The use of soothing pheromones is becoming more and more common, especially in the case of pets. However, they may also prove helpful in relation to farm animals, as pointed out by Dr. Hab. Michał Dzięcioł, prof. UP in Wrocław, during the XXVI International Scientific Conference in Polanica-Zdrój.
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The XXVI International Scientific Conference in Polanica-Zdrój has started
Reducing stress and modulating the level of well-being
During his lecture on the use of natural and synthetic pheromones in breeding small and large ruminants, prof. The woodpecker explained that the so-called soothing pheromones can be used, among others, improving well-being by reducing stress levels.
– The pheromones that arouse the greatest interest of both scientists and potential users include two main groups of substances: pheromones influencing reproductive processes and pheromones influencing the mood of animals. The latter group includes, among others: the so-called soothing pheromones, which, by reducing stress and modulating the level of well-being, may turn out to be beneficial substances from the point of view of animal production – said Prof. Woodpecker.
Reducing aggressive behavior in cattle, improving the quality of meat and milk
As the speaker emphasized, in recent years research has been published proving that the so-called maternal soothing pheromones can be used in cattle breeding, among others. to improve well-being and reduce aggressive behavior.
– Research has shown that soothing pheromones can significantly improve production results in this species, including: by limiting aggressive behavior, which, along with other symptoms of increased stress, negatively affect overall health, causing a decline in growth, and may negatively affect the quality of the product, which is meat – said Prof. Woodpecker. – There are also research results available regarding the positive impact of the use of the so-called soothing pheromones on the quality of milk – he added.
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Beneficial effect of pheromones on the health and growth of calves
Moreover, the speaker noted that a positive effect of soothing pheromones on the course of respiratory syndrome in cattle in the context of the fattening period has been demonstrated.
The desired effect on the health and growth of calves has also been proven. One of the studies cited by the speaker was an experiment in which HF calves received the so-called maternal soothing pheromones in the form of drops applied to the skin of the neck and the skin under the muzzle on the first day of life and then every 14 days until discontinuation on the 60th day of life. An additional dose was administered after calves were transferred from cages to collective pens around the 100th day of life. As a result, these calves had a lower incidence of diarrhea than calves not receiving pheromones (58.6 vs. 70.8%) and a lower risk of death (2.4 vs. 7.8%). As you can see, these differences are significant. Moreover, these calves had significantly higher body weight on the 7th day after being transferred to collective pens.
The issue of better growth of calves after using pheromones was also confirmed in another study, published in 2020.
Less antimicrobial substances and lower treatment costs
Prof. Dzięcioł noted that these substances may be part of the increasingly important trend in animal production of limiting the use of antibiotics.
– Calming pheromones, which have the ability to reduce stress levels and thus preserve the functions of the immune system, may limit the use of antimicrobial substances – the speaker pointed out.
Moreover, studies have shown a beneficial effect of the use of soothing pheromones in relation to the cost of pharmacological intervention per calf.
– To sum up, administering soothing pheromones at an interval of 14 days improved the performance and reduced the costs of pharmacological interventions in unweaned dairy calves – said Prof. Woodpecker.
