Systems and methods for feeding sugar alcohol to ruminants during periods of heat stress
AssigneePurina Animal Nutrition LLC
InventorsBill L. Miller, Jill A. Davidson, Cindie M. Luhman
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Abstract
Systems and methods provide sugar alcohol to heat stressed ruminants to improve performance. During periods of high temperature or humidity, heat stressed ruminants may exhibit decreased dry matter intake, and in response, an effective amount of sugar alcohol such as sorbitol may be provided in the ruminant diet to cause performance to increase, which may include increased milk yield, improved feed efficiency or both compared to heat stressed dairy cattle without sugar alcohol in the diet.
Claims20
A method of feeding a transition or lactating ruminant, the transition ruminant in a transition phase defined by a period during which the ruminant is pregnant and extending through calving by the ruminant, the method comprising:
- during a period of high environmental temperatures, humidity, dew points or combinations thereof, cooling an environment in which the ruminant resides or cooling the ruminant using an evaporative cooling method;
- and
- feeding the ruminant a diet comprising sugar alcohol in view of a potential for the ruminant to experience heat stress, the sugar alcohol fed in an amount effective to improve performance of the heat stressed ruminant during lactation,
- wherein the sugar alcohol comprises at least one of sorbitol, xylitol, adonitol, allitol, altritol, arabitol, dulcitol, erythritol, galactitol, glucitol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, perseitol, ribitol, rhamnitol or threitol.
A method of feeding a transition or lactating ruminant while the ruminant is experiencing one or more heat stress symptoms, the transition ruminant in a transition phase defined by a period during which the ruminant is pregnant and extending through calving by the ruminant, the method comprising:
- during a period of environmental temperatures of at least 70° F., cooling an environment in which the ruminant resides or cooling the ruminant using an evaporative cooling method;
- and
- feeding the ruminant sugar alcohol in an amount effective to improve performance of the heat stressed ruminant during lactation,
- wherein the sugar alcohol comprises at least one of sorbitol, xylitol, adonitol, allitol, altritol, arabitol, dulcitol, erythritol, galactitol, glucitol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, perseitol, ribitol, rhamnitol or threitol.
A method of feeding a transition or lactating ruminant, the transition ruminant in a transition phase defined by a period during which the ruminant is pregnant and extending through calving by the ruminant, the method comprising:
- during a period of environmental temperatures of at least 70° F., cooling an environment in which the transition or lactating ruminant resides or cooling the ruminant using an evaporative cooling method;
- and
- feeding the ruminant a diet comprising sugar alcohol in view of a potential for the ruminant to experience heat stress, the sugar alcohol fed in an amount effective to improve performance, of the heat stressed ruminant during lactation,
- wherein the sugar alcohol comprises at least one of sorbitol, xylitol, adonitol, allitol, altritol, arabitol, dulcitol, erythritol, galactitol, glucitol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, perseitol, ribitol, rhamnitol or threitol.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.