A study was conducted to determine the effects of Sclerocarya birrea oil and fulvic acid growth promoters on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and sensory attributes in broilers. A total of 320 unsexed Cobb 500 broilers were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments: a control diet containing the antibiotic Olaquindox; a CFF diet containing 2 g fulvic acid/kg feed without antibiotic; a CFFM diet containing 1.4 g fulvic acid/kg feed and 0.6 g marula oil/kg feed without antibiotic; and a CFM diet containing 2 g marula oil/kg feed without antibiotic. Each treatment was replicated eight times, with 10 birds per pen, and each pen was considered an experimental unit. The feeding trial was conducted over three feeding phases: starter (1–14 d), grower (15–28 d), and finisher (29–42 d). Dietary treatments had no effect (P > 0.05) on any carcass traits except backlength (P < 0.05). Dietary treatment had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on pH at 24 h, drip loss, water-holding capacity (WHC), or cooking loss, but did affect pH at slaughter (P < 0.05), with the highest value in the CFM diet (6.54 ± 0.08) and the lowest in the CFF diet (6.38 ± 0.11). Sensory evaluation of broiler meat produced from diets supplemented with marula oil and fulvic acid revealed significant differences in organoleptic properties compared with the control diet. Thus, Sclerocarya birrea oil and fulvic acid can be used as alternative growth promoters in broiler diets. Their complementary effects on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and sensory attributes were comparable to those of antibiotic growth promoters.
The period from conception to weaning represents the most influential developmental window in the life of a beef calf. During this time, skeletal muscle fibers are formed, adipocyte hyperplasia is initiated, vital organs mature, the immune and respiratory systems develop functional competence, and the gastrointestinal tract and rumen undergo rapid structural and microbial organization. These processes are highly sensitive to maternal nutrition, environmental conditions, and early life management. This review synthesizes current knowledge on the developmental physiology of beef calves from conception to weaning, emphasizing the biological mechanisms underlying fetal and neonatal growth, the establishment of the microbiome, and the maturation of immune, respiratory, and gastrointestinal systems. Particular attention is given to identifying critical windows during which targeted interventions can exert lasting effects on growth, health, and carcass quality. Prenatal strategies including protein and energy supplementation, vitamin and mineral provision, and emerging epigenetic interventions using methyl donors are evaluated alongside postnatal strategies such as colostrum management, nutritional programming, creep feeding, early weaning, and preconditioning. Quantitative effects from key studies are integrated throughout to contextualize the magnitude of biological responses, and for each intervention the level of agreement among studies, main sources of heterogeneity, and unresolved questions were summarized. Collectively, the evidence demonstrates that interventions applied during specific developmental windows can meaningfully influence lifetime productivity, but responses vary with production environment, dam condition, and genetic background. A holistic approach that aligns biological opportunity with economic feasibility is essential for optimizing calf development in modern beef production systems.
IntroductionBefore calving, dairy cows may seek a secluded area to express maternal behavior. Pasture-based systems may facilitate this behavior by allowing cows to move away from the group, but little is known about calving location selection and prepartum exploratory behavior in outdoor paddocks during winter. We therefore evaluated calving area selection and prepartum exploratory behavior in dairy cows with access to sheltered and open areas.MethodsForty-eight prepartum dairy cows (17 nulliparous, 31 multiparous) were enrolled in an 8,450 m2 paddock with access to three potential calving areas: natural shelter (NS; area with bushes and trees with straw bedding, 440 m2), artificial shelter (AS; three structures with three walls and straw bed, 18 m2 each), and open paddock (OP; 7,956 m2). Continuous video monitoring recorded calving locations (n = 36), while prepartum exploratory behavior was assessed using 10-min instantaneous scan sampling from video recordings during the 24 h before calving (n = 23).ResultsOf the total sample (n = 36), 38.9% of cows calved in NS, 16.7% in AS, and 44.4% in OP. Multinomial logistic regression showed that higher lactation number was associated with lower odds of calving in NS versus OP (OR = 0.587; 95% CI = 0.365 – 0.943; p = 0.028). Cumulative rainfall increased the odds of calving in the AS (OR = 1.195; 95% CI = 0.980 – 1.456; p = 0.078); and a higher calf-to-dam weight ratio tended to be related to greater odds of calving in NS (OR = 3.047; 95% CI = 0.000 – 9.288; p = 0.050). Descriptive analysis of exploratory behavior showed that cows calving in AS and NS spent approximately one-third of the 24 h prepartum period in their respective calving areas (6.33 ± 4.02 h/d and 7.82 ± 3.68 h/d, respectively), with visits appearing to concentrate during the hours closest to parturition.DiscussionOur results indicate that dairy cows allocated outdoor during winter select sheltered and open areas to calve, and that the selection of sheltered areas was associated with individual and winter weather conditions. As parturition approached, the use of sheltered areas increased, as was observed descriptively.
The calving period creates a peak in workload for seasonal, pasture-based dairy farms, yet data describing farmers’ physical activity and physiological stress during this period are limited. This small exploratory pilot study evaluated the feasibility of using wearable technology to quantify continuous physical activity and heart rate-derived physiological stress in dairy farmers during calving, and to describe variation across farms and tasks. Nine farm workers from five New Zealand spring block-calving dairy farms wore a Garmin Instinct 2 smartwatch for an average of 49 days during the 2024 calving period, with heart rate-derived metrics used to estimate metabolic equivalent of task (MET) minutes, minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and physiological stress scores. The sensor was worn by participants for more than 23 hours on 71% of study days, with no reported health or safety concerns from use of the sensor, demonstrating feasibility in this setting. Participants accumulated high and highly variable levels of physical activity, with median daily MVPA frequently exceeding 50 minutes and different trends over time observed between farms. These findings demonstrate the utility of wearable technologies for physical workload assessment and highlight the physical demands and variable physiological stress exposure experienced by dairy farm workers during the calving period. Further investigation into the sources of worker physiological stress on dairy farms is recommended.
Climate change is increasingly challenging the sustainability, productivity, and welfare of livestock systems worldwide. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, water scarcity, changing precipitation patterns, and emerging disease risks directly affect animal health, welfare, feed availability, reproductive performance, and farm profitability. These pressures are particularly pronounced in climate-sensitive regions such as the Mediterranean, where livestock production is closely linked to limited natural resources and highly variable environmental conditions. Strengthening the adaptive capacity of livestock systems therefore requires an integrated approach that simultaneously addresses animal welfare, environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and farm resilience. This paper examines key pathways for developing climate-resilient livestock systems by integrating animal-based, environmental, technological, and management strategies. Particular attention is given to climate-adapted breeds and genetic resources, heat-stress mitigation, improved animal health and welfare management, adaptive grazing, sustainable pasture and forage management, integrated crop–livestock systems, and efficient use of water and other natural resources. The potential of precision livestock farming, digital monitoring, sensor-based technologies, early-warning systems, and data-driven decision-support tools to anticipate climate-related risks and improve adaptive management is also considered. Beyond farm-level interventions, the paper highlights the importance of enabling mechanisms, including climate-risk assessment, financial instruments, farmer training, institutional support, and appropriate policy frameworks. Evidence and examples from different production environments are used to demonstrate how locally adapted solutions can enhance animal welfare and productivity while reducing environmental pressures and strengthening resilience to climatic shocks. The paper emphasizes that climate resilience should not be addressed solely as a productivity or environmental challenge but through a systems-based framework that recognizes the interconnections among animal welfare, ecological sustainability, technological innovation, and socio-economic viability. Building future-ready livestock systems will therefore require coordinated research, policy support, investment, and stakeholder engagement to translate climate adaptation strategies into practical and scalable solutions.
