Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Pecuarias (Mar 2018)

Functional oils affect blood and bacteriological parameters in sheep

  • Lúcio F. M. da Silva,
  • Maria C. de Oliveira,
  • Nayara F. dos Santos,
  • Alexsandra Paludo,
  • Yeury de S. Gomes,
  • Anaiza S. Z. do Amaral

DOI
https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.rccp.v31n1a07
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 31, no. 1
pp. 59 – 63

Abstract

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Background: Feeding ionophores to sheep is intended for improving feed efficiency. Functional oils (FO) are an alternative to the use of ionophores. Objective: To evaluate the effect of feeding FO to sheep on blood parameters and fecal bacteria. Methods: Five sheep were used in a Latin square design with five treatments: 190, 285, 380, 570, and 675 g/t FO in the diet. White cell count and levels of blood glucose, total protein, urea nitrogen, and fecal bacteria presence in feces were determined. Results: The FO levels did not affect serum parameters. Salmonella spp was found only in feces of sheep fed 190 mg/t FO. Conclusion: Functional oils can be added to sheep diets to reduce the presence of Salmonella spp in the feces.

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