Department of Animal Science

Graduate Student

	Brandy Jacobs Animal Science M.S. Candidate Iowa State University 207 Kildee Ames, IA 50011 Phone: 515-294-2412 Fax: 515-294-1399 Email: bmjacobs@iastate.edu Major Professor: Brian J. Kerr
Education 2009: B.S., Animal Science, Iowa State University
Research Research conducted in metabolism trials often process urine and fecal samples prior to laboratory analysis. In the literature, however, there are multiple methods of sample preparation, but no data validating the impact of different methods on the final nutrient composition. As a part of my thesis project, I will compare different methods of drying poultry feces, and swine feces and urine, on energy and nutrient composition. Nutrient digestibility coefficients in finishing pigs are variable, thereby affecting the ability to measure dietary treatment effects. In the literature, preliminary measures of plasma urea nitrogen or immunologic parameters are sometimes used as a covariate for final, post-treatment values. Likewise, body weight is sometimes used as a covariate for performance and organ weight data. No data have evaluated the impact of initial digestibility values on final, post-treatment digestibility values. In the second part of my thesis project I will compare the impact of initial nutrient digestibility on final, post-treatment nutrient digestibility