Dr. Andrew Van Kessel

Functional amino acid supplementation during disease challenge enhances growth performance and immune status. The present study investigated the effect of duration of adaptation period to a functional amino acid (FAA)-supplemented diet on growth performance and immune status during a subsequent Salmonella challenge in pigs. Thirty-two mixed-sex weanling pigs (8 pigs/treatment; 11.6 ± 0.34 k ...

1. IntroductionCombining different feedstuffs to formulate swine diets is essential for the supply of amino acids (AA), energy, and other nutrients necessary for optimal growth and nutrient utilization and production. While the main goal of diet formulation is meeting nutrient requirements, the impact different feedstuffs have on nutrient utilization (e.g., nitrogen retention) and intestinal physi ...

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a low-Ca diet, followed by a high-Ca diet in combination with feeding of anionic salts and/or vitamin D3 on Ca and acid-base homeostasis of finishing steers. Twenty Hereford steers (448 _ 26 kg) were individually penned and fed at 0800 and 1600 with a ration consisting of 90% barley grain-based concentrate and 10% barl ...

ABSTRACT The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing high levels of vitamin D3 to steers fed barley-grain-based finishing diets on Ca metabolism. Fifteen Hereford steers (607 ± 12 kg) were individually penned and fed at 0800 and 1600 with a ration consisting of 90% barley-grain-based concentrate and 10% barley silage [dry matter (DM) basis]. Steers we ...

It is now well recognized that the gastrointestinal tract of the pig is colonized by an abundant and taxonomically diverse microbial community. Because each of the species of organisms in the intestine possess a different "tool box" of metabolic capabilities, the relative proportion of different species of organisms changes in response to a variety of factors including age, diet composition, reari ...