Effects of flavomycin replacing monesin ruminal parameters and animal performance of finishing holstein steers

• Grant number: 21/14166-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2022
• End date: July 31, 2022
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Andrade Reis
• Grantee: Willi Rocha Meireles
• Supervisor: Pedro Henrique Vilela Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias (FCAV). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Jaboticabal. Jaboticabal , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of California, Davis (UC Davis), United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 20/06679-9 - Effect of energy supplementation time and sources on ruminal parameter to optimize f1 Angus-Nellore growing, BP.IC

Abstract

Due to the progressive population growth, the demand for food is becoming more and more necessary. At the same time, the intensification of livestock in sustainable scenarios requires the production of high quality meat, through nutritional strategies that reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and, concomitantly, increase animal efficiency and productivity. Among the antibiotics used in animal nutrition, flavomycin stands out, which by modifying the rumen fermentative characteristics, can promote an increase in animal performance. Although flavomycin is commonly used additive in beef cattle diets, further studies are needed to evaluate its effects on ruminal fermentation and its action onhyperammonia-producing bacteria (HAPs), which can decrease the concentration of ammonia (NH3) in the rumen. The objective of the experiment is to investigate the effects of flavomycin compared to monensin on the ruminal parameters of Holstein steers fed a conventional finishing diet. The experiment will be conducted using four Holstein steers cannulated in the rumen and proximal duodenum, in a 4x4 Latin square design. Treatments will consist of steam-flaked corn-based growing-finishing diets supplemented (DM basis) with: 1) no additive; 2) 6.6 mg/kg flavomycin (Flavomycin®, Huvepharma, Peachtree City, GA, USA); 3) 13.2 mg/kg flavomycin; 4) 30 mg/kg monensin (Rumensin90, Elanco, Greenfield, IN, USA). Experimental periods will consist of a 17-day diet adjustment period followed by a 4-day collection period. Data will be analyzed using autoregressive order 1 [AR(1)] covariance structures with MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC) using REPEATED statement. (AU)