Ruminal bacterial community of a meat breed and a wool breed sheep that were fed two divergent diets were compared. Diet had an effect on the microbial profiles of both breeds. Importantly, we demonstrate that microbiota were also influenced by sheep genotype. The differences in microbial composition between breeds was related to animal productivity differences, indicating that at least some of the genetic differences in animal productivity are generated by differences in the responsiveness of the ruminal microbiota to diet.

It is vital to identify the dietary amino acid requirements of broiler chickens at different growth periods; however, complex relationships among amino acids have been reported. So, new techniques are required to decrease the complexity of such experiments. The Taguchi method may estimate broiler responses to different concentrations of various amino acids much easier than does full factorial design experiments.

The study provides a strategy to improve beef production, through the optimisation of processes involving feed efficiency, beef quality and their interface. Our findings indicated that using efficient Nellore bulls and providing them high-energy feeds during the finishing phase increases efficiency of production and improves beef nutritional traits.

The effects of various environmental stresses on the behavioral, physiological, and performance responses of birds have been studied for years. It has been shown that probiotics, also known direct-feed microbes, substantially influence nutrient digestibility, gut microflora and immunity, and inhibit pathogens and, ultimately, improve growth performance in broilers. Our findings suggested that formulating a ration with probiotic can be more effective in stress condition, with immune response genes modulating the effect in the intestine of broiler chicken.

Having long-lived, more profitable and more functional cows in the herd is one of the biggest challenges in dairy farming in Brazil. We assessed the effects of age at first calving and accumulated 305-day milk yield in the first lactation on length of productive life in Holstein cows. Cows that started reproductive life at ∼16 months of age had the longest productive life and an average first lactation milk yield ∼9000 kg.

Excess dairy calves not needed for herd replacement are often sold to fattening farms where they receive metaphylactic antibiotics, which contributes to the development of bacterial resistance. Swiss farmers are reluctant to use alternative methods for maintaining calf health because of lack of financial motivation within the existing veal production system and lack of perceived power to change it. The main barriers to antibiotic reduction in veal production are systemic, so strategies to reduce antibiotic use should aim for policy change to create a system that encourages farmers to prioritise calf health.