Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-m9kch Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-08T22:54:34.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Water requirements and metabolism in Egyptian Barki and Rahmani sheep and Baladi goats during spring, summer and winter seasons

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

F. D. El-Nouty ,
G. A. Hassan ,
T. H. Taher ,
M. A. Samak ,
Zahraa Abo-Elezz  and
M. H. Salem
F. D. El-Nouty
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
G. A. Hassan
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
T. H. Taher
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
M. A. Samak
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
Zahraa Abo-Elezz
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
M. H. Salem
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria, Egypt
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Water requirements and metabolism were studied in eight each of Barki and Rahmani sheep and eight Baladi goats. The animals were individually housed in the shade in semi-open pens that were located in a non-desert area. The experiments were carried out during spring, summer and winter seasons, and each experiment lasted for 3 weeks during each season. After a preliminary period of 1 week, an 8-day period was then followed during which body weight, daily feed intake and daily drinking water were recorded. Rectal temperature and respiration rate were also recorded in the early morning and late afternoon. Four animals from each group were then weighed and injected intravenously with tritiated water, TOH (001 mCi/kg body weight) and blood samples were collected during a 4-day period to estimate total body water (TBW) and water turnover rate (WTR).

In all seasons studied, the Rahmani sheep had higher TOH disappearance rate (^-values) and WTR and consequently shorter biological half-time (1½) than the Barki. Moreover, the Barki sheep showed less thermal discomfort than the Rahmani particularly during the summer. Although the Rahmani sheep ingested more water than the Barki sheep during the summer, the Rahmani sheep had a lower percentage of TBW and their calculated water loss revealed that they were in negative water balance during this season. Accordingly, the Barki sheep seem to perform better than the Rahmani in newlyreclaimed desert areas. Baladi goats appear to be more adapted to unfavourable environmental conditions than sheep. This is based upon the findings that they had lower k-values, lower WTR, longer tiand higher TBW, than the two breeds of sheep.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 111 , Issue 1 , August 1988 , pp. 27 - 34
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1988

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Amariki, S. F. & Funsho, O. N. (1979). Studies of rectal temperature, respiratory rates and heat tolerance in cattle in the humid tropics. Animal Production 28, 329–335.Google Scholar
Ames, D. R. & Ray, D. F. (1983). Environmental manipulation to improve animal productivity. Journal of Animal Science 57, 209–220.Google Scholar
Anderson, T. W. (1958). Introduction to Multivariate Statistical Analysis. New York: John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Andersson, B. E. (1970). Temperature regulation. In Dukes Physiology of Domestic Animals (ed. Swenson, M. J.), pp. 686–695. Ithaca, N. Y.: Cornell University Press.Google Scholar
Bianca, W. (1963). Rectal temperature and respiratory rate as indicators of heat tolerance in cattle. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 60, 113–120.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bianca, W. (1968). Thermoregulation. In Adaptation of Domestic Animals (ed. Hafez, E. S. E.), pp. 97–118. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.Google Scholar
Bianca, W. & Kunz, P. (1978). Physiolgical reactions of three breeds of goats to cold, heat and high altitude. Livestock Production Science 5, 57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Box, G. E. P. (1950). Problems in the analysis of growth and wear curves. Biometrics 6, 362–389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Degen, A. A. (1977 a). Fat-tailed Awassi and German Mutton Merino sheep under semi-arid conditions. 1. Total body water, its distribution and water turnover. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 693–698.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Degen, A. A. (1977 b). Responses to dehydration in native fat-tailed Awassi and imported German Mutton Merino sheep. Physiological Zoology 50, 284–293.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Degen, A. A. & Young, B. A. (1981). Effect of air temperature and feed intake on live weight and water balance in sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96, 493–496.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
El-Nouty, F. D., El-Banna, I. M., Davis, T. P. & Johnson, H. D. (1980). Aldosterone and ADH response to heat and dehydration in cattle. Journal of Applied Physiology 48, 249–255.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Holmes, C. W., King, C. T. & Sauwa, P. E. L. (1980). Effect of exposure to a hot environment of Friesian and Brahman x Friesian cattle, with some measurements of the effects of exposure to radiant heat. Animal Production 30, 1–11.Google Scholar
Joshi, B. C., Aravindam, M., Singh, K. & Bhattacharyya, N. K. (1977). Effect of high environmental stress on the physiological responses of bucks. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 47, 200–202.Google Scholar
Kamal, T. H., Shehata, O. & El-Banna, I. M. (1972). Effect of heat and water restriction on water metabolism and body fluid compartments in farm animals. In Isotope Studies on the Physiology of Domestic Animals, pp. 95–102. Vienna: International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEASM-156/14.Google Scholar
Khan, M. S. (1983). Total body water and its turnover in Marwari sheep of Rajasthan desert. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 53, 28–37.Google Scholar
King, J. M. (1979). Game domestication for animal production in Kenya: field studies of the body-water turnover of game and livestock. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93, 71–79.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macfarlane, W. V. (1964). Terrestial animals in dry heat: ungulates. In Handbook of Physiology Environment, pp. 509–539. Washington, D. C.: American Physiological Society.Google Scholar
Macfarlane, W. V. & Howard, B. (1972). Comparative water and energy economy of wild and domestic mammals. Symposium of the Zoological Society of London 31, 261–296.Google Scholar
Mackie, W. S. (1977). Changes in concentration of plasma proteins in intensively bred ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 283–288.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mittal, J. P. & Ghosh, P. K. (1979). Body temperature, respiration and pulse rate in Corriedale, Marwari and Magra sheep in Rajasthan desert. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 93, 587–591.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowell, J. G. & Walters, D. E. (1976). Analysing data with repeated observations on each experimental unit. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 87, 423–432.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sano, H., Takahashi, K., Ambo, K. & Tsuda, T. (1983). Turnover and oxidation rates of blood glucose and heat production in sheep exposed to heat. Journal of Dairy Science 66, 856–861.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Shebaita, M. K. & El-Banna, I. M. (1982). Heat load and heat dissipation in sheep and goats under environmental heat stress. Sixth International Conference on Animal and Poultry Production, pp. 459–469. Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.Google Scholar
Siebert, B. D. & Macfarlane, W. V. (1971). Water turnover and renal function of dromedaries in the desert. Physiological Zoology 44, 225–240.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, M. & Acharya, R. M. (1977). A note on the mode of heat dissipation in different types of sheep. Indian Journal of Animal Sciences 47, 367–368.Google Scholar
Terrill, C. E. (1968). Adaptation of sheep and goats. In Adaption of Domestic Animals (ed. Hafez, E. S. E.), pp. 246–263. Philadelphia: Lea & Febiger.Google Scholar
Yousef, M. K., Johnson, H. D., Bradley, W. G. & Seif, S. M. (1974). Tritiated water-turnover rate in rodents: desert and mountain. Physiological Zoology 47, 153–162.CrossRefGoogle Scholar