WP1. On-farm management strategies: Nutrition

Lead INRA
(French National Institute for Agricultural Research)

The main characteristic of Immunocastrates (IC) is a rapid switch of an entire male-(EM)-type metabolism to that of a castrate after 2nd immunization (vaccination). In order to implement nutritional strategies adapted to the specific requirements of IC, and to reduce feed cost and environmental impact, three tasks are tackled: (a) understanding physiological mechanisms of increased voluntary feed intake following the 2nd immunization to better control it; (b) determination of optimal diet to optimize growth, limit N-excretion and feed cost; (c) timing of 2nd immunization with respect to effectiveness, production efficiency and quality of product.