Effect of biological additive on physiological and production performance of Buffaloes during cold waves stress in mid Egypt [electronic resource]

Includes bibliographic reference

The experimental work was done at Sids experimental farm
(Beni Suef Governorate), Animal Production Research
Institute, Agricultural Research Center, Egypt. The work was
conducted to examine the role of supplemented diets to alleviate
effects of waves of cold stress on pregnant buffaloes. Ten
buffaloes at late gestation were available for experimental work,
their production range between the 4th and 5th parity. Animals
were divided into two groups, group A served as control the mean
of body weight was 510.0±54.0 Kg and group B with
491.52±43.22 Kg body weight were treated by adding biological
additive (ZAD) product to concentrates. Climatic conditions were
measured by recording air temperature (AT,oC), relative humidity
(RH, %) around animals on weekly basis to calculate the
temperature humidity index (THI). Value of THI index was
58.64±0.1 throughout January - Marsh where buffaloes were
pregnant while it was 69.33±0.38 at time of delivery during April -
June. Adaptive responses including rectal temperature (RT, 0C) and
respiration rate (RR, (r/min) before blood sampling, and recorded
heat dissipation (HD, oC). Blood samples were collected in the
morning before feeding. The measurements were taken on
biweekly basis in addition to monthly weight of dams (WD, Kg),
weight of calves at birth (BW, Kg) and monthly weight of calves
and daily gain (DG, Kg). In addition nutrient digestibility and milk
composition were estimated. Buffaloes of the treated group B had
the ability to maintain their heat balance since values of RR and HD
were significantly (P?0.05) less than that of group A particularly
after calving. Group B had higher (P?0.05) concentrations of total
protein, albumin and globulin than that of group A after calving and
at time of milk peak. In positive response, ZAD treatment increased
activity of the transaminases ALT and AST as well as level of total
lipids. While urea and creatinine concentrations were increasing in
blood of the control group A after calving up to the time of peak, it
was decreasing in blood of ZAD treated buffaloes (group B).
Concentrations of the thyroid hormones in group B at the time of
peak production were relatively higher than the corresponding
values before calving or values of group A. significant (P?0.05)
increase in daily milk yield and milk composition of group B was
observed in comparison with the control group A. Estimates of feed
conversion showed that group B was better than group A.

Summary in Arabic