Abstract
Aim:The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of protected fat plus yeast, niacin, zinc, and chromium dietary supplementation on the reduction of heat stress in Karan Fries (KF) heifers during hot humid months.Materials and Methods:The basal ration for both the control and treatment groups was the same, containing maize as green fodder and concentrate mixture. However, the treatment group was supplemented with protected fat (2.5% of dry matter intake [DMI]), yeast (10 g/animal/day), niacin (6 g/animal/day), zinc (40 mg/kg DMI), and chromium (1.5 mg/kg DMI).Result:The overall mean value of afternoon rectal temperature for control and treatment group was 103.17±0.09 and 102.72±0.10°F, respectively, and was significantly (p<0.01) lower in the treatment group. The overall mean value of afternoon respiration rate for control and treatment group was 76.35±0.56 and 73.13±0.58 breaths/min, respectively, and was also significantly (p<0.01) lower in the treatment group. The overall mean value of afternoon pulse rate for control and treatment group was 97.09±0.63 and 94.67±0.67 beats/minute, respectively, and was also significantly (p<0.01) lower in the treatment group. Finally, the mean cortisol concentration for control and treatment group was 3.94±0.05 ng/ml and 3.70±0.06 ng/ml, respectively, and was significantly (p<0.01) lower in the treatment group.Conclusion:The present study shows that supplementation with the above feed additives could serve as a heat stress abatement strategy in growing KF heifers during extreme conditions in summer months.
Highlights
The mean temperature of the earth is continuously rising due to the effect of global warming
The present study shows that supplementation with the above feed additives could serve as a heat stress abatement strategy in growing Karan Fries (KF) heifers during extreme conditions in summer months
The values of temperature humidity index (THI), rectal temperature (RT), respiration rate (RR), and pulse rate (PR) were beyond the normal range which indicates that the animals were in the state of heat stress [21]
Summary
The mean temperature of the earth is continuously rising due to the effect of global warming. It is predicted that the earth temperature will be further increased due to the continuous emission of greenhouse gases. The climatic parameters will be changed with further increase of temperature, which will impact the growth and production of domestic livestock. Management of the heat stress in domestic animals has become an important issue for the tropical nations and for temperate countries. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/ publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
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