About The Book

This book contains the proceedings of the 41st University of Nottingham Feed Conference held in September 2007. Authors of all chapters are international experts in their fields and have provided comprehensive analyses of the issues together with practical applications. This book is essential reading for all involved in animal production science/practice, including researchers, consultants, animal science students, legislators and practitioners.

The ruminant section contains chapters on nutritional effects on milk yield, health and reproductive efficiency. The first two chapters look at nutrition and management factors affecting fertility; the third chapter provides a scientific approach to feeding cows during the dry period; two chapters then discuss the impacts of nutrition and environmental management on lameness; the sixth paper outlines control measures for scrapie and blue tongue disease; and the seventh paper discusses plant extracts with potential as antimicrobial manipulators of rumen fermentation for productivity and health benefits.

Two important issues for animal agriculture are globalisation and environmental impact. One chapter describes the rapid growth in Indian livestock production and its implications for World markets; another uses life cycle analysis to estimate the environmental burdens of animal production systems.

Raw material issues are considered in four chapters looking at co-products from biodiesel production (glycerol and rapeseed meal), mycotoxin contamination of feeds, challenges of supplying organic feeds, and variability in feedstuff composition.

The non-ruminant section contains chapters on water supply in pig and poultry operations, nutrition of outdoor pigs, salmonella control on pig farms, perinatal mortality of piglets, and compensatory growth in pigs.

All chapters are written by international experts in their fields and provide comprehensive analyses of the issues alongside practical applications. This book is essential reading for all involved in animal production science and practice, including researchers, consultants, animal science students, legislators and practitioners.