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Item The behaviour and health of dairy lambs reared artificially with and without early access to meal : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science at Massey University.(Massey University, 2017) Nieper, Bradley AllanMany large-scale dairy sheep producers use lamb-rearing systems and provide lambs with milk replacer (MR) ad libitum and grain-based meal to accelerate rumen development to support early weaning methods. Lambs are raised inside for three weeks before being relocated to a pasture paddock and weaned off MR, followed by weaning off meal 3-4 weeks later onto a pasture-only diet. The potential to replace the early provision of meal with early access to good quality pasture before weaning has not been evaluated and may have effects on the development of feeding behaviour. Studies on feeding behaviour in lambs have focused on differences between restricted and ad libitum quantities of MR, with little research on differences in use of solid feed before weaning. Sixty East Friesian crossbred ewe lambs aged 3-4 days were randomly allocated to one of two treatment groups; MR ad libitum with access to meal (M) or MR ad libitum without meal (NM). Both groups had access to pasture at the beginning of week 4, and were abruptly weaned off MR at week 6 and gradually weaned off meal (M lambs only) beginning in the middle of week 8 until the end of week 10. It was hypothesised that; (1) while lambs were being reared inside, M lambs would initiate rumination earlier due to their early access to meal. (2) There would be no difference in the milk feeding behaviour between lambs on the two diets. (3) There would be no difference in the health of the lambs and lastly (4), once outside, M lambs would spend more time grazing and subsequently ruminating as a result of their earlier rumen development. All lamb behaviours were visually recorded during weeks 2, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 12 (nine hours/week). Milk feeding behaviour traits were automatically recorded hourly through the automatic MR dispenser while being reared inside for 23 days. Health scores were recorded twice daily and total days health incidences were recorded. Meal access accelerated onset of rumination, while NM lambs spent more time consuming wood shavings during week 3 (P<0.001). Once outside, NM lambs spent more time grazing during weeks 5 (P<0.05), 7 and 12 (P<0.001), and increased rumination time compared to M lambs by week 12 (P<0.001). Lambs with meal access on average had a greater number of rewarded meals (meals in which lambs consumed more than 1 ml), with a greater intake of MR per meal than lambs without meal access (P<0.001). There were no mortalities of lambs fed either diet. Loose faeces (mild scours), pink eye and navel infections were observed in both M and NM lambs. These findings may allow refinement of lamb-rearing practices by adjustments to the provision of meal to lambs since no adverse behavioural or health effects were observed in lambs without meal access.Item Dairy farmers' responses to water quality interventions : a case study in the Manawatu-Wanganui region of New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Agriculture and Environment, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2018) Collins, Heather MildredNew Zealand freshwater quality has declined, and dairy farming is one identified contributor to this decline. This research provides insight into dairy farmers responses to the water quality interventions introduced to mitigate diffuse pollution, and the socio-cultural dynamics that shaped their responses. Putnam’s (2000) social capital theory was the theoretical framework used to explore how and why New Zealand dairy farmers responded to water quality interventions and the role of social capital in shaping dairy farmers’ responses. A single qualitative case-study research design was undertaken in one Water Management Zone of the Manawatu-Wanganui Region. Data was drawn from semi-structured interviews with dairy farmers and key informants, and from documents. Farmer response is identified as a multi-dimensional rather than a uni-dimensional phenomenon. The dairy farmers responded to water quality interventions as individuals and collectively, and these responses were linked and interwoven. Individual farmer awareness and understanding, emotion and behaviour changed. Collectively, resistance, social learning, formation of a farmer-led action group and changes in accepted farming practices occurred. In addition, social interactions through social networks, trust, social norms and being a ‘good’ farmer that uses ‘best’ farm practice (farmer identity) emerged as key influencers of the dairy farmers’ individual and collective responses to water quality interventions. The socially constructed collective agreements on accepted behaviour, or cultural, personal and practice norms, influenced farmers’ individual and collective responses to interventions. The identified cultural norms associated with private property ownership, equity and fairness, social responsibility and relationships, and personal norms associated with the stewardship of land and water, reflected the farming culture of the farmers interviewed and the broader group to which they belong. A broad collective change in what farmers believe are the expected farm management practices around farming and water quality (practice norms) influenced individual farm practice change. In addition, informal farmer sanctioning of practice norm violation was found to be a key part of the process by which farm practices that had a negative effect on water quality were challenged, and new practice norms were fostered. The collective farmer resistance to regulation and the actions of a farmer-led collective action group were in fact resistance to an intervention that was perceived to challenge their social norms, their identity as ‘good farmers’ and to disregard their local knowledge; not resistance to practice changes that will improve water quality. Dairy farm management practice change is a social process of exchanging information and knowledge, questioning, challenging current practice and reinforcing what is considered accepted practice around farming and water quality. This understanding provides a valuable contribution to the design and implementation of environmental policy interventions.Item Genetics of feed intake and efficiency in grazing dairy cows : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science(Massey University, 2017) Hurley, Alan MichaelFeed efficiency in dairy cows is widely acknowledged as a highly desirable characteristic to improve because of its well-documented impact on production costs. Traditional measures of feed efficiency have used ratio traits, specifically energy conversion efficiency, but these have undesirable statistical properties. Alternative measures of feed efficiency are those based on the residuals from regression-type statistical models, the most common of which is residual energy intake (REI). Residual energy intake is defined as the difference between actual and predicted intake and is usually derived from least squares regression models. The general objective of this thesis was to quantify phenotypic and genetic (co)variances between the feed intake complex, performance, and fertility traits in lactating Holstein-Friesian dairy cows. A total of 8,199 feed intake records from 2,693 lactations on 1,412 grazing lactating Holstein-Friesian dairy cows from experimental farms were used. Several alternative efficiency definitions were developed, each with their own respective strengths and weaknesses. Exploitable genetic variation was demonstrated to exist for the range of alternative efficiency traits, and the magnitude of this variation was sufficiently large to justify consideration of the feed efficiency complex in future dairy breeding goals. The heritability estimates for the different efficiency traits estimated using repeatability models varied from 0.06 to 0.21. Variance components, however, differed across lactation when estimated using random regression models; for example, the heritability of REI varied from 0.04 (34 DIM) to 0.11 (280 DIM) across lactation. Phenotypic correlations among many traits including REI and energy balance (EB) differed not only by stage of lactation but also by cow parity. Moderate to strong genetic correlations existed between REI and EB across lactation (ranging from 0.45 to 0.90). Albeit associated with large standard errors, estimated genetic correlations between feed efficiency and reproductive performance were either neutral or favourable suggesting greater genetic merit for feed efficiency does not appear to be antagonistically genetically correlated with reproductive performance. Selection index calculations using the current economic weights in the Irish Economic Breeding Index, and genetic (co)variances estimated in this thesis, indicate that the inclusion of REI in the index with an economic weight of €0.078/UFL will generate animals with improved REI.Item Effects of increasing cow urine deposition area on soil mineral nitrogen movement and pasture growth on a recent soil in the Manawatu region, New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Management at Massey University, Manawatū, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Romero Ramírez, Stefanía YaninaThe cow urine patch is a major source of nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching from grazed dairy pasture farms. Increasing the urine deposition area is a direct way of reducing the potential risk of this cause N leaching losses. Research is required to quantity the effectiveness of this mitigation across a range of different soil and climatic conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of increasing the cow urine deposition area on NO₃⁻ leaching risk and short-term pasture accumulation on Recent soil in the Manawatu Region, New Zealand. A field trial was conducted, which consisted of three treatments evaluated on pasture plots: Urine (1 m2), Urine (0.2 m2) and No-urine. The two urine treatments received the same volume of 2.1 L urine/patch. Urine treatments were applied on the 6th of March 2017, and soil inorganic N was measured on three occasions; 15, 36 and 53 days after urine application (DAUA). At the third soil sampling time, which was 24 days after the drainage season was estimated to have commenced, the net inorganic N (inorganic N in the urine treatment minus the value for the No-urine treatment) in the 45-120 cm soil depth was 1.08 g net inorganic N/patch for the Urine (1 m2) treatment compared to 2.97 g net inorganic N/patch for the Urine (0.2 m2) treatment. Therefore, the Urine (1 m2) treatment resulted in a 63.6% reduction in the quantity of net inorganic N that was highly susceptible to leaching, compared to the more typical urine patch area of 0.2 m2. At a paddock scale, when net inorganic N from the urine treatments is multiplied by an estimate of the quantity of urine patches per hectare in a single grazing, this equates to a reduction of 2.53 kg N/ha from a single autumn grazing. It is expected that increasing urine deposition area at multiple grazings would result in greater reductions in the annual NO₃⁻ leaching risk. Over the two pasture harvests conducted in the trial, the pasture DM accumulation for the No-urine treatment produced an average of 3220 kg DM/ha. The two urine patch treatments achieved a similar level of pasture DM accumulation to that of the No-urine treatment. The lack of a pasture growth response from the added urine could have been influenced by the high clover content (35.9%) of the pasture, and in addition, there may have been adequate background soil mineral N levels, which together could have contributed to N not being growth limiting during the trial. This research has demonstrated that increasing cow urine deposition area in autumn has potential to be an effective mitigation for decreasing N leaching losses from grazed dairy pastures. Further research is required to investigate the effects of increasing cow urine deposition area at multiple grazings, in order to determine the effect of this mitigation option on annual NO₃⁻ leaching and pasture production.Item The effects of partial stable confinement on the voluntary activity of weanling thoroughbred foals : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Lilly, Vanessa MareeThis thesis discusses an observational study, which evaluates the effects of partial stable confinement on the voluntary activity of weanling Thoroughbreds kept at pasture. Despite the current knowledge identifying the need for early exercise and pasture access in young Thoroughbreds, there is little information on pasture activity, and none on the effects of partial stable confinement on the amount of, and type of, activity when at pasture. It has previously been stated that young horses confined to a stable at night, spend more time cantering and trotting in the paddock during the day, when compared to their unconfined counterparts- the authors suggested this may be compensation for the lack of activity carried out whilst in confinement. Unfortunately, no further research has been carried out to support this theory, and it is therefore unknown how much confinement is required before horses will carry out compensatory activity, and how length of confinement and the subsequent volume of compensatory activity may affect total average daily activity. A study was carried out on a small commercial Thoroughbred stud farm in the Manawatu, to determine the effects of partial stable confinement on the amount, and type of activity six weanling Thoroughbreds carried out on a daily basis. The horse’s remained under normal management conditions, and were kept at pasture, and confined in loose boxes for an average of three hours a day, on mornings decided by the Stud Master, for handling and yearling sales preparation. Activity was monitored for 141 days using a Heyrex biosensor. The sensor containing a tri-axial accelerometer was attached to each horse’s halter, and the data were recorded as Delta-G; the change in acceleration between respective samples. The data were recorded in 15 minute increments, resulting in approximately 576 records per day and possible 13,536 data points per horse (there was a range of 3,456 - 10,272 usable data points per horse). A total of 39,372 15-minute data points were used in the data analysis. Each horse’s activity profile, including total daily activity, average daily activity and proportion of highand low-energy activity, when at pasture and during confinement was analysed. Total average daily activity varied between horses (70,385 – 95,331, P<0.001), however each horse’s total daily activity was highly repeatable across days with no significant difference between horses between days. Partial confinement resulted in a reduction in average daily activity in all horses (67,682 – 84,737, P<0.0088), except Colt 3 who was more active during days of confinement, than on days of no confinement (89903±5073 and 84813±2163, respectively). Partial stable confinement had no significant effect on the proportion of total activity which was highenergy activity (8.69% on days of confinement, vs 12.23% on days of no confinement) except for Colt 3, who carried out a high proportion of high-energy activity during a day of confinement, then on a day of no confinement (18.23% vs 9.14% respectively). This may be a form of compensation, however it was only noted in one horse, and therefore is more likely to be a behavioural response to being isolated to a stable. The proportion of high-energy activity between the hours of 9am-12pm, when confinement would occur, was also not effected by confinement when compared to days of no confinement (8.64% vs 9.80%, respectively), except in Colt 2, who carried out no high-energy activity whilst in confinement between 9am-12pm. The partial confinement of these weanlings appeared to reduce their overall average daily activity, however it did not affect the amount of high-energy activity. Thus partial confinement may not restrict the all-important osteo-inductive high speed activity required to promote optimal musculoskeletal development in weanlings. However, we lacked the experimental design to examine if there was any association of length of confinement and any compensatory activity. Further studies should examine if the length of partial confinement alters the subsequent activity at pasture.Item Phenotypic evaluation of Trifolium repens x Trifolium uniflorum F₁ interspecific hybrids as predictors of BC₁ hybrid progeny : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Plant Breeding at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Ebbett, Michelle AnneInterspecific hybrids between white clover (Trifolium repens) and its close relatives are being created to address the lack of variation within white clover for traits relating to persistence and drought tolerance. This study addresses two concepts related to developing hybrid breeding strategies using Trifolium repens x Trifolium uniflorum hybrids. A first sandframe experiment investigated whether some of the first generation hybrid plants (F1) with common parents were better than others as future parents. A second experiment assessed whether the performance of the first back cross (BC1) progenies could be predicted from the parental F1 phenotypes. The foliage, fertility, roots and dry weight production of four families of F1 hybrids were evaluated following a period of growth in sand. From each family, the F1 hybrids with the highest and lowest dry weight production were selected and back crossed to two contrasting white clover cultivars. The resulting BC1 hybrid phenotypes were evaluated to ascertain whether any F1 hybrids were markedly better as future parents in hybrid breeding programmes, and whether the F1 phenotype could be used to predict that of the BC1 progeny. Differences in expression of more than half of the traits evaluated were found both between F1 families, and among genotypes within F1 families. Evaluation of the subsequent BC1 generation identified large amounts of variation in expression of most traits both within and among hybrid families. However correlations between trait expression of the F1 parent and the corresponding BC1 progeny were weak to non-existent for most traits evaluated. The absence of correlations indicated that the performance of an F1 hybrid genotype is not able to be used as a predictor of the BC1 progeny phenotypes, and that selection out of the F1 generation is futile in the formation of interspecific hybrid breeding populations.Item The protein requirement of juvenile silver trevally (Pseudocaranx georgianus) to optimise growth in hatchery environments : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Elvy, JordanAquaculture is a growing primary industry in New Zealand. Currently the industry is comprised of three main species: GreenshellTM mussels, Pacific oyster, and King Salmon. The introduction of a white fleshed fish presents obvious commercial opportunity and production gains for New Zealand aquaculture. Silver trevally provides this opportunity and has the potential to further develop the industry. When developing a new species for aquaculture an understanding of their nutritional requirements at the different life stages is required. This thesis investigates the protein requirement of juvenile silver trevally. Silver trevally (67.5±12.0g) were randomly assigned to 12 tanks, 15 fish per tank. Four isoenergetic diets ranging in crude protein (CP) content from 30 to 60% CP were fed, in triplicates, for 12 weeks. Growth, including specific growth rate (SGR), did not significantly differ between diets. Feed efficiency was lowest in fish fed the 40% CP diet compared with the other three diets. Protein retention was highest in fish fed the lowest protein diet. Condition indices in silver trevally were unaffected by the protein content of the diet. Overall, this experiment was inconclusive on the ideal protein level in the diet. A palatability trial was carried out to determine if feed intake varied among diets. For comparison a commercial pellet from Ridley’s (50% CP) and a gel diet (20.4% CP) used by Plant & Food Research was also included in this trial. Twenty-four fish from the growth trial were allocated to two tanks for the palatability trial. Four behavioural responses were observed: the food item was ignored; fish approached the food but did not ingest; the fish took the food into their mouths before spitting it out; and the food was ingested. The 60% CP experimental diet, a commercial pellet, and a gel diet had significantly higher rates of intake than the other diets, with the 30% CP diet having the lowest rate of complete ingestion. The 60% CP and gel diet had the lowest rate of food being ignored. The most palatable diets were the 60% CP diet and the gel diet.Item The nutrition and growth of lambs reared artificially with or without meal : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Animal Science at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand.(Massey University, 2017) Jensen, Amber Celeste MylesArtificial rearing is routinely used in large-scale dairy sheep farms. One approach is to offer milk replacer (MR) and meal ad libitum to lambs. The aim was to evaluate the growth of female lambs in the first 12 weeks of rearing with (M) and without (NM) grain-based meal access (n=30/group) during four feeding periods. In period 1 (week 0-3), lambs were offered MR and meal ad libitum, and in period 2 (week 4-5) were transitioned outdoors onto pasture with continued access to MR and meal. Lambs were weaned off MR in period 3 (week 6-10), and meal in period 4 (week 10-12). The NM lambs received identical management, but meal was excluded. A treatment-by-time interaction was found whereby NM lambs had lower average daily gain (ADG) (P<0.05) in periods 1 (376±6 vs. 414±8 g/d) and 3 (146±7 vs. 241±7 g/d), no difference in period 2 (P>0.05), and higher ADG in period 4 (157±18 vs. -55±18 g/d, P<0.05) than M lambs. These results indicate that when lambs fed MR ad libitum are offered unrestricted access to good-quality pasture before weaning, meal may not be required to achieve a similar live weight at 12 weeks of age. Data from the aforementioned experiment were further investigated by week to allow investigations of the relationship between nutrient intake and growth, describe variation in ADG in relation to environmental and feeding transitions, and to estimate pasture intakes, which were not measured. The different feeding transitions, nutrient intakes, and feeds were most likely causing the differences in ADG that occurred between treatment groups and weeks. The greatest variation in ADG of lambs occurred in the M lambs after meal weaning, which was likely due to a poor adaption to a pasture-only diet. Pasture intakes were estimated by calculating lamb requirements for maintenance and growth from actual ADG and live-weight measurements, assuming that pasture intake made up the difference between actual intakes and theoretical intakes. It was found there were significant differences in estimated pasture intakes between M and NM lambs (P<0.0001) and intakes changed over weeks. In weeks seven, eight, and nine, M lambs were estimated to not consume any pasture, due to a high intake of meal, to achieve the observed growth rates. However, NM lambs consumed pasture over these weeks as pasture was their only feed source. These results allow speculation that pasture intake was very low in M lambs before meal was removed. It has been previously reported that high meal intakes when combined with low roughage intake can negatively impact rumen health and development, and transitioning from high meal to high roughage diets requires alterations in the ruminal microbe population and fermentation. The estimated low pasture intake before meal weaning, combined with the high meal intake recorded, may have contributed to the growth check that occurred once meal was removed, as lambs required a period to adapt to the pasture diet, as their rumen underwent the changes associated with transitioning between these diets. Further investigation into differences in pasture intake between lambs reared with and without meal, and more evidence as to what caused the growth check after meal weaning may allow further optimisation of different lamb-rearing systems.Item Environmental management perspectives of soil fluoride in New Zealand's agricultural soils : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Environmental Management at the Institute of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North, Manawatu, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Alborno Jover, Patricia María YsabelThe prolonged use of phosphate (P) fertilisers has inherited an accumulation of F in topsoils and it is considered to be building up in most of New Zealand’s (NZ) agricultural soils. New Zealand research into soil F has been hampered by the lack of a reliable and simple test for soil F. The accuracy of different methods to quantify the presence of F in analytical preparations is dependent on interfering elements such as the aluminium (Al) content of the sample. Thecconventional methodology of NaOH fusion with an ion-specific electrode method is considered to be time consuming, expensive and very dependent on the abilities of the operating technician, thus it is not ideal for environmental monitoring. To improve the traditional method, an alternative technique to the standard fusion protocol was developed by the Fertilizer & Lime Centre Research (FLRC), Massey University, and that found that simple extraction of soil with dilute sodium hydroxide four molar (NaOH 4M) consistently reported 80% of the total soil F across volcanic soils. The initial FLRC initial work was further examined in this research to confirm the repeatability of the NaOH extraction technique to quantify soil F in a range of NZ soil orders. Also, to assess the relative accuracy of the NaOH extraction technique across different NZ soil orders by comparing different NaOH concentrations. The main aim was to compare different methods and NaOH concentrations to determine total soil F on a representative range of soil orders collected from 13 agricultural sites with a longterm P fertiliser application background. The variability between soils orders was assessed as a function of soil properties. Furthermore, microbiological analyses were performed to assess the impacts of total F, as determined by NaOH extraction method, on soil microbial activity. This study also provides a discussion on the environmental management implications of the emerging F issue in the NZ pastoral land. The total soil F concentration across seven different soil orders ranged between 152 mg F kg-1 and 708 mg F kg-1. The NaOH extraction method showed significant correlation with the alkali fusion/ISE technique (r>0.92). The accuracy of the F determination is very dependent on interfering elements such as Al/Fe oxy-hydroxide content, and NaOH 10M extraction method showed the lowest variation within allophane-rich soils compared to the 4M and 16M extractions. Results suggest that the NaOH 10M method can be used for wide-scale environmental studies and monitoring programmes across a variety of New Zealand soils, particularly for Allophanic soils. A significant correlation was found between dehydrogenase enzyme activity (DHA) and the labile or total Al and Fe content (r>82), whereas the microbial biomass carbon (Cmic) was positively correlated with the non-labile Al and Fe fraction in soils (r>0.89). These findings indicate that these microbial parameters can be used for environmental monitoring programmes. The DHA can be used to assess the effects of the labile F to microorganisms and the Cmic variable could be used as an indicator of the total F effects to livestock.Item Effect of differing forages on the early growth and behaviour development of dairy heifers during pre- and post weaning periods : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Animal Science at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand(Massey University, 2017) Ullah, ZakaThe objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different forage diets fed to young calves on early growth, behaviour development and long term milk performance. In experiment 1, 60 calves were randomly allocated to one of three diets, fed starter diet with no forage (PS), PS with additional moist alfalfa (PSA) or PS with additional pasture hay (PSH). In experiment 2, 108 calves were randomly allocated to one of three diets, PSH, PS with low (LF) or high (HF) moist alfalfa based total mixed rations. In Experiment 1, greater dry matter intake and liveweights were observed in PSH followed by PSA and then PS during the pre- and post-weaning periods. Longer time eating and ruminating behaviours were observed in PSA and PSH than PS during pre- and post-weaning periods. In Experiment 2, greater dry matter intake and liveweights were observed in PSH than LF and HF diets during the pre- and post-weaning periods. Greater numbers of incidents of allo-grooming were observed in the HF and PSH diets and calves spent longer time eating than LF calves. During post-weaning period, HF and PSH fed calves spent more time lying than LF fed calves. After turning out to pasture, no behaviour differences were observed among treatments in both experiments. While monitoring long term performance, no differences were observed in animals from Experiment 1 in terms of liveweight, milk yield, protein or fat production. From Experiment 2, greater liveweight gains were observed in HF and PSH fed animals than LF fed animals till first lactation. During first lactation, greater milk yield was observed in HF fed animals than PSH or LF fed animals. Greater fat production was observed in LF fed animals than HF or PSH fed animals during third lactation. The effects of diets on the long term performance of the animals should be repeated with sufficient animal numbers per treatment.