Ruminants Press

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• Poultry
• Ruminants
• Swine

• The subtle (secondary) deficiency of methyl groups

  One of the most important goals of bovine genetic selection is to improve milk protein production. Thanks to this selection and to the specific nutrition, today the high genetic merit (HGM) Holstein cows produce 3% casein during winter. This extremely high protein production is causing more and more fertility and immune problems to the animals.

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• Summer low performance: reduced feed intake is not the only cause

  The perceived temperature is closely linked to the environmental one and to the relative humidity increase and increase significantly during summer. Every animal species can correctly dissipate endogenous heat to maintain the physiological temperature in a specific perceived temperature range: past this, the body temperature increases, and the animal experiences heat stress.

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• Essential fatty acids and fertility

  Lipids are among the most important component of dairy cows' diet. The high energy deriving from lipids, but most of all the dietary intake of specific fatty acids, have a positive impact on ovarian and reproductive function. They stimulate prostaglandin activity, steroid hormones synthesis from cholesterol, and insulin production.

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• Rumen protected methionine to improve buffalo milk quality

  Bovines and buffaloes are very different, there are two different typologies of reared buffaloes: swamp buffalo and river buffalo.

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• Differences between buffaloes and cows

  In “Nutrition Ecology of the Ruminant” (1982), Peter J. Van Soest introduced new nutrients that were subsequently used for the development of the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS®), and accurately described the ecological position of ruminants.

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• How to improve colostrum quality

  Ruminants placenta avoids immunoglobulins transfer from the mother to the fetus (passive immunity). Calves are not protected against infections until they develop their own active immunity, except for antibodies received through colostrum.

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• Oxidative stress: the most insidious of metabolic diseases

  ATP is the fundamental energy molecule for the organism's metabolic function. Its production is derived from the oxidation of different substrates such as carbohydrates and fatty acids. ATP is like a charged battery: when the energy is finished the molecule becomes ADP and is subsequently “re-charged” into ATP.

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• Functional nutrition helps to prevent the economic losses related to the transition period

  The passage from the dry period (or the last weeks before calving in heifers) to the puerperium (the 20 days after calving) is really challenging for dairy cows. During this period (the transition period) there is a higher incidence of metabolic pathologies and of related infections.

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  Ruminants need amino acids, not proteins

  In ruminant nutrition, it is still quite common to look at the general crude protein level, with only marginal attention to the amino acid content. At the same time, high CP (and carbohydrates) is accused of the increased podal diseases and mastitis, and reduced fertility (Butles, 1998; Moretti, 1991).

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• B vitamins supplementation of ruminant diets is really useful?

  Water-soluble vitamins are vitamin C and vitamins of the B group. Choline is also, improperly, inserted among these vitamins because of its certain metabolic functions and defined dosage of use. These vitamins are synthesized by the rumen and intestinal microflora and their supplementation with the diet is still debated.

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• Nutrients bioavailability

  Each feed in the diet contains different and different quantities of nutrients, molecules needed by the animal metabolism. Nutritionists balance these nutrients in the diet to fulfill the requirements of different animal species. During diet formulation, is important to consider the real nutrients bioavailability, defined as the amount of the ingested nutrients absorbed and used by the animal and its metabolism.

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• PUFA omega-3: an important help for dairy cows health and fertility

  The use of fats in ruminant nutrition is widely accepted. Fat supplementation is connected to improved milk, fat yield, better health status, and improved fertility. While there are several reasons fertility problems occur, (i.e. low pregnancy rates or ovarian cysts) a diet with higher energy will be usually suggested. To obtain this the easiest way is to increase the fat content.

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