Mice bred to be high or low in feed efficiency were used to explore its’ biological basis. Mice bred for high efficiency ate less feed and were better able to digest their feed, were fatter, had a lower rate of protein turnover, and expended much less energy in activity.

Transportation activates the stress axis in beef cattle and may compromise the immune system leading to increased morbidity. Oxytocin has been demonstrated to attenuate the stress axis in humans and rodents and may be useful in transported cattle to decrease the stress axis and thereby confer improved immune protection. Although the present study did not detect effects of oxytocin on the stress response via changes in cortisol concentration, providing exogenous oxytocin improved the recovery of some cellular immune system parameters in Bos indicus steers subject to short duration transport. Additional research is needed to explicate a more complete understanding of such effects.

Choline provided in animal diets is required for animal growth, development and reproduction. However, excess choline (in the form of rumen protected choline) in the diet might damage ram fertility through abnormal alteration of methylation patterns at imprinting control region of imprinted genes H19/IGF2. The results provide a reference for further making full use of excellent male goats.

In order to improve animal nutrition and subsequent access to nutrient rich foods in low-income countries, the nutritional needs of tropical dairy cattle should be better understood. This study attempts to determine the energy requirements of crossbred tropical cattle via a meta-analysis, and concludes that the energy requirements for maintenance are lower than that of their Western counterparts. This study can contribute to a larger database of all nutrient requirements for crossbred tropical cattle so that animal health and production can be improved.

The low cost and widespread availability of sorghum grain makes it attractive for use as a feed for ruminants in most tropical areas of the world. We studied the effects of substitution of maize grain with low tannin sorghum grain on microbial protein synthesis in relation to methane (CH₄) emission. Substitution rates of 50–75% of maize grain with sorghum grain maximised lamb growth performance and ruminal microbial growth.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the feed intake, nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation and microbial population of cattle fed additive fermented cassava pulp with residues from noodle factory (CN). Four beef cattle of ~2–3 years of age were randomly assigned to the following four treatments, according to a 4 × 4 Latin square design: cassava pulp:residue at a ratio of 0:0 (NCN), 70:30 (CN1), 60:40 (CN2), and 50:50 (CN3). In conclusion, feeding with cassava pulp fermented with residues from noodle factory (CN) at 60:40 might be an alternative to improve rumen fermentation efficiency, estimated energy, apparent digestibility and bacterial population.

The rising the price of grains and predicted shortages of feed ingredients due to land and water scarcity and climate change lead to rising costs of production, which in turn drive the exploration of alternative protein sources. This study showed that yellow mealworm in the diet of laying hens improved productive performance, especially in 2.5% inclusion level. It can be considered an appropriate unconventional feed ingredient for laying hens.

Drinking water scarcity, climate change and the growing world population demand the sustainable use of water in pig production systems. Immunocastration technology provides advantages for animal welfare and production efficiency; however, there is less information about water use in immunocastrated pigs. Water disappearance, wasted water, and ingestion of water were different between immunocastrated and surgically castrated pigs. Thus, the use of immunocastration on male pigs can result in a smaller water footprint of the pig production system.