Abstract
Feedlot bull fattening is one of the most profitable livestock business particularly in Mubi because of the presence of the International cattle market („Tike‟). They are fattened around the river banks in the dry season of Mubi when there is rise in temperature and other environmental factors that can affect the performance and carcass quality of such bulls. This experiment therefore was carried out to evaluate the effect of locations on physiological and antioxidative responses of feedlot bulls fattened in Mubi. A total of sixty (60) clinically healthy bulls comprising of twenty (20) heads each at Buladega, Tike cattle market and Njairi feedlot sites were used for this experiment. Data obtained was subjected to statistical analyses using SAS software package and means that were significantly different were separated using Least Square Difference. Parameters measured include physiological traits, anti-oxidative traits and heat stress indicator (Heat Tolerance Coefficient). Location of fattening significantly (p<0.05) affected physiological traits except for Rectal Temperature (p>0.05). Tike cattle market recorded the highest of all the significantly affected heat indices except for pulse rate where Buladega shared superiority with Tike cattle market (35.67 and 35.75 beat/minute), respectively. Location of fattening has affected (p<0.05) all the antioxidative traits. Higher values of Gluthione Transferase (GTT), and Superoxide dismutase (SOD) were recorded in bulls fattened at Tike cattle market while Gamma Glutamyl Tranferase (GGT) was higher in bulls reared at Njairi. Bulls reared at Njairi and Buladega shared superiority in Glutamine Perioxide (GP). It was therefore concluded that heat stress has resulted in an increase in physiological and oxidative stress in cattle fattened at Tike cattle making them more prone to heat load and oxidative stress caused by heat stress.