<p> Dairy slurry and poultry litter have increased in popularity as fertilizers in the agriculture industry. However, residual effects of these manures on voluntary intake of forages from subsequent harvests are not well known. The objectives of this two part study were to determine if moisture level of alfalfa silage and the use of dairy slurry as a fertilizer have an effect on intake and digestibility by sheep, and if forage species and the use of poultry litter as a fertilizer have an effect on intake by horses. Eighteen ewes (47.6 &plusmn; 5.34 kg) were used in experiment 1 and were allocated randomly to 1 of 6 treatments arranged in a 2 &times; 3 factorial treatment arrangement. Treatments consisted of high (HM; 46.8%) or low (LM; 39.7%) moisture alfalfa silage at baling after no slurry application (NS), slurry applied to stubble immediately after removal of the previous cutting (S0) or 14 d after the previous cutting (S14). Experiment 2 used 5 mature geldings (480.3 &plusmn; 52.89 kg) in a balanced incomplete block design to evaluate preference for bermudagrass (B) or teff (T) hay that was harvested after no litter application (NL), litter applied immediately after the removal of the previous cutting (L0) or 14 d after the previous cutting (L14). Animals were housed individually: sheep were housed in 1.4 &times; 4.3 m pens and horses were housed in 3.6 &times; 3.6 m indoor stalls with access to 3.6 &times; 7.6 m outdoor runs. All animals were offered mineral and had <i>ad libitum</i> access to water. Intake by sheep did not differ (<i>P</i> &ge; 0.13) across treatments. Dry matter and OM digestibility by sheep tended (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.10) to be greater for LM compared with HM. In horses, intake was greater (P &lt; 0.01) for bermudagrass and NL and L0 treatments compared with teff and L14. Therefore, the use of manure as a fertilizer may not affect voluntary intake in sheep, but application time may affect intake in horses.</p>

<p> Research has shown that direct-fed microbials (DFM) and enzyme supplementation can impact the dry matter intake (DMI), milk production, and milk composition. However, limited research has evaluated the impact of DFM and enzyme supplementation on colostrum quality and the uptake of the Immunoglobulins A and G (IgA and IgG) by calves. In this study, 36 multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by expected calving date and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments 3 weeks prior to calving and remained on these treatments until week 8 postpartum. These treatments were: 1) 0 g of DFM and enzyme (control), 2) 45.40 g/d of Tri-Lution&reg; (Tri), or 3) 45.40 g/d of Tri-Lution&reg; and 18.16 g/d of Zy-mend&reg; (Tri + Zy). The amount of total mixed ration (TMR) fed and orts refused were measured each day to determine DMI. Blood samples were taken on the cows every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 1100 h from the coccygeal veins and arteries to be analyzed for &beta;-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA), glucose, and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). Cows were also weighed once a week throughout the course of the study. Colostrum was harvested and weighed at parturition and later analyzed for IgA and IgG concentration via radial immunoassay. Calves were fed 4 L of maternal colostrum within 2 h after calving. Blood samples were also taken from the calves at 0 and 24 h in order to be analyzed for IgA and IgGconcentrations and to determine apparent efficiency of absorption of IgA and IgG. Finally, milk yields were taken daily for 8 wk postpartum and samples were taken once a week and sent to DairyOne (Ithaca, NY) to be analyzed for quality. Prepartum body weight (BW), BW, efficiency of gain, DMI, BHBA, NEFA, and glucose concentrations were not impacted by treatment. There was also no impact of treatment on colostrum yield, IgA and IgG content, and composition with the exception of IgA yield and ash percentage. The ash percentage of colostrum tended (<i>P</i> = 0.07) to increase with the Tri and Tri + Zy treatments while the IgA yield (<i>P</i> = 0.05) decreased with the Tri treatment. Treatments did not impact BW, serum IgA and IgG concentrations or apparent efficiency of absorption of IgA and IgG of the calves. Postpartum BW, DMI, blood metabolites, milk production and composition, with the exception of BW gain and somatic cell score (SCS), of the cows were not impacted by treatment. Cows on the Tri treatment gained more BW (<i>P</i> =0.03) and tended to have a greater efficiency of gain (<i>P</i> = 0.09) in comparison to those on the Tri + Zy treatment, but both treatments did not differ from the control. This suggests that there is a negative effect of applying the Tri-Lution&reg; and Zy-mend&reg; together which might be due to negative interactions among ingredients and microorganisms. An increase in SCS (<i>P</i> = 0.04) was also observed with the Tri treatment. All these results indicate that the supplementation of DFM and enzymes is not beneficial in improving the health and performance of dairy cattle during the transition period and early lactation.</p>