Buffaloes use wallowing behavior to release excess heat in tropical conditions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of silvopastoral systems in the feeding and thermoregulatory behavior of water buffaloes under moderate and intense heat stress. The behavior of water buffaloes was evaluated in two different production systems. The conventional system with Guinea grass ( Megathyrsus maximus ) only, and the silvopastoral system with Guinea grass and Leucaena leucocephala trees. The relation between the frequency of animal activities and the length of time the animals engaged in each activity was measured during the day time (6:00–18:00 h) by visual observations at 10-min intervals. The results obtained suggest that buffaloes use tree shade to partially supplement wallowing. Feeding behavior increased under intense heat stress in the silvopastoral system indicating that it can be a promising alternative to improve the buffaloes rearing conditions in the tropics.
In the wake of climate change and global warming, the production systems of water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are receiving increasing attention in the tropics, where the silvopastoral systems can improve animal welfare and production conditions. The objective of this study was to characterize the behavior of heifer buffaloes in a silvopastoral system (SPS) with Leucaena leucocephala (600 trees/ha) and in a conventional system (CVS), under intense heat stress and moderate heat stress in Cuba. We observed nine animals, with an average weight of 167.9 kg at the beginning of the study, during the daylight period, from 6:00 to 18:00 h, at 10 min intervals, for 12 days. Activities recorded were grazing, ingestion of tree leaves, rumination, water intake, walking, lying, standing, sheltering in the shade of trees, and wallowing. Sheltering in the shade of trees and wallowing were collectively considered as thermoregulatory behavior (TB). TB was different in both systems and conditions of heat stress (p < 0.05), with 4.06 in CVS and 3.81 h in SPS in the intense heat stress period, while it was 2.91 and 1.08 h for SPS and CVS, respectively, during the moderate heat stress period. The wallowing activity showed statistically significant differences (p < 0.05) in the intense heat stress season with 1.18 and 2.35 h for SPS and CVS, respectively. Time spent on feeding behavior was highest in the SPS system (p < 0.05). Longer times of thermoregulatory and feeding behavior indicate the importance of trees in animal welfare for this species in tropical conditions, thus supporting avoided deforestation and the replanting of trees in existing production systems and landscapes.
Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) manifest different levels of selectivity for different pastures and forages. Knowledge of feed selectivity is important to facilitate the design of efficient production systems that take into account optimal animal welfare. In this study, the selectivity of nine 18-month old female water buffaloes for Leucaena leucocephala, Albizia lebbeck, Gliricidia sepium, and Moringa oleifera was evaluated. After 12 h of grazing Megathyrsus maximum, the animals were housed in individual shelters and 1.2 kg of leaves from each of the four tree species were offered to the animals simultaneously. The selectivity, measured as the intake of dry matter (DM), was highest for A. lebbeck (mean = 0.34 kgDM, SD = 0.05 kg), followed by L. leucocephala (mean = 0.30 kgDM, SD = 0.03 kg), M. oleifera (mean = 0.11 kgDM, SD = 0.05 kg), and G. sepium (mean = 0.10 kgDM, SD = 0.02 kg) (P < 0.01). The crude protein intake was highest for A. lebbeck and L. leucocephala. Notably, the less selected leaves were those of G. sepium and M. oleifera. This study suggests that the inclusion of A. lebbeck and L. leucocephala in silvopastoral systems may increase both the consumption and well-being of water buffaloes in the tropics.
The present research was carried out at the Santa Ines farm of the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (FCA) of the Universidad Técnica de Machala (UTMACH), in the Province of El Oro (Ecuador), which objective was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of Medicago sativa meal (alfarina) in broiler chicken Cobb 500 feed on productive parameters, carcass and sensory analysis. Poultry biosecurity standards established for open house systems were applied, trying to maintain comfort and well-being for the birds; a basic vaccination plan was used that consisted of the use of Gumboro “Intermediate strain” and New Castle “La Sota”. A Completely Random Design (CRD) was used, distributed in 5 treatments, with 4 replicates of 10 chickens, for a total of 40 birds per treatment (T). The T1 or control received a commercial diet (without inclusion of alfarine), while in T2, T3, T4 and T5, alfarine was included in the feed at 1, 2, 3 and 4 %, respectively. The variables studied were: accumulated feed and water consumption, feed conversion, mortality, live weight gain, carcass assessment parameters, abdominal fat thickness and organoleptic indicators. The data obtained were processed in the statistical program Statgraphics Centurión XV.I, performing an ANOVA analysis on all the quantitative variables studied, after complying with the assumptions of normality and homogeneity. To discriminate between means, Tukey’s significant difference procedure was used, with a confidence level of 95 %. The results show that alfalfa meal in the diet has no effect on the parameters evaluated, so this raw material can be used without problems in the feeding of broilers without exceeding 4 % inclusion.
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