Agüera Estrella I, Requena Lucía, García-Moreno María B, Pérez-Priego Manuel A, Requena Francisco
Cellular Biology, Physiology and Immunology Department, Faculty of Veterinary, University of Cordoba, Campus of Rabanales, 14071 Cordoba, Spain.
Statistics and Econometrics Department, University of Cordoba, Agri-Food Campus of International Excellence ceiA3, 14071 Cordoba, Spain.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Oct 9;13(19):3155. doi: 10.3390/ani13193155.
Tritordeum is a new cereal resistant to drought and high temperatures, and it is a very healthy crop. The aim of this study was to compare two different diets (tritordeum meadow vs. oat meadow) for grazing pregnant ewes to determine if there was any effect on the objective physiological indicators of animal welfare. A total of 150 pregnant Merino ewes (3-5 years) were randomly divided into two groups ( = 75 each) to be fed with two different meadows, being evaluated during the spring season. Red blood cells count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cell count, neutrophiles/lymphocytes ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, cortisol, total plasma proteins, albumin, globulins, albumin/globulins ratio, alkaline phosphatase, glutamate dehydrogenase, IgA, and IgG were determined. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the welfare of pregnant ewes fed with tritordeum meadow was better than that of pregnant ewes fed with oat meadow. Tritordeum meadow had a positive influence on the physiological parameters of animal welfare studied in pregnant Merino ewes. Therefore, tritordeum meadow can be considered a functional feed, as it has a beneficial effect on health beyond its basic nutritional value. Farmers are recommended to feed a cereal such as tritordeum grassland to their sheep, as it not only ensures that the animals benefit from all the nutrients, but also prevents diseases and improves their quality of life. In addition, the cereal's resistance to fungal diseases makes it suitable for use in sustainable production systems with a reduced environmental footprint.
三倍体小麦是一种抗干旱和高温的新型谷物，是一种非常健康的作物。本研究的目的是比较两种不同的日粮（三倍体小麦草地 vs. 燕麦草地）对妊娠母羊放牧的影响，以确定对动物福利的客观生理指标是否有任何影响。总共150只妊娠美利奴母羊（3 - 5岁）被随机分为两组（每组 = 75只），用两种不同的草地进行饲养，并在春季进行评估。测定了红细胞计数、血红蛋白、血细胞比容、白细胞计数、中性粒细胞/淋巴细胞比率、乳酸脱氢酶、肌酸磷酸激酶、天冬氨酸转氨酶、葡萄糖、皮质醇、总血浆蛋白、白蛋白、球蛋白、白蛋白/球蛋白比率、碱性磷酸酶、谷氨酸脱氢酶、IgA和IgG。总体而言，本研究结果表明，用三倍体小麦草地饲养的妊娠母羊的福利状况优于用燕麦草地饲养的妊娠母羊。三倍体小麦草地对妊娠美利奴母羊所研究的动物福利生理参数有积极影响。因此，三倍体小麦草地可被视为一种功能性饲料，因为它除了具有基本营养价值外，还对健康有有益影响。建议养殖户给他们的羊喂食诸如三倍体小麦草地这样的谷物，因为这不仅能确保动物从所有营养物质中受益，还能预防疾病并改善它们的生活质量。此外，这种谷物对真菌病害的抗性使其适用于环境足迹较小的可持续生产系统。
