Changes in feed consumption and water intake among broiler chickens subjected to melatonin treatment during the hot-dry season

Tropical Animal Health and Production - The experiment was conducted to evaluate changes in feed consumption and water intake among broiler chickens subjected to melatonin treatment during the...     

Assessment and scoring of stresses imposed on goats during handling, loading, road transportation and unloading, and the effect of pretreatment with ascorbic acid

The present study evaluated, weighted and scored the stresses induced by handling, loading and unloading of 60 adult Red Sokoto goats transported by road for 12 h. The calculated behavioural scores were validated with specified objective physiological indices of stress during the post-transportation period in experimental (administered ascorbic acid (AA) per os at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight before transportation) and control (given sterile water only) goats. The behaviours of slips, falls, and jumps and time spent on each event, and the calculated behavioural points per goat during handling were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than the corresponding values recorded during loading and unloading. Handling was the most stressful and displayed the poorest behavioural score compared to loading and unloading. In overall, 60% of handling and loading displayed scores of 1–2 points, while 12% displayed scores of 2.1–3 points and 28% displayed scores of > 3 points. Unloading was less stressful with 90% of the goats displaying the score of 1–2 points. The behavioural scores in experimental and control goats were not different (P > 0.05). The relationships between the behavioural scores and indices of stress were positive and very significant in the control goats, which showed that the higher and poorer the behavioural points and scores recorded during handling and loading, the higher were the values of the physiological indices of stress (rectal temperature, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and the percent liveweight loss) recorded in the post-transportation period. In AA-treated goats, the relationships were less or insignificant, and this demonstrated that AA reduced adverse effect, of the stresses imposed on the goats by the handling, loading and transportation. In conclusion, the scoring method adopted in the present study may be of value in the assessment of welfare of goats before being transported, and the risk of increase in morbidity and mortality may be reduced by adjusting transportation conditions or all together suspend the journey. If transportation is inevitable it is recommended that AA be administered to goats prior to commencement of the journey.     

Seasonal,sex and live weight variations in feed and water consumptions of adult captive African Giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus,Waterhouse – 1840) kept individually in cages

Adult African Giant rats (Cricetomys gambianus, Waterhouse) (AGRs) (n = 231) of both sexes (117 bucks, 114 does) were live‐trapped in the wild in Zaria, Nigeria. Live weight (LW), daily feed consumption (FC) and water consumption (WC) of the AGRs were measured during the cold‐dry (CDS), hot‐dry (HDS) and rainy (RS) seasons for 2 years with the aim of determining seasonal, sex and LW variations. Feed consumption was significantly different (p < 0.001) between all the seasons, with the lowest mean value recorded during the HDS, while the highest was obtained during the RS. Water consumption was also lowest (p < 0.001) during the HDS but did not differ significantly (p > 0.05) between the CDS and RS. Both feed and water consumptions were higher (p < 0.01) in the males (bucks) than the females (does) during the CDS and HDS, but the sex difference was not significant (p > 0.05) during the RS. Feed consumption correlated positively (p < 0.0001) with WC and relative humidity, but negatively (p < 0.0001) with LW, ambient temperature and heat index. In conclusion, both feed and water consumptions in AGRs decrease with increased seasonal heat and adult LW and are lower in does than in bucks during the dry seasons (CDS and HDS). Intervention may be indicated during the HDS to improve feed and water consumptions for optimal performance of the AGRs.     

Responses of serum electrolytes of goats to twelve hours of road transportation during the hot-dry season in Nigeria, and the effect of pretreatment with ascorbic acid

Twenty goats which served as the experimental group were administered ascorbic acid (AA) per os at a dosage rate of 100 mg/kg body mass, while 20 others served as controls and were given 10 ml each of sterile water. Forty minutes after the administration and loading, the goats were transported for 12 h. Handling and loading of the experimental and control groups of goats decreased (P < 0.05) the potassium and sodium serum concentrations. The concentration of serum chloride, sodium and calcium increased significantly (P < 0.05) immediately post-transportation, while potassium and magnesium decreased (P < 0.05) in the control goats. In AA-treated goats sodium and magnesium concentrations decreased abruptly (P < 0.05), while calcium increased significantly (P < 0.05) after transportation. Handling, loading and transportation adversely affected the electrolyte balance of the goats which suggested respiratory alkalosis, dehydration and muscular damage in the transported goats, and the administration of AA alleviated the adverse effects of road transportation stress on serum electrolytes.