Growth performance and changes in physiological, metabolic and hematological parameters due to outdoor heat stress in hair breed male lambs finished in feedlot.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of seasonal heat stress (HS) on productive performance, physiological responses, metabolism, and hematological profile of hair breed male lambs finished in feedlot. Twenty Dorper × Katahdin male lambs (body weight = 34.6 ± 1.4 kg and age = 4.5 months) were housed in individual pens and exposed to environmental conditions of summer HS (n = 10, temperature = 28.3 ± 4.0 °C and THI = 77.2 ± 5.4 units) or winter thermoneutrality (n = 10, temperature = 19.2 ± 2.6 °C and THI = 64.0 ± 3.0 units). Each season, a 30-day feeding test was conducted to measure study variables. Compared to thermoneutral lambs, heat-stressed lambs had lower (P < 0.01) growth rate and feed efficiency without changing dry matter intake. Heat-stressed lambs presented higher (P < 0.01) rectal temperature and respiratory rate through the daytime than termoneutral lambs. On most sampling days, summer HS caused lower (P < 0.01) serum concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, total protein, urea, potassium, and thyroid hormones, but higher (P < 0.01) serum triglyceride and chlorine values. Overall serum concentrations of cortisol and insulin were unaffected by summer HS. The blood of heat-stressed lambs showed lower (P ≤ 0.03) erythrocyte and platelet counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, but higher (P ≤ 0.03) erythrocyte size and leucocyte count than the blood of thermoneutral lambs. In conclusion, hair breed male lambs in response to chronic conditions of summer HS had slow growth but avoided hyperthermia due to the activation of physiological, metabolic and endocrine adjustments.