The 14th Meeting of Dairy Club (Joint Venture between Alltech and UVAS) was held on Monday June 09, 2012 at Syndicate Room UVAS. Following was the agenda of meeting:

Other Glimpse:  Mango Feast (Refreshment): An article “Magnificent mangoes of Pakistan- tremendous export potential” was distributed among the audience.  

Minutes of meetings are as follows:

Presentation by Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah

Prof. Dr. Muhammad Adullah delivered lecture on “Heat Stress Management in Indigenous dairy Animals”. During his lecture he discussed:

• Cow comfort is the basics for profitability:
• Physical
• Nutritional
• Social
• Thermal

• Bos taurus  vs. Bos Indicus
• Genetic Control of Heat Stress
• Major Climatic Components
• Air temperature,
• Humidity,
• Solar radiation,
• Wind velocity and
• Precipitation produce a combined effect on the ‘thermal comfort’ of the animals and their performance.

Thermoneutral Zone

• Sources of Heat
• Environmental Temperature
• Metabolic Heat
• Heat of radiation (direct/Indirect)
• Mechanisms of heat exchange
• Conduction: Heat moves from warmer to cooler surface through direct contact.
• Convection: The layer of air next to the skin is replaced with cooler air.
• Radiation: Heat can radiate from a warmer environment to a cooler environment.
• Evaporation: Moisture evaporates from the skin (sweating) and lungs (panting).

• Temperature Humidity Index (THI)
• Signs of Heat Stress
• body temperatures rises > 102.6 ◦F 
• Panting>80 breaths per minutes
• Reduced activity
• Increased water intake
• Seek shade
• Reduced feed intake (>10-15%)
• Reduced milk yield (10 to 20% or more)
• Factors Which Determine Severity Of Heat Stress
• Actual temperature and humidity
• Length of the heat stress period
• Degree of cooling that occurs at night
• Ventilation and air flow
• Cow factors (size, milk production)
• Housing type , ventilation
• Breed
• Water availability
• Hair coat  colour and depth
• Heat Stress in Buffalo
• Buffaloes exhibit signs of great distress when exposed to direct solar radiation during hot weather
• Buffalo bodies absorb a great deal of solar radiation because of their dark skin and sparse coat or hair
• In addition buffalo possess a less efficient evaporative cooling system due to their poor sweating ability
• Approaches to Minimize the Effects of Heat Stress
• Two basic approaches                
• a. Housing and facility management
• b. Feeding management

Presentation was beautified with pictorial description which opened a long discussion among audiences. 

Question/Answer/Comments session:

Prof. Dr. Abdullah answered various questions from audiences regarding role of housing, feeding and other factors in heat stress management. Information is available in his presentation.

Mr. Peter Wynne appreciated the presentation and asked about the data on local animals. He told that Betane in cattle feed can be helpful in heat stress conditions.

Dr. Ali Ahmed emphasized the genetics of the dairy cows.

Prof. Dr. Naseem, UVAS and Dr. M. Athar, Hitech Feeds emphasized on type housing.

Dr. M. Athar, Hitech Feeds told that Chromium Propionate addition in cattle feed can be helpful in relieving heat stress.

Major Ilyas explained the importance of roof slope gradient with respect to its width for proper ventilation.

Dr. Mumtaz, Gourmet Foods explained how environmentally controlled sheds can be helpful in heat stress.  
Sodium bi Carbonate and fresh water in heat stress are helpful.

Khurram Ihsan told that feed should be offered in cooler times of the day to avoid excessive heat stress.

Note: The Meeting in August has been cancelled due to the month of Ramzan therefore the 15th meeting will be held in September.