The availability and sustainability of suitable and good quality drinking water is a global concern. Such uncertainties threaten livestock production with an attendant ripple effect on food security. Small ruminants, including sheep and goats, appear to be promising to smallholder farmers in solving this problem because of their ability to survive in water-limited areas and harsh environment when compared with large ruminants. Their small body size is also seen as an advantage, because less water will be required for proper digestion and feed utilization. Therefore, this review will provide information regarding the adaptive responses of small ruminants on thermoregulation, blood metabolites, immune status, drug pharmacokinetics, reproduction and hormonal indices during the period of water stress. Adaptable and indigenous breeds are known to be more tolerant to water stress than selected breeds. A drop in feed intake and weight reduced respiratory rate and increased concentration of blood metabolites are the general effects and/or observations that are encountered by small ruminants during the period of water stress. The concept of water tolerance either as deprivation and/or restriction of indigenous and adaptable breeds of small ruminants is gaining ground in research studies around the world. However, more research, however, seeking to explore water tolerance capacity of adaptable breeds especially in arid and water limiting areas are still needed.

Fossil shell flour (FSF), also known as Diatomaceous earth, or diatomite, consists of amorphous silicates with important physical and chemical characteristics, including porosity and permeability, low density and thermal conductivity, tiny particle size, high surface area, solubility, hydrophobia, and absorption capabilities, which are molecular filter actors, substituting their integral cations without physical changes. The substance is nontoxic, cheap, and readily available in large quantity in many countries. Recently, FSF has been modified as additives for several uses. Recent studies have supported its use as animal growth promoter, vaccine adjuvant in livestock, water purifier, mycotoxin binder, inert dust applications in stored-pest management, pesticide, animal feed additive, as a natural source of silicon in livestock and as natural anthelmintic. Numerous advantages of FSF include its low-cost and availability, its nontoxic characteristics, and the fact that food grade diatomaceous earth is safe for human consumption. In this paper, we review the main uses of FSF in the livestock industry, with reference to similar works earlier published that elucidate their important roles.

The abundance of fruit waste from the food industry and wineries, particularly peels, seeds, and other fruit pomace throughout the year, could lead to health and environmental hazards if not channelled into productive areas. Improving or transforming these waste products for better use in other vital sectors could be achieved via solid-state fermentation (SSF) since most waste products are solid. One such productive and important area is the feeding of livestock, which will guarantee millennium food security goals for many nations of the world. The nutritional and antioxidant composition of abundantly available fruit pomace and agro-industrial byproducts could be improved via solid-state fermentation for overall livestock productivity. They contain substantial dietary fibre, protein, and phenolic compounds; hence, improving them via fermentation could serve the livestock industry in dual capacities, including nutraceutical and conventional feedstuff. This review seeks to provide reinforcing evidence on the applicability and impact of fruit pomaces on livestock nutrition. The significant nutrient improvements, beneficial outcomes in feeding trials, and inconsistencies or areas of research gap were also explored.

Egg quality plays a crucial role in determining shelf life, consumer acceptability, and economic value in commercial egg production systems. This study evaluated the effects of season, storage temperature, and duration on internal and external egg quality. A total of 256 freshly laid eggs were collected during winter and spring, and stored at four temperatures (0 °C, 10 °C, 20 °C, and 30 °C) for 0, 10, 20, and 30 days. The experimental design was a 2 × 4 × 4 factorial design (season × temperature × duration), with 128 eggs collected each in both seasons. Each treatment combination included 8 eggs (2 eggs × 4 replicates). External quality (egg weight and shell thickness) and internal quality (yolk and albumen height, width, pH, Haugh units, and yolk colour) parameters were evaluated at 10-day intervals. Egg weight significantly decreased (p < 0.05) from 67.67 g on Day 0 to 59.39 g on Day 30. Similarly, shell thickness decreased (p < 0.05) from 40.00 mm to 36.00 mm over the same period. Yolk pH increased from 6.68 to 7.16 (p < 0.05), and albumen pH rose (p < 0.05) from 7.30 to 7.60, particularly at higher storage temperatures (20 °C and 30 °C). Yolk and albumen heights decreased significantly (p < 0.05), from 2.03 cm to 1.23 cm and 6.65 cm to 3.88 cm, respectively, indicating structural degradation. Yolk width increased from 2.58 cm to 3.49 cm (p > 0.05), and albumen width expanded (p < 0.05) from 5.33 cm to 9.21 cm, with a notably greater spread observed at 30 °C (14.68 cm). Haugh unit values declined markedly from 98.46 to 60.00 over 30 days (p < 0.05), indicating a significant deterioration in internal egg quality. Seasonal effects were also evident: spring eggs had greater shell thickness (40.60 mm vs. 38.45 mm in winter; p = 0.01) and brighter yolk colour, whereas winter eggs had higher yolk pH values (6.47 vs. 6.28; p = 0.009), and superior yolk and albumen heights. These findings indicate that storage beyond 10 days, particularly above 20 °C, compromises egg quality and that seasonality significantly affects multiple quality parameters. Cold storage and seasonally optimized management strategies are recommended to preserve egg integrity and marketability in commercial poultry systems.

This study was carried out to determine the effect of varying levels of Fossil shell flour (FSF) supplementation on growth performance, water intake, digestibility and N retention in Dohne Merino sheep pursuant to establishing the optimum inclusion rate of this supplement in Dohne Merino diets. Sixteen Dohne-Merino wethers (18 ± 1.5 kg body weight) were used in a complete randomized design with four animals per treatment. Sheep were fed a basal diet without FSF addition (control, T1), or with the addition of FSF (2%, T2), (4%, T3) or (6%, T4) of the diet for 105 days. Treatment 3 (4% FSF) has the highest values of dry matter intake, total weight gain, N retention and for most of the apparent digestibility nutrients (CP, EE and Ash) compared to treatment T1, T2 and T4(p < 0.05). The urinary and fecal N excretion also significantly decreased in the FSF treated diets compared to the control (p < 0.05). Water intake values were highest in control and were significantly (p < 0.05) different from those in treatments 2 and 4, but not to treatment 3. It is concluded that 4% inclusion rate of FSF will give the best improvement on growth performance, diet digestibility and N retention of Dohne-Merino sheep. Also, the addition of FSF in the diets of sheep is a safe natural additive that can help to reduce environmental pollution by reducing fecal and urinary N excretion.

The study objective was to evaluate the effect of single and/or extra doses of vitamin C (VC) on water-restricted (WR) Xhosa goats, by evaluating their intake, digestibility, nitrogen, and mineral balance during summer. Goats (42) were randomly divided into seven groups: GI (control, received ad libitum water daily), GII (WR-70% of ad lib.), GIII (WR-50% of ad lib.), GIV (WR-70% of ad lib. + VC [3 g/day orally]), GV (WR-50% of ad lib. + VC [3 g/day orally]), GVI (WR-70% of ad lib. + VC [3 g/day orally + 5 g extras every eighth day]), and GVII (WR-50% of ad lib. + VC [3 g/day orally + 5 g extras on every eighth day]). The experiment was a complete randomized design. Data obtained were analysed using the general linear model (PROC GLM) of SAS procedure. The depression in nutrients intake was lessened with VC supplementation. Water-restriction effect was not significant on nutrient intake/metabolic weight. Retained nitrogen increased with water-restriction levels but not influenced by VC. NH₃–N significantly decreased as the level of water restriction increases, while the pH was similar across the WR groups. Supplementation of VC failed to significantly influence the depression in apparent digestibility and digestible nutrients induced by water restriction levels. The retained Ca, K, and Mg increased with levels of water restriction.