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The study was conducted in Dangila town, Ethiopia, to assess the cattle fattening practices and fattening performances of cattle in the area. A semi-structured questionnaire survey and on-farm monitoring of fattening cattle were carried out. A total of 200 cattle fatteners (160 from peri-urban and 40 fatteners urban) were included in the survey. Fattening was monitored for weight change. The initial, the middle, and final body weights were taken using a heart girth meter. The survey data was analyzed and summarized using descriptive statistics and index ranking. Monitoring data was analyzed using the General Linear Model Procedure of SPSS. The mean family size, age of household heads, and landholding were 5.15, 38.04 years, and 0.2 hectares, respectively. Respondents had average fattening experiences of 4.36 ± 3.03 years and fatten 2.24 ± 2.74 cattle per cycle. Body size/frame (index = 0.485) and the health condition of animals (index = 0.162) were the first and second selection criteria to purchase fattening animals. Crop residue (index = 0.26) and agro-industrial by-products (index = 0.33) were the first used feedstuffs in the peri-urban and urban systems, respectively. The mean final body weight of fattening animals was 365.443 ± 1.51 kg with a mean fattening duration of 107.38 + 0.58 days. Feed shortage was the first challenge that fattening households are facing in the peri-urban (index = 0.331) and urban areas (index = 0.290) of Dangila district. The result indicated that cattle fatteners should get the proper advice on animal selection and duration of fattening, feeding, and accessibility to credit service.

Objective: This study aimed to develop a mobile application (app) specifically designed for enhancing farm management and performance assessment in fattening beef cattle. Materials and Methods: The development process followed a user-centered design approach, which involved focus group discussions and key informant interviews with 20 participants to design content and features. The app was developed for both mobile and web platforms. After the prototype and launch of the app, the system usability scale (SUS) and user satisfaction were assessed. Results: The assessment findings identify the specific expected functions in the app, with the farm accounting records function being the most desired feature among users, followed by production analysis, production records, and resource inventory. The mean SUS score was calculated to be 75.17, indicating a qualitative assessment of “Good.” The assessment of user satisfaction indicated that the mean satisfaction score for all participants was 4.26, suggesting a high level of satisfaction and a favorable perception of the app. Conclusion: This app provides an alternative way to record farm activity, suggest feed and feeding schedules, and provide financial management tools designed explicitly for small-scale beef cattle farmers.

The application of injectable zinc, copper, manganese and selenium (trace minerals - ITMs) at the arrival can be a strategy to boost the antioxidant defences and immune function, with positive effects on production performances, in fattening beef cattle. The effects of the administration of ITMs at the arrival were tested in 576 Charolaise bulls, randomly allocated, at the arrival, into two groups, i) control (CON); ii) Multimin (MM-Multimin®). The growth performance, feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), and health status were evaluated. The oxidative status was evaluated using the levels of free oxygen radical metabolites (ROM’s), and the antioxidant activity (OXY test) on blood samples taken on 20 animals per group at the arrival (d0), and after 50 days (d50). MM animals had significantly improved average daily gain (ADG0-50) (1.244 vs 1.201 kg/head/d) (p = 0.002), final weight at d50 (448 vs 446 kg) (p = 0.0203) and feed conversion rate (FCR) (6.90 vs 7.52) (p < 0.0001) compared to CON, with a tendency towards a significantly lower individual feed intake (FI) (8.46 vs 8.66 kg/head/d) (p = 0.0558). The incidence of BRD, was not significantly affected by the treatment. The antioxidant activity at d50 was significantly improved (280.34 vs 270.51 HClO/ml) (p ≤ 0.001) in the MM compared to the CON group. No differences were found for ROM’s levels. The results highlight the potential benefits of an ITMs product application on arrival at the fattening unit, aiming to boost the antioxidant defences with positive effects on growth performance.

Brown/beige adipocytes dissipate energy as heat. We previously showed that brown/beige adipocytes are present in white adipose tissue (WAT) of fattening cattle. The present study examined the effect of vitamin A restriction on mRNA expression of brown/beige adipocyte-related genes. In Japan, fattening cattle are conventionally fed a vitamin A-restricted diet to improve beef marbling. Twelve Japanese Black steers aged 10 mo were fed control feed (n = 6) or vitamin A-restricted feed (n = 6) for 20 mo. Subcutaneous WAT (scWAT) and mesenteric WAT (mesWAT) were collected, and mRNA expression levels of molecules related to the function of brown/beige adipocytes (Ucp1, Cidea, Dio2, Cox7a, and Cox8b) as well as transcriptional regulators related to brown/beige adipogenesis (Zfp516, Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α) were evaluated. The vitamin A restriction significantly increased or tended to increase expression levels of Cidea and Pgc-1α in scWAT, and Cidea, Dio2, and Nfia in mesWAT. Previous studies revealed that the bone morphogenetic protein (Bmp) pathway was responsible for commitment of mesenchymal stem cells to brown/beige adipocyte-lineage cells. The vitamin A restriction increased expression of Bmp7 and some Bmp receptors in WAT. The interrelationship between gene expression levels indicated that expression levels of Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α were closely related to those of genes related to the function of brown/beige adipocytes in scWAT. Also, expression levels of Nfia, Prdm16, and Pgc-1α were highly correlated with those of Alk3 in scWAT. In summary, the present results suggest that the vitamin A restriction increases the number or activity of brown/beige adipocytes through regulatory expression of transcriptional regulators to induce brown/beige adipogenesis, especially in scWAT of fattening cattle, which may be governed by the Bmp pathway.

Background Herbal tea residue (HTR) is generally considered to be the waste of herbal tea beverage production while it still retains rich nutrients and active substances. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of fermentation technology on improving the quality of HTRs, and focus on the fermented HTR-induced alleviation of summer heat stress in fattening cattle. Results In this study, the waste HTR was fermented and then fed to a total of 45 fattening cattle that were divided into 3 groups (fermented HTR replaced 0, 15, 30% of the forage component of the diet), and the feeding experiment was lasted for 40 days. The physiological indexes, growth performance and fecal microbiota of fattening cattle were evaluated and results showed that fermented HTR could effectively reduce the respiratory rate and rectal temperature of fattening cattle under heat stress, increase the daily feed intake and daily gain, and improve the antioxidant content and blood immune index. In addition, we studied the fecal microbiota composition of 6 fattening cattle in control and 30% HTR substitution groups and found fermented HTR significantly changed the composition of fecal microbiota and increased microbial diversity, and correlation analysis suggested that the bacteria were closely related to fecal SCFA levels of fattening cattle under heat stress. Conclusions In this study, fermented HTR replaced 30% of the forage component of the diet that can change the intestine microorganisms, maintain health and alleviate the heat stress of fattening cattle.

This study applies data envelopment analysis (DEA) to gauge technical efficiency and allocative efficiency in China’s beef cattle-fattening industry using survey data. The Tobit model considers the salient determinants that drive these efficiencies. The results indicate that (1) large-scale farms exhibit robust TE and pure technical efficiencies (PTE), whereas scale efficiencies (SE) diverge significantly between large and medium-sized operations. The cost efficiency (CE) of smaller farms lags behind their larger counterparts, with the latter displaying greater revenue efficiencies (RE) and profit efficiency (PE). (2) The influence of identical factors on the efficiency of beef cattle fattening production can vary, sometimes antithetically, across different scales. Local policy interventions must be differentiated according to farm type and size. (3) The unique context of China’s national conditions and the status quo of livestock farming render the dual implementation of environmental regulations and technological subsidies less viable for Chinese beef cattle farms. These entities should prioritize production over technological innovation and advancement. Policymakers should adopt strategies such as targeted skill/technological training for farm managers at particular scales of operation. This could represent a critical trajectory to augment the efficiency of beef cattle production and increase beef yield in China.

In Bangladesh, more than 90% of people are Muslim. During Eid-ul-Azha, around 4.76 million cattle were slaughtered, which is almost half of the total of 10.04 million cattle slaughtered. Thus, the demand for beef cattle is particularly high during Eid, and as a result raising and fattening of cattle is a popular trade. The present study was conducted to investigate cattle fattening profitability and its marketing. The data was collected through structured interviews with 90 farmers, 15 beparies, and 15 meat sellers. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were applied to determine the factors that affect profitability. According to the analysis, about 53% of farmers fattened their cattle during the whole year, while 47% of farmers fattened their cattle only before Eid-ul-Azha. The average benefit-cost ratio was estimated to be 1.25, implying that beef cattle fattening is profitable. The coefficients of the variables of treatment cost, feeding cost, and labour cost were significant at the 1% level, indicating a positive association with profitability. The average net return for beparies was BDT 1,964, and the average net return of meat sellers was BDT 1,944. The predominant marketing channels were identified as (i) farmer–bepari–meat-seller–consumer and (ii) farmer–bepari–consumer. However, the preferred channel was farmer-consumer because this channel enabled farmers to maximise profit. Marketing efficiency was also the highest in this channel. We recommend the provision of appropriate training, as well as easy access to market information, to establish sustainable cattle fattening enterprises in Bangladesh.

The occurrence of stereotypies in captive animals may indicate restrictions in animal welfare. In cattle, common stereotypies are tongue playing, manipulation of objects, or conspecifics. However, to our knowledge, the occurrence of stereotypies in fattening cattle was only analyzed in studies several decades old. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the prevalence of stereotypies in fattening bulls housed in different systems. On three German fattening farms, a total of 243 fattening bulls housed in groups of 14, 16, 22, and 33 animals in straw-bedded pens were observed. Behavioral observations were performed via video recordings during three observation periods distributed over the whole fattening period, using a scan sampling technique. In 234 of 243 bulls, stereotypies were observed at least once. During 15.9 ± 2.4% of the scan intervals, stereotypies were observed in at least one animal per pen. Average numbers of stereotypies per animal and hour ranged from 0.2 to 0.9. The most common stereotypy was manipulating objects, followed by tongue playing and manipulating conspecifics. These results indicate that stereotypies are highly prevalent in fattening bulls under current housing conditions. They underline the need for further studies to analyze the causation of stereotypies in order to reduce their frequency.

Objective: Resting comfort may influence sleep-related lying postures in cattle. This study aimed to investigate the effects of bed cleanliness on tucked (TSP) and extended (ESP) head positions in sleep-related lying postures.Methods: The study was conducted over two experimental periods. In each period, four Japanese Black fattening cattle were assigned to the cleaning treatment (CL), in which bedding material was replaced once during each experimental period. Four cattle were assigned to the control treatment (CON) with no bed cleaning. Daily duration, bout frequency, and bout length of sleep-related lying postures were measured, and bed moisture, ammonia concentration in the air, plasma cortisol, and serotonin concentration were also measured within one week before and after cleaning treatment in each period.Results: The bed moisture and ammonia concentrations decreased in CL after bed cleaning. Following bed cleaning, the duration and bout frequency of TSP in CL decreased compared to that observed in CON, whereas ESP in CL increased after bed cleaning. Total duration of sleep-related lying postures and cortisol and serotonin levels did not differ between CL and CON.Conclusion: These results suggest that cattle in sleep-related lying postures shifted from tucked head positions to extended head positions in response to improved bed cleanliness.

The usage of automatic feeding systems (AFS) in cattle offers multiple advantages, mostly due to the possibility of an increased feeding frequency. While it is gaining more and more importance in dairy farming, there is still a lack of experience and scientific knowledge regarding its use in fattening cattle. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior of 56 Simmental bulls fed with an AFS six times daily a total mixed ration. The animals arrived at the farm with an average age of 148 ± 11 days. They were housed in four straw-bedded pens in groups of 14 animals each. Their average slaughter age was 558 ± 20 days. Behavioral observations were made during three observation periods (OP) at an average of 11, 14, and 16 months of age. Using scan sampling, feeding, and lying behavior of all animals and the order of bulls feeding after feed delivery were recorded. Furthermore, body condition and health status were monitored and complemented with the carcass weights. Body condition, health status, and carcass weights of the bulls were found to be satisfactory: Mean body condition score increased from 2.8 ± 0.3 in OP1 to 3.0 ± 0.1 in OP3 and mean carcass weight was 432.71 ± 40.82 kg. No severe health problems occurred. The feeding activity of the bulls was spread out over the course of the day with peaks in the afternoon and evening. Percentages of bulls feeding per pen never exceeded 20%, animals feeding mostly alone (during 28.04 ± 2.15% of total observation time) or in groups of two to three (16.61 ± 2.00% and 6.74 ± 1.90%). The order of bulls feeding after feed delivery varied indicating that all animals had similar access to fresh feed. These results emphasize the importance of constant feed availability and quality at any time of the day, thus indicating the ability of an AFS with six daily feedings to ensure such a consistency.