268 Administering an appeasing substance to optimize welfare and performance of receiving cattle

Abstract

This experiment evaluated the impacts of bovine appeasing substance (BAS) administration on performance, health, and physiological responses of feedlot cattle during a 45-d receiving period. A total of 342 recently-weaned Angus-influenced steers, originating from 16 cow-calf operations, were obtained from an auction yard on d -1 and road-transported (12 h) to the feedlot. Upon arrival on d 0, body weight (BW) was recorded and steers were ranked by BW and source and assigned to receive BAS (Nutricorp, Araras, SP, Brazil; n = 171) or placebo (diethylene glycol monoethyl ether; CON; n = 171). Treatments (5 mL) were topically applied to the nuchal skin area of each animal. Within treatment, calves were allocated to 1 of 24 drylot pens (12 pens/treatment) and received a free choice total-mixed ration from d 1 to 45. Calves were assessed for bovine respiratory disease (BRD) signs and feed intake was recorded from each pen daily. Steer BW was again recorded on d 1, 7, 17, 31, and 45, whereas blood samples were collected from 5 steers/pen concurrently with each BW assessment. Average daily gain was greater (P = 0.05) in BAS vs. CON calves, although final BW did not differ (P = 0.36) between treatments. No treatment effects were detected for feed intake (P = 0.95), resulting in greater (P = 0.05) feed efficiency in BAS vs. CON steers. No treatment effects were detected (P ≥ 0.37) for plasma concentrations of haptoglobin, whereas plasma cortisol concentrations were greater (P = 0.05) in CON vs. BAS steers on d 7 (treatment × day; P = 0.07). Incidence of BRD was greater (P ≤ 0.05) in BAS vs. CON on d 6 to 10 and d 18 to 21 (treatment × day; P < 0.01), although overall BRD incidence did not differ (P = 0.24) between treatments. The number of antimicrobial treatments required per steer diagnosed with BRD symptoms to recover from sickness was greater (P = 0.04) in CON vs. BAS calves. No treatment differences were detected (P ≥ 0.41) for mortality incidence, or proportion of steers removed from the experiment due to extreme sickness. Results from this experiment indicate BAS administration upon feedlot entry improved average daily gain by enhancing feed efficiency. Administration of BAS facilitated earlier detection of BRD and reduced the need for antimicrobial treatments. Collectively, these results suggest BAS administration as a promising strategy to benefit performance and immunocompetence of feedlot receiving cattle.

Appeasing Pheromones against Bovine Respiratory Complex and Modulation of Immune Transcript Expressions

“…Indeed, in their study, incidence of BRD was greater (p < 0.05) in Angus steers that received appeasing pheromone than in the control group during Days 6-10 and 19-23, although overall BRD incidence did not differ between treatments. Moreover, a higher proportion (p = 0.04) of the appeasing pheromone group diagnosed with BRD required one antimicrobial treatment to retrieve health compared to control group [26]. Similarly, in our study, we detected more clinical signs in the pheromone group than in the control group early, on D8.…”

“…Among the potential alternatives, bovine appeasing pheromone is an attractive one. As stated above, several previous reports have shown a benefit when appeasing pheromones were used in dairy and beef cattle production [22,[24][25][26]. In our study, carried out in fattening units from western France using Charolais young bulls, we observed that significantly more clinical cases were detected on day 30 (D30) in the control group than in the group of bulls which received appeasing pheromone, while the opposite was observed earlier on D8.…”

“…In our study, carried out in fattening units from western France using Charolais young bulls, we observed that significantly more clinical cases were detected on day 30 (D30) in the control group than in the group of bulls which received appeasing pheromone, while the opposite was observed earlier on D8. This observation is both similar and different from what was previously reported by Colombo and collaborators [26]. Indeed, in their study, incidence of BRD was greater (p < 0.05) in Angus steers that received appeasing pheromone than in the control group during Days 6-10 and 19-23, although overall BRD incidence did not differ between treatments.…”

“…For instance, the timing of pheromone administration and the measured parameters were different. In our study, we determined the presence or absence of BRD without any monitoring of pathogens, while Colombo and collaborators monitored the cumulative incidence of BRD clinical signs during a 45-day feedlot-receiving period of beef steers administered an appeasing pheromone at feedlot entry and measured the serum concentration of antibodies against various pathogens [26]. Regarding activities and behavior, we did not observe any differences between groups.…”

“…To the best of our knowledge, the effect of appeasing pheromone on bovine performance and disease incidence has been assessed in a limited number of studies [22,[24][25][26]. Positive effects including increased performance and improved early detection of BRD signs were reported in dairy cattle as well as beef cattle.…”