اسدالله تیموری یانسری

Generally, most feeds used in livestock nutrition are deficient in some nutrients and require nutritional supplements. Among the supplements, micro and macro minerals are of particular importance. Selenium is a scarce and essential mineral in animal nutrition, and its importance has been well confirmed in the health and productivity of animals. Selenium plays a role in enzyme activity and acts as an antioxidant to prevent oxidative damage to body tissues. The use of selenium supplements in the diet of sheep can stimulate rumen microbial activity, digestive microorganisms, and their enzyme activity and improve rumen fermentation. It is believed that the low selenium absorption in ruminants is due to the deficiency of selenium in the ration and its conversion into an insoluble form. The reasons for improving the digestibility of feed nutrients in response to selenium supplementation include an increase in protozoan activity and an increase in the activity of cellulolytic bacteria. The use of different organic and inorganic forms of selenium affects its absorption in the digestive system. The use of organic selenium supplements, such as selenium chelates, with organic acids and amino acids increases the ability to absorb this element in the digestive system. There is a direct relationship between the amount of selenium in the soil and plants, and based on the published reports, the soil of our country is deficient in terms of the condition of this element, which shows the necessity of using selenium supplements in the ration of livestock in many regions of Iran. As a result, this study aimed to investigate the effects of organic and inorganic selenium supplements on digestibility, rumen parameters, microbial protein production, rumen protozoa populations, and carcass characteristics of crossbred Zel fattening male lambs.

Twenty-five male lambs aged 4-5 months and with an average body weight of 32.4 ± 1.5 kg were assigned to five treatments with five replications as a completely randomized design for 84 days. The experimental treatments were:1) basal diet without selenium supplement (control), 2) basal diet + 0.5 mg Se/kg DM as selenium glycine, 3) basal diet + 0.5 mg Se/kg DM as selenium methionine, 4) basal diet + 0.5 mg Se/kg DM as selenium cysteine, and 5) basal diet + 0.5 mg Se/kg DM as sodium selenite. The apparent digestibility of feed nutrients was determined using the acid-insoluble ash internal indicator method. Ruminal fluid was collected 3 hours after consuming the morning feed on the 84th day of the experiment to determine the protozoa population and the pattern of volatile fatty acids in the rumen fluid. In the last week of the experiment, urine was collected to estimate the production of microbial protein by measuring the excretion of purine derivatives from urine. After completing the experiment, 15 lambs were weighed and slaughtered to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of SAS.

In treatments containing selenium methionine and selenium cysteine supplements, the digestibility of dry matter and insoluble fibers in neutral detergent increased significantly compared to the inorganic selenium and control groups (P < 0.05). The digestibility of organic matter in treatments supplemented with selenium methionine and selenium cysteine increased significantly compared to that in the control group (P < 0.05). In addition, crude protein digestibility improved significantly in all treatments supplemented with selenium compared to that in the control group (P < 0.05). No statistically significant difference was observed in the digestibility of ether extract and acid detergent insoluble fibers (ADF) among experimental treatments (P < 0.05). The rumen fluid pH was significantly lower in all lambs receiving selenium supplements than in the control group (P < 0.05). In treatments containing selenium methionine and selenium cysteine, the concentration of propionic acid increased compared to the treatment containing sodium selenite and the control group (P < 0.05), and the acetic acid/propionic acid ratio decreased significantly compared to the treatment containing inorganic selenium and the control group (P < 0.05). The concentration of butyric acid in all treatments supplemented with organic selenium was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the experimental treatments did not affect the concentrations of ammonia nitrogen, other volatile fatty acids, and total fatty acids in the rumen liquid of lambs (P < 0.05). In the present study, the use of organic and inorganic selenium supplements did not significantly affect microbial protein production, rumen fluid protozoa population, carcass characteristics, and the chemical composition of lamb meat (P > 0.05).

In general, it can be concluded that adding 0.5 mg Se/kg DM to the basic diet (containing 0.07 mg Se/kg DM of feed) from organic sources of selenium supplements (especially selenium methionine and selenium cysteine supplements) compared to the inorganic source of selenium has a better effect on the digestibility of feed nutrients and rumen parameters of fattening lambs.

High-yielding cows, especially at the beginning of the lactation period, are mainly in a negative energy balance. This problem occurs due to energy consumption less than the requirements for high production, which causes the animal to use its body reserves. Therefore, it is necessary to enrich the diet in various ways, one of which is to use fat supplements. Increasing the level of dietary fat is important to provide energy during this period. Fat supplementation can reduce negative energy balance in high-yielding cows. The beneficial effects of fat supplementation depend on its type and amount. Fats should be relatively ineffective to reduce their harmful effects = in the rumen (such as reductions in the ratio of acetate to propionate, fiber digestion, and methane production). Fats reduce fat oxidation in the liver and dry matter consumption in livestock by influencing the hormones of the digestive system. A decrease in the passage rate of digestible substances from the rumen by adding fat to the diet can increase the expansion of the rumen and stimulate the stretch receptors in the rumen, resulting in probably a decrease in dry matter intake. However, the use of fat in feeding dairy cows also has limitations that must be overcome. Using emulsifier compounds can be very important during this period due to the property of emulsifying fats and increasing fat digestion. The emulsifier molecule can be dissolved in water with its hydrophilic part and in fat with its hydrophobic part and plays an important role in helping to form micelles. Therefore, emulsifiers can distribute fat droplets in the emulsion, which is necessary for fat digestion and absorption. Lysophospholipids are among the emulsifying compounds that increase fat digestion and absorption in the diet. Lysophospholipid is a strong feed additive to improve digestion and absorption and increase feed productivity, which increases production, feed efficiency, and absorption of dietary nutrients. In this research, the effects of using this emulsifier on blood and milk biochemical parameters, liver enzymes, and rumen microbial population are studied in the early lactation period of Holstein dairy cows.

This experiment was carried out on 15 multi-calving Holstein dairy cows (three groups of five cows) with an average weight of 720 ± 50 kg and lactation days of 16 ± 5 days in a completely randomized design. The treatments were three levels of lysophospholipid in the feed (zero, 0.1, and 0.15%) for 35 days. The experimental diets were completely mixed and provided to the cows twice a day in the morning and afternoon. Cows had free access to water. At the end of the experimental period (35 days), blood was taken from the tail vein of randomly selected cows in three replications of each treatment to measure total protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, blood nitrogen, unesterified fatty acids, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. To check the liver enzymes, blood samples were taken from cows before feed consumption on days 0 and 34 of the experimental period, by applying a 12-hour deprivation of feed consumption, to measure the activity of liver enzymes, viz. alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). At the end of the experimental period, rumen fluid was obtained from the rumens of all experimental cows to evaluate pH, ammonia nitrogen, volatile fatty acids (VFAs), enzymes, and bacterial and protozoan populations.

The diets containing lysophospholipid decreased blood urea nitrogen. The lowest blood urea nitrogen was observed in the treatment containing 0.15% lysophospholipid, which was significantly different from the treatments containing different levels of lysophospholipid
(p < 0.05). However, no significant differences were observed between different treatments in total protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, non-esterified fatty acids, and beta-hydroxybutyrate. Adding lysophospholipid caused a significant decrease in the level of liver AIT, but it did not significantly affect the other liver enzymes (AIP and AST). A significant increase was also observed in the activity level of ruminal carboxymethylcellulase (p < 0.05). However, there were no significant differences between the treatments in the activity of ruminal microcrystalline cellulase. An improvement in the production of ruminal VFAs (acetic acid and valeric) was observed in the treatments containing lysophospholipid (especially the 0.15% level) compared to the control treatment (p < 0.05), but it did not significantly influence other ruminal VFAs. In addition, the results of the experimental treatments on the rumen microbial population showed that the bacterial and protozoan population was not significantly affected by supplementing the diet with lysophospholipid.

In general, the results show that the use of lysophospholipid supplement not only has no negative effects, but it has positive results, especially at the level of 0.15%, on blood and rumen parameters and the rumen bacterial population in the early lactation period of Holstein dairy cows.

Currently, sheep breeding in Iran aims to produce meat; therefore increasing production in this part requires measures such as breeding and short-term solutions such as improving health and nutritional conditions. Understanding the growth and development of skeletal muscle is one of the most important goals in the animal breeding and meat production industry, which can be related to special aspects of human medicine. Therefore, the aim of this research was to determine the effect of glutamine feeding as a nutritional strategy on myogenic gene expression in the muscle of Zell sheep under heat stress conditions.

Zell sheep cows (n = 12) with an average weight of 25.0±1 Kg randomly assigned fed with different glutamine levels (0 and 0.2 g/kg body weight. Diets were fed for 60 days under heat stress conditions. Sampling of the thigh muscle was taken at two different times (in the middle of the experiment and at the end of the experimental period) with a special biopsy gun with a 14-diameter needle from three sheep in each treatment. Then the samples were washed in physiological serum and kept at -96°C until total RNA extraction. RNA extraction was done with trizol and based on manufacture instructions (Invitrogen). The RNA was reversely transcribed in the presence of 1 mmol/L oligo (dT) primer and 4 U Omniscript RTase (Omniscript RT Kit; Qiagen, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) according to the manufacturer’s instructions. To ensure the amplification, they were tested using a cDNA and Real-time PCR (model CORBETT 3000, Australia). Data were normalized to a calibrator sample using the 2ΔΔCt method with correction for amplification efficiency. Samples were expressed relative to YWHAZ as a housekeeping gene, which was stable under the culture conditions used. Data was analyzed using t-test (SAS 9/1).

The results of the present study showed that glutamine feeding increased the expression of Myf5 (2.75 times), MyoD (3.89 times), MRF4 (2.16 times), Myogenin (4.76 times), and the expression of Myostatin gene (54 4 times) on the 21st day of the experiment. On the 42nd day of the experiment, glutamine feeding increased the expression of Myf5 (2.10 times), MyoD (2.56 times), MRF4 (2.78 times), and Myogenin (5.25 times) genes, like the 21st day of glutamine feeding. And it decreased the expression of the Myostatin gene (3.03 times) on the contrary.

The results of the present study showed, in general, that considering the effect of glutamine nutrition on the expression of myogenic genes in heat conditions, its use can be a solution to increase growth performance in heat stress conditions if the results are reproducible.Keywords: Gene expression, Glutamine, Sheep, Real-time- PCR

Introduction : 

Diarrhea is the main cause of calf mortality in the first two weeks after birth. Even when calves recover from diarrhea, they may subsequently show impaired growth. Considering this fact and especially following the ban of antibiotics in many countries, it is very important to identify effective anti-diarrheal supplements for use in suckling calves. Zinc is an effective anti-inflammatory and anti-diarrheal substance that improves the function of the immune system, reduces the number of pathogenic bacteria and increases the relative abundance of beneficial microbes in the digestive system. It is thought that the mechanisms of anti-diarrheal effect of zinc element are due to regulation of intestinal fluid transfer and mucosal integrity, strengthening of immunity and modulation of oxidative stress. The purpose of this experiment is to investigate the use of different proportions of organic (methionine-zinc) and inorganic (zinc oxide) sources of zinc to prevent diarrhea, improve the condition of the immune system and performance indicators of suckling calves. 

A total of 50 suckling Holstein calves were used over 70 days in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 10 replications. The experimental treatments were different proportions of organic and inorganic zinc supplements, including 1) zinc supplementation, 100% Methionine-zinc 2) combination of 75% methionine-zinc and 25% zinc oxide, 3) combination of 50% methionine-zinc and 50% zinc oxide, 4) combination of 25% methionine-zinc and 75% zinc oxide, and 5) 100% zinc oxide. All treatments received 1.96 mg of zinc supplementation per kilogram of body weight. Zinc supplements mixed with milk were fed to the calves from day one to day 14, and performance monitoring continued for 70 days. The stool score was evaluated on a scale of 1 to 4. Diarrhea was defined as the presence of grade 3 or 4 stools for 2 consecutive days. Data were analyzed in a completely randomized design using the GLM procedure of SAS. For variables measured over time (average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion ratio), time was added to the model as a repeated factor. 

The results showed that experimental treatments did not significantly effect the average daily gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion ratio of the calves fed with Different ratios of mineral (zinc oxide) and organic (methionine-zinc) sources of zinc. In addition, the average of fecal consistency score did not differ significantly among the treatments. The results blood analysis demonstrated that treatment 100% methionine-zinc had higher level of concentration alkaline phosphatase. However, among the treatments contained methionine-zinc, a decrease in the ratio of methionine-zinc resulted in a decrease in Alkaline phosphatase concentration. Higher ratios of zinc oxide caused a significant decrease in the concentration of superoxide dismutase in the blood on the 14th and 70th day of the experiment. Also, on the 70th day of the test, the antioxidant capacity of whole blood was significantly higher in treatments containing methionine-zinc than in treatment %100 zinc oxide. The results showed that other blood parameters were not significantly influenced by the treatments in this study. In general, production performance did not change in different ratios of organic and mineral sources, the lack of effect of replacing zinc oxide with methionine-zinc on the performance of the present calves may be due to the provision of sufficient levels of zinc for all calves. So that the zinc supplement, taking into account its purity percentage, reached the same amount (1.96 mg of zinc supplement per kilogram of body weight) in all treatments. 

In the present study, overall production performance and blood parameter concentrations did not change with different ratios of organic and mineral sources. However, the activity of antioxidant enzymes was higher with higher ratios of the organic supplement (methionine-zinc) compared to the mineral source (zinc oxide). The lack of positive effect of replacing zinc oxide with methionine-zinc on the performance of the present calves may be due to the provision of sufficient levels of zinc for all calves. And it can be said that when a mineral is supplied at a sufficient level, the chemical form and bioavailability of resources are less important on performance.

Considering the costs of providing feed for feeding ruminants, agricultural by-products, which are generally cheaper than conventional feeds, can be included in the diet of fattening animals, which will reduce production costs. One of these agricultural by-products is cotton waste from cotton ginning factories, which due to its plant origin and as a source of protein, fat and raw fibers, this product has the ability to be used as an alternative feed in the diet of fattening animals. This edible material is a mixture of woody parts of cotton bolls, stems, remnants of cotton fibers and leaves.This study was conducted to investigate the effects of substituting different levels of cotton waste for dried alfalfa on growth performance, quantitative and qualitative carcass traits, apparent digestibility, blood parameters, and liver enzymes Afshari lambs.

In this study, 24 male Afshari lambs with an mean weight of 30±1.9 kg and an mean age of 4 months were used in 4 treatments and 6 repetitions for 90 days. The experimental treatments included: 1) control group, 2) diet containing 33.33% cotton waste, 3) diet containing 66.66% cotton waste, 4) diet containing 100% cotton waste instead of dry alfalfa. Growth performance traits including daily feed intake, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio were measured during the experiment period. Also, at the end of the experiment, three lambs from each treatment were slaughtered to measure the quantitative and qualitative traits of the carcass. On the 90th day of the experiment, blood samples were taken from five lambs from each treatment to measure blood parameters and liver enzymes..

The growth performance results showed that replacing 100% of cotton waste instead of dried alfalfa (1890 gr) in the diet of fattening lambs significantly increased the daily feed intake compared to the control group (P<0.05). The feed conversion ratio in the treatment containing 100% replacement of cotton waste instead of dried alfalfa (6.70) was significantly reduced compared to the control group (P<0.05). The final live weight in treatments where cotton waste was replaced by dried alfalfa was higher than the control group (P<0.05). Also, the treatment containing 100% replacement of cotton waste instead of dried alfalfa had a higher final weight (56.22 kg) than the control group and other groups. Apparent digestibility of crude fat (75.11%), NDF (69.31%) and ADF (30.32%) in the treatment containing 100% replacement of cotton waste instead of dried alfalfa compared to the control group It increased significantly (P<0.05). The concentration of blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL in blood serum increased with consumption of cotton waste (P<0.05); But the concentration of HDL decreased (P<0.05). A decrease in cholesterol and blood urea nitrogen was observed by replacing 33.33% of cotton waste (P<0.05). The live weight before slaughter, hot carcass weight, hot carcass percentage, cold carcass weight, cold carcass percentage, cold half carcass weight, thigh percentage and head percentage in the treatment containing 100% replacement of cotton waste instead of dried alfalfa increased significantly compared to the control group. had (P<0.05).

The general result of the present study showed that replacing 100% of cotton waste instead of alfalfa improved the growth performance, quantitative traits of the carcass and the apparent digestibility of nutrients.

Agricultural by-products are frequently used to feed livestock, but they often have low nutritional value. This study was conducted to improve nutritional value of wheat straw using cellulolytic bacteria isolated from the foregut of dromedary camel. Rumen fluid was collected from four fistulated camels. The cellulose-hydrolytic bacteria were isolated by using medium amended with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The activity of carboxymethyl cellulase (CMCase) was determined by measuring the release of reducing sugars. The optimum pH and temperature for growth and CMCase activity of the isolates were determined. Three isolates (SH13, SH2, and SH22) showed maximum hydrolysis capacity and were selected for further investigation. The analysis of 16S rRNA gene sequences of these isolates showed that the isolates possessed 99, 94 and 98% similarity with Escherichia coli, and Enterobacteriaceae, respectively. Wheat straw was incubated with the isolated bacteria in liquid medium for 6 weeks. The results showed inoculation with SH22 isolates resulted in the highest disappearance of dry matter and crude protein content, and the lowest amount of neutral detergent fibre (NDF), iNDF and acid detergent fibre (ADF). Treatment with SH13 isolate had the highest digestibility of NDF and ADF, and treatment with SH2 had the highest truly degraded organic matter (TDOM) and partitioning factor (PF). Our data suggest that maybe bacteria isolated from camel foregut can increase digestibility and enhancing nutrition value of wheat straw.

Today, the increase in the world's population, especially in third-world countries, has caused an increase in the demand for livestock products, which will subsequently require more livestock products and more food resources to meet these needs. The use of waste from factories of agricultural transformation industries in feeding livestock helps to make the cost of breeding more economical. Since cotton by-product is considered a product of cotton ginning factories, it can be said that due to its nutritional value, its use in animal diets is to avoid wasting this huge source of feed. Cotton by-product contains 86.9% dry matter, 12.3% crude protein, 57.7% NDF, 12.2% ash, 1.7% calcium, 0.31% phosphorus, and 1.06% net energy. The results of the studies showed that cotton waste can be used as a source of protein in the diet of fattening animals. This study aimed to assess the effect of feeding different levels of cotton by-products on performance, degradability, rumen fermentation parameters, microbial protein, and microbial population in fattening lambs.
In this study, 24 male Afshari lambs with a mean weight of 30±0.7 kg and a mean age of four months were used in a completely randomized design with four treatments and six replications for 90 days. The experimental treatments included: 1) a diet without cotton by-product (control), 2) a diet containing 33.33% cotton by-product instead of alfalfa, 3) a diet containing 66.66% cotton by-product instead of alfalfa, and 4) a diet containing 100% cotton by-product instead. Hay was based on dry matter. The cotton by-product used in this study was obtained from Mahosh cotton ginning factory located in Razavi Khorasan province, Neyshabur city, Iran. After entering the test site, it was chopped and then mixed with alfalfa in certain percentages; it was consumed by experimental lambs. Growth performance traits including daily feed intake, daily weight gain, and feed conversion ratio were measured during the experiment period. To measure ruminal fermentation parameters and bacteria and protozoa populations, the rumen fluid of the experimental lambs was taken from the rumen on the 90th day of the experiment, three hours after morning feeding using an esophageal tube. To determine urine purine derivatives, the total 24-hour urine production of each animal was collected in a special container under the metabolic cage on five sampling days. The number of three fistulaized Afshari sheep with a mean weight of about 50±2 kg and a mean age of approximately 11 months was used to estimate the parameters of degradability of dry matter, crude protein, and NDF.
The growth performance results showed that replacing 100% cotton by-products instead of dry alfalfa increased feed intake, increased daily weight, and decreased feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). The results of ruminal parameters showed that the treatment containing 66.66 and 100% replacement of cotton by-products instead of dry alfalfa had the highest concentration of total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid, and acetate to propionate ratio (P<0.05). There was no significant difference between the experimental treatments in the amounts of purine excretion derivatives and microbial protein production. The use of 66.66% of the substitute cotton by-product instead of dry alfalfa in the diet increased the total population of rumen fluid bacteria (P<0.05) but had no significant effect on the protozoan population. The results of meta-measures of dry matter degradability, crude protein, and NDF showed that there was no significant difference between experimental treatments.
The general results of the study showed that replacing cotton by-products by 66.66 or 100% instead of dry alfalfa in the diet improved the performance, increased the bacterial population, and concentration of total volatile fatty acids in the rumen fluid of fattening lambs. The use of cotton by-products can be a suitable substitute for alfalfa in the diet of fattening lambs without negative effects on growth performance and rumen fermentation indices.

Due to the climatic conditions and the altitude above the sea level, the northern areas of the Alborz mountain range, from Talash forests to Gorgan forests, which are home to several species of oak trees; The use of oak tree fruit due to its nutritious compounds and relying on the appropriate processing method to reduce anti-nutritional compounds and increase its digestibility, has the potential to be investigated in the discussion of feeding livestock. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, quantitative and qualitative traits of the carcass and some blood parameters of Zell fattening male lambs.

To perform this study, 20 fattening Zell and Atabai mixed lambs with an mean age of 5.5±0.38 months and an initial weight of 27±0.4 kg were used in a completely random design for 90 days. The experimental treatments included the control group (without oak fruit + polyethylene glycol) and treatments containing levels of 10, 20 and 40% in the dry matter of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea. The feed consumed by the lambs was in the form total mixed ration at the level of appetite on two occasions (at 8:00 and 17:00). The oak fruit (Quercus castaneifolia) used in this research was collected in the late summer and early autumn from oak trees of the Bolandmazo species, Mazandaran province, Sari city. Experimental animals were weighed every 14 days with 12 hours of feed deprivation. To measure the quantitative and qualitative traits of the carcass at the end of the 90th day of the experiment and after 24 hours of the last feed weighing, 3 lambs were selected from each treatment and killed after 12 hours of feed deprivation. To determine blood parameters at the end of the experiment, 3 to 4 hours after feeding, blood was taken from the jugular vein of the lambs using vacuum tubes containing anticoagulant.

The results of the growth performance showed that the treatment of 40% of processed oak fruit significantly had the highest amount of dry matter intke, daily weight gain, final weight and also the lowest feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). The results of apparent digestibility of nutrients showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in crude protein and NDF (P<0.05). The highest apparent digestibility of crude protein and NDF was observed in the treatment of 20% and 40% of processed oak fruit, respectively. The results of some blood parameters showed that there was a significant difference in the concentration of blood glucose and urea nitrogen between the experimental treatments (P<0.05). The highest concentration of blood serum glucose was observed in the treatment of 40% processed oak fruit. In blood urea nitrogen concentration, the control group had the highest concentration and the 40% processed oak fruit treatment had the lowest concentration. In quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the carcass, the highest slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, Leg and Shoulder percentage were found in the treatment of 40% processed oak fruit and the highest carcass yield was found in the treatment of 20% processed oak fruit (P<0.05).

The general results of the present study showed that the fattening end weight, daily weight gain, dry matter intake, lowest feed conversion ratio, as well as valuable parts of the carcass in fattening lambs were improved by consuming 40% processed oak fruit treatment. Apparent digestibility of raw protein and NDF was improved by using 20% and 40% levels of processed oak fruit, respectively.

Nowadays, excessive exploitation of natural resources and excessive grazing of pastures has led to a sharp decrease in feed sources for ruminant animals. Considering the fact that today most of the feed materials needed by livestock are expensive, replacing them with cheaper feed materials, in a way that does not result in a decrease in livestock productivity is of great importance. Oak fruit is one of the cheap feed that can be used in animal feed. Livestock feeding with oak fruit is particularly important due to high production per unit area, non-competition with human nutrition and easy access. The Alborz Mountains in the northern part of the country are covered by oak forests, from Talash forests to Naharkhoran forests in Gorgan, according to the climatic conditions and altitude, there are several species of oak trees. Therefore, considering the abundance of oak fruit in the forests of the central part of Mazandaran province and also the lack of scientific studies on the effects of consumption of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on degradability indicators and microbial protein production, the present study is to investigate the effect different levels of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on  ruminal fermentation, morphology, ruminal degradability and  microbial protein synthesis in crossed Zell and Atabai fattening male lambs.

In the first study, from the number of 20 fattening male lambs mixed with Zel and Atabai with an mean age of 5.5±0.38 months and an initial weight of 27±0.4 kg in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 5 repetitions for 90 The day was used. The experimental treatments included the control group (no oak fruit + polyethylene glycol) and treatments containing levels of 10, 20 and 40% in the dry matter of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea in the diet. In the second study, the number of 3 fistulaized Zell sheep with mean weight of about 40 kg and an average age of approximately 10 months were used to estimate the parameters of degradability. The oak fruit used in this study was randomly collected from oak trees of the Bolandmazo species (Quercus castaneifolia C. A. Mey) in different forest areas of Mazandaran province from late summer to early autumn. Data obtained were analyzed by statistical software SAS (version 1.9).

The results of rumen fermentation parameters showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids, bacterial population and protozoa of rumen fluid (P<0.05). The highest and lowest concentrations of ammonia nitrogen were observed in the control group and the 20% processed oak fruit treatment, respectively. In the concentration of total volatile fatty acids, the treatment of 20% of processed oak fruit had the highest concentration and the treatment of 40% of processed oak fruit had the lowest concentration. There was no significant difference between the experimental treatments in the results of the morphological characteristics of the rumen villi. Degradability parameters of dry matter and crude protein were determined under the influence of experimental treatments (P<0.05). In the parameters of degradability of dry matter and crude protein, rapidly degraded fraction, constant rate of degradation and effective degradability with different passage rate had significant differences between experimental treatments (P<0.05). In dry matter degradability parameters, the control group and the treatment group of 40% processed oak fruit had the highest and lowest value of rapidly degraded fraction and constant rate of degradation, respectively. The results of gas production parameters showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in gas production potential, short chain acids, digestibility of organic matter and metabolizable energy (P<0.05). The results of excretion of purine derivatives and microbial protein production showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental treatments in the amounts of excreted allantoin, xanthine+hypoxanthine, excreted purine derivatives, absorbed purine derivatives and microbial protein (P<0.05).

The general results of the current research showed that an increase in the concentration of volatile fatty acids, degradability of dry matter and crude protein, as well as the production of microbial protein was observed with consumption of 40% processed oak fruit. Also, an increase in the population of ruminal fluid bacteria and protozoa was observed in the treatment of 20% processed oak fruit. In general, it is recommended to use the level of 40% of processed oak fruit in feeding fattening lambs.

The use of dairy by-products as a new feed source in order to reduce the costs of raising livestock is very important. Whey powder is a residual cheese or casein, which is one of the animal proteins used in the human food chain. It is also a feed source of protein and contains some useful minerals. Whey can be used in the diet of livestock due to its proper nutrient balance. Also, the fact that whey can reduce the consumption of concentrate without any negative effect on daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio, so the purpose of this study was performed to investigate the effect of using different levels of whey powder in diet on growth performances traits, apparent digestibility of nutrients and some blood parameters in fattening male crossed Zell lambs.

To perform this study, 24 mixed fattening Zell lambs were examined with a means age of 4.5±0.52 months and a means initial weight of 24±2 kg in a completely randomized design for 90 days. Experimental treatments included control treatment (without adding whey powder in the diet) and treatments containing 1.5, 3 and 4.5% whey powder in the diet. Chemical analysis of whey powder used included pH, 6.8 to 5.8, protein 12.5%, lactose 64%, fat 1.5%, moisture 4.5%. Whey powder used in the study was given to the experimental animals at different levels after mixing with the diet. The daily diet was given as a TMR to the animal twice and the amount consumed was recorded. Live weight measurement was performed every 14 days with 12 hours of feed and water deprivation. Measurement of the apparent digestibility of nutrients in the last days of the experiment as well as the study of carcass traits and blood parameters were performed on day 90 of the experiment.

The growth performance results of experimental lambs showed that there was a significant difference in end weight, DMI and daily weight gain between experimental treatments (P <0.05); So that the highest final weight and daily weight gain was observed in the treatment containing 4.5% whey and the highest dry matter intake was observed in the treatment containing 3% whey. The results of apparent digestibility of nutrients showed that there was a significant difference in apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and NDF between experimental treatments (P<0.05). The highest apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude protein was observed in the treatment containing 4.5% whey and the highest apparent digestibility of NDF was observed in the treatment containing 3% whey. The results of some blood parameters showed that there was a significant difference in the concentration of glucose, triglyceride, HDL and BUN between experimental treatments (P<0.05). The results of quantitative traits of carcasses of fattening lambs showed that there was a significant difference in hot carcass weight, hot carcass percentage, cold carcass weight, cold carcass percentage, thigh percentage and shoulder percentage between experimental treatments (P<0.05). The results of qualitative traits of carcasses of fattening lambs showed that there was a significant difference in the rate of TBARS of the straight muscle 48 hours after slaughter between experimental treatments (P <0.05).

The overall result of the present study showed that the weight at the end of the fattening period, dry matter intake and also the apparent digestibility of nutrients were significantly improved by consuming 3 and 4.5% levels of whey powder. There was a higher carcass percentage and improvement in valuable carcass parts in the treatment containing 3% whey powder.

Lack of animal feed, especially with development of industrial methods of animal husbandry waste in many parts of the world, has led farmers and researchers to try identifying and using agricultural and livestock waste and new food sources for animal nutrition, including poultry manure and urea is mentioned in the diet of ruminants. Due to the fact that no research has been done on the effect of barley grain processing methods and non-protein nitrogen sources in the diet on rumen degradability, gas production and microbial protein synthesis in sheep, the present study was conducted.

This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with seven treatments including a control treatment containing whole barley grain (without milling) and without urea and chicken manure, treatments 2, 3 and 4 containing processing method of milling, filling and pelleting with a certain level of urea, respectively. (1%) And treatments 5, 6 and 7 containing processing methods of milling, filling and pelleting with a certain level of poultry manure (12%) were performed on sheep. Each treatment consisted of 5 fattening lambs at the age of 3 months 24±1 which were kept individually in separate cages for 14 days of acclimatization period and 84 days of fattening period. In the second experiment, rumen degradability of dry matter, crude protein and NDF of experimental diets were measured using a nylon bag method with 3 fistulated male sheep that were fed in the maintenance level. Extent and rate of gas production were done based on Menk and Stingas. The NH3-N concentration was determined following the Broderick and Kang (1980) technique. Purine derivatives and was measured by the method of Chen and Gomes (1995). Rumen fluid was collected for 5 consecutive days in the end of each period and ruminal fermentation parameters containing pH and NH3-N and were determined. Urine of sheep was collected end of each period for 5 days and microbial protein synthesis was estimated by measuring purine base. Data were analyzed using SAS software version 9.9 (54) using GLM procedure.

The apparent digestibility of dry matter and organic matter were significantly different, and the control treatment (whole barley grain without urea and poultry manure) had the highest apparent digestibility. Digestibility in non-fibrous carbohydrates was significantly different, so that treatment 5 (processing method of milling with poultry manure) had the highest apparent digestibility. Different parameters of degradability of dry matter, crude protein and insoluble fibers in neutral detergent of experimental treatments indicated significant differences between treatments (P<0.05). Barley grain processing with non-protein nitrogen sources caused a significant difference in the fast decomposing part, slow decomposing part and degradable part of dry matter, crude protein and insoluble fibers in the crude protein neutral detergent of experimental treatments. Effective degradability of dry matter, crude protein and insoluble fibers in neutral detergent at 2, 4 and 6% per hour passage rates had a significant difference between experimental treatments. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental treatments in terms of gas production parameters and the amount of gas produced in 96 hours (P<0.05). There was a significant difference between experimental treatments in terms of digestibility of organic matter, amount of metabolizable energy and concentration of short-chain volatile fatty acids. The highest pH was assigned to treatment 7 (6.30) and the lowest pH was assigned to treatment 1 (6.10). Ammonia nitrogen had a significant difference in experimental treatments. The highest ammonia nitrogen was related to treatment 5 (11.45 mg/dL) and the lowest ammonia nitrogen was related to treatment 3 (10.38 mg/dL). The excretion rate of each of the purine derivatives (allantoin, uric acid, xanthine + hypoxanthine) and the total urinary excretion of purine derivatives and the amount of microbial protein synthesized in the rumen were affected by the test diets and the observed difference was significant (P<0.05). There was a significant difference in rumen pH in experimental treatments. The results showed that barley grain processing methods with non-protein nitrogen sources had a significant effect on rumen degradability, gas production, rumen parameters and microbial protein synthesis compared to the control group.

In general, the use of urea (1%) and poultry manure (12%) with different methods of barley grain processing without negative effects on rumen degradability, rumen liquid parameters and gas production in terms of microbial protein synthesis can be useful.

Heat stress (HS) affects physiological, biochemical and production functions in livestock. By suppressing various components of the immune system, HS increases the susceptibility of livestock to various diseases. This tension has a negative effect on the health and production ability of livestock by disrupting the nervous-hormonal system and suppressing the immune system. The use of different nutritional solutions to improve the immune system of livestock in different stages of production has attracted a lot of attention. This research was conducted to evaluate the effects of glutamine supplementation and protein level on inflammatory indicators, immune system and blood parameters of pregnant Zel breed ewes during the transitional period and the immune response of their lambs during HS.

20 pregnant ewes with an average weight of 42±1 kg and an age of 2.5±1 years and multiparous were selected and randomly assigned to four experimental treatments. Experimental treatments included: 1) basal diet (equal metabolizable protein requirement) 2) basal diet with glutamine (1% diet) 3) diet with 10% more protein than requirement and 4) basal diet with 10% more protein with glutamine.  Blood sampling was done weekly before morning feeding from all ewes using vacuum tubes containing heparin (Venojet) from the jugular vein. Blood parameters including albumin, total plasma protein, alkaline phosphatase and malondialdehyde were measured with relevant kits and with an automatic analyzer. Insulin, immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin 2 (IL-2), interleukin 6 (IL-6) and interleukin 10 (IL-10) were measured using ELISA kits. In order to evaluate the immune response and the state of general inflammation, the differential blood count profile was examined.

One week before and after parturition and on the day of parturition, the amount of albumin, total protein, insulin and IgG increased with glutamine consumption (P<0.05).  Also, glutamine supplementation increased the concentration of IgG in lambs born from ewes (P<0.0001).The effect of experimental treatments on alkaline phosphatase was not significant. Also, the consumption of glutamine supplement one week before parturition, one week after parturition and on the day of parturition decreased the concentration of malondialdehyde (P=0.0030, P=0.0057 and P=0.0301, respectively). The number of white blood cells in one week before parturition and on the day of parturition increased significantly with the addition of glutamine (P=0.0015 and P=0.0024, respectively). Glutamine supplementation significantly reduced blood neutrophils (P<0.05). However, blood lymphocyte was significantly increased (P<0.05). On the day of parturition and one week after parturition, treatments increased the values ​​of IL-2 (P=0.0216 and P=0.0586, respectively) and IL-10 (P=0.0573 and P=0.0019, respectively). While the amount of IL-6 on the day of parturition and one week after parturition was significantly reduced by consuming glutamine and adding the level of metabolizable protein (P=0.0079 and P=0.0027, respectively).

The results of this experiment showed that glutamine supplementation improves the health status of pregnant ewes under HS and their lambs.

Heat stress (HS) potentially has several physiological complications that lead to great economic losses in the sheep and goat breeding industry, including reproductive disorders, immune system weakness, inflammation, electrolyte imbalance and reduced feed intake. Glutamine is the most abundant amino acid in the body and this amino acid has different roles such as building proteins, increasing nitrogen balance, stimulating the immune system, anabolic and anti-catabolic effects on muscles, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of glutamine supplementation and protein level (equal to and 10% higher than National Research Council requirement) on blood parameters, inflammatory and immune indices of fattening lambs during heat stress.

In this study, 16 Afshari male lambs with an average weight of 31.5 ± 0.22 kg and an average age of 3 to 4 months were used. Experimental lambs were tested in 4 treatments and 4 repetitions in a completely randomized design for 45 days. Experimental treatments include: 1- basic diet (metabolizable protein equal to requirements), 2- basic diet with glutamine (0.2 grams per kilogram of body weight), 3- diet with 10% more metabolizable protein than reqirements and 4- The diet had 10% higher metabolizable protein with glutamine (0.2 grams per kilogram of body weight). Blood sampling was done from the jugular vein two hours after the morning meal on the 15th, 30th and 45th days of fattening with the help of Venoject tubes containing anticoagulant. Blood parameters including albumin (Alb) and total protein of plasma, alkaline phosphatase and malondialdehyde were measured with relevant kits and with an automatic analyzer. The concentration of cytokines was including interleukin 2, interleukin 6 and interleukin 10 as well as Immunoglobulin G was measured using ELISA kits.

The effects of the treatments on blood Alb on the 15th day of fattening did not show any significant difference. While on days 30 and 45 of fattening, the effects of treatments on blood Alb were significant (P=0.0217 and P=0.0087, respectively). Glutamine increased total plasma protein concentration on days 30 and 45 (P=0.0071 and P=0.0019, respectively). Also, increasing the protein level in the diet of fattening lambs on days 30 and 45 increased TP of plasma (P=0.0139 and P=0.0386, respectively). On the 45th day of fattening, addition of glutamine increased blood ALP enzyme (P=0.0123). Also, taking glutamine supplement on the 30th and 45th days of fattening decreased MDA (P=0.0012 and P=0.0029, respectively). There was no significant difference in the number of red blood cells, hemoglobin level, hematocrit, mean concentration of hemoglobin in cells and mean cell volume between treatments on the 15th and 30th days of fattening. While on day 45, glutamine decreased the number of red blood cells and hematocrit percentage (P=0.0036 and P=0.0081, respectively). The number of white blood cells increased on the 30th and 45th days of fattening with the addition of glutamine (P=0.0004 and P=0.0012, respectively). The effect of treatments on blood IgG, IL-2 and IL-10 on the 15th day of fattening was not significant, while the treatments on the 30th and 45th day of fattening increased the values of IgG (P=0.0287 and P<0.0001, respectively). In addition, IL-2 increased on days 30 and 45 under the influence of treatments (P<0.0001 and P<0.0001, respectively). On the 30th and 45th days of fattening, addition of glutamine increased the levels of IL-10 (P=0.0194 and P=0.0007, respectively). The concentration of IL-6 on the 45th day of fattening decreased with the addition of glutamine and the addition of metabolizable protein level (P=0.0004 and P=0.0233, respectively).

In the conditions of this experiment, the basic diet with glutamine showed better results than other diets.

Introduction : 

One of the valuable unconventional foods is whey powder, which is a by-product of cheese production. Whey powder is used as an important source of energy and protein in animal nutrition. By reviewing the composition of whey powder based on dry matter and comparing it with the needs of livestock, its nutritional value can be understood. Whey powder as a feedstuff also has properties of a prebiotic; it contains a significant amount of lactose that is not absorbed to a large extent, but is fermented and converted to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids, which may stimulate the establishment of lactobacilli in the small intestine. Whey powder in animal feed, in addition to preventing environmental problems, reduces feed costs and improves yield. Adding whey powder to this juice probably improves and increases the weight of animals fed with whey powder by stimulating the microorganisms of the digestive system and as a result, by better synthesizing the required nutrients and improving the absorption of nutrients from the digestive system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of whey powder on growth performance, fermentation parameters, ruminal morphology, degradability and microbial protein biosynthesis in fattening Zell lambs.

In the first experiment, ruminal degradability of dry matter and crude protein were measured with nylon bag technique using three fistulated Zell sheep with mean weight of about 40 kg and mean age of about 10 months. In this experiment, nylon bags made of polyester (Dacron) with a pore diameter of 45 ± 5 micrometers and dimensions of 9 ×7 cm were used. Incubation time in rumen consisted of 0, 4, 8, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96. In the second experiment, the effect of different levels of whey powder on fermentation parameters, ruminal morphology and microbial protein biosynthesis, an experiment in completely randomized design (CRD) with four diets containing zero, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 % whey powder on 24 male lambs with initial mean weight of 24± 2 kg and mean age of 4.5±0.52 months for 90 days was performed. Every day, a certain amount of feed in the form of TMR was weighed for each experimental treatment and was provided to the experimental lambs at 8 am and 5 pm. To determine the daily weight gain of the experimental lambs, weighing was done with a digital metal scale every 14 days until the end of the 90th day of the experiment. Data obtained were analyzed by statistical software SAS (version 1.9). Comparison of experimental treatment means was done using Duncan's multi-range test at a significance level of 0.05.

A significant difference was observed for final weight, dry matter consumption and daily weight gain among the experimental treatments, and the highest values ​​were found in the 4.5% whey powder treatment. Significant differences were observed in pH, ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids, and acetic acid among the experimental treatments. Specifically, the treatment with 4.5% whey powder exhibited the highest levels of fermentation parameters. Additionally, the 4.5% whey powder treatment showed the highest population of total bacteria at 2 and 4 hours after feeding, as well as the highest protozoa population at 4 hours after feeding. Moreover, the 4.5% whey powder treatment demonstrated the highest thickness, height, and density of villi compared to the other experimental treatments. Furthermore, significant differences were found in the degradability parameters of dry matter and crude protein among the experimental treatments. In particular, the soluble, degradable, and effective rumen degradability in passage rate constant parts exhibited significant differences. The amount of gas produced from the fermentable part also showed a significant difference between the experimental treatments. The control treatment showed the lowest amount of gas produced from the fermentable part, which was significantly lower than the other treatments. However, no significant difference was observed between the experimental treatments in other parameters of gas production.
The highest amount of microbial protein production was observed in the treatment of 3% whey powder.

The consumption of higher levels of whey powder at a maximum of 4.5% in the diet of fattening lambs improved the growth performance and some ruminal indices and decomposability of dry matter and crude protein.

As respects Food processing may increase livestock performance. Today some methods of grain processing have been considered. On the other hand, lack of animal feed, especially with the development of industrial methods of animal husbandry waste in many parts of the world, has led farmers and researchers to think about identifying and using agricultural and livestock waste and new food sources for animal nutrition, including poultry manure. And urea is mentioned in the diet of ruminants. Due to the fact that no research has been done on the effect of barley grain processing methods and non-protein nitrogen sources in the diet on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass characteristics in of Afshari breeding fattening lambs, the present study was conducted.

This experiment was conducted in a completely randomized design with seven treatments including a control treatment containing whole barley grain (without milling) and without urea and chicken manure, treatments 2, 3 and 4 respectively containing processing method of milling, filling and pelleting with a certain level of urea. (1%) And treatments 5, 6 and 7 containing processing methods of milling, filling and pelleting with a certain level of poultry manure (12%) were performed on Afshari breeding fattening lambs. Each treatment consisted of 5 fattening lambs at the age of 3 months 24±1 which were kept individually in separate cages for 14 days of acclimatization period and 84 days of fattening period. Dry matter, ash, crude fiber, crude fat and crude protein were determined using the method (AOAC, 2000), Neutral detergent fiber and Acid detergent fiber based on the method of Van Soest et al (1991). At the end of the rearing period, three heads from each treatment were randomly sacrificed and hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight and its components were measured.

The number of daily feed intakes, daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly different between experimental treatments. The apparent digestibility of dry matter and organic matter were significantly different, and the control treatment (whole barley grain without urea and poultry manure) had the highest apparent digestibility. Digestibility in non-fibrous carbohydrates was significantly different, so that treatment 5 (processing method of milling with poultry manure) had the highest apparent digestibility. Experimental treatments were significant on thigh weight, neck weight, tail weight, ventricular fat weight, carcass length and half-carcass length.

The results showed that barley grain processing methods with non-protein nitrogen sources had a significant effect on daily weight gain, dry matter consumption, feed conversion ratio, some organs of fattening lambs, digestibility of dry matter, and organic matter compared to the control group. In general, it is possible to use barley grain processing with urea (1%) and poultry manure (12%) in the diet of fattening lambs without harmful effects on production parameters and fattening performance.

By-products can have an important role in supplying livestock feed. Using these resources as a substitute for conventional resources decrease their demand for animal feed. One of the most common sources of demand is soybean meal. Optimal use of poultry by-products meal as a source of protein is one of the suggested solutions to decreases demand for soybean meal. Poultry by-products meal is said to be parts of poultry carcasses that have been milled if dry or wet, such as heads, feet, Intestines and viscera and except for feathers. Note that even in a good slaughterhouse there is a small amount of feather. The fat by more than 16% accelerates the Spoilage of this product, Therefore; it is recommended that the fat of these products should not be more than 10 to 12% (Gheshlagh Oliai et al. 2010; Watson 2006). Its chemical composition depends on the source of raw material, storage time of raw materials before processing, processing method, pressure and temperature during preparation and the amount of ash in the raw material (Jan Mohammadi et al., 1388). In order to use this by-product, the analysis of chemical composition and its effect on animal performance must be studied. The present study aimed to investigate the possibility of replacing protein sources conventional (soybean meal) with poultry by-products meal in the diet of fattening lambs and changes in growth, rumen and blood parameters, microbial population and microbial protein yield.

In order to investigate the effect of replacing the waste powder of poultry slaughterhouses with soybean meal, 16 male Dalagh mixed lambs with an average weight of 29 ± 0.5 kg were tested at the research site of the Animal Science Department of Golestan Agricultural Research and Training Center. The experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with 4 replacement levels and 4 replications. The diets of the lambs were adjusted according to the sheep nutritional requirements table (National Research Association 2007), with the same energy and protein levels. The lambs were fed a total mixed ration at two times on day with free access to water. Treatments (diets) included: control (soybean meal), 33% replacement, 67% replacement and 100% replacement of poultry by-product meal with soybean meal. Rumen fluid sampling was performed to measure ruminal parameters including volatile fatty acids, ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen concentration through the stomach tube 3 hours after feeding. Determination of ammonia nitrogen concentration was measured by phenol hypochlorite (Broderick and Kang, 1980) and volatile fatty acids using gas chromatography. The culture medium PAC was used to count the microbial load (AOAC, 2005) and Protozoa count was performed by Dehoerti (1984) method. Protozoa were counted under a 40% magnification microscope with a neobar slide. Blood samples were taken from Neck veins at the same time as ruminal fluid sampling for the concentration of total protein, urea nitrogen and sugar of blood. measurement of microbial protein yield in the rumen was performed by estimating excreted purine derivatives by Chen and Gomez (1995) method in the end period.Urine was collected for 4 consecutive days. The sample collection containers contained 100 sulfuric acid to keep the pH below 3 and were frozen until the sample was tested.

At the end of the fattening period, no significant difference was observed in the gain characters: dry matter intake, weight gain of the period, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Changing the protein source to 10% of dry matter did not affect the palatability of the diet. Its efficacy for fattening indices has also been similar to that of soybean meal. There was a significant difference in blood urea nitrogen (P <0.05) and no significant difference was observed for other blood parameters (glucose and total protein). The comparison of the means between the treatments shows that treatment of 33% has a significant difference with the treatments of 66 and 100%. However, there was no significant difference between the control diet and 100% replacement. Also, blood urea nitrogen concentration was in the normal range. The correlation between NH3H and BUN and the lack of significant differences in blood glucose and protein concentrations indicate that the replacement of soybean meal with poultry by product meal in isocaloric and nitrogenic diets in 10% of dry matter has a similar effect on metabolism and physiology. Diet without poultry by-product meal has a higher bacterial population (P <0.01) and comparison of the mean effect of dietary protein source replacement levels on the protozoa population of ruminal fluid was not significantly different. The treatment of replacement 33% showed the highest level of ruminal NH3N (P <0.05). Acetate concentration was not significantly different between treatments and the concentration of propionate for treatment was 33% and 67% higher than other levels (P <0.01). Also, the ratio of acetate to propionate was significantly different (P <0.05). The pH of ruminal fluid for replacement levels was 33% and 67% lower than the control treatment (P <0.05). Replacement of the protein source in the diet with a constant content of nitrogen and carbohydrate concentrations did not alter the ruminal ecosystem. The effect of replacement levels on the mean of microbial protein production was not significantly different. Therefore, by replacing a similar nutrient in the diet and on the other hand, the internal conditions of the body and the tendency for homeostasis can be interfering in the synthesis of microbial proteins.

This study showed that the replacement of soybean meal with poultry by-product meal in lambs fattening diets up to 10% of dry matter did not have a negative response on fattening performance, blood and ruminal parameters. Also, it can reduce the demand for soybean meal in the rations.

 Lysophospholipids play an important role in animal nutrition. These substances, which are also classified as plant secondary metabolites, have a positive effect on the digestion and absorption of lipid nutrients in livestock. Lysophospholipids, mostly due to their emulsifying properties, increase the digestibility of fats and fat-soluble vitamins and can selectively prevent the growth of gram-positive bacteria. They can also emulsify dietary fats and increase fat absorption in the intestinal epithelium. The lysophospholipids can improve the consumption of fatty acid supplements and increase their digestibility. Therefore, they have substantial benefits for ruminants. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effects of consumption of different levels of lysophospholipids on degradability parameters, ruminal parameters, carcass fatty acid profile, microbial population, and protozoa in fattening male lambs.

 In this study, 24 crossbred male lambs with four treatments and six replications per treatment were used in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets included: 1. Basal diet (control) (without lysophospholipid in the diet and with a diet containing a lipid source), 2. Treatment containing a lipid source + 0.25% lysophospholipid in the diet, 3. Treatment containing a lipid source + 0.50% lysophospholipid in the diet, and 4. Treatment containing a lipid source + 0.75% lysophospholipid in the diet. The lipid source and lysophospholipid supplement were rumen-protected products. The total fattening period was 105 days (15 days of adaptation + 90 days of recording period).

 The results showed that adding 0.75% of lysophospholipid supplement increased feed consumption and daily weight gain and decreased FCR (P<0.05). With the addition of lysophospholipid supplement to the diet of fattening lambs, there was no significant difference between experimental diets with the control diet regarding the rapidly degraded fraction and slowly degraded fraction and total potential of degradability of dry matter, protein, and NDF (P>0.05). Experimental treatments had no significant effect on pH and ammonia nitrogen. The addition of 0.75% of the lysophospholipid supplement, compared to other treatments, increased the concentration of acetic acid and the ratio of acetate to propionate in the ruminal fluid and also increased linolenic acid (c18:3 ω3) (P <0.05) and the ratio of ω6/ω3 decreased in all experimental groups (P<0.05). The use of 0.5 and 0.75% lysophospholipid supplements in the diet increased the total ruminal bacterial population (P <0.05) but did not affect the population of protozoa (P<0.05).

 Based on the results of this experiment, it is possible to use lysophospholipid supplements at the levels of 0.5 and 0.75% of diets containing fat supplements in fattening male lambs.

In mixed breeds or high-yielding breeds that require the use of lipid resources in the diet to provide the required energy level for livestock, in order to increase fat consumption and increase its digestibility, the use of lysophospholipids has advantages. Also, the possibility of using fat in the diet while maintaining other conditions of gastrointestinal physiology, reduces the consumption of grains and prevents metabolic disorders such as acidosis. This study was performed to investigate the effects of consumption of different levels of lysophospholipids on performance, quantitative and qualitative traits of carcass, apparent digestibility, some blood parameters and liver enzymes in male fattening lambs of Afshari breeds.

In this study, 24 male lambs of Zell mixed with Afshari with an average weight of 29.85 ± 1.9 kg and an average age of 4 months were used. Experimental lambs were tested in 4 treatments and 6 replications in each treatment for 90 days. Experimental treatments include: 1) control treatment without adding lysophospholipid in the diet and with diets containing lipid source 2) diet treatment containing lipid source plus 0.25% lysophospholipid in the diet 3) diet treatment containing lipid source plus adding 0.5 % lysophospholipid in diet 4) Diet treatment contained lipid source plus addition of 0.75% lysophospholipid in diet.

The results showed that the addition of lysophospholipid supplement to the diet of fattening lambs had a significant effect on daily feed intake (P <0.05). The use of 0.75% lysophospholipid supplement increased feed intake. In the present study, the use of 0.75% of lysophospholipid supplement diet reduced the numerical value of feed conversion ratio, but this reduction was not numerically significant (P <0.05). The final live weight was higher in the lysophospholipid supplementation treatments than in the control group. Also, the group that received 0.75% of lysophospholipid supplement had a higher final weight than the control group and other groups (P <0.05). Dry matter and crude protein digestibility were not significantly different in the experimental groups and the control group. However, the apparent digestibility of crude fat increased in all groups that received lysophospholipid supplementation compared to the control group. NDF digestibility increased in the groups that received 0.5 and 0.75% of lysophospholipid supplement diet. However, ADF digestibility increased significantly only in the group that received 0.75% lysophospholipid supplementation. Experimental treatments had no effect on the serum glucose concentration of crude protein in experimental animals. Also, serum urea, cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and VLDL concentrations increased with lysophospholipid supplementation. But the serum HDL concentration decreased. Also, experimental treatments had no effect on the concentration of liver enzymes in blood serum. Although the concentrations of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) were numerically higher on day 90 in the groups receiving lysophospholipid supplementation, but this increase was statistically significant. Was not significant (P <0.05).

Due to the positive effects of lysophospholipid supplement on fat digestibility, functional traits and without creating unfavorable conditions on fiber digestibility (NDF and ADF), liver enzymes can be used in the diet of Afshari mixed breeding male lambs.

effect of these bacteriaon the performance of fattening lambs, digestibility, fermentation and blood parameters. Thirty Afshari male lambs with an average weight of 32 ± 3 kg and age of four months were used in a completely randomized design. The experimental treatments included diets containing wheat straw processed with four bacterial strains isolated from the gastrointestinal tract of horse (Paenibacillus polymyxa L11, Paenibacillus polymyxa L12Enterobacter cloacae L2 and Escherichia coli Z2) for 6 weeks; and the control treatment. The results showed that bacterial processing increased crude protein and decreased NDF, iNDF and ADF content, as well as increased organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) of wheat straw compared to the control. The highest amount of OMD and ME was assigned toL11. Apparent digestibility of DM, NDF and ADF, concentrations and ratios of ruminal volatile fatty acid (VFA), ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen were affected by bacterial processing. The highest nutrient digestibility was assigned to the L11 and and the lowest amount was assigned to the control treatment. The lowest amount of ruminal ammonia nitrogen was observed in L11 treatment. Bacterial treatments increased total VFA, propionate concentration and decreased rumen acetate concentration. According to the results, processing of wheat straw with cellulolytic bacteria isolated from the horse's gastrointestinal tract (especially L11) improved nutritional value of wheat straw. Therefore, it seems that bacterial processing can be a suitable strategyfor better use of crop by-product with low nutritional value.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of guanidine acetic acid and mating management current methods on the performance of Ross 308 broiler breeders. This experiment was done in a completely randomized design and factorial methods with three levels of GAA (0. '0.12 and 0.16 g/kg of diet) and three mating management methods (without management, spiking and intra-spiking methods) with 6 replicates (experimental unit) and 8 hens and one rooster in each (totally 486 bird). During this period, adjectives performance (egg production percentage, egg mass weight (g/hen/d) and feed conversion ratio) were measured. Dietary inclusion of GAA at levels of 0.12 and 0.16 g/kg of diet had negative effects on the above traits (P<0.05). In addition, the use of different methods of mating management did not have a significant effect on performance traits .The interaction effects of GAA and mating management methods were not significant on egg production, egg weight, egg mass weight and feed conversion ratio. Dietary supplementation of GAA, mating management method and their interactions on fertility and hatching percentage were not significant (P>0.05). The effect of GAA level on nitric oxide concentration was significant (P<0.05). The highest concentration of nitric oxide was observed at the level of 0.12 g/kg diet, The dietary inclusion of GAA at levels of 0.12 and 0.16 g/kg of diet and the application of mating management methods could not improve production and reproduction performance of Ross 308 broilers breeders.

In this study, the effect of two sources of straw (wheat and rice) and two sources of non-protin nitrogen (urea and Nitroza) in full orange fruit silage on the quality of silage, growth performance and some blood parameters of Zell fattening male lambs were investigated. This study was carried out in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments and 6 replications on male lambs with mean age of 5.5 months and average weight of 24±2 kg for 75 days. Experimental treatments included: 1) 86.4 % orange+14.5 % wheat straw and 0.9% Nitrosa 2) 86.4 % orange+14.5 % wheat straw +0.9% urea 3) 86.4 % orange+14.5% rice straw + 0.9% urea 4) 86.4 % orange+14.5% rice straw +0.9% Nitrosa. Results showed that the addition of wheat straw to orange silage significantly increased dry matter, crude ash and NDF and decreased organic matter (P <0.05). The addition of urea significantly increased the amount of crude protein, crude fat and pH of the silage and reduced ADF and NFC (P <0.05). The results of growth performance showed that at the end weight, the highest and lowest daily gain were observed in treatments 1 and 3, respectively (P <0.05). The overall results showed that adding wheat straw with urea improved the chemical quality of silage. The growth performance of experimental lambs in dry matter intake and weight gain had the same results and no significant difference was obtained.

Nowadays, higher education in agriculture has faced many challenges, which the most important one is reduction in the number of students who are interested in studying these majors and unemployment increasing rate among the graduated of agricultural colleges. Thus, study of the leading countries in the field of policies in this matter cab be very helpful. This paper aims to examine the agricultural higher education system policies with an approach macro policies of Iran agricultural sector. The studied cases, India, United States of America and Netherlands which leading countries in higher agricultural education, were choose as a statistical sample and using comparative analysis, similarities and differences were identified. The results showed that higher agricultural education has faces threats in the all of the world. This is a general issue and not just specific to a particular country but the difference between countries is in responding and thinking about threats and formulating coherent clear and efficient policies and acting on them determine the success rate of countries that determine the success rate of the countries. According to further findings and study of the experiences of countries more similar to Iran, the paper suggests more two strategies for the implementation of agricultural higher education policies such as branding and marketing orientation. Also, the result of this research can contribute to the policy makers in higher agricultural to provide the polices and strategies.

The use of conventional feed sources in livestock diets has caused that in addition to increasing demand, prices and imports also increase. On the other hand, the use of feed industry residues and their processing can provide reliable sources of nutrients in livestock diets. Therefore, this experiment was performed to investigate the processing of microwave electromagnetic waves on poultry byproduct meal on growth performance, rumen parameters, microbial protein production and nitrogen retention in fattening lambs.

Fifteen mixed male lambs with an average weight of 29.3±2.7 were used in a completely randomized design with 3 feed treatments and 5 replications. Treatments include: 1- Soybean meal, 2- poultry byproduct meal, 3- Microwave poultry byproduct meal. The experiment consisted of 14 days of adaptation and 70 days of fattening. Weighing was done every 14 days. Feeding was done at 7:00 and 19:00. Daily feed intake, initial weight, final weight were measured and recorded. Measurement of microbial protein produced in the rumen was calculated by estimating purine derivatives excreted through urine collection. On the last day of the experiment, three hours after the morning feeding, ruminal fluids were taken using a stomach tube and a vacuum pump. Then it was used to calculate the population of bacteria and protozoa, to determine the concentration of volatile fatty acids using standard internal solution and gas chromatography, to determine the concentration of ammonia nitrogen and the pH of ruminal fluid.

The use of microwave poultry byproduct meal in the diet instead of soybean meal in dry matter intake was not significantly different. Daily weight gain and total weight gain in microwave poultry byproduct meal treatment was against treatment of process without 324.3 and 22.7 kg versus 0.277 and 19.4 kg, respectively, with significant difference and improved traits (P <0.05). Also, feed conversion rate and feed efficiency between treatments 3 and 2 were 7.446, 0.135 and 8.455, 0.119, respectively, which showed a significant difference at the level of P <0.07 and P <0.08. The highest bacterial population (28.8*109 ml) was observed in soybean meal treatment and was significantly different from other treatments (P <0.05) but no significant difference was observed between treatments in protozoan population. Rumen pH between treatments 1 and 3 were 6.73 and 5.79 respectively (P <0.05). There was no significant difference in ammonia nitrogen concentration in ruminal fluid between treatments. The percentage of acetate, propionate and the ratio of acetate to propionate in treatment of processed poultry byproduct meal are 65.8, 18.8 and 3.5, respectively, which are the lowest, highest and lowest traits in comparison with other treatments, respectively (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in microbial protein production between treatments. The apparent nitrogen retention in the microwave treatment was 27.129 g / day which was not significantly different from other treatments and its lowest amount (24.861 g / day) was for soybean meal treatment and its highest amount was for conventional treatments with poultry byproduct meal was 32.148 g / day (P> 0.06).

This study showed that the effect of poultry byproduct meal processing by microwave method on growth performance traits was better than poultry byproduct meal without processing. Microwave replacement of conventional poultry byproduct meal with soybean meal did not differ significantly in growth performance traits. Also, replacing microwave and microwave poultry byproduct meal with soybean meal in the diet of fattening lambs without creating unfavorable conditions on rumen parameters and apparent nitrogen retention can replace soybean meal with up to 10% dry matter, reduce soybean meal demand and imports.

High levels of isoflavones in the diet containing raw soy and its products can have adverse effects on the level of reproductive hormonal parameters and subsequent, abnormal fertility in livestock. Therefore, in this study, an 8-week period (3 weeks before to 5 weeks after inoculation) was selected to evaluate these phytoestrogenic compounds on off-season reproductive performance of Afshari ewes.

60 Afshari sheep of 3 to 4 years old with an average weight of 60 3 3 kg and a body score of 2.5 to 3 in the form of three treatments of 20 heads including 1 or control (containing cottonseed meal), 2 and 3 respectively Soybean meal and extruded whole soybeans were selected in a completely randomized design for the study. Blood sampling was performed in three steps (before and after cider sampling and 12 days after inoculation), through the venous vein and before morning feeding.

The results of mean fertility and regeneration rates were not significantly different between experimental treatments. However, the fertility rate between treatment 2 (90%) and 3 (60%) tended to be significant (p = 0.0396). The frequency of sex of lambs was significantly different between treatments, so that the frequency of male lambs in treatments 1, 2 and 3 were 70.6, 66.6 and 33.3%, respectively (p = 0.0374). The highest nutrient content in the treatment contained extruded whole soybean with 66.7% and the lowest was related to the control treatment with 29.4%. The sex hormones estrogen and progesterone as well as blood insulin were not significantly different between the experimental treatments. Blood cholesterol concentration was significantly different between control treatment and treatment 2 compared to treatment 3 in the period one day before cider removal (p = 0.0279) and 2 days after (p = 0.082). The highest amount of cholesterol was in the treatment containing extruded soybeans in the first blood sampling step (80.730 and 79.470 mg / dl) and the lowest was in the treatment containing soybean meal (70.08 and 70.84 mg / dl).

The results of the present study showed that experimental treatments had no significant effect on reproductive parameters in Afshari ewes. Due to the effects of long-term presence of phytoestrogens of soy products on Ewes reproductive parameters, in a short period of flushing and at this level of replacement, no significant reduction was observed compared to the control treatment. Final analysis of the data showed that due to the interference of the effects of plant phytoestrogens, fatty acids and other factors affecting the reproduction of ewes, to obtain better results and limit the effect of parallel factors, the use of phytoestrogens extracted from soy, can provide a more reliable answer.

Ruminal digesta is the nutrients consumed by the animal prior to slaughter, which is processed almost exclusively by rumination and exposure to the various enzymes and protozoa present in the rumen and a complete, ready-to-digest feed. After being processed, it is possible to re-feed it to ruminant animals. The use of digestive leftovers from slaughtered cattle could be a cheap, nutritious, and accessible alternative to the conventional feed ingredients. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of replacing cattle and sheep rumen digesta with alternative feed ingredients on the growth performance, carcass quantitative and qualitative traits, and some blood parameters of Dalagh fattening lambs.

A total of 24 Dalagh fattening male lambs at the age of 4.5 months, with a mean live weight of 27 ± 2.0 kg, were assigned to 6 treatments and four replications in individual cages for 90 days. Experimental treatments consisted of: 1) control, without rumen digesta of cattle and sheep, 2) 15% rumen digesta of cattle, 3) 30% rumen digesta of cattle, 4) 15% rumen digesta of sheep, 5) 30% rumen digesta of sheep, and 6) 15% rumen digesta of cattle, and 15% rumen digesta of sheep.

The results showed that daily gain and FCR were significantly different between treatments at the end of experiment (P <0.05). The highest daily weight gain and final body weight as well as the improving feed conversion ratio were observed in the treatment containing 30% rumen digesta of sheep. The results of body biometric showed that body length was significantly higher in the treatment contaning 30% rumen digesta of sheep, compared to the control (P <0.05). The results of quantitative carcass traits showed that treatment containing 30% rumen digesta of sheep in hot carcass weight, cold carcass weight, and crustacean were significantly higher than the control treatment (P <0.05). The results of some blood parameters of day 90 showed that there was a significant difference in the concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, BUN, and total protein between the experimental treatments (P <0.05). Therefore, in the treatment containing 30% of rumen digesta of sheep, the concentration of desired parameters was higher.

The results of this study showed that the use of rumen dried digesta in the diet of fattening lamb was effective in improving growth performance; especially live weight gain, FCR and carcass traits. Consumption of dried rumen digesta of sheep also had a significant effect on some blood parameters of experimental lambs. Similarly, 30% of rumen digesta of sheep had a better performance than other levels.