Blue mussels Mytilus edulis (n 1⁄4 14) were studied in the laboratory using Hall sensor systems to record their gaping behaviour when exposed to varying food rations and levels of predation risk. Mussel response to increasing daily algal ration was to increase mean gape angle per day and was associated with copious pseudofaeces production at excessive initial algal concentrations, e.g. 250 cell...

Induced molting by feed withdrawal has been a common practice in the commercial layer industry and usually involves the removal of feed for a period of up to 14 d. However, this is a practice that is believed to adversely influence the welfare of the hens and there is a need to examine behavioral responses to alternative molt regimens. The behavioral patterns of hens on 90% alfalfa:10% layer ra...

the precision and accuracy of national research council (nrc 2001) vs. cornell pennsylvania miner (cpm) softwares were evaluated. sixteen lactating dairy cows (8 in second lactation and 8 in third, with days in milk of 55 ± 31, body live weight = 641 ± 53 kg, milk yield =31.2 ± 2.5 kg/day), were assigned to individual pens in a randomized complete block design, with two blocks of two ration tre...

The effects of grazed grass, grass silage, or concentrates on fatty acid composition and conjugated linoleic acid (cis-9, trans-11-18:2; CLA) concentrations of i.m. fat of steers fed to achieve similar carcass growth rates were investigated. Fifty steers were divided into 10 blocks based on body weight and assigned at random from within blocks to one of five dietary treatments. The experimental...

Animals that are unable to meet their metabolic needs should adopt compensatory behaviors to mitigate their energetic deficits. Voluntary hypothermia is one such energy-saving strategy. Physiological constraints associated with the digestion of plant tissues, however, may limit the thermoregulatory options of herbivorous ectotherms. In this laboratory study, selected body temperatures of Desert...

T HREE switchback metabolism studies were conducted to study the effects of replacing corn with 5, 10 and 15% cane molasses. Five percent molasses had no significant effect on any of the parameters studied. At 10 and 15% molasses added at the expense of corn in the basal ration, nitrogen retention and apparent digestibility of dry matter and energy were all significantly improved (P< .05) . The...

Food consumption and growth of juvenile arrowtooth flounders Atheresthes stomias were examined in the laboratory. Weight gain, Y (in % BW/d) was related linearly to food consumption, X (in J/g/d): Y = 0.0033X 0.0564; r 2 = 0.75 at 4°C. Fish 30 to 300 g had similar energy conversion efficiencies. When fed Pacific herring Clupea pallasi at 4°C, maintenance ration was estimated to be 17 J/g/d. Min...

MYBURGH, S. J. & DU TOIT, J. DE V. A comparative study on the efficiency of water soluble phosphates and a dry phosphate lick for sheep fed on mature grass hay. Onderstepoort]. vet. R es. (1970), 37 (2), 127-136. In a study with adolescent Merino sheep on a diet of mature grass hay, the supplementation with phosphates alone, either in the drinking water or as a dry lick, did not prevent loss of...

Weaned bison bull calves were randomly assigned to four feedlot diets in a 4 treatment by 4 periods Latin square study. The feeding periods were 80 days long during spring, summer, fall, and winter. The four dietary treatments were identified based on major ingredients in each ration: 1) wheat screenings, 2) wheat middlings, 3) crambe meal, and 4) a commercial bison ration. Winter gains were lo...