the addition of 7.5 μg/ml of gZnO significantly improved the membrane integrity performance compared to other levels (P<0.05). Antibiotic and gZnO significantly decreased microbial loaded (P<0.01). The strong positive correlation between zinc and both total motility and progressive motility is attributed to zinc's high antioxidant power. Zinc reduces the production of reactive oxygen species and lipid peroxidation, thereby protecting sperm cells from damage. Zinc nanoparticles stabilize the peroxidation of membrane lipids and increase the mitochondrial and functional activity of sperm without having a negative effect on sperm motility parameters. Concentrations higher than 10 μg/ml of gZnO nanoparticles had toxic effects on sperm, which has been noted by other researchers. The use of zinc oxide nanoparticles reduces the amount of antibiotics needed in the production and processing of frozen sperm, reduces the cytotoxicity of both substances, greatly reduces the amount of antibiotic consumption, and increases the antimicrobial effects. The synergistic effects of zinc oxide nanoparticles and antibiotics have recently been given great importance, and in various researches, conjugated antibiotics have been invented. It was shown that the combination of zinc oxide nanoparticles and ampicillin increased the antibiotic power six times and greatly reduced the need for antibiotics.The addition of zinc oxide nanoparticles to the diluent caused a significant increase in the quality of frozen-thawed sperm, so that the levels of 7.5 and 10 mg/μL had the greatest improvement in quality after freezing and thawing. The use of concentrations of 7.5 and 10 μg/ml of gZnO nanoparticles along with reducing the consumption of antibiotics to half of the recommended amount has increased the quality of frozen sperm after thawing, reduced antibiotic resistance and finally reduced purchase cost of antibiotics in sperm production centers. studies show that the use of nanoparticles and antibiotics together not only reduced the toxicity of both substances on human cells, but also increased the effectiveness of antibiotics effects. Even the simultaneous use of nanoparticles and antibiotics caused the reversal of antibiotic resistance. Nanoparticles increase the antibiotic concentration at the site of antibiotic-bacterial activity and increase the binding of the antibiotic with the microorganism.