Insights in Animal Science

The objective of the current study was to assess meat quality attributes in different chicken gen-otypes raised in three distinct housing systems. Fifty-four female birds (52 weeks old) from three genotypes—two crossbreds (Naked Neck × Rhode Island Red (RNN), Naked Neck × Black Aus-tralorp (BNN) and purebred Naked Neck (NN)—were reared in intensive, semi-intensive, and free-range systems. These birds were slaughtered, and their meat samples were analyzed for nu-tritional, qualitative, and sensory attributes. Significant differences were observed among gen-otypes, housing systems, and their interactions concerning carcass yield, breast, wings, drumsticks, and neck weight. Significant variations were noted in sensory evaluation among genotypes, housing systems, and their interaction, except for juiciness. In terms of meat proximate analysis, differences were observed in moisture, dry matter, ash, and ether extract among different geno-types, housing systems, and their interactions. Regarding blood biochemistry, birds reared in-tensively had higher glucose values, whereas globulin was higher in semi-intensively reared birds; among genotypes, BNN showed higher cholesterol levels. In conclusion, carcass traits, sensory evaluation, meat proximate, and mineral composition were influenced by genotypes and housing systems. Full article

The timing of sexual maturity in birds is crucial for reproductive success and is significantly in-fluenced by light exposure. This study aimed to investigate the effect of age at photostimulation on egg quality and hatching traits in quails. A total of 300 quails (75 males and 225 females) were divided into 15 replicates and randomly assigned to one of three treatments (age at photostimu-lation: 30, 35, and 40 days). The birds were housed in specially designed cages and received 16 hours of light stimulation at the respective ages. Egg quality and hatching traits were evaluated from the 5th to the 12th week of age. Results showed no significant differences in egg weight, shell thickness, or Haugh unit scores among the different ages of light stimulation. Fertile egg production and hatchability were also not significantly affected by the age of photostimulation. However, sig-nificant differences were observed in the occurrence of dead embryos and hatchling weights among the different age groups exposed to light stimulation. Birds stimulated at the 35th day had a lower incidence of dead embryos and higher hatchling weights compared to those stimulated at the 30th and 40th days. Full article

The objective of the current study was to assess the effects of tannic acid supplementation on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, and blood urea nitrogen in the Lohi male lambs. Fifteen animals with an average age of 9-10 months and live body weight of 26.4 ± 0.52 kg were selected randomly. Three total mixed rations (TA0, TA4, TA8) having tannic acid 0, 4 g and 8 g/animal/day, respectively were given to the lambs (n = 5/treatment) for a period of 60 days under a Completely Randomized Design. Data regarding dry matter intake, body weight gain, nutrients digestibility, feed efficiency and blood urea nitrogen were collected. No significant difference (p > 0.05) was observed among the treatments in dry matter intake, body weight gain, apparent digestibility of nutrients, and feed efficiency. The blood urea nitrogen levels were significantly lower (17.0 mg/dL) in the TA8 treatment group compared to the TA0 group (22.1 mg/dL; SE = 1.3), indicating the protein bypass characteristic of tannic acid. It was concluded that supplementation of tannin may not have appreciable effects on growth performance and digestibility of the nutrients in lambs, but bypass value of protein was increased. Full article

The current study aimed to assess the prevalence of tick-borne diseases among different goat breeds in relation to season, sex, and age at the Livestock Production Research Institute, Bahadurnagar, Okara, Punjab, Pakistan. A total of 960 blood smears from apparently healthy animals were screened for haemoprotozoan infestations using Giemsa's staining technique and observed under an oil immersion lens (100X). The overall prevalence was 7.81%, with 4.68%, 2.18%, and 0.93% of theileriosis, anaplasmosis, and babesiosis, respectively, recorded on examination of blood smears. The prevalence of theileriosis was significantly higher in summer (7.08%), followed by autumn, spring, and winter at 4.58%, 4.16%, and 2.91%, respectively. However, no significant seasonal influence was observed on the prevalence of anaplasmosis and babesiosis. Analysis of age groups revealed a significantly higher prevalence of tick-borne diseases in young stock (11.56%) compared to adults (7.81%) and sucklers (4.06%). There was no significant influence observed regarding the occurrence of these diseases based on sex and breed. The study suggests that these diseases were more prevalent during summer, and young stock goats were more susceptible to haemoprotozoan diseases than adults and sucklers. Full article

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of body condition score (BCS) at calving on post-calving reproductive performance in Nili Ravi buffaloes. The study was conducted at the Livestock Experiment Station, Hasalpur, Pakistan. Thirty-six buffaloes were selected approximately 40 days before the expected date of calving and randomly divided into three study groups (12 buffaloes/group) based on their BCS. The BCS was assigned on a scale of 1–5 with 0.25 increment and the BCS groups were categorized as; 1) low, buffaloes with BCS ≤ 3.0; 2) medium, buffaloes with BCS 3.25 to 3.5; and 3) high, buffaloes with BCS ≥ 3.75. The feeding allowance was given according to the requirements of individual animals to maintain their BCS till calving. Post-calving feeding was done according to their production level. The enrolled buffaloes were fol-lowed till 300 d of lactation. The results revealed that the body condition score (BCS) at calving significantly influenced reproductive performance in buffaloes. Buffaloes in the medium BCS group had 101 fewer days to first estrus, 1.5 fewer services per conception, and 87 fewer days open compared to the low BCS group (P < 0.05). However, the performance of the medium BCS group was only numerically better compared to the high BCS group for these reproductive measures (P > 0.05). The results suggested better reproductive performance in buffaloes with a medium BCS at calving (3.25-3.5) compared to those with low and high BCS. Full article

As the Editor-in-Chief, I am thrilled to introduce this new platform dedicated to advancing the field of animal science through rigorous research and innovative ideas. This editorial examines the indispensable contributions of animal agriculture to hu-man societies globally, highlighting their crucial role in ensuring the well-being and resilience of communities. Furthermore, it emphasizes the need for better knowledge exchange for sustainable animal production, underscoring the importance of a new journal "Insights in Animal Science" to facilitate the dissemination of research and advancements in the field. Full article