Effect of dietary high-protein sunflower meal on some blood parameters in feedlot calves

Abstract

Studies to determine the effect of high-protein sunflower meal (HiSFM) on some of the blood parameters in beef calves intended for fattening were conducted with 40 animals, divided into 2 main groups – one control group and one experimental group, with an equal number of animals (n=20) in each. Blood samples were collected from all cattle from v. jugularis for analysis of red blood cell counts (RBC), haemoglobin content (HGB), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC), haematocrit (HCT), total white blood cell counts (WBC), differential white cell counts – lymphocytes (LYM), monocytes (MON), neutrophils (NEUT) и eosinophils (Eo). Some of the chemical parameters in the blood were also determined – calcium (Ca), inorganic phosphorus (P), magnesium (Mg), plasma total protein (TP), blood glucose (Glu), total bilirubin (TB), urea (BUN), creatinine (Crea), chlorides (Cl), cholesterol (Chol), triglycerides (TG) и albumin (Alb), as well as the enzyme activity of aspartate amino-transferase (ASAT) и alanine amino-transferase (ALAT). It was found that in calves fed for 120 days high-protein sunflower meal (HiSFM), changes in indicators of red and white blood count were found only in the number of erythrocytes. From the research of the chemical indicators, an increase in the amounts of total protein and glucose was registered in both measurement periods: 5–8 and 9–12 months. No changes were detected in the levels of the other chemical indicators: calcium, inorganic phosphorus, magnesium, total bilirubin, urea, creatinine, chlorides, cholesterol, triglycerides and albumin, as well as in the enzyme activity of aspartate amino-transferase and alanine amino-transferase.

Keywords

• feedlot calves
• haematological indices
• high-protein sunflower meal