| Abstrakt: |
This study was aimed to investigate the effect of heat stress and seasons on diurnal body temperature, milk yield, and physicochemical properties of dromedary camel in southeastern rangelands Ethiopia. Twenty lactating camels with 2–3 months postmortem and 3–4 parities were selected for evaluation of milk yield, physicochemical properties, and body temperature measurements. The current finding shows diurnal body temperature was significantly higher in hot weather conditions (dry season). Temperature-humidity index (THImax) showed a strong positive correlation to rectal body temperatures (r = 0.72) and daily milk yield (r = 0.6) of a camel. The mean daily milk yield observed in this study was 6.02, 4.99, 2.38, and 2.57 Liters (L) during autumn, spring, summer, and winter, respectively, and showed higher (P < 0.001) milk yield in rainy season. Mean percentage of protein (3.1%), casein (1.9%), lactose (4.9%), solid-not-fat (SNF) (8.53%), and total solids (TS) (12.7%) was greater (P < 0.001) in wet season. Milk fat and energy-corrected milk (ECM) concentrations did not vary (p > 0.05) across the seasons. The body temperature, milk physicochemical properties, and yield of dromedary camels were varied (p < 0.001) with local weather conditions and seasons. However, further investigation based on animal trials at on-station is needed in order to confirm the on-farm camel milk yield and physicochemical quality observed in this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
