Effect of thymol on the efficiency of feed utilization and compensatory growth in severe feed-restricted lambs

doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-3865246/v1

Download PDF

Research Article

Effect of thymol on the efficiency of feed utilization and compensatory growth in severe feed-restricted lambs

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-3865246/v1

This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License

Journal Publication

published 31 Aug, 2024

Read the published version in Tropical Animal Health and Production →

You are reading this latest preprint version

The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of thymol on growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients in severely feed-restricted lambs. Twenty-one male Baluchi lambs were randomly blocked by live weight into three groups: control without feed restriction (CON), feed restricted (FR), and feed restricted plus thymol (FR + T). The lambs underwent a four-week feed restriction period followed by four weeks of realimentation. Thymol was administered daily to the FR + T group during the feed restriction period. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake, feed efficiency (FE), partial efficiency of maintenance (PEM), and residual feed intake (RFI) were measured as growth performance parameters. Results showed that the severe feed restriction had adverse effects on ADG and FE, but improved PEM. The effects of thymol administration on ADG, FE, PEM, and apparent total tract digestibility were not significant. However, the lambs that received thymol during feed restriction period showed a negative RFI during realimentation. Overall, these findings suggest that feed restriction as well as thymol may have the potential to improve efficiency of feed utilization in growing lambs. However, this positive effect is independent of the improvement in nutrient digestibility.

Apparent total tract digestibility

Growing Baluchi lambs

Partial efficiency of maintenance

Realimentation

Residual feed intake

The relationship between feeding practices and growth performance in animals is a topic of great importance, especially in meat production. Often, moderate feed restriction at a young age and, consequently, slow early growth may be followed by compensatory gain later in life, resulting in a similar body weight and body composition at slaughter as in unrestricted animals (Greenwood et al. 2005, Murphy et al. 1994). This concept, known as compensatory growth, involves a period of restricted energy feeding followed by an accelerated growth response when the animal is provided with adequate nutrition. This phenomenon is valuable for enhancing efficiency in animal production, as it allows for the growth of animals to specific slaughter weights while minimizing feeding costs. Compensatory growth is a physiological process by which an organism accelerates its growth after a period of feed restriction. During this period of feed restriction, the animals experience a reduction in growth and development due to insufficient nutrient intake. However, when the animals are provided with access to adequate feeding, they undergo a phase of rapid growth known as compensatory gain. This compensatory gain is characterized by increased energy utilization efficiency, reduced maintenance requirements, and alterations in body composition (Ryan et al. 1993a, Ryan et al. 1993b). However, research has suggested that feed restriction can lead to a decrease in rumen epithelial cell proliferation, which may compromise the overall health and function of the rumen (Hu et al. 2018, Zhang et al. 2013). The rumen plays a crucial role in digesting and fermenting feed, and any disruption to its function can have detrimental effects on the animal's ability to extract nutrients from their diet.

Thymol is found in some medicinal plants, such as thyme and oregano, as natural essential oils compound. There is some evidence of its potential benefits in terms of improvement of animal health and productivity. (Gholami-Ahangaran et al. 2021). Hashemipour et al. (2013) found that adding thymol to the diet of broiler chickens improved their growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and antioxidant status. Similarly, improvements in growth performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and antioxidant status was observed in thymol supplemented broiler chicken (Li et al. 2022, Luna et al. 2010). In weaned piglets, it has also been reported that dietary supplementation whit thymol improved growth performance, serum antioxidant capacity, and immune function in weaned piglets (Silva Júnior et al. 2020, Trevisi et al. 2007, Zhang et al. 2021). Omonijo et al. (2019) investigated the effects of thymol on the intestinal barrier function of weaned pigs. The authors found that dietary supplementation with thymol improved the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier and reduced inflammation in the gut Overall, these results suggest that thymol may have beneficial effects on the growth performance and health of livestock.

We hypothesized that severe feed restriction may disrupt rumen function and negatively affect the compensatory growth, and thymol administration will improve the growth performance of severe feed restricted lambs by enhancing ruminal barrier function and consequently improving feed utilization. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluation the effect of thymol on growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility of nutrients in severe feed restricted lambs.

Animals and experimental design

The experiment was conducted at the research farm of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Iran. Twenty-one (Baluchi) male lambs (average body weight of 45.2 ± 6.2 kg) were randomly blocked by live weight into three experimental groups; control group without feed restriction, (CON, n = 7), feed restricted group (FR, n = 7), and feed restricted group plus thymol (FR + T, n = 7). The lambs were vaccinated against Clostridium, dewormed, and individually housed in 1×1.5 m cages with free access to fresh water and offered feed. After 14 days of acclimation, the experimental periods consisted of four weeks of feed restriction (RES) followed by an additional four weeks of realimentation (REF) period. During RES period, the lambs in control group received a basal diet (Table 1) ad libitum (10–15% refusal margin) twice daily at 0900 and 1500, whereas, concentrate intake in other two groups were restricted by 25% of ad libitum intake in CON group. The offered feed to the restricted groups was weekly adjusted based on ad libitum intake per kg live body weight in CON group. An ad-libitum feeding protocol (105–110% of voluntary feed intake) was applied for all lambs during RES period. Thymol (≥ 98.5% purity, Sigma-Aldrich, T0501, Taufkirchen, Germany) stock solution (150 mg/mL) was freshly prepared with ethanol (Merk, Germany). The lambs in FR + T group were daily drenched with 2 ml of the thymol solution immediately after morning feeding during RES period, which provided 300 mg of thymol/lamb/day. Furthermore, CON and FR lambs were drenched with an equal volume of ethanol during RES period to eliminate the effect of the ethanol.

Table 1

Diet Ingredients and chemical composition
Ingredients (g/Kg of DM)
Barley grain	300
Corn grain	112
Wheat brain	203
Soybean meal	59.5
Alfalfa hay	185
Wheat straw	113.5
Mineral & Vitamin premix¹	12.5
Buffer	7.5
Salt	7
Chemical compositions (% of DM)
DM	89.2
CP	13.8
NDF	28.6
NFC	39.9
Ash	6.3
¹ Mineral & Vitamin premix contained: Ca = 140000 mg/kg, P = 30000 mg/kg, Mg = 40000 mg/kg, Na = 30000 mg/kg, Mn = 2500 mg/kg, Zn = 2500 mg/kg, Cu = 100 mg/kg, Se = 20 mg/kg, I = 100 mg/kg, Fe = 1300 mg/kg, S = 20000 mg/kg, Co = 70 mg/kg, Antioxidant = 1000 mg/kg, Vitamin A = 200000 IU, Vitamin D3 = 50000 IU, Vitamin E = 1500 IU.

Body weight gain and feed efficiency

Body weight was weekly measured before morning feeding and two consecutive BW records were determined at the beginning and end of both RES and REF periods. The offered feed and ort were weighted and sampled weekly to determine dry matter (oven dried at 60° C for 48 h). Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and feed efficiency (FE, gain:feed) were separately calculated for both RES and REF periods. To measure the residual feed intake (RFI), expected dry matter intake (DMI) was calculated by regressing actual DMI against ADG and mid-test metabolic body weight (MMBW). The model used to estimate expected DMI was DMI_exp = α + β1(ADGi) + β2(MMBWi), in which DMI_exp = expected dry matter intake, α = regression intercept, β1 = partial regression coefficient of DMI on ADG, and β2 = partial regression coefficient of DMI on MMBW. The RFI was calculated as the difference between actual DMI and expected DMI (Rajaei-Sharifabadi et al. 2012). Partial efficiency of maintenance (PEM) was also calculated as (DMI - ADG)/MMBW as described by Rajaei Sharifabadi et al. (2016). Compensatory index was calculated as the ratio of the difference between weight variation at the end of restricted and compensatory growth periods, respectively, relative to the variation at the end of the restricted growth alone (Wilson and Osbourn 1960).

Apparent total trace digestibility

Feed and fecal samples were collected from each lamb over a 5-days period during the final week of the REF periods. Samples were collected twice daily and pooled for each lamb to ensure representative sampling. Acid insoluble ash was used as an internal marker to determine the nutrient digestibility as descripted by Block et al. (1981). Feed and fecal samples were analyzed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) using standard laboratory methods. Briefly, DM was determined by drying the samples at 70º C for 48 h. OM was calculated as a DM-Ash after ashing at 600º C for 8 h. NDF was measured by the method of Van Soest et al. (1991) without amylase treatment and was exclusive of residual ash. The analyses were performed in triplicate, and the nutrient apparent digestibility (%) was calculated according to the formula: (Ingestion of nutrient content - Nutrient content in feces) × 100/Ingestion of nutrient content.

Statistical Analyses

Normal distribution of data was tested using the UNIVARIATE procedure of SAS (version 9.4; SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Data were subjected to ANOVA using the MIXED procedure of SAS. The model was included fixed effect of the treatment with the individual lamb as the experimental unit. Initial body weight and ADFI were used as covariate factors for growth performance (finial body weight, ADG, ADFI, and FE) and apparent total trac digestibility, respectively. The differences were judged as statistically significant at p < 0.05. When the treatment effect was significant, least squares means were separated using the PDIFF test.

Growth performance

During FR period, no significant difference was observed among the experiment groups for initial BW. However, ADG and consequently finial BW were lower in feed restricted lambs compared to CON group (Table 2). As a result of feed restriction, ADFI was also significantly lower in FR and FR + T groups than CON. Although the lambs in the feed restricted groups showed a negative FE, partial efficiency of maintenance improved by feed restriction.

Table 2

Least squares means of growth performance of the lambs during feed restriction period
Parameter¹	Treatments²			SEM³		P value
Parameter¹	CON	FR	FR + T	SEM³		P value
Initial BW	39.6	40.4	42.3		1.15		0.345
Final BW	45.5^a	39.2^b	39.8^b		1.83		< 0.01
ADG	200.0^a	-42.0^b	-86.0^b		19.2		< 0.01
ADFI	1.59^a	0.78^b	0.78^b		0.03		< 0.01
FE (G:I)	0.13^a	-0.06^b	-0.11^c		0.013		< 0.01
PEM	0.090	0.056	0.058		0.003		< 0.01
¹ BW = Body Weight, ADG = Average Daily Gain, ADFI = Average Daily Feed Intake, FE = Feed Efficiency (Gain : Intake), and PEM = Partial Efficiency of Maintenance ² CON = Control, FR = Feed Restricted, and FR + T = Feed Restricted plus Thymol ³ SEM = standard error of means

At the beginning of REF the lambs in FR and FR + T groups shoed lower BW than CON, but there was no significant differences among the experimental groups for BW at the end of REF period (Table 3). When the lambs fed ad libitum during REF period, the lambs in FR groups consumed significantly greater feed than FR + T. Moreover, FE tended to be higher (P = 0.062) in FR and FR + T compared to CON lambs. A numerically lower PEM (P = 0.346) and a negative RFI (P = 0.026) were observed in FR + T lambs compared to the other two groups.

Table 3

Least squares means of growth performance of the lambs during realimentation period
Parameter¹	Treatments²			SEM³	P value
Parameter¹	CON	FR	FR + T	SEM³	P value
Initial BW (kg)	46.8^a	43.0^b	43.9^b	2.00	0.037
Final BW (kg)	49.6	48.3	48.5	1.05	0.339
ADG (g/day)	114.0^b	202.0^a	190.0^a	11.0	< 0.01
ADFI (g/day)	1.73^ab	1.74^a	1.66^b	0.02	0.024
FE (G:I)	0.08	0.12	0.11	0.007	0.062
PEM	0.094	0.094	0.090	0.002	0.346
RFI	0.01^a	0.03^a	-0.05^b	0.02	0.026
¹ BW = Body Weight, ADG = Average Daily Gain, ADFI = Average Daily Feed Intake, FE = Feed Efficiency (Gain : Intake), PEM = Partial Efficiency of Maintenance, and RFI = Residual Feed Intake ² CON = Control, FR = Feed Restricted, and FR + T = Feed Restricted plus Thymol ³ SEM = standard error of means

Growth performance of lambs over entire period is showed in Table 4. There were no significant differences among the experimental groups for initial and final BW. The lambs in FR and FR + T had significantly lower ADG and ADFI than CON lambs. A lower FE was also observed in FR and FR + T groups compared to CON. However, PEM improved over the entire period by feed restriction. Although the effect of thymol on growth performance indices over entire period was not significant, however, a higher Compensatory index was observed in FR + T lambs than FR (82% vs. 79%).

Table 4

Least squares means of growth performance of the lambs over the entire period
Parameter¹	Treatments²			SEM³	P value
Parameter¹	CON	FR	FR + T	SEM³	P value
Initial BW (kg)	39.6	40.4	42.3	1.15	0.345
Final BW (kg)	49.6	48.3	48.5	1.05	0.339
ADG (g/day)	157.0^a	80.0^b	52.0^b	13.5	< 0.01
ADFI (g/day)	1.66^a	1.26^b	1.22^b	0.02	< 0.01
FE (G:I)	0.10^a	0.03^b	0.00^b	0.009	< 0.01
PEM	0.092^a	0.075^b	0.074^b	0.002	< 0.01
Compensatory index (%)	-	79	82	-	-
¹ BW = Body Weight, ADG = Average Daily Gain, ADFI = Average Daily Feed Intake, FE = Feed Efficiency (Gain : Intake), and PEM = Partial Efficiency of Maintenance ² CON = Control, FR = Feed Restricted, and FR + T = Feed Restricted plus Thymol ³ SEM = standard error of means

Apparent total tract digestibility

The results of apparent total tract digestibility are shown in Table 5. Non significant differences were observed between CON and FR for DM, OM, and NDF apparent digestibility. Furthermore, the effects of thymol on the apparent digestibility of DM, OM, and NDF were non significant.

Table 5

Least squares means of apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF)
Parameter	Treatments¹			SEM²	P value
Parameter	CON	FR	FR + T	SEM²	P value
DM	69.93	72.64	71.09	1.98	0.413
OM	69.14	70.49	68.04	2.43	0.612
NDF	53.34	52.59	50.22	3.27	0.619
¹ CON = Control, FR = Feed Restricted, and FR + T = Feed Restricted plus Thymol ² SEM = standard error of means

During the feed restriction period, FR and FR + T groups had actual dry matter intakes (DM) that were 0.50 of the ad libitum control lambs. The lower DM intake for the restricted groups was due to the limited amount of feed offered, which was regulated based on the ad libitum control group's DM intake. The applied severe feed restriction significantly influenced average daily gain. A decrease in ADG has been reported in growing lambs fed 90% and 80% of ad libitum compared to the ad libitum control group (Abouheif et al. 2016). A previous study by Abouheif et al. (2013) has shown that decreased ADG during feed restriction is related to the plane of nutrition, resulting in inadequate nutrient intake for normal growth and development. Additionally, Neto et al. (2011) reported that missing any nutrient in the diet, especially energy and protein, can delay animal growth.

During the REF period, the previously feed restricted lambs experienced a significant increase in ADG compared to the CON lambs. This finding is consistent with previous studies by Mahouachi and Atti (2005) and Abouheif, Al-Owaimer, Kraidees, Metwally and Shafey (2013). Interestingly, this superior body gain could not be attributed to dry matter intake as intake values were not different between the previously restricted and ad libitum groups. It is possible that the better feed efficiency of the realimented lambs and/or the decreased heat production during the restriction and its continuation during refeeding could have contributed to this effect (Yambayamba et al. 1996). The animal's metabolism continues to adjust to low feed ingestion during compensatory growth, even when the animals are not restricted, as reported by Homem Junior et al. (2007). The base energetic metabolism of the animal remains low and increases slowly, adjusting to the new regimen. Thus, energy and protein use become more efficacious while the energetic needs for growth remain low, which could explain the greater weight gain in these animals. Kamalzade et al. (2009) found that sheep subjected to feed restriction reduced their energy need for maintenance by about 29% compared to the control. During the realimentation period, the reduced maintenance requirements during restriction only persisted at the initial stages of the realimentation and temporarily resulted in comparatively more energy for gain

Interestingly, despite the negative FE observed in the feed restricted groups, partial efficiency of maintenance improved by feed restriction during RES period. Moreover, although there was no significant difference between FR and FR + T for ADG during REF period, the lambs in FR + T group consumed a lower feed compared FR lambs. However, this effect of thymol on the efficiency of feed intake was not reflected in FE index, while based on RFI index, the lambs in FR + T showed a higher efficiency of feed intake than FR group. The overall FE during entire period was also lower in FR and FR + T lambs compared CON, but overall PEM improved by feed restriction. Residual feed intake is a measure of net feed efficiency and represents the difference between the total feed intake and part of the feed intake unexplained by maintenance and production energy cost. RFI is defined as the difference between an animal's actual feed intake and its expected feed intake based on its metabolic body weight and body weight gain, and the lower the value the more efficient the animal is (Herd and Arthur 2009). As a RFI-correlated measurement, PEM has been developed to determine the net feed efficiency in feed restricted lambs by Rajaei Sharifabadi, Naserian, Valizadeh, Nassiry, Bottje and Redden (2016). These authors reported that although feed restriction negatively affected growth rate of low RFI lambs (high efficient lambs), but PEM was improved in high RFI lambs (low efficient lambs) by a moderate 85% of ad libitum feeding regime. These findings suggest that the RFI and/or PEM are more accurate measure of the efficiency of feed utilization than FE under feed restriction.

Several studies have reported a relationship between the compensatory growth and nutrient digestibility (Kamalzadeh and Aouladrabiei 2009, Neto, Bezerra, Medeiros, Ferreira, EC Filho, Cândido and Oliveira 2011). In contrast, Abouheif, Al-Sornokh, Swelum, Ahmed, Mahmoud and Haroon (2016) reported no significant differences in digestibility coefficients between restricted lambs (80 or 90% of ad libitum) and ad libitum fed lambs. The previous researches have also reported no significant differences between ad libitum fed and feed restricted lambs for DM digestibility (Reinhardt et al. 1998). During the restriction period, Hart and Glimp (1991) found that digestibility remained unchanged with intake restriction levels below 70% of ad libitum, but more severe restriction above 70% resulted in increased digestibility coefficients. Galyean et al. (1979) observed increased ruminal digestibility with intake restriction of an 84% corn diet, while total tract digestion remained unaffected. In the present study, however, it was observed that the apparent total tract digestibility of DM, OM, and NDF in the restricted lambs were similar to the ad libitum lambs. It seems that the effect of feed restriction as well as thymol on feed efficiency, as observed in the present study, is independent of their effect on nutrient digestibility.

The present study showed that the severe feed restriction had negative effect on ADG and FE, but improved the efficiency of feed utilization as measured by partial efficiency of maintenance. Thymol administration during RES decreased residual feed intake during REF period. However, these positive effects of the feed restriction and thymol on efficiency of feed utilization were independent of nutrient digestibility. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the effect of thymol on other aspects of metabolism that may be related to efficiency of feed utilization.

Statement of Animal Rights

Guidelines for the care and use of animals were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The study was performed according to ethical standards. The manuscript does not contain clinical studies or patient data.

Competing Interests

The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.

Ethics approval

Guidelines for the care and use of animals were approved by the Animal Care Committee of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. The study was performed according to ethical standards.

Consent to participate

Not applicable

Consent to publish

Not applicable

Funding

No funding was received for conducting this study.

Author Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Yasaman Ahmadibonakdar, Alireza Vakili and Ali Javadmanesh. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Hossein Rajaei-Sharifabadi and all authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Acknowledgements

The kind cooperation of the director and staff of the research farm of the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad is greatly acknowledged.

Data Availability

The data used in supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the corresponding author on request.

Abouheif, M., Al-Owaimer, A., Kraidees, M., Metwally, H., and Shafey, T., 2013. Effect of restricted feeding and realimentation on feed performance and carcass characteristics of growing lambs, Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 42, 95–101
Abouheif, M., Al-Sornokh, H., Swelum, A., Ahmed, T.S., Mahmoud, F.A., and Haroon, R., 2016. Effects of intake restriction and realimentation on diet digestion and ruminal fermentation by growing lambs, Global Adv Res J Agric Sci, 5, 126–131
Block, E., Kilmer, L.H., and Muller, L.D., 1981. Acid insoluble ash as a marker of digestibility for sheep fed corn plants or hay and for lactating dairy cattle fed hay, Journal of animal science, 52, 1164–1169
Galyean, M., Wagner, D., and Owens, F., 1979. Level of feed intake and site and extent of digestion of high concentrate diets by steers, Journal of animal science, 49, 199–203
Gholami-Ahangaran, M., Ahmadi-Dastgerdi, A., Azizi, S., Basiratpour, A., Zokaei, M., and Derakhshan, M., 2021. Thymol and carvacrol supplementation in poultry health and performance, Veterinary Medicine and Science, 8, 267–288
Greenwood, P.L., Cafe, L.M., Hearnshaw, H., and Hennessy, D., 2005. Consequences of nutrition and growth retardation early in life for growth and composition of cattle and eating quality of beef. 2005,
Hart, S.P., and Glimp, H., 1991. Effect of diet composition and feed intake level on diet digestibility and ruminal metabolism in growing lambs, Journal of animal science, 69, 1636–1644
Hashemipour, H., Kermanshahi, H., Golian, A., and Veldkamp, T., 2013. Effect of thymol and carvacrol feed supplementation on performance, antioxidant enzyme activities, fatty acid composition, digestive enzyme activities, and immune response in broiler chickens, Poultry science, 92 8, 2059–2069
Herd, R., and Arthur, P., 2009. Physiological basis for residual feed intake, Journal of animal science, 87, E64-E71
Homem Junior, A.C., Silva Sobrinho, A.G.d., Yamamoto, S.M., Pinheiro, R.S.B., Buzzulini, C., and Lima, C.S.A.d., 2007. Compensatory body weight gain in growing lambs: performance and biometrical measurements, Revista Brasileira de Zootecnia, 36, 111–119
Hu, F., Xue, Y., Guo, C., Liu, J., and Mao, S., 2018. The response of ruminal fermentation, epithelium-associated microbiota, and epithelial barrier function to severe feed restriction in pregnant ewes, Journal of animal science, 96 10, 4293–4305
Kamalzade, A., Koops, W., and Kiasat, A., 2009. Effect of qualitative feed restriction on energy metabolism and nitrogen retention in sheep, South African Journal of Animal Science, 39, 30–39
Kamalzadeh, A., and Aouladrabiei, M., 2009. Effects of restricted feeding on intake, digestion, nitrogen balance and metabolizable energy in small and large body sized sheep breeds, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 22, 667–673
Li, Z., Jin, X., Wu, Q., Long, L., Li, Y., Zhang, Q., Liu, A.-x., Chen, X., Geng, Z., and Zhang, C., 2022. Effects of encapsulated thymol and carvacrol mixture on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune function and intestinal health of broilers, Italian Journal of Animal Science, 21, 1651–1659
Luna, A., Lábaque, M.C., Zygadlo, J.A., and Marin, R.H., 2010. Effects of thymol and carvacrol feed supplementation on lipid oxidation in broiler meat, Poultry science, 89 2, 366–370
Mahouachi, M., and Atti, N., 2005. Effects of restricted feeding and re-feeding of Barbarine lambs: intake, growth and non-carcass components, Animal Science, 81, 305–312
Murphy, T.A., Loerch, S.C., Mcclure, K.E., and Solomon, M.B., 1994. Effects of restricted feeding on growth performance and carcass composition of lambs, Journal of animal science, 72 12, 3131–3137
Neto, S.G., Bezerra, L., Medeiros, A., Ferreira, M., EC Filho, P., Cândido, E., and Oliveira, R., 2011. Feed restriction and compensatory growth in Guzera females, Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences, 24, 791–799
Omonijo, F.A., Liu, S., Hui, Q., Zhang, H., Lahaye, L., Bodin, J.C., Gong, J., Nyachoti, M., and Yang, C., 2019. Thymol Improves Barrier Function and Attenuates Inflammatory Responses in Porcine Intestinal Epithelial Cells during Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-Induced Inflammation, Journal of agricultural and food chemistry, 67 2, 615–624
Rajaei-Sharifabadi, H., Zamiri, M.J., Rowghani, E., and Bottje, W.G., 2012. Relationship between the activity of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes and feed efficiency in fat-tailed Ghezel lambs1, Journal of animal science, 90, 1807–1815
Rajaei Sharifabadi, H., Naserian, A.A., Valizadeh, R., Nassiry, M.R., Bottje, W.G., and Redden, R.R., 2016. Growth performance, feed digestibility, body composition, and feeding behavior of high– and low–residual feed intake fat-tailed lambs under moderate feed restriction1, Journal of animal science, 94, 3382–3388
Reinhardt, C., Brandt Jr, R., Eck, T., and Titgemeyer, E., 1998. Performance, digestion, and mastication efficiency of Holstein steers fed whole or processed corn in limit-or full-fed growing-finishing systems, Journal of animal science, 76, 1778–1788
Ryan, W.J., Williams, I.H., and Moir, R.J., 1993a. Compensatory growth in sheep and cattle. 1. Growth pattern and feed intake, Crop & Pasture Science, 44, 1609–1621
Ryan, W.J., Williams, I.H., and Moir, R.J., 1993b. Compensatory growth in sheep and cattle. II. Changes in body composition and tissue weights, Crop & Pasture Science, 44, 1623–1633
Silva Júnior, C.D., Martins, C.C.S., Dias, F.T.F., Sitanaka, N.Y., Ferracioli, L.B., Moraes, J.E.D., Pizzolante, C.C., Budiño, F.E.L., Pereira, R., Tizioto, P., Paula, V.R.C., Coutinho, L.L., and Ruiz, U.d.S., 2020. The use of an alternative feed additive, containing benzoic acid, thymol, eugenol and piperine, improved growth performance, nutrient and energy digestibility and gut health in weaned piglets, Journal of animal science,
Trevisi, P., Merialdi, G., Mazzoni, M., Casini, L., Tittarelli, C., De Filippi, S., Minieri, L., Lalatta-Costerbosa, G., and Bosi, P., 2007. Effect of dietary addition of thymol on growth, salivary and gastric function, immune response, and excretion of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, in weaning pigs challenged with this microbe strain, Italian Journal of Animal Science, 6, 374–376
Van Soest, P.v., Robertson, J.B., and Lewis, B.A., 1991. Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition, Journal of dairy science, 74, 3583–3597
Wilson, P.N., and Osbourn, D.F., 1960. Compensatory growth after undernutrition in mammals and birds, Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc, 35, 324–363
Yambayamba, E., Price, M., and Foxcroft, G., 1996. Hormonal status, metabolic changes, and resting metabolic rate in beef heifers undergoing compensatory growth, Journal of animal science, 74, 57–69
Zhang, G., Zhao, J., Dong, W., Song, X., Zang, J., Ni, S., Zhang, S., and Li, D., 2021. Effects of tea tree oil supplementation on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status and microbial community in weaned pigs, Archives of Animal Nutrition, 75, 121–136
Zhang, S., Albornoz, R.I., Aschenbach, J.R., Barreda, D.R., and Penner, G.B., 2013. Short-term feed restriction impairs the absorptive function of the reticulo-rumen and total tract barrier function in beef cattle, Journal of animal science, 91 4, 1685–1695

Download PDF

Journal Publication

published 31 Aug, 2024

Read the published version in Tropical Animal Health and Production →

Editorial decision: Major revision with re-assessment
29 Mar, 2024
Reviewers agreed at journal
23 Jan, 2024
Reviewers invited by journal
22 Jan, 2024
Editor assigned by journal
15 Jan, 2024
First submitted to journal
14 Jan, 2024

You are reading this latest preprint version

Effect of thymol on the efficiency of feed utilization and compensatory growth in severe feed-restricted lambs

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1

Abstract

Introduction

Materials and Methods

Animals and experimental design

Body weight gain and feed efficiency

Apparent total trace digestibility

Statistical Analyses

Results

Growth performance

Apparent total tract digestibility

Discussion

Declarations

Statement of Animal Rights

Competing Interests

Ethics approval

Funding

Author Contributions

Acknowledgements

Data Availability

References

Status:

Journal Publication

Version 1