| Summary: | Weaning is a phase of life that creates stress in pigs causing damage to the welfare and health of pigs. The Matricaria
chamomilla CH12 reduced stress management in cattle, but has not been tested in pigs. Study evaluated the effect of
Matricaria chamomilla CH12 in the stress of weaning. We used 16 male pigs Landrace animals with 28 days of age,
randomly divided into two groups (8 animals/group), the control group (GC) received concentrate feed without and
other group (GMc) received concentrate feed containing addition Matricaria chamomilla CH12. Blood samples were
collected from pigs on days 1, 14, 24 and 30 after weaning for determination of serum cortisol radioimmunoassay.
Piglets were stressed out the next day weaning with a significant increase (P <0.05) in serum cortisol concentration
above the baseline. But piglets adapted to it, 30 days after weaning, the serum cortisol showed a significant linear
decrease (R2
=0,88; P<0.01) returning the basal concentration. However, piglets GMc the group at any time after
weaning showed up stressed and serum cortisol was 61.8 in group GMc %, 43.5%, 77.2% and 32.0% lower than the GC
on days 1, 14, 24 and 30 after weaning, even so, the serum cortisol did not differ significantly between (P>0,05)
groups. But these results show the physiological effect of chamomilla. Matricaria chamomilla CH12 can be used for the
decrease of the stress of weaning pigs and the weaning acts as stressor agent, but the animals adapt.
|
|---|
