Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T20:24:09.209Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of intake level during milk-feeding period and protein content in the post-weaning diet on performance and body composition in growing lambs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. Manso ,
A. R. Mantecón ,
T. Castro  and
G. R. Iason
T. Manso
Affiliation:
Departamento de Producción Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, 28040 Madrid, Spain
A. R. Mantecón
Affiliation:
Estación Agrícola Experimental (CSIC), Apartado de Correos 788. 24080 León, Spain
T. Castro
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH
G. R. Iason
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Craigiebuckler, Aberdeen AB15 8QH
Get access

Abstract

The effect of intake level during the milk-feeding period and dietary protein content during the post-weaning period on performance, weight of components of the digestive tract and carcass and non-carcass chemical composition was investigated in 28 Churra lambs. A 2 × 2 factorial design was used with two intake levels during the milk-feeding period (Lmilk: 0·9 and Hmilk: 1·5 MJ gross energy per kg M0·75 daily) and two concentrate supplements (Lprotein:barley grain and Hprotein: barley grain plus 200 g/kg fish meal) during the post-weaningperiod. After selecting an initial slaughter group of four 2-day-old lambs, 12 lambs were assigned randomly to each of two intake levels during a 4-week milk-feeding period and given food individually. Four lambs from each intake level were slaughtered at weaning (30 days old) and the remaining 16 were weaned between 30 and 49 days old (weaning period). Eight lambs from each nutritional regimen during the milk-feeding period were further divided into two equal groups and given food individually ad libitum with hay and the post-weaning concentrate, according to the experimental design until thefinal slaughter weight (20 kg) (post-weaning period). Lmitk lambs showed a capacity to grow as well as the Hmilk during the weaning and post-weaning period and there were no differences (P > 0·05) in dry-matter intake and food conversion ratio among treatments. Before weaning, the weight of the reticulo-rumen was not affected by the intake level during the milk-feeding period. The most affected component of the gastrointestinal tract was the small intestine as proportion of the digestive tract which was lower in Lmilk lambs (P < 0·05). At 20 kg live weight, the relative size of the reticulo-rumen was greater (P < 0·01) and the abomasum (P < 0·05) and large intestine (P < 0·01) were smaller in lambs which were given the Hprotein concentrate after weaning. The organic matter apparent digestibility (OMD, P < 0·05) and crude protein apparent digestibility (CPD, P < 0·05) of the post-weaning diets was greater in Lmilk lambs and the Hprotein post-weaning diet was associated with a greater dry-matter apparent digestibility, OMD and CPD when lambs were close to final slaughter weight. At 20 kg live weight, the proportion of protein in the carcass of Lmilk lambs was greater (P < 0·05) than in Hmilk lambs. The greater growth of the reticulo-rumen of the Lmilk lambs might have increased solid food intake after the milk-feeding period, led to greater CPD of post-weaning diets and had consequences in terms of carcass composition.

Keywords

body compositiondietary proteingrowthlambsmilk
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 67 , Issue 3 , December 1998 , pp. 513 - 521
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. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Farnham Royal.Google Scholar
Cheng, K. J., Forsberg, C. W., Minato, H. and Corsterton, J. W. 1991. Microbial ecology and physiology of feed degradation within the rumen. In Physiological aspects digestion and metabolism in ruminants (ed. Tsuda, T., Sasaki, Y. and Kawashima, R.). Academic Press, Inc., San Diego.Google Scholar
Davies, D. A. R. and Owen, J. B. 1967. The intensive rearing of lambs. 1. Some factors affecting performance in the liquid feeding period. Animal Production. 9: 501–508.Google Scholar
Drew, K. R. and Reid, J. T. 1975. Compensatory growth in immature sheep. I. The effects of weight loss and realimentation on the whole body composition. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge. 85: 193–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Drouillard, J. S., Klopfenstein, T. J., Britton, R. A., Bauer, M. L., Gramlich, S. M., Webster, T. J. and Ferrell, C. L. 1991. Growth, body composition and visceral organ mass and metabolism in lambs after protein or net energy restrictions. Journal of Animal Science. 69: 3357–3375.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrell, C. L., Koong, L. J. and Nienaber, J. A. 1986. Effect of previous nutrition on body composition and maintenance energy costs of growing lambs. British Journal of Nutrition. 56: 595–605.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Greenwood, P. L., Hunt, A. S., Bell, A. W. and Hermanson, J. W. 1996. Birth size and postnatal nutrition affect body composition in young lambs. Journal of Animal Science 74: (Suppl. 1) 151.Google Scholar
Iason, G. R. and Mantecdn, A. R. 1993. The effects of dietary protein level during food restriction on carcass and non-carcass components, digestibility and subsequent compensatory growth in lambs. Animal Production. 56: 93–100.Google Scholar
Iason, G. R., Mantecdn, A. R., Milne, J. A., Sim, D. A., Smith, A. D. M. and White, I. R. 1992. The effect of pattern of food supply on performance, compensatory growth and carcass composition of Beulah and Welsh Mountain lambs. Animal Production 54: 235–241.Google Scholar
Kabbali, A., Johnson, W. L., Johnson, D. W., Goodrich, R. D. and Allen, C. E. 1992. Effects of compensatory growth on some body component weights and on carcass and non-carcass composition of growing lambs. Journal of Animal Science. 70: 2852–2858.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ledin, I. 1983. Effect of restricted feeding and realimentation on compensatory growth, carcass composition and organ growth in lambs. Swedish Journal Agricultural Research. 13: 175–187.Google Scholar
Murphy, T. A., Loerch, S. C., McClure, K. E. and Solomon, M. B. 1994. Effects of restricted feeding on growth performance and carcass composition of lambs. Journal Animal Science. 72: 3131–3137.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, D. M. and Slezacek, O. 1980. Growth rate effects on some offal components of sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge. 95: 241–250.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
O'Donovan, P. B. 1984. Compensatory gain in cattle and sheep. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B 54: 389–410Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R. 1992. Development of a functioning rumen. In Protein nutrition in ruminants (ed. Ørskov, E. R. and Ryle, M.), pp. 5–20. Elsevier Applied Science, London.Google Scholar
Rompala, R. E. and Hoagland, T. A. 1987. Effect of level of alimentation on visceral organ mass and the morphology and Na+, K+ adenosinetriphosphatase activity of intestinal mucosa in lambs. Journal of Animal Science. 65: 1058–1063.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ryan, J. 1990. Compensatory growth in cattle and sheep. Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Series B 60: 653–664.Google Scholar
Ryan, W. J., Williams, I. H. and Moir, R. J. 1993. Compensatory growth in sheep and cattle. I. Growth pattern and feed intake. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research. 44: 1609–1621.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sanz Arias, R., Pelaez, R. and Gonzalez, J. S. 1977. [Milk intake, weaning check, solid food intake and growth from birth until 11 weeks old in lambs fed artificially and weaned at 25, 30, 35 or 40 days old.] Avances en Alimentacion y Mejora Animal 18: 125–135.Google Scholar
Turgeon, O. A., Brink, D. R., Bartle, S. J., Klopfenstein, T. J. and Ferrell, C. L. 1986. Effects of growth rate and compensatory growth on body composition in lambs. Journal of Animal Science 63: 770–780.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Soest, P. J. 1994. Function of the ruminant forestomach. In Nutritional ecology of the ruminant (ed. Soest, P. J Van), pp. 230–252. Cornell University Press, Itaka and London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wilson, P. N. and Osbourn, D. F. 1960. Compensatory growth after undernutrition in mammals and birds. Biological Reviews 35: 324–363.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wright, I. A., Russel, A. J. F. and Hunter, E. A. 1987. The effects of genotype and post-weaning nutrition on compensatory growth in cattle reared as singles and twins. Animal Production 45: 423–432.Google Scholar