Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-tf8b9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-29T02:16:21.887Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of body fatness on energetic efficiency and fasting heat production in adult sheep

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Mary A. McNiven
Mary A. McNiven
Affiliation:
Department of Animal Nutrition, Agricultural University of Norway, 1432 Aas-NLH, Norway
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

1. The effect of body fatness on the fasting heat production and energetic efficiency of adult sheep was studied.

2. Energy balance and heat production were determined in adult wether sheep at three fatness levels given a diet of grass hay and maize at four feeding levels, including fasting, in open-circuit respiration chambers. The sheep weighed approximately 60 kg at the start and were fed over a period of 4–7 months to obtain one of three levels of bodyfatness: fat 90 kg, medium 70 kg and thin 55 kg.

3. Neither the digestibility nor the metabolizability of the diet was affected by body fatness or feeding level.

4. Average fasting heat production was 6.47, 7.00 and 8.20 MJ/d for the thin, medium and fat sheep respectively, but when expressed as a multiple of metabolic body size (kg W0.75) remained constant at 0.31 MJ/kg W0.75.

5. At each level of feeding the fat sheep produced most heat, but when heat production was expressed as a multiple of fasting heat production or metabolic body size, the differences due to level of fatness disappeared. Heat increment was not affected by fatness and there was no suggestion that energy utilization was improved by loss of condition.

6. It is concluded that white adipose tissue is highly active and contributes significantly to the maintenance energy requirements of adult sheep. Metabolic body size is a good unit of reference for comparison of energy metabolism in adult animals of the same species but varying in body size.

Type
Papers on General Nutrition
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 51 , Issue 2 , March 1984 , pp. 297 - 304
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1984

References

Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1970). Official Methods of Analysis, 11th ed. Washington, DC: Association of Official Analytical Chemists.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L. (1974). Nutrition Conference for Feed Manufacturers, no. 7, pp. 3–26 [SwanH, H,, Lewis, D., editors]. London: Butterworths.Google Scholar
Blaxter, K. L., Fowler, V. R. & Gill, J. C. (1982). Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98, 405–420.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chesters, J. K. (1975). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 34, 104 A.Google Scholar
Deb, S., Martin, R. J. & Hershberger, T. V. (1976). Journal of Nutrition 106, 191–197.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. (1964). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 113–126.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. (1967). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 18, 127–136.Google Scholar
Graham, N. McC. (1969). Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 20, 375–385.Google Scholar
McCracken, K. J. & Gray, R. (1976). EAAP Publ. no. 19, pp. 141–144.Google Scholar
McCracken, K. J. & McNiven, M. A. (1983). British Journal of Nutrition 49, 193–202.Google Scholar
MacRae, J. C. & Lobley, G. E. (1982). Livestock Production Science 9, 447–456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Moe, P. W., Tyrrell, H. F. & Flatt, W. P. (1971). Journal of Dairy Science 54, 548–553.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
National Academy of, Sciences/National Research Council (1975). Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals No. 5, Nutrient Requirements of Sheep, 5th ed. Washington DC: National Academy of Sciences.Google Scholar
Pullar, J. D. & Webster, A. J. F. (1977). British Journal of Nutrition 37, 335–363.Google Scholar
Quimby, F. H. (1948). Journal of Nutrition 36, 177–186.Google Scholar
SAS Institute Inc. (1982). SAS User's Guide: Statistzcs 1982 Edition, Cary, N.C.: SAS Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Smith, U. (1970). FEBS Letters 11, 8–10.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sundstol, F., Ekern, A. & Haugen, A. E. (1974). EAAP Publ. No. 14, pp. 249–251.Google Scholar
Sundstol, F., Standal, N. & Vangen, O. (1979). Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica 29, 337–345.Google Scholar
Toutain, Y.–L., Toutain, C., Webster, A. J. F. & McDonald, J. D. (1977). British Journai of Nutrition 38, 445–454.Google Scholar
Webster, A. J. F. (1981). Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 40, 121–128.Google Scholar