Monthly changes in body condition scores and internal parasite prevalence in Nguni, Bonsmara and Angus steers raised on sweetveld

Abstract

The objective of the study was to determine monthly changes in body condition scores, body weights and on the prevalence of internal parasites in Nguni, Bonsmara and Angus steers raised on sweetveld. Body condition scores (BCS), body weights (BW), packed cell volume (PCV) and monthly faecal egg counts (FEC) were determined in 25 Nguni, 15 Bonsmara and 15 Angus steers. Nguni and Bonsmara steers maintained their body condition throughout the study, while the Angus lost condition. The Nguni had the highest PCV levels. The PCV levels tended to decline during the rainy season for all the breeds. The FEC were generally low. Fasciola spp. and strongyle eggs were found in 16.3 and 54.6% of the collected faecal samples, respectively. Of the three breeds, Nguni steers had the lowest parasite infestation levels, with the Bonsmara being more susceptible than the other two breeds. Generally, the egg counts observed throughout the study were low.

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“…The findings of our study are in agreement with those of Ndlovu & Muchenje (2009), who found breed changes in BCS. They found a peak BCS in March for the Bonsmara and Nguni bulls while BCS for the Angus declined from September until January.…”

“…The lowest values of BCS were recorded in the month of October. Our findings are in agreement with Chacon et al (1999); Moraes et al (2007); Ndlovu and Muchenje (2009), who found that seasonal changes were associated with BCS in the tropical regions of Costa Rica, Brazil and South Africa respectively. Chacon et al (1999) found higher values during the period of January to May and then BCS values started to decrease in June.…”

“…In agreement with the findings of our study, Chacon et al (1999) September to December. Ndlovu and Muchenje (2009) stated that BCS is the best indicator of cattle nutritional status by practitioners. Therefore, the low BCS values obtained in October could be due to poor pasture available in the month of October in Zambia leading to poor nutrition available for the proper nourishment of the animals during this period (Sitali et al, 2016).…”

“…Our study showed that the Bos indicus x taurus bulls had lower BCS compared to the Bos indicus and the Bos taurus during the study period. The difference in Sitali et al 167 the patterns of BCS could, possibly, reflect the subjective nature of body condition scoring, especially when animals of different conformation are being compared (Ndlovu and Muchenje, 2009). …”

Indigenous Breeds of Cattle, their Productivity, Economic and Cultural Values in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review

“…Under such conditions, provision of feed supplements could be recommended to improve cattle production. Before any nutritional improvements are recommended, it is however, important to identify the types of nutrients limiting cattle production in a given zone (Ndlovu, Chimonyo, & Muchenje, 2009). Akpa et al (2012), also, reported that, bulls in the pastoral cattle herds usually reached considerable average age of 4.05 years before breeding.…”