Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T00:35:50.377Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effects on maternal and foetal traits of feeding supplement to grazing pregnant ewes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

P. Frutos ,
O. Buratovich ,
F. J. Giràldez ,
A. R. Mantecòn  and
I. A. Wright
P. Frutos
Affiliation:
Estación Agrícola Experimental, Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas, Apartado 788, 24080-León, Spain
O. Buratovich
Affiliation:
Estación Agrícola Experimental, Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas, Apartado 788, 24080-León, Spain
F. J. Giràldez
Affiliation:
Estación Agrícola Experimental, Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas, Apartado 788, 24080-León, Spain
A. R. Mantecòn
Affiliation:
Estación Agrícola Experimental, Consejo Superior de Investigations Científicas, Apartado 788, 24080-León, Spain
I. A. Wright
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH
Get access

Abstract

Thirty single-bearing Merino ewes were used to examine the effect of feeding supplement, from 91 to 140 days of gestation, on changes in chemical composition of the ewes, on the relationships with live weight and body condition score and on the foetus. Ewes grazed a perennial ryegrass pasture and were offered either no supplement or 500 g per head per day of a concentrate supplement from days 30 to 90 and (or) from days 91 to 140 of pregnancy. Maternal carcass and non-carcass components, uterine wall, foetus and placenta plus cotyledons were chemically analysed. Live weight (LW) and body condition score (BCS) on day 140 were both affected by supplementation during late pregnancy, mobilization of protein and fat being lower in animals receiving supplement. BCS accounted for more variation than LW in the carcass fat depot. Because this depot was the most important source of energy from days 91 to 140 of gestation, this suggests that BCS is a useful estimator of mobilization of maternal fat reserves during this stage of pregnancy. The ability to mobilize reserves and protect foetal growth by Merino ewes in southern Europe, where large fluctuations in grass growth rate exposes them to considerable undernutrition as pregnancy proceeds, was confirmed in this experiment. However, when the nutritional regime is extreme, supplementary feeding to the ewes is recommended, in order to make the whole system economically profitable.

Keywords

body conditioneweslive weightpregnancysupplementary feeding
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 66 , Issue 3 , June 1998 , pp. 667 - 673
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1998

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Agricultural Research Council. 1980. The nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Technical review by an Agricultural Research Council working party. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Allden, W. G. 1970. The effects of nutritional deprivation on the subsequent productivity of sheep and cattle. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews 40: 1167–1184.Google ScholarPubMed
Alonso, I. 1994. Estudio ecoldgico y valoracidn de un sistema pastoral de la montaha de Leon. Tesis doctoral, Universidad de Leòn.Google Scholar
Association of Official Analytical Chemists. 1990. Official methods of analysis of the Association of Official Analytical Chemists, 15th edition. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Washington, DC.Google Scholar
Barthram, T. 1986. Experimental techniques: the HFRO sward stick. HFRO biennial report 1984–85, pp. 29–30.Google Scholar
Bell, A. W. 1984. Factors controlling placental and foetal growth and their effects on future production. In Reproduction in sheep (ed. Lindsay, D. R. and Pearce, D. T.), pp. 144–152. Cambridge University Press, London.Google Scholar
Brusa, C. M., Giraldez, F. J., Buratovich, O. F. and Mantecdn, A. R. 1997. Effect of long-term supplementation on animal performance of grazed ewes. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1997, pp. 157 (abstr.).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Frutos, P., Mantecdn, A. R. and Giraldez, F. J. 1997. Relationship of body condition score and live weight with body composition in mature Churra ewes. Animal Science 64: 447–452.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goering, M. K. and Van Soest, P. J. 1970. Forage fiber analysis (apparatus, reagents, procedures and some applications). Agricultural handbook no. 379. Agricultural Research Service, USDA, Washington, USA.Google Scholar
Gunn, R. G. 1983. The influence of nutrition on the reproductive performance of ewes. In Sheep production (ed. Haresign, W.), pp. 99–110. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Linehan, P. A., Lowe, J. and Steward, R. H. 1947. The output of pasture and its measurement. Part II. Journal of the British Grassland Society 2: 145–168.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lòpez, S. and Robinson, J. J. 1994. Nutrition y gestacion en el ganado ovino. Investigacion Agraria: Produccion y Sanidad Animales 9: 189–219.Google Scholar
McCrabb, G. J., Egan, A. R. and Hosking, B. J. 1990. The effect of maternal body condition on glucose metabolism and foetal growth during late pregnancy. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 18: 519.Google Scholar
McCrabb, G. J., Egan, A. R. and Hosking, B. J. 1991. Maternal undernutrition during mid-pregnancy in sheep: placental size and its relationship to calcium transfer during late pregnancy. British Journal of Nutrition 65: 157–168.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McCrabb, G. J., Hosking, B. J. and Egan, A. R. 1992. Changes in the maternal body and feto-placental growth following various lengths of feed restriction during midpregnancy in sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 43: 1429–1440.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Orr, R. J. and Treacher, T. T. 1984. The effect of concentrate level on the intake of hays by ewes in late pregnancy. Animal Production 39: 89–98.Google Scholar
Rattray, P. V., Trigg, T. E. and Ulrich, C. F. 1980. Energy exchanges in twin-pregnant ewes. In Energy metabolism (ed. Mount, L. E.), pp. 325–328. Butterworths, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J. J. 1977. The influence of maternal nutrition on ovine foetal growth. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 36: 9–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J. J. 1986. Changes in body composition during pregnancy and lactation. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 45: 71–80.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J. J. 1990. Nutrition in the reproduction of farm animals. Nutrition Research Reviews 3: 253–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Russel, A. J. F., Doney, J. M. and Gunn, R. G. 1969. Subjective assessment of body fat in live sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 72: 451–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statsoft, . 1991. Complete statistical system. Statsoft, Inc., Tusla, USA.Google Scholar
Taylor, St C. S., Murray, J. I. and Thonney, M. L. 1989. Breed and sex differences among equally mature sheep and goats. Animal Production 49: 385–409.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A. and Russel, A. J. F. 1984a. Partition of fat, body composition and body condition in mature cows. Animal Production 38: 23–32.Google Scholar
Wright, I. A. and Russel, A. J. F. 1984b. Estimation in vivo of the chemical composition of bodies of mature cows. Animal Production 38: 33–44.Google Scholar