OBJECTIVE To evaluate the diagnostic value of serum concentrations of total magnesium (tMg) and ionized magnesium (iMg), concentrations of magnesium (Mg) in muscle, intracellular Mg (icMg) concentrations, urinary Mg excretion (EMg), Mg clearance (CMg), and fractional clearance of Mg (FCMg) in horses fed diets with Mg content above and below National Research Council recommendations. ANIMALS 9...

I . In the first of two experiments four sheep were fed on dried grass and oat straw in the following combinations: ( I ) straw eaten to appetite and an equal quantity given via a rumen fistula, (2) straw eaten and grass by fistula, (3) grass eaten and straw by fistula, (4) grass eaten and grass by fistula. Mean daily dry-matter intakes (g/kg metabolic live weight, W0,75) for the four treatment...

Leaf-chewing insects are commonly believed to be unable to crush the nutrient-rich bundle sheath cells (BSC) of C 4 grasses. This physical constraint on digestion is thought to reduce the nutritional quality of these grasses substantially. However, recent evidence suggests that BSC are digested by grasshoppers. To directly assess the ability of grasshoppers to digest C 4 grass BSC, leaf particl...

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of feeding legume hay (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) or mixed-grass hay on ADG and carcass characteristics of growing goats. In Experiment 1, 24 Spanish kids, equally representing female, intact male and wether goats, were pen-fed ad libitum either chopped alfalfa (16.8 percent CP) or mixed grass hay (9.4 percent CP) (3 pens/diet) and a corn/...

Plant-associated micro-organisms such as mycotoxin-producing endophytes commonly have direct negative effects on herbivores. These effects may be carried over to natural enemies of the herbivores, but this has been rarely explored. We examined how feeding on Neotyphodium endophyte infected (E+) and endophyte free (E-) meadow ryegrass (Scherodonus pratensis) affects body mass, population size an...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of type of conserved forage and concentrate composition on the quality of beef held in overwrapped (aerobic) or modified atmosphere packaging under simulated retail display for 17 d. Friesian steers (n = 45) were assigned randomly to one of five dietary treatments: 1) extensively fermented grass silage plus silage concentrate (EFS); 2) res...

Interest in meat fatty acid composition stems mainly from the need to find ways to produce healthier meat, i.e. with a higher ratio of polyunsaturated (PUFA) to saturated fatty acids and a more favourable balance between n-6 and n-3 PUFA. In pigs, the drive has been to increase n-3 PUFA in meat and this can be achieved by feeding sources such as linseed in the diet. Only when concentrations of ...

Placentas and foetuses from 1107 bovine abortions were examined and a fungal infection was diagnosed in 131 instances. Fungi seen in silver impregnated sections of tissues could be placed into 3 categories designated aspergillus, phycomycete and atypical. Culture indicated that the first 2 of these categories were due to Aspergillus sp and Mortierella wolfii respectively. The infections in the ...