Animal & Range Sciences
Permanent URI for this communityhttps://scholarworks.montana.edu/handle/1/9
The curricula in animal science provide students with a firm foundation in the biological and natural sciences, animal breeding, reproductive physiology, nutrition, and livestock production and management. Natural Resources & Rangeland Ecology focuses on managing the interaction of livestock, and wildlife and their rangeland habitats. Emphasis is placed on soil, water and vegetation attributes which influence habitat ecology and management of livestock and wildlife.
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Item Evaluating the effects of finishing diet and feeding location on sheep performance, carcass characteristics, and internal parasites(Korean Society of Animal Science and Technology, 2021-05) Ragen, Devon L.; Butler, Molly R.; Boles, Jane A.; Layton, William A.; Craig, Thomas M.; Hatfield, Patrick G.A 3 yr experiment was conducted to evaluate the influence of diet and feeding location on animal performance, carcass characteristics, whole blood counts, and internal parasite burden of lambs assigned to 1 of 4 treatments: 1) confinement fed 71% alfalfa, 18% barley pellet, 5% molasses, 0.013% Bovatec, 6.1% vitamin/mineral package diet (CALF), 2) confinement fed 60% barley, 26% alfalfa pellet, 4% molasses, 2.5% soybean-hi pro, 0.016% Bovatec, 7.4% vitamin/mineral package diet (CBAR), 3) field fed 71% alfalfa, 18% barley pellet, 5% molasses, 0.013% Bovatec, 6.1% vitamin/mineral package diet (FALF), and 4) field fed 60% barley, 26% alfalfa pellet, 4% molasses, 2.5% soybean-hi pro, 0.016% Bovatec, 7.4% vitamin/mineral package diet (FBAR). A year × location interaction was detected for ending body weight (BW), average daily gain (ADG), and dry matter intake (DMI); therefore results are presented by year. In all years, cost of gain and DMI were greater for CALF and FALF than for CBAR and FBAR feed treatments (p ≤ 0.03). In yr 2 and 3 field treatments had greater ending BW and ADG than confinement treatments. For all years, diet did not affect ending BW or ADG. In yr 1 dressing percent and rib eye area were greater for field finished lambs than confinement finished (p ≤ 0.02) and Warner-Bratzler shear force was greater for CALF and FALF (p = 0.03). In yr 2 lambs in FALF and FBAR treatments had greater leg scores and conformation than CALF and CBAR (p = 0.09). In yr 1, FALF had a greater small intestine total worm count than all other treatments. In yr 1, ending Trichostrongyle type egg counts were greater for FALF (p = 0.05). In yr 2, ending Nematodirus spp. egg counts were greater for FALF and lowest for CBAR (p < 0.01). Abomasum Teladorsagia circumcinta worm burden was greater in CALF than all other treatments (p = 0.07) in yr 2. While field finishing lambs with a grain- or forage-based diet we conclude that it is possible to produce a quality lamb product without adverse effects to animal performance, carcass quality or increasing parasite burdens.Item Pelleted-hay alfalfa feed increases sheep wether weight gain and rumen bacterial richness over loose-hay alfalfa feed(2019-06) Ishaq, Suzanne L.; Lachman, Medora M.; Wenner, Benjamin A.; Baeza, Amy; Butler, Molly; Gates, Emily; Olivo, Sarah; Geddes, Julie Buono; Hatfield, Patrick G.; Yeoman, Carl J.Diet composed of smaller particles can improve feed intake, digestibility, and animal growth or health, but in ruminant species can reduce rumination and buffering – the loss of which may inhibit fermentation and digestibility. However, the explicit effect of particle size on the rumen microbiota remains untested, despite their crucial role in digestion. We evaluated the effects of reduced particle size on rumen microbiota by feeding long-stem (loose) alfalfa hay compared to a ground and pelleted version of the same alfalfa in yearling sheep wethers. In situ digestibility of the pelleted diet was greater at 48 h compared with loose hay; however, distribution of residual fecal particle sizes in sheep did not differ between the dietary treatments at any time point. Both average daily gain and feed efficiency were greater for the wethers consuming the pelleted diet. Observed bacterial richness was very low at the end of the adaptation period and increased over the course of the study, suggesting the rumen bacterial community was still in flux after two weeks of adaptation. The pelleted-hay diet group had a greater increase in bacterial richness, including common fibrolytic rumen inhabitants. The pelleted diet was positively associated with several Succiniclasticum, a Prevotella, and uncultured taxa in the Ruminococcaceae and Rickenellaceae families and Bacteroidales order. Pelleting an alfalfa hay diet for sheep does shift the rumen microbiome, though the interplay of diet particle size, retention and GI transit time, microbial fermentative and hydrolytic activity, and host growth or health is still largely unexplored.