Effects of climate changes on animal production and sustainability of livestock systems

Physiological traits as affected by heat stress in sheep—A review

Life-history trade-offs between components of fitness arise because reproduction entails both gains and costs. Costs of reproduction can be divided into ecological and physiological costs. The latter have been rarely studied yet are probably a dominant component of the effect. A deeper understanding of life-history evolution will only come about once these physiological costs are better understood. Physiological costs may be direct or indirect. Direct costs include the energy and nutrient demands of the reproductive event, and the morphological changes that are necessary to facilitate achieving these demands. Indirect costs may be optional ‘compensatory costs’ whereby the animal chooses to reduce investment in some other aspect of its physiology to maximize the input of resource to reproduction. Such costs may be distinguished from consequential costs that are an inescapable consequence of the reproductive event. In small mammals, the direct costs of reproduction involve increased energy, protein and calcium demands during pregnancy, but most particularly during lactation. Organ remodelling is necessary to achieve the high demands of lactation and involves growth of the alimentary tract and associated organs such as the liver and pancreas. Compensatory indirect costs include reductions in thermogenesis, immune function and physical activity. Obligatory consequential costs include hyperthermia, bone loss, disruption of sleep patterns and oxidative stress. This is unlikely to be a complete list. Our knowledge of these physiological costs is currently at best described as rudimentary. For some, we do not even know whether they are compensatory or obligatory. For almost all of them, we have no idea of exact mechanisms or how these costs translate into fitness trade-offs.

The physiological costs of reproduction in small mammals

Rabbits’ productive, reproductive and physiological performance traits as affected by heat stress: a review

Buffalo's biological functions as affected by heat stress - A review

Exposing growing and adult New Zealand White (NZW) female rabbits to severe heat stress (temperature-humidity index = 28.9) during summer adversely affected their growth and reproductive traits. The traits that declined significantly (p < 0.01) were the live body weight, daily weight gain and feed intake of growing rabbits, and the litter size and litter weight at weaning (p < 0.05) and the pre-weaning weight gain of pups (p < 0.01) for adult females. The conception rate declined considerably with heat stress. The declines in the values of the digestibility coefficients due to heat stress were 7.9% (p < 0.05) for dry matter (DM), 8.1% (p < 0.05) for crude protein (CP) and 1.0% for crude fibre (CF). The traits that increased significantly (p < 0.01) due to heat stress were water intake, water/feed ratio and rectal temperature in growing rabbits and pre-weaning mortality for adult females. Alleviation of heat stress in the growing and adult female NZW rabbits was more efficient with drinking cool water (10-15 degrees C; between 10:00 and 17:00) than with supplementation with palm oil (as a source of energy) or natural clay (as a natural enhancer to growth and milk production). Supplying the animals with cool drinking water gave the highest body weight and weight gain, conception rate, litter size and weight and digestibility coefficients for DM and CP and the lowest rectal temperature, respiration rate and pre-weaning mortality. The loss in rabbit production pertaining to heat stress estimated from the percentages of decline in conception rate x pre-weaning mortality x litter weight at weaning was 73.0%. The provision of cool water restored 11/12 of heat loss.

Growth Performance and Reproductive Traits at First Parity of New Zealand White Female Rabbits as Affected by Heat Stress and Its Alleviation under Egyptian Conditions

Eighty New Zealand White male rabbits of 35 days of age, were used in the present study. The rabbits were randomly allotted to 8 groups with 10 animals in each. Four groups were fed diets contaminated with O, 0.658, 1.315, 2.630 mg proenofos/kg diet. The other four groups fed the same diets but supplemented with 5% natural clay (80% betonite). Rabbits fed with diet contaminated with proenofos (an organophosphorus insecticide) decreased feed intake, final live body weight (-22% for the highest level), daily gain, heamoglobin, serum total protein, albumin, SGPT and cholinesterase while mortality rate, SGOT, urea-N and creatinine increased. Feed conversion impaired with increasing pesticide level in rabbit diets. Proenofos residues in liver (3 to 7 ppm), kidney and muscle (0.4 to 0.7 ppm) significantly (P<0.001) increased with increasing pesticide level in rabbit diets. Proenofos residue in liver and kidney tissues and muscle decreased with 54.8, 50.3 and 40.0%, respectively, with clay supplementation in rabbit diets. Final live body weight, daily gain, serum albumin, and cholinesterase significantly increased by-the clay supplementation in pesticide contaminated diets, while blood urea-N significantly decreased. Heamoglobin, serum total protein, globulin, creatinine, transaminases (SGOT and SGPT) and carcass and non­carcass components were insignificantly affected by the interaction between proenofos contamination and clay addition. Supplemented natural clay in rabbit diets contaminated with proenofos decreased mortality rate (3.3% vs 16.7%; P=0.097) Feed conversion was improved with clay supplementation in contaminated rabbit diets.

https://polipapers.upv.es/index.php/wrs/article/download/436/423

Proenofos effects on rabbit performance and their amelioration by using natural clay minerals

El trabajo tuvo el objetivo de estudiar el efecto de la suplementacion con Ca, Na o K durante tres meses del verano e invierno sobre el crecimiento, componentes sanguineos caracteristicas de la canal de conejos (New Wealand White, NZW). El peso, la ganancia de peso, proteina serica, albumina, globulina (componentes sanguineos), N-ureico, creatinina (funcion renal), AST y ALT (funcion hepatica), peso de la canal, porcion anterior, posterior y cabeza fueron menores en verano (P<0.001, 0.01 or 0.05). La suplementacion mineral solo afecto peso final, ganancia diaria de peso proteina serica total y el peso ajustado de la canal y cabeza. La suplementacion (per kg dieta) con 100 mg oxido de calcio, 150 mg cloruro de sodio o 300 mg bicarbonato de potasio excedio (P<0.05) la dieta control en 21.3, 9.0 y 7.2%, respectivamente. El mayor incremento se obtuvo con bicarbonato de potasio en invierno. En verano el mayor incremento se obtuvo cloruro de sodio. Las necesidades de minerales de NZW en ambientes tropicales deben ser revisadas

/pdf/growth-performance-blood-components-and-slaughtertraits-of-1aw8wui4be.pdf

Growth performance, blood components and slaughtertraits of new zealand white male growing rabbits asaffected by dietary supplementation with calcium, sodium or potassium, in sub-tropical egypt

The present work was performed to study the effect of chromium piclonate and ⁄ or ascorbic acid supplementation on the performance of growing kids during hot summer season (33.6oC and 74.2% RH). A total number of twenty four weaned commercial kids were randomly distributed into four treatment groups of 6 kids per each Kids in all treatments were equal in number and had nearly similar initial body weight. The first group was fed the basal diet and served as control (0.0 supplementation), while the other three groups were fed diets supplemented with 75 mg/kg diet chromium piclonate, 800 mg/ kg diet ascorbic acid and 75 mg / kg diet chromium piclonate + 800 mg ascorbic acid, respectively. The results obtained for growing Kids showed that the final live body weight and daily body gain were increased significantly (P < 0.05 or 0.01) during 210 and 270 daysfor Kids fed diets supplemented with chromium piclonate, ascorbic acid and chromium piclonate + ascorbic acid. However, the supplementation of chromium piclonate + ascorbic acid seemed to be the best significant performance. The results obtained for growing Kids showed that the daily feed intake, feed conversion, water ⁄ feed intake ratio, water ⁄ daily gain ratio were increased significantly (P < 0.05 or 0.01) during the experimental periods for Kids fed diets supplemented with chromium piclonate, ascorbic acid and chromium piclonate + ascorbic acid. The Results showed that water intake, rectum temperature and respiration rate were not significantly affected by previous treatments. The best margin was obtained in group fed on the diet supplemented with chromium piclonate + ascorbic acid. All carcass traits were increased insignificantly due to dietary chromium piclonate and ⁄or ascorbic acid supplementation. Serum total proteins were increased significantly (P < 0.05), in group three only while the cholesterol level and triglycerides decreased significantly (P<0.05) in Kids treated with chromium piclonate as compared with the control group under summer heat stress conditions. Serum albumin, globulin, urea-, creatinine, AST, WBCs, RBCs MCV, MCH and Hb content were insignificantly affected by chromium piclonate and ⁄or ascorbic acid supplementation to the kids’ diets. Finally, it could be concluded that supplementation of 75 mg chromium piclonate + 800 mg ascorbic acid / kg diet to the kid diets is necessary to improve the productivity, under the summer conditions

https://jvmr.journals.ekb.eg/article_77656_d633901ed4cf5bf5e00120649cc47ef7.pdf

Effects of chromium piclonate and ascorbic acid supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, blood constituents and picture of growing kids under the summer conditions

SUMMARY The study aimed to investigate growth performance, blood components and slaughter traits of NZW male growing (broiler) rabbits (78 animals) as affected by dietary supplementation with calcium, sodium or potassium during 3 months in each of summer and winter, in Egypt. Effects of seasons of the year on the same traits, were also studied. Live body weight, daily body gain weight, serum total protein, albumin, globulin (blood components), urea-N, creatinine (kidney function), AST (Serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase) and ALT (Serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase) (liver function), pre-slaughter weight and adjusted weights of carcass, fore-part, hind-part and head of New Zealand White (NZW ) male rabbits were significantly (P 0.001, 0.01 or 0.05) on final live body weight, daily body gain weight, serum total protein and albumin, pre-slaughter weight and adjusted weights of liver, carcass intermediate and hind parts and head of NZW male rabbit. The magnitude of improvement was the highest with potassium bicarbonate (300 mg/kg diet) followed by calcium oxide (100 mg/kg diet), in winter. In summer, the highest improvement obtained was with sodium chloride (150 mg/kg diet) supplementation. At the same time, the interaction effects of the other mineral supplements on the studied traits were negative in the two seasons Pre-slaughter weight significantly affected (P>0.001 or 0.01) adjusted weights of carcass, liver, fore part, intermediate part, hind part and head.

Growth performance, blood components and slaughter traits of new zealand white male growing rabbits as affected by dietary supplementation with calcium, sodium or potassium, in sub-tropical egypt (efecto de la suplementación con calcio, sodio o potasio en el crecimiento, componentes sanguíneos y caracteristicas de la canal de conejos en crecimiento en la región subtropical de egipto.)

U.M. Abd El-Monem

Papers

Growth Performance and Reproductive Traits at First Parity of New Zealand White Female Rabbits as Affected by Heat Stress and Its Alleviation under Egyptian Conditions

Proenofos effects on rabbit performance and their amelioration by using natural clay minerals

Growth performance, blood components and slaughtertraits of new zealand white male growing rabbits asaffected by dietary supplementation with calcium, sodium or potassium, in sub-tropical egypt

Effects of chromium piclonate and ascorbic acid supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits, blood constituents and picture of growing kids under the summer conditions