Achieving accurate cattle weights during research is not always easy. We have developed a method to assess the accuracy of weights recorded for groups of post-weaning age female cattle using other measures including hip height, body condition score and breed. This research provides a way of estimating average weights of female cattle groups in the absence of scales, and has shown how body condition and pregnancy affect their weights.

Low weaning percentage affects success of the beef industry, which is mainly affected by energy balance and suckling. We report a sequence of experiments examining the effect of suckling restriction and flushing (supplement during 22 days) on productive and reproductive responses in primiparous beef cows. Flushing improved early pregnancy rates of beef cows with ‘suboptimal’ body condition at calving submitted to suckling-restriction.

Exploration and improved utilisation of non-conventional feed resources is becoming an important concern in livestock husbandry. In this study, WVR as a by-product of vinegar processing by solid-state fermentation exhibited considerable content and ruminal degradability of CP and NDF. These findings suggest that WVR is a good source of protein for ruminants as an ingredient in ruminant diets.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing doses of garlic oil and cinnamaldehyde on in vitro ruminal fermentation of two diets representative of those fed to dairy and fattening ruminants. The results showed that effectiveness of both additives to modify ruminal fermentation may depend on diet type, which would have practical implications if they are confirmed in vivo.

Concern over the use of feed-grade antibiotics for growth enhancement of livestock has prompted the search for safe alternatives that are generally recognised as safe. In a 56-day feeding experiment it was observed that dietary supplementation with a chromium-enriched live yeast culture effectively enhanced growth performance, dietary energetics and the carcass merit of feedlot lambs. Chromium-enriched yeast supplementation is a promising alternative to antibiotics for growth enhancement in finishing lambs.

Organic acids can increase phytate P utilisation by poultry. A study was carried out to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation of an organic acid on phytate P utilisation of chicks in the presence and absence of supplemental phytase. On the basis of our experiment, it can be concluded that Ca, P, Mg and Zn mineral retention and bone mineralisation in chicks can be increased with the addition of phytase and sodium gluconate to low- available phosphorus diets.

Natural resources that provide saline water especially in arid lands are considered a valuable resource. The current research work investigated the possible use of this saline water as a drinking water for chicken .The results indicated that highly saline water could be used for chickens without harmful effects, revealing a potential important use for discarded water resources.

Nipple drinkers that had a cup below the nipple to retain water decreased water use compared with teat and bite drinkers, with no detrimental effect on growth rate and feed intake. Improved efficiency in water use led to greater nitrogen and potassium content in the slurry, mainly due to the increase in its dry matter content. A negative association between water use at pig facilities and its slurry fertiliser value was demonstrated.

The efficient production of mammary gland bioreactor is a cutting-edge direction in the field of biotechnology development and application. To achieve co-expression of two heterologous genes in goat mammary gland epithelial cells, a mammary gland-specific bicistronic expression vector mediated by FMDV 2A was constructed and successfully expressed. It suggested the feasibility of multiple gene expression in transgenic dairy goats, which will increase the production ability of mammary gland bioreactor for commercially important proteins.

A computer model examined the costs associated with control of flystrike in three regions of Australia. The model predicted that unmulesed sheep would require more pesticide treatment than mulesed sheep and would also be struck more frequently. It also indicated that shearing and crutching during the fly season might increase costs for both mulesed and unmulesed sheep if the timing of these events interfered with the efficient use of long-acting treatments.

Meat products obtained from native pig breeds tend to have better sensory characteristics and to be more valuable by consumers than meat products from industrial pig genotypes. The effect of the Chato Murciano genotype and pig crossbreed genotypes on dry-cured loin quality was studied. The results indicate that the compositional characteristics of Chato Murciano meat improve the dry-cured loin quality.

In Patagonian ranches, the presence or absence of mallines (meadows) makes a greater difference among the diets of intra-herbivore species than inter-species. As the use of forage classes is different between sheep, goats, cattle and horses given a ranch type with or without mallines, mixed grazing can contribute to achieving the optimal use of Patagonian rangelands.