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Heat Stress Tolerance Effect
The fermentation
of feeds in the rumen and cecum results in the production of heat,
resulting in an average temperature around 102 degrees Fahrenheit,
with the gasses carbon dioxide (CO2)
and methane (CH4)
being sources of energy loss and heat production. As a result, feed
intake is controlled to some extent by the environmental
temperature. Feed intake is relatively constant between 59° and 77°
Fahrenheit (15° and 25° C), however feed intake decreases above 77°
F (25° C). Additionally, the animal’s maintenance energy
requirements increase above this temperature due to an increased
respiration rate. The digestion of forage is less energetically
efficient than the digestion of grain, and results in more heat
production than the digestion of grains as a result of more acetate,
carbon dioxide, and methane production. Therefore, increasing the
efficiency of fermentation with forages should result in less heat
stress on the animal and result in improved performance.
Specific
research information can be found by clicking on the links below:
Marcus et al.,
1986
Gomez-Alarcon
et al., 1991
Caton et al.,
1993
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