Profitable and successful rearing depends on supporting rumen development to maximize nutrient utilization at weaning. Particularly after weaning, young animals are susceptible to gastrointestinal diseases that slow growth rates.
ZHAO Xiaoya, SHI Chendi, TIAN Peizhi, DUAN Chunhui, JI Shoukun, YAN Hui, LUI Yueqin, ZHANG Yingjie
College of Animal Science and Technology, Hebei Agricultural University, China
A study at the experimental farm of Lanhai Animal Husbandry Co.,Ltd in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province (China) was conducted to evaluate the effect of DOSTO® Oregano oil on male lambs aged 60 to 120 days. For the feeding trial, 80 healthy male lambs were selected.
The addition of DOSTO® Mineral4Green to the diets of healthy weaned lambs for 60 days improved the final weight, ADG, ADFI and FCR (Fig. 1).
There was no significant difference in the initial weight of the lambs in each group (P>0.05), the final weight of the oregano oil group was higher than that of the control group. Oregano essential oil treatment improved ADG by 7.7% compared to the control group.
Apparent digestibility of crude protein (p=0.032) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (p=0.014) was significantly higher in the DOSTO® Mineral4Green group than in the control group.
The apparent digestibility of acid detergent fiber (ADF) (p=0.096) and crude fat (p=0.061) was also improved by oregano essential oil with a trend towards significance (Fig. 2).
Apparent digestibility of dry matter, gross energy, calcium and phosphorus tended to increase in DOSTO® Mineral4Green treatment group compared to the control group.
To determine the effect of DOSTO® Mineral4Green on the immune response, IgA, IgG and IgM immunoglobulins were tested on the last day. 10 lambs per group were randomly selected for blood sampling.
All immunoglobulin levels were increased by the addition of oregano oil to the diets (Table 1). Higher Ig levels have a protective effect against bacterial and viral infections.
Oxidative stress has been associated with important infectious diseases in farm animals, such as pneumonia and enteritis. It can also lead to lower quality and shorter shelf life of food products of animal origin.
As shown in Table 2, DOSTO® Mineral4Green has a positive effect on the Superoxide Dismutase (SOD, the strongest antioxidant enzyme, plays a critical role in the defense of cells against pathogens), Plasma Malondialdehyde (MDA, biomarker of lipid peroxidation), blood Glutathione Peroxidase (GSH-PX, important role in protecting hemoglobin, red blood cell enzyme activity, and biological cell membranes) and on the Total Antioxidant Capacity (T-AOC, measure of the amount of free radicals).
