The utilisation of game meat contributes towards various Sustainable Development Goals; however, it is necessary to quantify and optimise game meat quality for the commercial market to ensure high and uniform product quality to ensure consumer satisfaction. Understanding the factors…
The aetiology of foetal presentation in cattle is still unresolved. The hind legs are the main source of propulsive movement in cattle, which provides changes in foetal presentation. The assumption is that in the absence of hind leg movements of…
Cattle have been the focus of an intense debate between those concerned about, among other things, the possible negative effects on global warming, land degradation, food competition, and human health and those who are positive toward the possible role of…
The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of cattle infected by Hypoderma, a parasite that causes great economic losses in the world, especially in the Ardahan region. A total of 31 095 cattle skins were randomly selected…
Carcass condemnation is a problem in the South African beef industry, but the causes and risk factors have not been studied or quantified. Better understanding of the cumulative incidence and causative predictors of carcass condemnations could assist in improving cattle…
This study investigated the impact of nine polymorphisms located in the CSN2, CSN3, CSN1S1, CSN1S2, OLR1, LALBA, STAT1, DGAT1 and LGB genes, and environmental factors including calving year, season and parity on reproductive traits. The analysis was conducted on 165…
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a PGF2α analogue (Dinoprost) on involution of the puerperal uterus, especially with pyometra during 35 to 45 days postpartum in multiparous high yielding Holstein dairy cows. At days…
Achaete-scute like-2 (ASCL2) gene is a maternally expressed gene that encodes a lineage-specific transcription factor that is essential for neurectoderm and trophectoderm development and is implicated in pre-natal and post-natal development in mammals. Using comparative genomics, various in silico sequence…
The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro maturation rate of cattle oocytes selected with brilliant cresyl blue (BCB) stain, in tissue culture medium 199 (TCM 199) supplemented with various concentrations of hormones. Oocytes were retrieved from…
The identification of genetic polymorphisms in the genes that play a crucial role in regulatiing growth and development of livestock enables us to evaluate the biological similarities and to acquire a better perspective of quantitative traits. The present study was…
Steroidal implants are used extensively in beef cattle management to take advantage of well-documented improvements in growth performance and efficiency. In addition to muscle growth, steroids bring about changes in bone and cartilage formation, hastening bone ageing. The current study…
Effects of the β-agonist, ractopamine-HCl (ractopamine), on skeletal muscle protein turnover were evaluated in 16 steers (512 kg) and 16 heifers (473 kg). Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial design and included gender (steer vs. heifer) and…
The objective of this study was to investigate the economic viability of finishing Nguni weaners on natural veld and permanent pastures under dry land conditions. A group of 30 Nguni calves (7-9 months age) were randomly divided into two treatment…
The daily voluntary feed intake and digestibility of 31 forages by sheep and cattle were measured. It was found that the intake of cattle per kg W0,75kg was significantly higher than that of sheep in 26 out of the 3l…
The substitution of whole maize grain for maize meal in high concentrate rations (±20% silage on dry basis) for young beef cattle did not significantly lower intake, digestible energy content of ration, mass gain and feed efficiency (2-5%). The milling…
The conception rates of 495 lactating cows and 99 replacement heifers were compared over a 3-year period on an extensive cattle ranch in the sour mixed bushveld. A summer breeding season and controlled selective grazing were applied. A protein-rich dicalciumphosphate…
Post-weaning growth performance was studied for 342 steers out of Africander cows and by Africander, Brahman, Charolais, Hereford and Simmentaler sires. In a system of intensive fattening, the latter three Bos taurus sire-breed progeny-groups performed strikingly better than the former…
Weaning mass was studied for 753 calves out of Africander cows by Africander, Brahman, Charolais, Hereford and Simmentaler sires. Crossbreds performed 11,1 per cent to 11,8 per cent better than Africander controls. Charolais progeny had a significantly greater weaning mass…
The effect of replacing increasing amounts of cottonseed cake meal with urea in isonitrogenous (40 per cent CP) supplements for growing weaner steers has been investigated over a period of three years. Each year six groups of 30 Hereford x…
