Rumen Nasal Uterine and Vaginal samples Targeted loci

A growing number of studies have investigated the viability of feeding hemp by-products as livestock feedstuffs; however, their impact on livestock microbiomes remains unexplored. Here, we evaluated the effects of feeding hempseed cake (HSC) as a protein source on the gastrointestinal, respiratory, and reproductive microbiota in beef heifers. Angus-crossbred heifers (19-months old) were fed a corn-based finishing diet containing either 20% HSC (n = 15) or 20% corn distillers grains (Control, n = 16) for 111 days until slaughter. Rumen fluid and deep nasopharyngeal swabs (days 0 7, 42, 70 and 98), and vaginal and uterine swabs (at slaughter) were collected and the microbiota assessed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing.