Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
5545777 | Veterinary Parasitology | 2017 | 24 Pages |
Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of creep feeding a protein supplement on the susceptibility of suckling lambs to infection with gastrointestinal helminths. Male and female lambs were grazed on Brachiaria spp. pastures next to their mothers. Animals were allocated to one of two treatments: creep feeding (261Â g/d) and control (no supplementation). The trial period was the suckling of lambs during two years of study: May-October 2013 and March-July 2014. Supplementary creep feeding of lambs improved animal performance (PÂ <Â 0.05). Creep-fed lambs reached 18Â kg body weight in 64 d, but unsupplemented lambs required 77 d to reach the same weight. Lambs were susceptible to helminth infection during lactation; lambs in both treatments had high fecal egg counts (FECs), with means >1000 eggs per gram, as early as 45Â days of age, when the daily grazing time per animal increased. Creep feeding reduced the FECs of suckling lambs >60Â days of age in infections dominated by Haemonchus contortus. Totals of 20 and 48 anthelmintic treatments were administered to the supplemented and unsupplemented animals, respectively. The effect of this variable, however, was significant (PÂ <Â 0.05) only after 60Â days, when nine and 28 treatments had been administered to the supplemented and unsupplemented lambs, respectively. The number of strongyloid larvae recovered from the paddock did not differ significantly (P >Â 0.05) between the two treatments, indicating similar challenges by infective larvae to both groups. The supplementation of lambs by creep feeding can thus be a strategy for the sustainable control of helminth infection, because it reduces the dependence on anthelmintic treatment.
Related Topics
Life Sciences
Agricultural and Biological Sciences
Animal Science and Zoology
Authors
Gleice Kelli Ayardes de Melo, Camila Celeste Brandão Ferreira Ítavo, Kedma Leonora Silva Monteiro, Jonilson Araújo da Silva, Pâmila Carolini Gonçalves da Silva, LuÃs Carlos Vinhas Ítavo, Dyego Gonçalves Lino Borges, Fernando de Almeida Borges,