The Strategic Use of an Immunomodulatory Feed Additive in Supplements for Grazing Young Nellore Bulls Transported after Weaning: Performance, Physiological, and Stress Parameters

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate four different feeding strategies using an immunomodulatory feed additive for newly weaned Nellore cattle, before and after road transport, on their physiological parameters and performances during the growing phase of pastures. In total, eighty-four young Nellore bulls (initial BW = 174 ± 11 kg; 7 ± 1 months of age) were blocked by their initial body weights 42 days before road transport (d −42) and randomly assigned to one of the four supplementation strategies. The treatments were: (1) Control (CON): no immunomodulatory feed additive (NUTRA) supplementation; (2) NUTRA pre: the inclusion of NUTRA only in the pre-transport period (d −42 to d 0); (3) NUTRA post: the inclusion of NUTRA for 42 days, only in the post-transport period (d 0 to d 42); and (4) NUTRA growth: the inclusion of NUTRA during the whole experimental period (d −42 to d 210). On d 0, the calves were transported on dirty roads in a commercial livestock trailer for 200 km (8 h). There was no effect of the treatments on the animal performance or the physiological parameters in their plasma. However, there were effects on the day of the blood sampling for all the parameters. The highest concentration of cortisol was observed on d 3 post-transport (129 ng/mL) and this decreased over time (22.4 ng/mL; d 210). On the other hand, their glucose peaked at unloading, with lower concentrations on d 7 and d 14. Their total protein concentrations increased from d 0 to d 7. The immunomodulatory feed additive supplementation at 10 g/100 kg BW/day did not modulate the physiological responses in their plasma and did not influence the performance of the Nellore bulls during the growing phase of their pastures.

Feeding Strategies and Nutritional Quality of Animal Products

“…demonstrated no detrimental effects on production performances. Similarly, Batista et al [4], after supplementing immunomodulatory feed additives in weaned Nellore calves, found that their treatment had no effect on animal performance. Likewise, in Lefter et al study [5] on weaning piglets, probiotics supplements showed potential in enhancing production performance.…”

“…This study marks a significant step in unraveling clostridia prevention strategies, holding potential applications in enhancing biosecurity through animal diets. Batista et al [4] aimed to assess diverse strategies for supplementing immunomodulatory feed additives at (10 g/100 kg BW/day of NUTRA) before and after transportation in weaned Nellore calves raised on pasture and the subsequent impact on physiological parameters and performance as they progressed through the growth phase. Their findings suggest that the specific conditions of the experiment, such as the short duration of transportation stress and the relatively stress-free grazing environment, could have mitigated the detrimental effects of stress on the animals.…”