• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.842-844
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• 2000

Changes in respiration rate (RR), rectal temperature (RT), respiratory moisture loss (RML), packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin (Hb) were monitored in 2 adults female goats each of the Saanen (S) and Toggenburg (T) breeds during 60 min of exercise (walking at 3 km/h) on a moving-belt treadmill on each of 6 alternate days. A significant $time{\times}breed$ interaction was observed for RR; mean values in Sand T after 60 min of exercise were 130 and 223 /min ($p{\leq}0.01$). The observed time x breed interaction for RT indicated that S was less stressed by exercise than T; mean values after 60 min exercise were 40.4 and $40.8^{\circ}C$ respectively ($p{\leq}0.01$). For RML, the $day{\times}breed$ interaction ($p{\leq}0.001$) indicated that while S had higher values on day 1, thereafter the values for T were higher. The $time{\times}breed$ interaction for RML/breath indicated that values for T declined more rapidly (from 9.4 to 3.1 mgjbreath) than those for S (from 8.3 to 4.1 mgjbreath; ($p{\leq}0.01$). PCV declined during exercise ($p{\leq}0.05$) by 5.5 percentage points. The exercise imposed was stressful in that it led to increases in RR, RT and RML. S was most tolerant of exercise in that it recorded lower values of RT. The fact that the RML/breath was higher during exercies in S apparently allowed it to compensate for a lower RR. Despite higher RR and RML, T also had a higher RT, suggesting either higher muscular heat production during exercise in that breed, or higher sweating losses in S.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.489-493
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• 2003

Reproductive traits of sows are determined chiefly by the genetic background of the dam herself. Whether the breed of the serviced boars also contributes is not yet clear. A total of 8,946 litters of Landrace (L) sows from 68 farms were examined. Of these, 876, 1,260, and 6,810 litters were produced from natural mating with L, Yorkshire (Y), and Duroc (D) breeds, respectively. The birth litter size (BLS), weaning litter size (WLS), live born piglets (LBP), and survival rate % (SR), of every litter were recorded. A general linear-model procedure was followed to estimate the effects of boars' breed (B), parity (P) and B${\times}$P interaction on the reproductive traits of the sows. Results show that BLS, WLS, and LBP were all significantly (p<0.001) affected by B and P. SR% was significantly influenced by B but not by P. L sows crossbred with Y or purebred with L produced litters with higher BLS, WLS, and LBP values than those bred with D. Pure L breeding yielded litters with lower SR% than did crossbreeding with D, while the difference between SR% due to LY and that due to LD crossbreeding was not significant. The interaction of B with P was significant with respect to BLS, WLS, and LBP (p<0.001), but not SR%. No significant B effect on reproductive traits was measured in sows at their first parity; but at latter parities, LL or LY produced litters with similarly high BLS, WLS and LBP, which values were all significantly greater than those of LD litters. The breed of boar evidently affected the subsequent reproductive performance of L sows and this effect may be further manipulated by the parity effect. Breed differences in semen quality and the success of fetus development with different interactions of the genetic background with the uterus function of the sow that may contribute to these effects are discussed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1631-1635
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• 2007

Japanese Brown cattle, one of the four domestic beef breeds in Japan, are suffering from numerical reduction due to economic pressure from profitable breeds. In this study, all the reproductive cows in the Kouchi sub-breed of the Japanese Brown cattle that were alive in July 2005 were investigated by pedigree analysis to clarify genetic structure and composition of genetic variability. In addition, genetically important individuals for the maintenance of genetic variability of the sub-breed were also identified through the core set method. The number of cows analyzed was 1,349. Their pedigrees were traced back to ancestors born around 1940, and pedigree records of 13,157 animals were used for the analysis. Principal component analysis was performed on the relationship matrix of the cows, and their factor loadings were plotted on a three-dimensional diagram. According to their spatial positions in the diagram, all the cows were subdivided into five genetically distinctive subpopulations of 131 to 437 animals. Genetic diversity of the whole sub-breed, which is estimated to be 0.901, was decomposed into 0.856 and 0.045 of within-subpopulation and between-subpopulation components. Recalculation of genetic diversity after removal of one or several subpopulations from the five subpopulations suggested that three of them were genetically important for the maintenance of genetic variability of the sub-breed. Applying the core set method to all the cows, maximum attainable genetic diversity was estimated to be 0.949, and optimal genetic contributions assigned to each cow supported the previous results indicating relative importance of the three subpopulations as useful genetic materials.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.62 no.4
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• pp.438-448
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• 2020

This study was performed to increase the accuracy of genomic estimated breeding value (GEBV) predictions for domestic pigs using single-breed and admixed reference populations (single-breed of Berkshire pigs [BS] with cross breed of Korean native pigs and Landrace pigs [CB]). The principal component analysis (PCA), linkage disequilibrium (LD), and genome-wide association study (GWAS) were performed to analyze the population structure prior to genomic prediction. Reference and test population data sets were randomly sampled 10 times each and precision accuracy was analyzed according to the size of the reference population (100, 200, 300, or 400 animals). For the BS population, prediction accuracy was higher for all economically important traits with larger reference population size. Prediction accuracy was ranged from -0.05 to 0.003, for all traits except carcass weight (CWT), when CB was used as the reference population and BS as the test. The accuracy of CB for backfat thickness (BF) and shear force (SF) using admixed population as reference increased with reference population size, while the results for CWT and muscle pH at 24 hours after slaughter (pH) were equivocal with respect to the relationship between accuracy and reference population size, although overall accuracy was similar to that using the BS as the reference.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.832-841
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• 2007

Rectal Temperature;Thermoregulation;Sows;Breed;The effects of season (hot vs. warm) in a tropical humid climate, parity (primiparous vs. multiparous) and breed (Creole: CR, Large White: LW) on rectal temperature (RT) were studied for a total of 222 lactations obtained in 85 sows (43 CR and 42 LW; 56 primiparous and 166 multiparous) over a 28-d lactation, between June 2002 and April 2005. Mean daily ambient temperature was higher during the hot season than during the warm season (26.0 vs. $24.1^{\circ}C$) and relative humidity was high and similar in both seasons (89% on average). At farrowing, BW was lower (172 vs. 233 kg) and backfat thickness was higher (37 vs. 21 mm) in CR than in LW sows (p<0.01). During the hot season, the reduction of average daily feed intake (ADFI) was more pronounced in LW than in CR sows (-920 vs. -480 g/d, p<0.05). Rectal temperature was higher at 1200 than at 0700hr, which coincides with the maximum and the minimum values of daily ambient temperature. The daily RT increased ($+0.9^{\circ}C$; p<0.01) between d -3 and d 7 (d 0: farrowing day), remained constant between d 7 and d 25 and decreased (p<0.01) thereafter (i.e. $-0.6^{\circ}C$ between d 25 and d 32). The average daily RT was significantly higher during the hot than during the warm season (38.9 vs. $38.6^{\circ}C$; p<0.01). It was not affected by breed, but the difference in RT between the hot and warm seasons was more pronounced in LW than in CR sows (+0.4 vs. $+0.2^{\circ}C$; p<0.05). Parity influenced the RT response; it was greater in primiparous than in multiparous sows (38.9 vs. $38.7^{\circ}C$; p<0.01). This study suggests that thermoregulatory responses to heat stress can differ between breeds and between parities.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1634-1640
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to compare pork characteristics and to determine consumer acceptability of pork chops from antibiotic free Yorkshire crossbreds sired by Berkshire (BY), Large Black (LBY), Tamworth (TY) or Yorkshire (YY) boars and reared in hoop houses. The experiments were conducted at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NCA&TSU) Farm in Greensboro, NC and the Cherry Research Station Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) Alternative Swine Unit in Goldsboro, NC (source of antibiotic free Yorkshire sows used at both places). Twenty-four sows were artificially inseminated at each location in each of three trials. Litters were weaned at 4 wks old, and reared within deep-bedded outdoor hoop houses. To compare pork characteristics, 104 randomly selected animals were harvested at a USDA-inspected abattoir at approximately 200 d of age. Variables measured included pH, color score, $L^*$, $a^*$, $b^*$, marbling score, drip loss, hot carcass weight, backfat thickness (BF), loin muscle area (LMA), and slice shear force. Sensory panel tests were also conducted at two time periods. The data was analyzed with GLM in SAS 9.01 including location, trial, and sire breed as fixed effects. Backfat thickness, LMA, color score and $a^*$ were different among breeding groups (p<0.05). The LBY pigs had thicker backfat and smaller LMA than the other breed types. The TY and YY had less backfat than all other breed groups. Color score was lower for YY than BY and LBY but intermediate for TY. The $a^*$ was lower for TY than other breeds except LBY which was intermediate. For one sensory panel test, YY pork was more preferred overall as well as for juiciness and texture compared to BY and LBY (p<0.05), but no impact of breed type was noted for the other test, with values similar for BY, LBY, TY and YY pork. This information may help small farmers make decisions about breed types to use for outdoor production.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.898-906
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• 2014

The objective of this study was to investigate differences in the faecal microbial composition among Lantang, Bama, Erhualian, Meishan, Xiaomeishan, Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire sows and to explore the possible link of the pig breed with the gut microbial community. Among the sows, the Meishan, Landrace, Duroc, and Yorkshire sows were from the same breeding farm with the same feed. Fresh faeces were collected from three sows of each purebred breed for microbiota analysis and volatile fatty acid (VFA) determination. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis revealed that samples from Bama, Erhualian, and Xiaomeishan sows, which from different farms, were generally grouped in one cluster, with similarity higher than 67.2%, and those from Duroc, Landrace, and Yorkshire sows were grouped in another cluster. Principal component analysis of the DGGE profile showed that samples from the foreign breeds and the samples from the Chinese indigenous breeds were scattered in two different groups, irrespective of the farm origin. Faecal VFA concentrations were significantly affected by the pig breed. The proportion of acetate was higher in the Bama sows than in the other breeds. The real-time PCR analysis showed that 16S rRNA gene copies of total bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were significantly higher in the Bama sows compared to Xiaomeishan and Duroc sows. Both Meishan and Erhualian sows had higher numbers of total bacteria, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and sulphate-reducing bacteria as compared to Duroc sows. The results suggest that the pig breed affects the composition of gut microbiota. The microbial composition is different with different breeds, especially between overseas breeds (lean type) and Chinese breeds (relatively obese type).

• Journal of Veterinary Science
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.58.1-58.13
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• 2021

Background: The morphometry of the acetabulum is one source of information that assists in the clinical diagnosis of the hip and influences the proper selection of a prosthesis, reducing post-operative complications such as those seen in total hip replacement (THR). However, acetabular parameters in small-breed dogs are rarely reported. Objectives: To investigate acetabular parameters using radiography and computed tomography (CT) in small-breed dogs with Maltese and Shih Tzu dogs used as model breeds. Methods: Standard calibrated, extended hip radiographs and CT images were obtained. Subsequently, acetabular width (AW) in various directions was measured using radiography and CT, whereas acetabular depth (AD) was obtained by CT. Acetabular index (AI) is a ratio calculated from AD and AW. Results: The values of AW and AD were much higher in Shih Tzu than in Maltese dogs. Male Shih Tzus showed higher values of these parameters than females, while sex-based differences in most of the parameters could not be detected in Maltese. Body weight, but not age, influenced AWs and ADs. While AWs and ADs were influenced by several factors, AI was comparable among the assessed factors and between Maltese and Shih Tzu dogs (p = 0.172; 31.42 ± 1.35 and 32.60 ± 1.80, respectively). Also, AI did not vary with breed, sex, or body size. Conclusions: The obtained radiographic and CT acetabular parameters could be useful as guidelines for evaluating the acetabulum of small-breed dogs in clinical practice.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1871-1880
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• 2018

Objective: Recently, there has been an increasing interest in conservation of native genetic resources of chicken on a worldwide basis. Most of the native chicken breeds are threatened by extinction or crossing with ecotypes. Methods: Six Saudi native chicken breeds including black naked neck, brown frizzled, black, black barred, brown and gray were used in the current study. The aim of the current study was to evaluate genetic diversity, relationship and population structure of Saudi native chicken breeds based on 20 microsatellite markers. Results: A total of 172 alleles were detected in Saudi native chicken breeds across all 20 microsatellite loci. The mean number of alleles per breed ranged from 4.35 in gray breed to 5.45 in normally feathered black with an average of 8.6 alleles. All breeds were characterized by a high degree of genetic diversity, with the lowest heterozygosity found in the brown breed (72%) and the greatest in the frizzled and black barred populations (78%). Higher estimate of expected heterozygosity (0.68) was found in both black breeds (normal and naked neck) compared to the other chicken populations. All studied breeds showed no inbreeding within breed (negative inbreeding coefficient [$F_{IS}$]). The phylogenetic relationships of chickens were examined using neighbor-joining trees constructed at the level of breeds and individual samples. The neighbor-joining tree constructed at breed level revealed three main clusters, with naked neck and gray breeds in one cluster, and brown and frizzled in the second cluster leaving black barred in a separate one. Conclusion: It could be concluded that the genetic information derived from the current study can be used as a guide for genetic improvement and conservation in further breeding programs. Our findings indicate that the Saudi native chicken populations have a rich genetic diversity and show a high polymorphism.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.751-758
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• 2021

Objective: The objectives of this study were to investigate the relationship between the mRNA expression of adipocyte type fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) and heart type FABP (H-FABP) in Thai native chicken crossbreeds and evaluate the level of exotic inclusion in native chicken that will improve growth while maintaining its relatively low carcass fat. Methods: The fat deposition traits and mRNA expression of A-FABP and H-FABP were evaluated at 6, 8, 10, and 12 weeks of age in 4 chicken breeds (n = 8/breed/wk) (100% Chee breed [CH] [100% Thai native chicken background], CH male and broiler female [Kaimook e-san1; KM1] [50% CH background], broiler male and KM1 female [Kaimook e-san2; KM2] [25% CH background], and broiler [BR]) using abdominal fat (ABF) and muscular tissues. Results: The BR breed was only evaluated at 6 weeks of age. At week 6, the CH breed had a significantly lower A-FABP expression in ABF and intramuscular fat (IF) compared with the other breeds. At 8 to 12 weeks, the KM2 groups showed significant upregulation (p<0.05) of A-FABP in both ABF and IF compared to the CH and KM1 groups. The expression of H-FABP did not follow any consistent pattern in both ABF and IF across the different ages. Conclusion: Some level of crossbreeding CH chickens can be done to improve growth rate while maintaining their low ABF and IF. The expression level of A-FABP correlate with most fat traits. There was no consistency of H-FABP expression across breed. A-FABPs is involved in fat deposition, genetic markers in these genes could be used in marker assisted studies to select against excessive fat accumulation.