Effect of essential fatty acids and tocoferol in the diet of lactanting cows
Keywords:
Additive, Parasites, Quality, PerformanceAbstract
The inclusion of additives in animal feed has become a concern of consumers due to the risks to human health, therefore the additives extracted from plants can be an alternative to replace the antibiotics improving productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the productive performance, milk composition and worm burden of lactating Holstein cows supplemented with essential fatty acid and tocopherol. Sixteen lactating cows were divided in two groups, animals treated with the additive (10 μg/animal/day) and animals from the control group. Every 15 days, the California mastitis test and evaluation of milk were made to analyze the following parameters: milk production; protein, fat; lactose; total solids and somatic cell counts. The counting of eggs per gram of feces and counting of flies (Haematobia irritans) and ticks (Rhiphicephalus Boophilus microplus) were performed every 14 days. There was no difference in the quality and milk yield, as well as in the worm burden of the animals, verifying that the administration of the additive did not improve the productive performance and did not decrease the worm burden of the Holstein cows.
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