Effects of shelter, exposure and level of feeding over winter on the productivity of Welsh Mountain ewes and lambs

1973 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. I. Robinson ◽  
W. Brown ◽  
I. A. M. Lucas
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Outdoor Exposure ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Maintain Body Weight ◽  
Fourth Experiment ◽  
Different Levels

SUMMARYPregnant Welsh Mountain ewes were kept over winter on a hill. All were penned individually, either in a shed or out of doors. In Experiments 1 and 2 different levels of digestible organic matter (DOM) were given in each environment and in Experiment 3 only a single level was offered. In Experiment 2 all ewes were grazed together after lambing; in Experiment 3 some from each treatment were moved to a shed after lambing and their milk yields recorded between 10 and 15 days later.In a fourth experiment on low land, pregnant ewes were either housed or kept in an exposed or a sheltered paddock. All were grazed together after lambing.The results indicated that the requirement of indoors penned sheep to maintain body weight and produce a single lamb is 9·5 g DOM/kg live weight per 24 hr at 16 weeks pre-partum, rising to 15·0 g DOM/kg live weight per 24 hr at 1 week pre-partum. A 10% weight loss during pregnancy would be expected in ewes receiving 75 to 80 % of these requirements. Low intakes during pregnancy reduced wool growth and lamb birth weights.Outdoor exposure reduced pre-partum ewe weight by about 1·5 kg, and so was equivalent to a 10% reduction in daily DOM intake. The magnitude of this effect was not changed significantly by level of feeding. Exposure did not affect wool growth and its influence on lamb birth weight and growth was variable.

Effect of supplementary feeding and herbage mass on the intake and performance of grazing ewes in early lactation

1981 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 185-195 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Milne ◽  
T. J. Maxwell ◽  
W. Souter
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Perennial Ryegrass ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Early Lactation ◽  
Live Weight Gain ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Matter Digestibility ◽  
And Performance

ABSTRACT1. Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of a cereal-based supplement and herbage mass on the intake and performance by Border Leicester × Scottish Blackface ewes nursing twin lambs in early lactation.2. In one experiment 16 ewes, individually penned, were given one of four amounts of supplement (0, 320, 640 and 960 g organic matter per ewe per day) and offered ad libitum freshly-cut perennial ryegrass herbage (organic-matter digestibility 82%). Intake of herbage and total organic matter digestibility declined linearly with increasing intake of supplement (0·84 g organic matter of herbage per g organic matter of supplement and 0·50 percentage units per 100 g organic matter of supplement respectively).3. In the second experiment three amounts of supplement (0, 480 and 960 g organic matter per ewe per day) were offered individually to groups of seven ewes grazing a perennial ryegrass sward of high digestibility, maintained at herbage masses of either 500 or 750 kg organic matter per ha. A further group of seven unsupplemented ewes were grazed on the same sward maintained at 1500 kg organic matter per ha. Intakes of herbage and digestible organic matter by ewes, and lamb live-weight gain, were all significantly greater and ewe live-weight loss significantly less at herbage masses of 750 and 1500 tha n at 500 kg organic matter per ha (P <0·05). The mean decline in herbage intake was 0·93g organic matter per g organic matter supplement consumed. Amount of supplement had no significant effect on lamb live-weight gain at either weight of herbage nor on ewe live-weight loss at the 750 kg organic matter per ha herbage mass. At 500 kg organic matter per ha herbage mass, intake of digestible organic matter was significantly greater and ewe live-weight loss was significantly less for 960 than for 0 and 480 g organic matter per day amounts of supplement (P <0·05).

Effect of age, abomasal cannulation and rumen catheterization on intake and site of digestion by early-weaned lambs

1990 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Cruickshank ◽  
D. P. Poppi ◽  
A. R. Sykes ◽  
A. S. Familton
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Nutrient Digestion ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Outflow Rate ◽  
Ram Lambs ◽  
Effect Of Age ◽  
Cumulative Intake

SUMMARYThe voluntary food intake, in vivo digestibility and site of nutrient digestion was measured in 12 Polled Dorset ram lambs, from 6 to 24 weeks of age, offered clover hay. Lambs were weaned at 6 weeks of age. Six were fitted with a permanent T-shaped cannula in the abomasum and a temporary rumen catheter during the periods of digesta flow measurement.Surgical modification of lambs did not influence intake (g/kg live weight (W) per day), in vivo digestibility or marker retention time in the rumen. However, intact lambs grew significantly faster than cannulated lambs (139 v. 109g/day, P < 0·05) apparently because of an overall higher cumulative intake over the whole experimental period rather than any change in efficiency of use of nutrients or maintenance requirement.Relative to live weight, intake increased rapidly until c. 10 weeks of age and remained relatively constant at c. 37 g DM/kg W per day for the remainder of the experiment. Age had no effect on in vivo digestibility of organic matter (OM) or neutral detergent fibre (NDF) (average 0·69).The proportion of digestible organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (DOMADR) decreased from 0·63 to 0·47 between 8 and 24 weeks of age whilst intake between these measurement periods increased. Nonammonia N (NAN) flow past the abomasum was similar at all ages in relation to digestible organic matter intake (55·1 g NAN/kg DOMI) but was higher at 16 and 24 weeks of age than at 8 and 12 weeks of age, respectively, in relation to organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (OMADR) (116 and 85 g NAN/kg OMADR, respectively, P < 0·05).Fractional outflow rate of digesta markers from the rumen, when estimated from abomasal digesta, was significantly higher than when estimated from faeces (103Ru-p 0·121 v. 0·09; 51Cr-EDTA 0·169 v. 0·111/h; P > 0·05).It was concluded that cannulation did not affect intake and digestion characteristics in these young lambs. The changes in the site of nutrient digestion as the animals aged may have been due to agerelated changes in digestive function but appeared to be associated with the increase in intake that occurred between measurement periods of the cannulated lambs.

Stimulation of wool growth by thyroxine implantation. II. Feed intake of grazing Merino wethers treated repeatedly with thyroxine.

1964 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 676 ◽  
Author(s):  
LJ Lambourne
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Feed Intake ◽  
Sheep Grazing ◽  
Wool Production ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Maintenance Requirements ◽  
Substantial Rise ◽  
Stimulation Of

Estimates have been made of the feed intake of wethers that received implantations of 60 mg thyroxine every 3 months, and of untreated sheep, grazing together. The estimated intake of digestible organic matter (D.O.M.) by treated wethers was higher than that of controls in 24 out of 27 measurement periods. The difference in feed intake was least in the iirst month after implantation, when the treated sheep lost weight, and greatest in the second and third months when the treated sheep were regaining weight. The overall increase in intake resulting from thyroxine treatment (20–25%) was greater than the increase in wool production (7% greasy weight, 3-7 % clean weight), and the efficiency of wool production was therefore lower in thyroxinetreated wethers. From the relationships between feed intake and rate of weight change it was concluded that in the month after implantation, when pulse rates indicated a substantial rise in metabolic rate, the maintenance feed requirement was raised from about 560 g to about 780 g D.O.M. per day. Observations in two winters with recently shorn sheep gave estimates of maintenance requirements for untreated wethers ranging from 850 to 1300 g D.O.M. per day. During recovery from repeated thyroxine implantation the wethers gained in weight no more efficiently than the controls. The mechanism of action of exogenous thyroxine is discussed in the light of these and other data.

scholarly journals The intake, digestion and protein degradation of grazed herbage by early-weaned lambs

1992 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-364 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. J. Cruickshank ◽  
D. P. Poppi ◽  
A. R. Sykes
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Organic Matter ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Similar Rate ◽  
Ammonia Nitrogen ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Pure Species ◽  
Prairie Grass ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter

Sixty-four intact lambs and twenty-four lambs fitted with a duodenal cannula were weaned at 6 weeks of age and grazed pure species swards of either lucerne (Medicago sativa), white clover (Trifolium repens), ryegrass (Lolium perenne) or prairie grass (Bromus catharticus) for 6 weeks. Intake and duodenal digesta flow were estimated when lambs were 8 and 12 weeks of age. Lambs grazing the two legume species grew at a similar rate, as did lambs grazing the two grass species. Legumes promoted a 38% higher growth rate than grasses. The higher growth rate of lambs grazing legumes was associated with a 36% higher digestible organic matter intake (DOMI; 29.5 and 21.7 g/kg body-weight per d for legume and grass respectively) and a 33% higher duodenal non-ammonia-nitrogen (NAN) flow (1.22 and 0.92 g/kg body-weight per d respectively). There was no species difference in the site of organic matter digestion; on average 0.56 of DOMI was apparently digested in the rumen and 0.77 of DOMI was truly digested in the rumen. There was no difference in duodenal NAN flow, relative to DOMI (average, 43 g/kg) or to organic matter apparently digested in the rumen (80 g/kg). Similarly, there was no difference in microbial N flow relative to duodenal NAN (0.50 g/g) and organic matter apparently (41 g/kg) or truly (29 g/kg) digested in the rumen. It was concluded that the higher growth rates achieved by lambs grazing legumes were due to higher intakes which increased the total quantity of nutrients supplied despite more protein being lost in the rumen of lambs consuming legumes.

The effect of urea on the utilization of ground, pelleted roughage by penned sheep: I. Food intake, live-weight change and wool growth

1969 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 251-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. B. Coombe ◽  
G. K. Preston
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Weight Change ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Basal Diet ◽  
Experimental Period ◽  
Mineral Supplement ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Crystalline Urea ◽  
Oat Straw

SUMMARYIndividually-penned adult Merino wethers were fed for 16 weeks on a basal diet of ground, pelleted oat straw or Phalaris straw. Urea was supplied either in a salt-urea block containing 30% urea, or as crystalline urea incorporated into the pellets. A commercial mineral supplement was given during the first 8 weeks, but this was replaced with a laboratory-prepared mineral mix during the second 8 weeks.Urea supplementation significantly reduced live-weight loss. Over the 16 weeks control sheep lost a mean of 14·5 kg, and supplemented sheep 8·7 kg body weight. Most of this response to urea occurred during the second half of the experimental period.Food intakes of all sheep increased over the first 2 weeks and then fell. In the unsupplemented groups, levels of intake then remained fairly low, whereas in the sheep fed urea food intakes rose over the final 6 weeks of the experiment. There was a significant linear regression of live-weight change on food intake only with the urea-fed sheep. Intakes of urea-N from the blocks were extremely variable between individual sheep and between periods within sheep; in most cases, however, they appeared to be adequate, as this type of supplementation gave results similar to those obtained by mixing urea throughout the roughage.There was no significant effect of urea on total wool growth during the experimental period, although wool growth in the supplemented shepp showed a rise towards the end of the experiment. Wool growth in any 4-weekly period was closely related to food intake and live-weight change during that period.

Effect of body condition and pasture type on herbage intake, performance during lactation and subsequent ovulation rate in Scottish Blackface ewes

1981 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 241-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Doney ◽  
R. G. Gunn ◽  
J. N. Peart ◽  
W. F. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Ovulation Rate ◽  
Herbage Intake ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Daily Milk Yield ◽  
Daily Milk

ABSTRACTScottish Blackface ewes in uniform, good, body condition at mating were differentially fed during pregnancy, such that two groups lost 0·15 to 0·20 (groups A and B) and one group gained 0·05 (group C) of maternal live weight by lambing time. The treatments had little effect on the number of lambs born per ewe lambing (1·39, 1·46 and 148 respectively).Prior to parturition, group A was transferred to a poor hill pasture, and groups B and C to an improved upland reseeded pasture. Herbage intake by six single- and six twin-suckling ewes from each group was estimated in the 3rd, 6th and 8th week after parturition, and mean daily milk production was estimated on 1 day following each intake measurement period. Herbage intake by six dry ewes in each of groups A and B was also estimated.There were significant differences amongst groups A, B and C, respectively, in mean organic matter digestibility of the herbage consumed (0·701, 0·771 and 0·773), mean daily digestible organic-matter intake (1·06, 1·46 and 1·46kg), mean live-weight change over the period ( –2·9, +5·4 and +l·3kg) and mean daily milk yield (0·64, 1·93 and 1·95 kg).By the following mating time, after grazing the same pasture from weaning, there was still a difference in body condition score according to pasture type during lactation (2·08, 2·36 and 2·29, respectively). Ovulation rate measured after mating was consistent with the direct effect of body condition (1·34, 1·56 and 1·52, respectively).

Weight Loss Time as a Function of Constantly Maintained Percentage Body Weight

1966 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 829-830 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ehrenfreund
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Body Weight ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Absolute Weight ◽  
White Rats ◽  
Maintain Body Weight ◽  
Control Devices

17 white rats were maintained in weight-control devices which continuously and automatically maintain body weight within 1%. Temporal distributions of weight loss times were aperiodic and failed to correlate with ad lib. or absolute weight.

Lablab (Lablab purpureus) and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) seeds as supplements for sheep fed low quality roughage

1998 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 23
Author(s):  
R. M. Dixon ◽  
E. S. Garcia ◽  
J. A. Domingo ◽  
J. H. G. Holmes
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Nutritional Value ◽  
Synthetic Fibre ◽  
Rumen Fluid ◽  
Lupinus Angustifolius ◽  
Lablab Purpureus ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Ad Libitum

Summary. The seeds of lablab (Lablab purpureus) and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius) were investigated as supplements for young sheep. In experiment 1, rumen-cannulated sheep were offered low quality roughage ad libitum alone or supplemented with about 5, 10 or 20 g/kg liveweight whole lupin or lablab seed. Rumen ammonia concentrations were increased by each level of both supplements, and the increases were greater with lupins than with lablab. The pH of rumen fluid was decreased by both supplements, particularly when the higher levels were fed. Dry matter of broken seeds of both legume species rapidly disappeared from synthetic fibre bags incubated in the rumen. Roughage dry matter disappearance from synthetic fibre bags decreased (P<0.05) when 20 g/kg liveweight lupins was fed, and this level of both supplements reduced (P<0.05) roughage intake. Total dry matter intake was increased more by lablab than by lupins, but dry matter and organic matter digestibility tended to be increased to a lesser extent by lablab. Overall, digestible organic matter intake and liveweight gain were increased to similar extents by both supplements. Wool growth was lower (P<0.05) with lablab than lupins, particularly at the highest level of supplementation, suggesting that availability of some amino acids was lower with lablab supplement. In experiment 2, rumen-cannulated sheep were fed low quality roughage ad libitum and supplemented with about 10 g/kg liveweight of either lupin or lablab seed. Lectins and protease inhibitors present in the lablab seed disappeared rapidly from synthetic fibre bags incubated in the rumen. In conclusion the nutritional value of lablab seed as a supplement for sheep fed low quality roughage was similar to that of lupin seed for liveweight gain, but was lower for wool growth.

Evaluation of formaldehyde-treated lucerne hay for protecting protein from ruminal degradation, and for increasing nitrogen retention, wool growth, live-weight gain and voluntary intake when fed to young sheep

1976 ◽  
Vol 86 (2) ◽  
pp. 379-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. N. Barry
Keyword(s):  
Weight Loss ◽  
Moisture Content ◽  
Treatment Period ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Post Treatment ◽  
Wool Growth ◽  
Formaldehyde Treatment ◽  
Ad Libitum ◽  
Voluntary Intake

SummaryIn three separate experiments, lucerne hay was sprayed with solutions of formaldehyde as it was being baled. Moisture content at baling was respectively 20, 28 and 34% in Expts 1, 2 and 3, the latter being considered higher than normal. Dry matter lost during 4 months of storage averaged 6·7% and was unaffected by formaldehyde treatment.Increasing rates of formaldehyde application decreased the amount of plant nitrogen digested in the microbial stage of an in vitro system and increased the amount of nitrogen digested in the subsequent acid-pepsin stage (Expt 1 only). When the hays were fed at constant intake to sheep in metabolism cages, formaldehyde treatment depressed the concentration of ammonia and volatile fatty acids (VFA's) in rumen fluid and lowered the molar proportions of iso- and n-valeric acids, but caused either very little or no depression in apparent energy digestibility. It was concluded that formaldehyde treatment of the hays reduced protein degradation by rumen microorganisms and probably increased the amount of protein digested in the post-ruminal region of the digestive system, and that this was achieved without any serious effect on energy digestion.The hays were also fed for 50 days at restricted and ad libitum intakes to young Komney sheep kept in outdoor pens, followed by a 55-day post-treatment period on spring pasture. Voluntary intake was high in both experiments and was unaffected by formaldehyde treatment in hay baled at normal moisture content. There was a tendency for formaldehyde treatment to cause a small increase in voluntary intake in hay baled at the highest moisture content, but this was counteracted by its effect in depressing digestibility, giving no increase in digestible dry-matter intake. Live-weight gains were low in relation to intake, giving a weight loss in most treatment groups. Formaldehyde treatment significantly reduced weight loss and the effect was still present at the end of the post-treatment period. From regressions of weight change on digestible energy intake, it was considered that formaldehyde treatment had brought about a small improvement in the efficiency with which energy was used below maintenance.Wool growth rates appeared normal for the levels of intake achieved and were increased 14·5% by formaldehyde treatment at ad libitumintake and 5·5% at restricted intake. Residual responses to formaldehyde treatment in the post-treatment period averaged 8%. The total amount of extra clean wool produced from formaldehyde treatment over both periods was 46and94g respectively at the restricted and ad libitum intakes, representing only 1·5 and 3·0% of the annual fleece production. Wool growth on diets treated with formaldehyde in sheep feed at the maintenance level of energy intake is discussed in relation to the concentration of protein-bound sulphur-containing amino acids (SAA's) in the diet dry matter. It was concluded that large responses in wool growth from protein protection of forage diets are unlikely unless the concentration of SAA's in the dry matter can be considerably increased from their present low levels. It is suggested that the possibility of achieving this through plant breeding techniques be investigated.

Synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen. III.The effect of dietary protein

1970 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 305 ◽  
Author(s):  
ID Hume
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dietary Protein ◽  
Protein Production ◽  
Volatile Fatty Acids ◽  
Casein Diet ◽  
Ruminal Fermentation ◽  
Microbial Protein ◽  
Digestible Organic Matter ◽  
Protein Free Diet ◽  
Different Levels

Protein production in the rumen of sheep fed on a virtually protein-free diet supplemented with urea and higher volatile fatty acids (VFA) and yielding 600 g digestible organic matter per day amounted to 90 g/day. When gelatin was substituted for the higher VFA and 50% of the urea nitrogen, microbial protein production remained at a similar level (91 g/day); with casein, production increased to 101 g/day, and with zein to 104 g/day. Nitrogen balances increased from 4.1 g/day in sheep fed on the casein diet to 5.5 g/day in those fed on the zein diet (P < 0.05). These values were both significantly higher than those for the urea/VFA or gelatin-containing diets, reflecting the different levels of microbial protein production on the respective diets. In addition, 44 g un-degraded zein left the rumen daily, accounting for the increase in nitrogen balance on this diet above that on the casein diet. Negligible amounts of nitrogen were recycled on the urea/VFA, gelatin, and casein treatments, but at least 7.5 g recycled nitrogen was utilized in the rumen daily on the zein diet. This is equivalent to 47 g protein, sufficient in itself to satisfy the maintenance requirement of the sheep for protein. The yields of protein from ruminal fermentation on the three protein treatments suggest that the maximum possible yield may exceed 20 g/100 g organic matter digested in the rumen.

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