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. 2026 Mar 9;16(5):853.
doi: 10.3390/ani16050853.

Feeding an Essential Oil Blend to Growing Crossbred Lambs Mitigates Heat Stress to Improve Growth Performance via Enhanced Antioxidant Capacity

Yannan Ma  1   2 , Lei Yang  1 , Fan Wu  3 , Jiao Luo  1 , Zhixian Liu  1 , Wen Chen  1 , Zhaomin Lei  4 , Pengjia He  4 , Ting Liu  4 , Shuzhen Song  5 , Shuai Wang  1 , Jianping Wu  2   5 , David P Casper  6
Affiliations

Feeding an Essential Oil Blend to Growing Crossbred Lambs Mitigates Heat Stress to Improve Growth Performance via Enhanced Antioxidant Capacity

Yannan Ma et al. Animals (Basel). .

Abstract

Heat stress (HS) poses a significant stress challenge to growing lambs, impacting growth performance, health, and physiological responses. The study evaluated feeding an essential oil blend (EOB) on growth performance, physiological and blood parameters, oxidative, and immune responses. Thirty-two 3 mo old female (BW 18.6 ± 2.43 kg) crossbred (Mongolian × Thin-tailed Han F1) lambs were randomly assigned to either: (1) control (CON)-grain mix without EOB; or (2) EOB-an EOB blend supplemented at 4 g/kg grain mix. The EOB blend was comprised of 4.34% Zanthoxylum, 1% capsicum, and 1.06% cinnamon oils with 93.6% attapulgite carrier containing linalool, sabinene, limonene, capsaicin, cinnamaldehyde and eugenol. Extreme heat stress occurred for 39 out of the 45 d experiment. Feeding HS lambs EOB increased (p < 0.05) ADG (107.4 and 162.0 g/d for CON and EOB, respectively), forage intake (239.2 and 287.0 g/d), DMI (863.1 and 930.2 g/d), and feed efficiency (0.123 and 0.181 ADG, g/DMI, g) compared with lambs fed CON. Feeding EOB reduced (p < 0.01) respiration rates (RR) and rectal (RT) and skin temperatures (ST) compared to CON-fed lambs. Lambs fed EOB had a higher T-SOD activity and IgM concentration (0.05 < p < 0.10) than CON-fed lambs. Growing heat-stressed lambs fed EOB demonstrated a lower (p < 0.05) eosinophil percentage. Feeding EOB ameliorated HS conditions for growing crossbred lambs, which demonstrate improved growth performance, enhanced physiological responses, and overall health status.

Keywords: essential oil blend; growth performance; health; heat-stress; immunity; lambs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest, except Dr. David P. Casper who operates Casper’s Calf Ranch, LLC, and provides consulting services.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Daily environmental ambient temperature and relative humidity during the 45 d experiment.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Daily calculated temperature humidity index (THI) during the 45 d experiment. EXHS = extreme heat stress. SHS = severe heat stress.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Respiration rate for heat-stressed lambs fed control (CON) or an essential oil blend (EOB). Treatment by day interaction, p < 0.05. SEM = 2.76.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Skin temperature from heat-stressed lambs fed control (CON) or an essential oil blend (EOB). Treatment by day interaction, p < 0.05. SEM = 0.04.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Rectal temperature from heat-stressed lambs fed control (CON) or an essential oil blend (EOB).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Skin temperature from heat-stressed lambs fed control (CON) or an essential oil blend (EOB).
Figure 7
Figure 7
Respiration rates from heat-stressed lambs fed control (CON) or an essential oil blend (EOB).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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