Search

Climate change due to natural human activity is a significant global phenomenon affecting the sustainability of most countries' livestock industries. Climate change factors such as ambient temperature, relative humidity, direct and indirect sun radiation, and wind have significant consequences on feed, water, pasture availability, and the re-emergence of diseases in livestock. All these variables have a considerable impact on livestock production and welfare. However, animals' ability to respond and adapt to changes in climate differs within species and breeds. Comparatively, small ruminants are more adaptive to the adverse effects of climate change than large ruminants in terms of reproduction performance, survival, production yield, and resistance to re-emerging diseases. This is mainly due to their morphological features against harsh climate effects. Tropical breeds are more adaptive to the adverse effects of climate change than small temperate ruminants. However, the difference in morphological characteristics towards adaptation to the impact of climate change will guide the development of suitable policies on the selection of breeding stock suitable for different regions in the world. The choice of breeds based on morphological features and traits is an essential strategy in mitigating and minimizing the effects of climate change on small ruminants' production and welfare. This review highlights the adaptive morphological features within and among breeds of small ruminants toward adaptation to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of leaf meals on growth performance of broiler chickens have been evaluated in different studies. However, no consensus has been obtained due to the variability of the results. The present study, therefore, aimed to provide a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials examining the effects of feeding leaf meals on growth performance of broiler chickens. Literature was searched using Google Scholar, Science Direct, Scopus, and CAB Abstracts. References from eligible studies were also thoroughly reviewed to identify additional studies. Keywords used for searching the articles were leaf meals, broilers, growing, finishing, and performance. The response measures extracted from individual studies for analysis were average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), feed conversion ratio (FCR), sample size, and standard error of the mean. Eighteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. Average daily feed intake, ADG, and FCR responses to leaf meal-based diets average − 4.82 g, − 5.44 g, and 0.40, respectively. Combining the effect size estimates, our data were highly heterogeneous for ADFI (98.57%) and FCR (81%), and a moderate heterogeneity for ADG (65.11%). Evidence of publication bias was visually confirmed for ADFI, ADG, and FCR from the funnel plots. However, using the weight-function model did not show any evidence of publication bias for ADG (P > 0.05). The meta-analysis study has indicated that leaf meals can positively influence growth performance in chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]