Abstract
The influence of early weaning and concentrate supplementation strategies on sward characteristics, forage chemical composition and lamb productivity were evaluated in four production systems on Tifton-85 pasture: suckling lambs not supplemented until slaughter; suckling lambs supplemented with concentrate in creep feeding until slaughter; early-weaned lambs not supplemented until slaughter; and early-weaned lambs supplemented with concentrate until slaughter. Structural, morphological and productive characteristics of pasture were measured. The forage was chemically analyzed to estimate its composition. Lambs average daily gain and productivity were calculated. Sward height, forage and morphological components mass were lower in systems without weaning. Forage production was higher in systems with supplementation. Higher levels of neutral and acid detergent fiber were observed in forage ingested by lambs in creep feeding and by weaned and unsupplemented lambs. Average daily gain was higher for lambs in creep feeding (275 g/d) and lower for the weaned and unsupplemented animals (57 g/d). Productivity was higher for weaned and supplemented lambs (21 kg lamb body weight, BW gain/ha/d). Lower productivity was observed in systems without supplementation (5 kg lamb BW gain/ha/d on average). Ewes modify the sward conditions improving the pasture characteristics and the quality of forage produced. Changes in sward conditions affect the chemical composition of forage ingested by lambs. Early weaning may be an alternative to maximize pasture utilization in small areas. Concentrate supplementation may increase lamb performance and productivity in grazing systems. If the objective is to improve lamb individual performance, creep feeding should be used.
Highlights
The increasing demand for lamb meat has led to the development of high-productivity and profitable lamb meat production systems
The influence of early weaning and concentrate supplementation strategies on sward characteristics, forage chemical composition and lamb productivity were evaluated in four production systems on Tifton-85 pasture: suckling lambs not supplemented until slaughter; suckling lambs supplemented with concentrate in creep feeding until slaughter; early-weaned lambs not supplemented until slaughter; and early-weaned lambs supplemented with concentrate until slaughter
The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of early weaning and concentrate supplementation strategies on sward characteristics, forage chemical composition and productivity of lambs on Tifton-85 pastures
Summary
The increasing demand for lamb meat has led to the development of high-productivity and profitable lamb meat production systems. Weaning (between 40 and 60 days of age for lambs) may be a strategy to increase productivity as well as ensure that ewes have a greater period to rest and recover their body condition. Even with adequate forage allowance on pasture, early-weaned lambs have shown limited performance caused by selective grazing strategy (Poli et al, 2009), post-weaning stress (Napolitano et al, 2008) and greater susceptibility to parasites (Miller and Horohov, 2006). Lambs reared in these conditions do not achieve weight and body condition suitable for slaughter between three and four months of age
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