171. Feed Smarter: Bacillus Based Direct Fed Microbial Supplementation Improves Feed Intake and Reduces Stress Markers in Feeder Calves.

Clicks: 10
ID: 330659
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #830 of 847 articles by views in italian journal of animal science

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 847 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract The animal industry faces growing pressure to improve production efficiency and animal health while reducing environmental impacts and ensuring product safety. Within this context, the use of biotics, commonly referred to as probiotics or direct-fed microbials (DFM), has gained increasing attention due to their capacity to enhance nutrient digestion, reduce morbidity and mortality, alleviate stress-related responses, and improve growth performance and feed efficiency. Given these benefits, our research and others have evaluated the effects of supplementing a Bacillus-based DFM (BAC; Bovacillus™; Novonesis, Hørsholm, Denmark) during the most physiologically and nutritionally challenging phases of the beef cattle production cycle, when feeder cattle are exposed to multiple stressors, including weaning, transportation, commingling, and dietary transitions at feedlot entry. Across compiled studies, BAC supplementation in forage based diets or total mixed rations (TMR) was associated with a 3.4% increase in dry matter intake relative to non supplemented cattle. In our initial studies evaluating BAC supplementation in cattle (n = 15) consuming a forage based diet, intake increased by 4% compared with non supplemented cattle (15.5 vs. 14.9 kg/d; P < 0.01). In this study, cattle supplemented with BAC increased DM and CP digestibility by 3.4 and 5.7% compared with CON, respectively. Digestibility of NDF and ADF tended to increase by 2.7 and 2.4%, respectively. In addition, Bacillus based DFM supplementation increased the total amounts of DM, CP, NDF, and ADF digested by 13.6, 16.4, 11.9, and 11.6%, respectively. These results are consistent with the compiled studies, showing increases of 3.9%, 6.5%, and 5.1% in DM, CP, and NDF digestibility, respectively, when cattle are supplemented with BAC. In another study from our group, supplementing BAC during the receiving phase for beef calves (n = 84) tended to increase DMI compared with the CON group (P = 0.06), without affecting other performance parameters (P ≥ 0.50). A treatment × day interaction was observed for plasma cortisol concentration (P < 0.01), with CON animals exhibiting greater cortisol concentrations on d 14. Mean plasma haptoglobin concentration was greater in CON compared with BAC calves (P = 0.03). Collectively, these results indicate that Bacillus based DFM supplementation increased feed intake and nutrient digestibility while reducing circulating stress markers in feeder calves during a receiving period, supporting its potential use as a nutritional strategy during challenging phases of the feeder cattle production cycle.
Reference Key
openalex_W7214789638 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Rodrigo S Marques
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal italian journal of animal science
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/jas/skag272.158
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skag272.158
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.