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Curbing Cattle Heat Stress

Handling cattle early in the morning before temperatures get too high is always recommended. Plan to handle cattle before 8:00 a.m. and never after 10:00 a.m. during summer months.

The animal’s core temperature peaks approximately two hours after the environmental temperature peaks and takes four to six hours to lower back to normal temperature. With this in mind, forget handling cattle in the evening to reduce the risk of heat stress.

When processing cattle during high heat seasons, work cattle in smaller groups so they are not standing in the holding area much longer than 30 minutes.

Try to find and utilize facilities that are shaded with good air flow to help reduce the heat. A sprinkler system may assist in cooling the area, if the water droplet size is large. Never over-crowd
working facilities, work cattle slowly, and use low-stress handling techniques. Remember that processing cattle in any temperature elevates the animal’s core temperature.

Cattle movements should be short distances. Strategic planning on pen movements will reduce
unnecessary movements and potential heat stress. Moving heavier cattle closer to loading facilities
throughout the feeding period can be beneficial.

Keep in mind that compromised animals are at higher risk for heat stress. Those animals that are sick or lame are usually running higher temperatures than normal (average temperature for a beef animal is 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit), combined with hot temperature and high humidity raises their risk of heat stress. Take extra precautions with these animals to provide additional resources like shade and
cooling.

Sources: Nebraska Beef Quality Assurance; Rob Eirich, NE Extension Educator
               
Artwork: Cattle Heat Stress Tracker
Animal Husbandry and Livestock Books
Farm Supply
A Guide to Raising Beef Cattle

18 Well-Known Zoonoses

Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people are known as zoonoses. Domestic animals can transmit zoonoses, as well as wild creatures.

Dog diseases and their symptoms in humans include Leptospirosis which causes Weil's disease, Sarcoptic mange which leads to skin rash and bites, Ringworm which produces skin lesions and hair loss, Salmonellosis which produces diarrhea and vomiting, and Rabies which can lead to fever, itching at original bite area, behavior changes, paralysis and death.

Cat zoonoses include Cat Scratch Fever which leads to a high temperature and flu-like symptom, Ringworm and its familiar inflamed skin lesions, and Toxoplasmosis which can lead to the abortion of a fetus.

Zoonoses from other species include Brucellosis in cattle, Campylobacter from hamsters, Salmonellosis from mice and rats, Tetanus from horses.

Source: Animal Biology and Care by Sue Dallas.
     

Artwork: Horse Watching Over Herd as Storm Approaches in Oklahoma Panhandle

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The Corral

Using Phytase to Help Pigs Digest Phosphorus

The nutrient phosphorus is vital nutrient for pig growth, but pigs do not always digest it well. Researchers at the University of Illinois have determined how adding various levels of the enzyme phytase to their diet improves pigs' phosphorus digestion.

Most of the phosphorus in plant feed ingredients is bound in phytate, and it is difficult for pigs to utilize that phosphorus because they cannot hydrolyze the phytate molecule. An enzyme called phytase, however, helps pigs hydrolyze that phosphorus bond from phytate so digestibility is increased.

Testing the digestibility of phosphorus in conventional corn grain, corn germ, distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), and high-protein distillers dried grains (DDG). They tested each ingredient with no phytate and with 500 units, 1,000 units, and 1,500 units of added phytate. Supplementation with 500, 1,000, and 1,500 units of phytate increased phosphorus digestibility from 40.9 percent in corn grain with no added phytate to 67.5, 64.5, and 74.9 percent, respectively.

Phosphorus digestibility in corn germ increased from 40.7 percent to 59.0, 64.4, and 63.2 percent, respectively. Digestibility of phosphorus in DDGS increased from 76.9 percent to 82.9, 82.5, and 83.0 percent, respectively, but the increase was not significant. Phosphorus digestibility in high protein DDG increased from 77.1 percent to 88.0, 84.1, and 86.9 percent, respectively.

For corn and corn germ, pigs had a low digestibility without phytase, but as phytase was added to the diet digestibility increased dramatically.

For DDGS and high-protein DDG, the result was quite different. Because these two ingredients have been fermented, some of those phytate bonds are hydrolyzed in the ethanol plant and therefore, less of the phosphorus is bound to phytate in DDGS and high-protein DDG.

When phytase was added to DDGS, there was not a significant increase in digestibility because the digestibility was already very high; the same was true for HP DDG.

The efficacy of phytase appears to depend on the particular ingredient. If it's an ingredient that has a lot of phosphorus bound to phytate, there's a positive response; if it doesn't have much phosphorus bound to phytate, there's not nearly as much response.

This research will help producers and feed companies to increase the digestibility of phosphorus in ingredients they are already feeding, thus avoiding the expense of adding dicalcium phosphate or monocalcium phosphate to swine diets.

Sources: Journal of Animal Science; ACES News
           

Artwork: Pig in a Stall

Storey's Guide to Raising Pigs

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Farm Supply

Summer Grooming

"Never clip a dog's hair close to the skin in summer. His hair acts as an insulator against heat and protects him against insects. When you give him a crewcut, you're exposing him to sunburn, the bites of flies and others insect pests. Also, the short hairs will prick and itch him every time he moves."

~ How To Live With A Dog by J.J. McCoy. Berkeley, 1966. 

Originally published as "The Complete Book of Dog Training and Care."

Swine Probiotics Improve Weight Gain, Reduce Manure

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) studies suggest that feeding pigs a probiotic could mean less manure to manage.

Pig producers supplementing livestock feed with dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and other coproducts generated from biofuel production have found the hard-to-digest fiber increases the production of manure.

In their study, microbiologists at the ARS Agroecosystems Management Research Unit in Ames, Iowa, fed pigs either a typical diet or a high-fiber diet. The high-fiber diet contained 10 percent soybean hulls and 20 percent corn DDGS.

The pigs were also given bacterial supplements the scientists developed from different strains of Bacteroides ovatus, which had been obtained from human fecal samples and cultured in fiber-rich media.

Pigs that received the bacterial supplements reduced their manure output by 20 percent. These pigs also gained more weight and had improved blood cholesterol and glucose levels, both indications of an improved energy status, compared to pigs not given probiotics.

The probiotic could improve pig performance and reduce manure volumes, which in turn would increase producer profits and reduce the environmental footprint of pork production. Probiotics can be fed in a liquid supplement or possibly freeze-dried and mixed with feed.

Sources: Journal of Animal Science; Agricultural Research

Artwork: Image Number K9441-1
Probiotics and Prebiotics for Pigs
Animal Husbandry and Livestock Books
Farm Supply
Feed & Hay

Keeping Cats Indoors

While many cat owners have heard that feline pets allowed to roam free outdoors are a threat to bird populations, there are more reasons to keep cats indoors than preventing bird kills. Disease, cars, and predators dramatically shorten the life of most outdoor cats. The lifespan of an outdoor cat is two to three years, whereas an indoor cat will average 12 to 15 years, and often live to 20 years.

Vaccinations don't protect against all the diseases of concern in outdoor cats, but they are just as likely to succumb to dogs, coyotes, cars, and parasites as they are to die from disease.

The idea that "keeping cats indoors stifles their nature" is not true. Indoor environments can be complex enough to provide the stimulation cats need with elements like cat trees, catnip sources, and toys.

As for the birds, feral and outdoor cats are responsible for hundreds of millions of birds kills every year in the United States, according to the American Bird Conservancy. Where populations are already dealing with wild predators, the devastation on the birds is often lessened because the birds may have natural defenses to protect themselves. Nevertheless, cats are a major predator that is often harmful to any bird population.

Many people think that placing a bell around the cat's neck will cause birds to disperse. The sound of a bell, however, does not trigger an alarm response in birds and often birds do not respond.

Source: Dr. Kenneth Welle, University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine
               
Artwork: Cat and Prey
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