Haematological Parameters of Lactating Dairy Cows Fed with Total Mixed Ration (TMR) Briquettes

Abstract

The goal of this study was to explore the influence of haematological parameters of nursing dairy cows fed with Total Mixed Ration (TMR) briquettes. Nine, Jersey × Sahiwal crossbred dairy cows (Body weight = 275 ± 33 kg and parity = 3) were randomly assigned to three treatments in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) with a 14-day adaptation period and a 21-day feeding trial. A mixture of Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus (Jacq.) B.K. Simon & S.W.L. Jacobs) and commercial cow feeds (CTL) which was the control diet and two TMR briquettes including a variety of air-dried forages with agro-industrial by-products (TMR1 and TMR2) were employed as treatments. Blood samples were taken from each cow at the end of the feeding trial and haematological parameters were measured. The blood was tested for total white blood cell count (neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils, and basophils), red blood cell count (haemoglobin and red blood cells), and platelet count by following standard laboratory guidelines. The haematological parameters were not significantly (p>0·05) different among the treatments. The total white blood cell count (× 109 L-1) was measured for CTL, TMR1, and TMR2 as 9.7 ± 1.37, 10.20 ± 1.37, and 10.60 ± 1.37 while the red blood cells (× 1012 L-1) were 5.88 ± 0.60, 6.35 ± 0.60, and 4.40 ± 0.60, respectively. The platelet count (× 109 L-1) were observed as 213.33 ± 36.74, 215.33 ± 36.74, and 226.67 ± 36.74 in cows fed with CTL, TMR1, and TMR2, respectively. The study found that shifting the diet to TMR has no impact on haematological indicators in lactating dairy cows.