Effect of Feeding Ergot Alkaloids on Ruminal Metabolism, Growth Performance, Health and Welfare of Beef Cattle
| dc.contributor.advisor | Ribeiro, Gabriel O | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Penner, Gregory O | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Blakley, Barry R | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Harmon, David L | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Mutsvangwa, Timothy | |
| dc.creator | Sarich, Jenna M | |
| dc.creator.orcid | 0009-0007-7655-4092 | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-09-28T20:12:01Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-09-28T20:12:01Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2023 | |
| dc.date.created | 2023-08 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023-09-28 | |
| dc.date.submitted | August 2023 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2023-09-28T20:12:02Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | Ergot contamination of cereal crops has been more prevalent within the last decade, increasing the occurrence in beef cattle diets. The overall objectives were to examine the effects of ergot alkaloids (EA) on ruminal metabolism, growth performance, health and welfare of beef cattle. The objective of the first study was to evaluate the effect of EA (20 mg/kg), a mycotoxin deactivating product (MDP; 1g/d) and their interaction (EA×MDP) on ruminal fermentation parameters using the rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC). This study was performed in a randomized complete block design, treatments were assigned (n = 4 vessels/treatment) within two RUSITEC apparatuses in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. Treatments included: 1) control (CON) diet; 2) CON diet + MDP; 3) CON diet + EA; and 4) CON diet + EA + MDP. Dry matter disappearance (P = 0.01; 87.9 vs. 87.2%), organic matter disappearance (P = 0.02; 88.8 vs. 88.4%), acetate proportion (P = 0.01), acetate:propionate (P = 0.03), microbial diversity (P = 0.05) decreased with EA. Inclusion of MDP increased OMD (P = 0.01; 88.3 vs. 88.9%) and NDFD (P < 0.001), total volatile fatty acid production (P < 0.001), proportions of acetate (P = 0.03), propionate (P = 0.03), and decreased total microbial nitrogen production (P = 0.001). In conclusion, EA reduced OMD and acetate production due to impaired rumen function, these responses were reversed by MDP. The second study objective was to evaluate increasing concentrations of EA on growth performance, carcass quality, welfare and health parameters of feedlot steers. This study used 240 steers, randomly allocated to 16 pens (15 steers/pen). Treatments included 1) control (CTRL), no added EA; 2) CTRL + 0.75 mg/kg EA (EA075); 3) CTRL + 1.5 mg/kg EA (EA150); and 4) CTRL + 3.0 mg/kg EA (EA300). All treatments were fed a barley-based diet during backgrounding (BG; 84 d), then transitioned (28 d) to a finishing diet (FS; 119 d) before slaughter. During FS, after 190 days on feed (DOF), EA300 was moved to CTRL due to EA induced hyperthermia symptoms. During BG increasing EA concentrations promoted a linear decrease in final body weight (BW; P = 0.03) and total BW gain (P = 0.02). Over the full FS phase, EA150 showed the poorest growth performance as shown by a quadratic response in average daily gain (ADG; P = 0.05), final BW (P = 0.05), total BW gain (P=0.02) and carcass weight (P = 0.05). Over the trial increasing EA in the diet linearly increased (P < 0.01) rectal body temperature. Inclusion >0.75 mg/kg EA caused reductions in performance and welfare concerns, although this breakpoint may be affected by environmental factors. | |
| dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10388/15084 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.subject | beef cattle | |
| dc.subject | ergot | |
| dc.subject | ruminal fermentation | |
| dc.subject | performance | |
| dc.subject | feedlot | |
| dc.title | Effect of Feeding Ergot Alkaloids on Ruminal Metabolism, Growth Performance, Health and Welfare of Beef Cattle | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| dc.type.material | text | |
| thesis.degree.department | Animal and Poultry Science | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Animal Science | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | University of Saskatchewan | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science (M.Sc.) |