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A note on the effect of dentition and age in sheep on the intake of herbage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. E. Newton  and
Caroline Jackson
J. E. Newton
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
Caroline Jackson
Affiliation:
The Grassland Research Institute, Hurley, Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 5LR
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Abstract

The intake of ten 5-year-old Masham ewes with good teeth, five 7-year-old Mashams with poor teeth and nine 10-year-old ewes with poor teeth was measured when they were offered long (35·1 cm) or short grass (3·8 cm) outdoors or poor quality hay indoors. The young ewes ate significantly more grass and hay than the old ewes, but the difference in daily intake was greater with long grass (1473 v. 751 g organic matter per head) and with hay (895 v. 421) than with short grass (617 v. 407). The intermediate age ewes ate as much of the long grass and of the hay as the young ewes, but less of the short grass. This suggests that age influenced intake more than did tooth condition, except when short grass was offered.

Within the oldest but not within the intermediate group of ewes, there was a significant correlation between the number of incisors and organic matter intake, except with the long grass, but there was no correlation between the number of cheek teeth and intake. When offered hay, the only group with a reduced in vivo digestibility was the intermediate group of ewes, the other two groups having a similar digestibility.

There was no correlation between number of incisors or number of molars and in vivo digestibility.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 37 , Issue 1 , August 1983 , pp. 133 - 136
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1983

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References

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