Nutritional status of some trace minerals of water buffaloes in Egypt

作者：Hady Maha Mohamed^*

来源：Buffalo Bulletin, 2013, 32: 988-992.

• Buffalo
• Egypt
• Copper
• Iron
• Zinc
• Feedstuffs

The domesticated water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is very important animal in Egypt as it serves as dual purpose animal providing meat and milk for human and as draft animal. Despite the economical importance of buffaloes in Egypt, they are subjected to different environmental, managemental and nutritional stressors which negatively affect their performance. A study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional status of some trace-minerals (copper, iron %26 zinc) of male buffalo calves in relation to their contents in the commonly available feedstuffs in Mid-Delta district of Egypt. Fifty blood samples were collected from apparently healthy male buffalo calves with an average age ranged between 5 to8 months during the winter season from several private farms at the designated district of the study. The present study indicated that the commonly cultivated feedstuffs in the Mid-Delta district of Egypt have critical levels of copper and zinc reflected in the marginal levels of such minerals in the serum of the examined male buffalo calves which exhibited silent symptoms except of low gain. Iron content in the available feedstuffs supplied surplus Fe, so that the animals did not exhibiting any symptoms of iron deficiency. In conclusion, the levels of the copper and zinc in the Egyptian feedstuffs cultivated in the district of the study should be investigated on soil basis so mineral supplements must to be added. Moreover, it seemed that the requirements of buffalo calves for these minerals are less than expected and buffaloes adapted well with such marginal deficiencies in feedstuffs.

• 出版日期2013