Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-8ctnn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-27T19:03:52.529Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The tolerance of grazing desert ewes and their lambs to prolonged intake of natural saline waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. P. Mittal
Affiliation:
Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India
P. K. Ghosh
Affiliation:
Central Arid Zone Research Institute, Jodhpur, India
Get access

Abstract

The effect of prolonged intake of saline well waters on the productive performance of 56 mature ewes and their lambs of the Magra and Marwari breed of the Rajasthan desert was studied for a period of 44 months. The sheep were maintained at pasture and given drinking water containing 0·3, 2·0 and 3·5 g/1 of total soluble salts. Body-weight changes during pregnancy and lactation, milk yields, greasy-fleece yields of the ewes, lamb birth weights and subsequent body-weight gains, up to weaning and post weaning, and greasy-fleece yield and pre-weaning and post-weaning survival rates of the lambs remained unaffected by the salinity levels in the waters tested.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1984

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

REFERENCES

Abichandani, R. K. 1981. Water use economy in Rajasthan desert sheep. Ann. Arid Zone 20: 215228.Google Scholar
Ghosh, P. K. and Abichandani, R. K. 1982. Water in eco-physiology of desert sheep. Monograph Central Arid Zone Res. Inst., Jodhpur (India), No. 17.Google Scholar
Mittal, J. P. 1983. Effect of drinking saline water on male libido and fertility in Indian desert sheep. Indian J. Anim. Sci. 53: 211212.Google Scholar
Peirce, A. W. 1959. Studies on salt tolerance of sheep. II. The tolerance of sheep for mixture of sodium chloride and magnesium chloride in the drinking water. Aust. J. agric. Res. 10: 725735.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peirce, A. W. 1968a. Studies on salt tolerance of sheep. VII. The tolerance of ewes and their lambs in pens for drinking waters of the types obtained from underground sources in Australia. Aust. J. agric. Res. 19: 577587.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Peirce, A. W. 1968b. Studies on salt tolerance of sheep. VIII. The tolerance of grazing ewes and their lambs for drinking waters of the types obtained from underground sources in Australia. Aust. J. agric. Res. 19: 589595.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Potter, B. J. and Mcintosh, G. H. 1974. Effect of salt water ingestion on pregnancy in the ewes and on lamb survival. Aust. J. agric. Res. 25: 909917.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singh, N. and Taneja, G. C. 1981. Variability for salt tolerance in pure-bred and cross-bred sheep of Rajasthan desert. Indian J. Anim. Sci. 51: 324327.Google Scholar
Snedecor, G. W. and Cochran, W. G. 1967. Statistical Methods. 6th ed. The Iowa State University Press. Ames, la.Google Scholar
Steyn, D. G. 1944. Water poisoning of livestock. Fmg S. Afr. 19: 388390.Google Scholar
Wilson, A. D. 1966. Tolerance of sheep to sodium chloride in food or drinking water. Aust. J. agric. Res. 17: 503514.CrossRefGoogle Scholar