Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-t7czq Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T02:35:21.716Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The effect of weight at mating and of nutrition during mid-pregnancy on the birth weight of lambs from primiparous ewes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

A. J. F. Russel ,
Janet Z. Foot ,
I. R. White  and
G. J. Davies
A. J. F. Russel
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PY
Janet Z. Foot
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PY
I. R. White
Affiliation:
Hill Farming Research Organisation, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0PY
G. J. Davies
Affiliation:
ARC Unit of Statistics, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH9 3JZ
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Forty-eight approximately 18-month-old Scottish Blackface ewes were used to study the effects of two levels of nutrition during mid-pregnancy (30–98 days of gestation) on the birth weight of lambs from ewes varying in weight, size and condition at first mating. The mean live weight (42–4 kg), size index (31–9) and condition score (2–4) at mating of the 26 ewes from flock A were all less than those of the 22 ewes from flock B (54–5, 39–4 and 2–9 respectively). Mean intakes of the low and high nutritional treatment ewes during mid-pregnancy were 10–6 and 22–0 g/kg/day respectively of a pelleted diet supplying 8–81 MJ metabolizable energy and 125–5 g crude protein/kg. These intakes produced estimated changes in net maternal weight of approximately – 5 and 0 kg respectively.

Mean lamb birth weights from ewes on the low and high nutritional treatments were:flock A, 3–32 and 3–83 kg; flock B, 4–96 and 4–23 kg respectively. Analyses showed intake during mid-pregnancy to have a positive effect on lamb birth weight in the flock A ewes, and a negative effect in flock B ewes. Mating weight accounted for 78% of the variance in birth weight in the low nutritional treatment ewes but had little effect in those on the higher level of feeding.

The practical implications of the results are discussed in relation to levels of juvenile nutrition.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 97 , Issue 3 , December 1981 , pp. 723 - 729
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1981

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

Alexander, G. (1974). Birth weight of lambs: influences and consequences. In Size at Birth (ed. Elliott, K. and Knight, J.), pp. 215–245. Amsterdam: ASP.Google Scholar
Bennett, D., Axelson, A. & Chapman, H. W. (1964). The effect of nutritional restriction during early pregnancy on numbers of lambs born. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 5, 70–71.Google Scholar
Curll, M. L., Davidson, J. L. & Freer, M. (1975). Efficiency of lamb production in relation to the weight of ewe at mating and during pregnancy. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 26, 553–565.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Everitt, G. C. (1966). Maternal food consumption and foetal growth in Merino sheep. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 6, 91–101.Google Scholar
Everitt, G. C. (1967). Residual effects of prenatal nutrition on the post-natal performance of Merino sheep. Proceedings of the New Zealand Society of Animal Production 27, 52–68.Google Scholar
Hodge, R. W. (1966). The effect of nutritional restriction during early and mid-pregnancy on the reproductive performance of crossbred ewes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 6, 311–313.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClymont, G. L. & Lambourne, J. (1958). Interactions between planes of nutrition during early and late pregnancy. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 2, 135–138.Google Scholar
Quirke, J. F., Sheehan, W. & Lawlor, M. J. (1976). The growth of pregnant female sheep and their progeny in relation to dietary protein and energy intake during gestation. Animal Production 22, 163 (Abstract).Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J. (1977). The influences of maternal nutrition on ovine foetal growth. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 36, 9–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J. J., Fraser, C., Corse, E. L. & Gill, J. C. (1971). Reproductive performance and protein utilisation in pregnancy of sheep conceiving at eight months of age. Animal Production 13, 653–660.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J., McDonald, I., Frasbb, C. & Crofts, R. M. J. (1977). Studies on reproduction in prolific ewes. I. Growth of the products of conception. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 88, 539–552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russel, A. J. F., Doney, J. M. & Gunn, R. G. (1969). Subjective assessment of body fat in live sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 72, 451–454.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russel, A. J. F., Doney, J. M. & Reid, R. L. (1967). The use of biochemical parameters in controlling nutritional state in pregnant ewes, and the effect of undernourishment during pregnancy on lamb birthweight. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 68, 351–358.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russel, A. J. F. & Foot, J. Z. (1973). The effect of level of nutrition at two stages of pregnancy on the performance of primiparous ewes. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 32, 27 A.Google ScholarPubMed
Russel, A. J. F., Gunn, R. G. & Doney, J. M. (1968). Components of weight loss in pregnant hill ewes during winter. Animal Production 10, 43–51.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Russel, A. J. F., Maxwell, T. J. & Foot, J. Z. (1974). Nutrition of the hill ewe during late pregnancy. Hill Farming Research Organisation Sixth Report, pp. 43–56.Google Scholar
Russel, A. J. F., Maxwell, T. J., Sibbald, A. R. & McDonald, D. (1977). Relationships between energy intake, nutritional state and lamb birth weight in Greyface ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 89, 667–673.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schinckel, P. G. (1963). Nutrition and sheep production: a review. Proceedings of the World Conference on Animal Production 1, 199–248.Google Scholar
Taplin, D. E. & Everitt, G. C. (1964). The influence of prenatal nutrition on postnatal performance of Merino lambs. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 5, 72–81.Google Scholar
Thomson, W. & Aitken, F. C. (1959). Diet in relation to reproduction and viability of the young. Part II. Sheep: World survey of reproduction and review of feeding experiments. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureau, England.Google Scholar
Wallace, L. R. (1948). The growth of lambs before and after birth in relation to the level of nutrition. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 38, 93–153; 243–302; 367–401.CrossRefGoogle Scholar