Probiotics and Shading as Means for Alleviating Heat Stress on Hassani Goats

Abstract

This study was conducted in Hadraba Valley, Halaieb and Shalateen Research Station, Desert Research Center. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of providing shade and/ or feeding probiotics as means for alleviating heat stress on Hassani goats raised in the far south of the eastern desert of Egypt indicating by thermo-cardio-respiratory responses and changes in some hemato-biochemical parameters. Four groups of mature male Hassani goats (Five animals in each) were used; group one (G1); kept unshaded without probiotics, group two (G2); kept unshaded and fed probiotics. Group three (G3) shaded and had un-supplemented probiotics; while group four (G4); shaded and fed probiotics. Meteorological data in terms of radiant ambient temperature (RAT), ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) and thermocardio-respiratory responses (rectal; RT, skin; ST and coat temperatures; CT and respiration; RR and heart rates; HR) were recorded twice daily at 08.00 and 14.00 hr. Hemoglobin (Hb), packed cell volume (PCV), mean of corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), plasma total cholesterol (TC), glucose (GLU), total proteins (TP), albumin (A), globulin (G), A/G ratio, alanine amino transferase (ALT) and aspartate amino transferase (AST) were determined.The results revealed that providing probiotics relieved the burden of heat stress as indicated by reducing (P<0.01) the thermo-cardio-respiratory responses and increasing (P<0.05) TP and G. Moreover, probiotics caused a non-significant elevation of mean values of PCV, HB, MCHC, A, GLU and reduction of A/G ratio, TC and AST and ALT. on the other hand, Shading resulted in significant (P<0.01) reductions in RT, CT and RR and non-significant reductions in ST, HR, TP, A, G, AST, ALT. Furthermore, shading caused significant (P<0.05) increases in PCV and MCHC and non-significant increases in Hb, TC and GLU. The improvement in thermo-cardio-respiratory responses and hemobiochemical parameters due to probiotics were more pronounced than those of shading. However, the best benefits were obtained of the group provided the two treatments together.It could be concluded that providing shade and/ or probiotics for heat stressed animals in such remote region would improve their heat tolerance to the severe hot conditions prevailing in this region.