<b>Heat tolerance index, food intake and weight gain of Santa Ines sheep in the agreste region of Pernambuco State, Brazil</b> - doi: 10.4025/actascianimsci.v35i3.18466

Abstract

ABSTRACT. This study evaluated the influence of coat color on the heat tolerance and performance of 21 Santa Inês lambs, non-pregnant, non-lactating, seven animals of each coat color: black, brown and white, with an average initial weight of 25.71, 24.85 and 25.00 kg, for white, brown and black animals, respectively, and 12 months of age. The study was conducted during summer in the agreste region of Pernambuco State, Brazil. Twenty-one sheeps were assigned to a completely randomized design with three treatments and seven replicates. The heat tolerance index and the animal performance were evaluated once a week for eight weeks. White sheep were slightly superior in heat tolerance to brown and black sheep, 88.3, 85.5 and 86.6 respectively, but this was not reflected in the growth performance of the animals, which showed average daily weight gain of 170.10, 193.69 and 199.50 g for animals white, brown and black, respectively.Keywords: adaptation, bioclimatology, climate, heat stress.Índice de tolerância ao calor, consumo alimentar e ganho de peso de ovinos da raça Santa Inês na região agreste do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil RESUMO. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram verificar a influência da cor do pelame na tolerância ao calor e ganho de peso de 21 cordeiras da raça Santa Inês, não-gestantes e não-lactantes, sendo sete de cada uma das pelagens preta, castanha e branca, com peso médio inicial de 25,71; 24,85 e 25,00 kg, respectivamente, para os animais brancos, castanhos e pretos e aproximadamente 12 meses de idade. Os experimentos foram conduzidos durante o verão na região agreste do Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. O índice de tolerância ao calor e o desempenho dos animais foram avaliados uma vez por semana durante oito semanas. O delineamento experimental foi inteiramente casualizado com três tratamentos e sete repetições. Ovinos brancos apresentaram pequena superioridade na tolerância ao calor que os castanhos e pretos, 88,3; 85,5 e 86,6 respectivamente, mas isso não se refletiu no desempenho produtivo dos animais, os quais apresentaram ganho de peso médio diário de 170,10; 193,69 e 199,50 g para os animais brancos, castanhos e pretos, respectivamente.Palavras-chave: adaptação, bioclimatologia, clima, estresse térmico.

Thermal comfort indexes and physiological parameters of Santa Inês and crossbreed ewes in the semi-arid

“…The sheep production in the Brazilian semi-arid region is an activity used to produce meat and skins, with predominance in the creation of native animals with no defined racial pattern, highlighting the Santa Inês breeding sheep and their crossbreeds, due to their adaptability to the semi-arid environment (Eustáquio Filho et al 2011; Silva Filho et al 2013;Rocha et al 2014), rusticity, reproductive and productive efficiency (Mori et al 2006 andJachims et al 2011), and low susceptibility to endo and ectoparasites.…”

Salinity-water levels on productive performance, physiological and behavioral responses of ½ Dorper x ½ Santa Inês crossbred sheep

“…Sheep are heat-tolerant animals (Silva et al, 2013) that make anatomical and physiological adjustments in order to adapt to the tropical environment (Silva, Araújo, Oliveira, Azevedo, & Furtado 2016;Nobre et al, 2016). These adjustments can negatively affect the biological functions of animals, depending on the intensity and length of thermal stress (Marai, El-Darawany, Fadiel, & Abdel-Hafez 2007), and they can cause changes in ingestive behavior (Moura et al, 2016), which in turn, can negatively affect their performance, production, reproduction, and well-being (Almeida et al, 2013).…”