What major health risk results from feeding moldy hay or spoiled silage to water buffalo?
Answer
Compromised immune system and reproductive cycles due to mycotoxins
The quality of supplemental feed offered to water buffalo must be rigorously maintained because spoiled or moldy forage, such as old hay or silage, contains dangerous mycotoxins. Since water buffalo consume exceptionally large volumes of dry matter daily, any low-level toxin present in the feed source is rapidly concentrated within their system, much faster than in smaller animals. This concentration has severe systemic effects, specifically compromising the animal's immune defense mechanisms and negatively impacting reproductive cycles, underscoring why meticulous attention to feed storage and quality assurance is vital.
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