Effect of some nutritional treatments on productive performance of she-camels Mostafa T.H.*, El-Hamed A.A. Abd, Almetwaly H.A. Animal Production Research Institute, Agriculture Research Centre, Ministry of Agriculture, Egypt *Email: dr.tarekhassan@yahoo.com
Online published on 18 April, 2014. Abstract Aim of this study was to determine the effect of supplementation of calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA) from palm oil (PO) at two levels (3 and 6%) to the concentrate feed mixture (CFM) on productive performance of dromedary she-camels and weights of their calves. Nine she-camels were allocated to 3 groups fed the same basal diet consisted of CFM, berseem hay (BH) and rice straw (RS), but differed in PO level (0, 3, and 6%) representing G1, G2 and G3, respectively. The feeding period lasted from 3 months pre-natal and 3 months post-natal. Live body weight (LBW), yield and composition of milk of she-camels as well as birth weight of calves were recorded during pre, at and post-natal periods. Blood was collected pre, at and post-natal periods to determine protein and lipid metabolites and concentration of transaminases (AST and ALT) and hormones (Progesterone, P4 and estradiol, E2). Results show insignificant effect of dietary treatment on LBW of she-calves during pre-, at and post-natal period, but only weight gain during pre-natal period was higher (P<0.05) in G3 than in G1 and G2. Average daily milk yield (ADMY) was higher in G2 and G3 than in G1, but the differences were not significant. Milk composition levels were not affected by dietary treatment. However, dietary treatment increased (P<0.05) level of blood triglycerides, cholesterol, HDL and LDL, being the highest in G3. Final LBW of calves at 28 wk of age and average daily gain of calves (0–28 wk) were higher in G3 than in G1 and G2. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of CSFA of palm oil at a level of 6% improved milk production of dromedary camels in term of increased milk yield as well as yield of fat, protein and lactose in milk, reflecting higher LBW and gain of their offspring. Top Keywords Camel calves, dromedary camel, live body weight, milk production, protein and lipid metabolism. Top |