The incidence of lambing difficulties is known to be affected by factors such as sex, birth rank (single versus multiple), sire breed and dam breed of the lamb (e.g. Smith et al, 1977). Some of these difficulties are thought to be largely due to the link with lamb birth weight (e.g. heavier in males and singles, leading to increased dystocia). Age and parity of the ewe also influence dystocia, as does body condition score pre-lambing (Carson et al. 2001). The aim of this study was to examine whether selection of hill sheep using a breeding index designed to improve both carcass and maternal traits affects the incidence of lambing difficulties.

Predicting dry matter intake (DMI), precisely and accurately is important to prepare balanced rations when on farm estimates of feed intake are not available (Hayirli et al., 2003). Lack of accuracy in prediction of feed intake may result in nutrient underfeeding or overfeeding affecting to animal performance, animal health or dairy farm environmental impact (NRC2001). The 2001 “Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle” recommended a DMI prediction equation based on animal factors that were evaluated with treatment means from experiments published in the Journal of Dairy Science between 1988 and 1998 (NRC2001). The variables used to evaluate DMI prediction are mean square prediction error (MSPE) and relative prediction error (RPE). MSPE accounted as 1/N (A-P)2 that N is number of comparisons, A is actual DMI monitored in farm, and P is predicted DMI in each software. The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the accuracy of National Research Council 2001 and Cornell Pennsylvania Miner softwares in predicting DMI of lactating dairy cows in midlactation.

In 1991, the European Union introduced the Nitrates Directive which aims to prevent the pollution of groundwater and surface water by nitrates arising from agricultural sources. One mandatory measure stipulated by the Directive involves a limit, set at 170 kg/hectare organic N (manure N), on the amount of livestock manure which may be applied to land each year. This limit will have very significant implications for stocking rates on livestock farms. The objective of the present study was to use total diet digestibility data obtained at this Institute to develop prediction equations for manure N output in lactating dairy cows.

Conditions concerning group size, composition/homogeneity and stability may have influence on the success of rearing calves in groups. Introduction of calves into groups do determine not only age dispersion, but do also influence hygiene and patterns of disease transfer. Previous results indicate that large groups may increase the morbidity however we do not know the effect of moderate group size (6-8).

The objective of present study was to achieve increased knowledge in how introduction of calves into group housing systems did influence young calf performance. The present study compare data from calves in groups where new calves were continuously introduced (dynamic groups) and from calves in stable groups were all calves were introduced simultaneously (“All in all out”). The following hypothesizes was tested: “All in all out” introduction of calves into group housing systems is expected to have a positive influence on calves health and growth compared to continuous introduction of calves.

The profitability, competitiveness and sustainability of dairy industry depend on minimizing feed costs while reducing nutrient excretion to minimize environmental impacts. A variety of software programs are available that designed to evaluate and formulate rations for dairy cattle. These programs differ greatly in their components and the types of objective functions available for ration formulation and completeness and versatility of report writing (Eastridge et al., 1998; Fox et al., 2003). The purpose of this study was to compare the performance of lactating dairy cows fed rations formulated with Spartan dairy ration balancer (Spartan) and Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) software.

Much research has been conducted on the effects of whole-crop wheat (WCW) on dairy cow intake, performance and apparent digestibility. Recently attention has focussed on more accurately predicting the nutritive value of WCW. By contrast, relatively little research has been conducted to examine the variation in the chemical composition of WCW within a clamp, and there is little information on the most suitable sampling protocol. The objective of the current experiment was to determine the variation in chemical composition within clamps of fermented WCW and high DM, urea-treated WCW to assist in producing guidelines for representative sampling.

The enzyme polyphenol oxidase (PPO) requires both plant tissue damage and the presence of oxygen to become activated. It has been shown that with a large window of opportunity for oxygen activation, such as during ensilage of red clover, increases in both dietary-nitrogen utilisation and the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids in ruminant products can be achieved. However, there is little evidence as to whether such responses can be achieved during the grazing of fresh red clover, where the window of opportunity for oxygen activation is limited to the mastication period (Lee et al. 2006). This experiment investigated whether mastication of fresh red clover would result in the activation of PPO and its potential effects on protein and lipid profiles in the resulting bolus.

Major developments, both in agronomic practices and plant breeding, have enabled the consistent production of high yields of forage maize in areas in which it was not possible to grow the crop 20-30 years ago (Keady 2005). Recent studies (Keady et al 2002, 2003, Keady and Kilpatrick 2004) have clearly illustrated that the inclusion of maize silage consistently increased the performance of beef and dairy cattle. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of maturity of maize at harvest and level of inclusion in forage based diets on feed intake and animal performance of finishing beef cattle. Furthermore the potential concentrate sparing effect of maize silage inclusion was also determined.

Selenium (Se) is a trace element of importance. In plants, Se is present on an organic form which is more efficiently absorbed than the inorganic salts (Fairweather-Tait, 1997). In human diets, meat and meat by-products could provide more than 30% of the daily Se intake. The aim of the present work was to assess the effects of the incorporation of Se enriched barley in a finishing diet for growing fattening bulls in order to improve the Se content in beef meat and organs.

Recently new techniques have been developed for storing grain which reduce the need to process grain immediately prior to feeding. In a recent study Keady and Kilpatrick (2004) concluded that relative to grain which was treated with propionic acid and rolled prior to feeding, crimping did not alter animal performance while urea treatment tended to decrease carcass gain. Furthermore Keady and Kilpatrick (2004) concluded that there were no interactions between grass silage feed value and grain feed level on animal performance. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of grain storage and processing method on the performance of beef cattle offered grass silage based diets and grain at 3.5kg DM/day or ad libitum. Furthermore the feed value of barley and wheat was evaluated at two extreme levels of inclusion in the diet.

Selenium (Se) is a trace element of importance in animals owing to its implication in many biological processes such as antioxidant mechanisms, immune response, reproduction system, thyroid metabolism and anti-cancer processes. However, the Se content in locally produced feedstuffs is low with as result a reduced Se status in the animal. The aim of the study was to assess the effects of Se enriched fertilizers on the Se content of feedstuffs and on the Se status of beef cattle.

Previous studies (Steen 1995) have clearly illustrated that finishing male cattle entire increases animal performance and food conversion efficiency. Post implantation of the Mid Term Review of the Common Agricultural Policy, in the absence of subsidy, there is renewed interest in finishing beef cattle entire. Also with the expected contraction of the suckler herd post MTR of CAP there will be a reduced number of cattle available for finishing. Feed is one of main variable costs of finishing beef cattle. Consequently the objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of forage:concentrate (F:C) ratio and weight at slaughter on the animal performance of ¾ or more continental bulls from the beef herd.

The Nitrates Directive has set a limit of 170 kg/hectare organic N (manure N) as the amount of livestock manure which may be applied to land each year. Consequently there is an increasing interest in finding approaches to mitigate manure N output in animal production. The objective of the present study was to use total diet digestibility data obtained at this Institute to develop prediction equations for manure N output in beef cattle.

It has been demonstrated by Pagan et al. (1998) that horses on a regular extensive exercise regime have an increased whole-tract passage rate and hence a decreased feed degradability. Recent work by Dougal et al. (2005) reported that regularly exercised horses had a decreased rate of gas production from faecal slurries compared to non-exercised horses, despite an apparently enhanced bacterial population. Many horses are not exercised during the week but are exercised at the weekend and receive supplementary feed after exercise. This may be fed in vain due to a decrease in feed degradability associated with increased exercise (Pagan et al. 1998). The aim of this experiment was to asses the impact of sudden short term exercise on the extent of microbial fermentation within the hind gut of the equine.

Fibre-based diets help to maintain normal fermentation conditions in the large intestine of the horse; conversely concentrate diets high in starch can be detrimental to hindgut function (Mclean et al., 2000). Therefore, the ability to reduce the concentrate portion of the diet with a high-energy, fibre-based feed is desirable. Sugar beet pulp (SB) contains high levels of readily fermentable fibre and studies have reported dry matter (DM) digestibility values for SB in excess of 850 g kg-1 (Moore-Colyer and Longland, 2001; Hyslop, 2002). Furthermore, the degradability of the fibrous fraction of mature grass hay (Moore-Colyer and Longland, 2001) and high-temperature dried lucerne (Murray et al., 2002) fed to ponies has been enhanced by the inclusion of SB in the diet. Consequently, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of SB on the nutritive value of ensiled lucerne for ponies.

Recently there has been an increased interest in equine personality research. Previous studies have indicated the ability of human raters to assess equine personality (Morris et al., 2002). The aim of the present study was to assess reliability of personality assessment using a questionnaire rating method and to correlate personality data with recorded behaviour. Further development of the assessment method, and a greater understanding of equine personality may lead to applications in the equine industry, uses may include the implementation of equine personality during the selection of horses for particular equine disciplines.

Rosen (1974) argued that goods could be treated as packages of characteristics and a comparison of market prices can be made by looking at the composition of the package of characteristics of the goods. Previous research on the variables affecting the price of equines sold at auction (predominantly yearlings) has focused mainly on the Thoroughbred sector. Variables found to be significant included month foaled (Buzby et al., 1994), sire progeny performance (O’Dochartaigh, 2004), racing performance of dams, sires and their progeny (Hastings, 1987) and the sex of the animal, (Robbins et al., 2001). Taylor et al., (2004) studied show quality Quarter horses and indicated that sale order also affected the price achieved. Only limited research on the variables affecting price at auction has been conducted on the sport horse sector. While Thoroughbreds are typically purchased with racing, breeding, or both in mind, sport horses may be aimed at a much more diverse range of equestrianism. However much less information tends to be available to prospective purchasers with regard to pedigree and performance details of the animals. The purpose of this study was to identify the variables, which might act as salient predictors of sport horse foal prices at auction.

Various authors (Deuel and Russek-Cohen, 1995; Whitaker and Hill, 2005) have highlighted that the locations of competitions run at the same competitive level are exerting a non-random effect on scoring patterns within equine eventing competition. Consequently when mean scores are used as comparative measures between competitions some event locations are observed to result in significantly lower mean penalty scores than other event locations. This differentiation in scoring patterns between event locations may be useful from a sporting perspective. Experienced competitors are able to make informed decisions about the relative ease (when using potential penalty score as a measure) of an event location with regard to the development and experience of the horse they will be riding. A problem however is apparent when the subsequently collated competition data is used to make decisions regarding the relative breeding worth of an animal. Some animals may have been exposed to event locations where mean penalty scoring is lower. An inaccurate comparative analysis may therefore be made between the animals. This study investigates whether event location exerts a significant difference in mean penalty scoring patterns at a specific level of eventing - CCI 4 star.

In order to keep on a par with other European horse breeding countries, Britain is now aiming to develop genetic evaluations for British bred sport horses. Data has been collected from the Young Horse Evaluation Series (YHE). The traits measured include a veterinary assessment, an assessment of conformation and assessment for specific traits involved in showjumping (SJ), dressage (D) and eventing (E). For E, paces, loose jumping and ridden jumping are assessed, for SJ only the two jumping traits are assessed and for D only paces are assessed. The qualities looked for in the E traits differ from those measured for SJ and D. A total score is also given for each discipline, which combines the scores from performance with the veterinary and conformation scores. Each trait is scored on a scale of 0-10, in which 0 equates to poor and 10 to excellent. A preliminary investigation was carried out to determine the heritability of each of the traits.

Heat stress of sheep in feedlot systems and within the live export industry is an animal welfare concern and a financial concern due to loss of life and reduced production (Richards et al. 1989). Early research has been undertaken in short term studies exposing Merino sheep to excessive heat load (Lee 1950; Ames et al. 1971). However, little is known of the physiological changes in animals subject to prolonged periods of excessive heat and humidity as can occur in the live export industry. Knowledge of the physiological responses of Merino sheep to prolonged heat and humidity is needed to correctly manage these sheep during shipment. This experiment investigated the physiological responses of Merino sheep to high heat and humidity similar to that experienced during long haul live export voyages to the Middle-East.