Maddy Watzeck Position/Title: M.Sc. by Thesis email: mwatzeck@uoguelph.ca Phone: Office: LinkedIn

I am currently a master's by thesis student under the supervision of Dr. Lee-Anne Huber in the  Department of Animal Bioscience. I completed my Bachelor of Science in Animal Biology (Honours) in 2021, developing a passion for animal health and nutrition. Throughout the fall of 2021, I worked as a research assistant in Dr. Huber's lab, assisting with Nicole Gregory’s, Cristhiam Munoz Alfonso’s, and Cierra Kozole’s graduate projects to gain some hands-on experience before starting my own master's degree.

My research project will be investigating dietary Lysine to Energy ratios to optimize sow productivity during each week of lactation. Sows are typically not capable of consuming enough feed during the lactation period to meet their energy demands for milk production; this results in the need to mobilize from their protein and energy stores. Consequently, a sow will lose a significant amount of body weight which can negatively affect milk production and result in poor future reproductive performance. My project will determine the optimal Lysine to Energy ratio by using two different diets; one diet is high protein and low energy, while the other contains low protein and high energy. These two diets will be blended in varying proportions and fed to sows over a 28 day lactation period.

My goal after completing this masters is to pursue a job either in the swine or equine nutrition industry to improve nutrition and animal welfare. When I am not around pigs, I am either at the barn riding my horse, hiking with my dog, or traveling.