Open Access
Research
(Published
online: 12-06-2016)
8.
New insights on ill-thriftiness
in early-weaned buffalo calves -
Nasr-Eldin M. Aref,
Ali El-Sebaie
and Hammad Zaghloul Hammad
Veterinary World, 9(6): 579-586
doi:
10.14202/vetworld.2016.579-586
Nasr-Eldin M.
Aref :
Department of
Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut
University, Assiut, Egypt;
nasreldeen.aref@vet.au.edu.eg
Ali El-Sebaie :
Department of
Animal Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Assiut
University, Assiut, Egypt;
sebaie-ah@vet.au.edu.eg
Hammad Zaghloul
Hammad :
Animal Health
Research Institute, Sohag, Egypt; azazy699@yahoo.com
Received: 31-01-2016, Accepted: 25-04-2016, Published online:
12-06-2016
Corresponding author:
Nasr-Eldin
M. Aref, e-mail: nasreldeen.aref@vet.au.edu.eg
Citation:
Aref NM, El-Sebaie A, Hammad HZ (2016) New insights on
ill-thriftiness in early-weaned buffalo calves, Veterinary
World, 9(6): 579-586.
Abstract
Aim:
The present
study was designed to: (1) Investigate the effect of weaning
time on various metabolic indices and growth pattern in buffalo
calves compared to cow calves under field condition and (2) Shed
light on the potential relationship between early weaning,
growth metabolites, and suboptimal growth (ill-thrift) in
buffalo calves.
Materials and
Methods:
A total number
of 18 neonatal calves of both sexes and species (cattle and
buffalo) were included in the study. Animals were divided into
three groups according to their age at weaning as following: Cow
calves (n=8) weaned at 4.5 months, buffalo calves (n=6) weaned
at 3.5 months (early-weaned), and buffalo calves (n=4) weaned at
5.5 months (late-weaned). Morphological traits, growth
metabolites, and hormonal profile were measured at monthly
interval over the period of the study and around the time of
weaning (2 weeks pre- and post-weaning).
Results:
The
obtained results showed that the trend of growth pattern was
significantly increased in a linear pattern in cow calves and
late-weaned buffalo calves, whereas early-weaned buffalo calves
showed sharp decline in their body weight (BW) post-weaning. By
the end of the study, early-weaned buffalo calves showed the
lowest BW gain (ill-thrift). There is a positive association
between the morphological traits and various growth metabolites
and hormonal indices. A significant decrease (p<0.05) in the
concentrations of growth hormones (insulin-like growth factor-1
[IGF-1] and insulin) and other metabolites were reported in
early-weaned buffalo calves compared to other animals. There is
no association between stress indices (cortisol level and
neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio) and growth rate.
Conclusion:
Suboptimal growth rate (ill-thriftiness) is common in
early-weaned buffalo calves and is attributed to low blood
levels of growth metabolites, in particularly, IGF-1. In
addition, the strong positive associations between
concentrations of IGF-1 and morphological characters of growth
suggest that IGF-1 is a reliable indicator for assessing
metabolic status of individual calves.
Keywords:
calves, growth, hormone, insulin, insulin-like growth factor-1,
weaning.
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