Abstract
The study evaluated the concentrations of faecal cortisol metabolites (FCM) in intensively fattened beef cattle from a feedlot in a humid tropical environment. A total of 360 bulls weighing 271-371kg were kept confined in pens from the start to the end of the fattening period (FP). At 24h after arriving at the feedlot, cattle were distributed into the pens according to their live weight: 271-320kg, 321-370kg, and >370kg. At the start of the FP, four pens of each weight group were randomly selected, and in each of them 10 faecal samples were obtained from 10 randomly selected bulls; this sampling was repeated in the same pens and in each weight group at the middle and end of the FP. The FCM were measured through enzyme immunoassay. The 271-320kg group had higher FCM at the end of the FP (P < 0.05), the 321-370kg group had similar FCM throughout the FP (P > 0.05), and the >370kg group showed higher FCM at the start and end of the FP (P < 0.05). Higher FCM were observed at the middle of the FP in the 321-370kg group, and at the end of the FP in the 271-320kg and >370kg groups (P < 0.05). Mean FCM obtained throughout the FP were within normal ranges for cattle, suggesting that appropriate management in feedlots in humid-tropical regions can provide bulls with a low-stress environment.
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