Abstract
SummaryA study is reported concerning the influence of litter size in rats on the estimated milk yields and litter weight gains on days 14 to 20, and on the DNA of the mammary glands on day 20. On day 14 of lactation, the mean milk yield increased from 5.6 g with 2 to 16.4 g with 12 in the litter. The milk yield in most groups increased until the 18th day, then decreased on day 20. The milk available/pup on day 14 was 2.8 g for the 2-pup litters and declined gradually to 1.4 g for the 12-pup litters. The litter weight on day 14 was 68.3 g for litters of 2 and increased gradually to 287.1 g for litters of 12. The gain per pup was greatest for litters of 2 and then declined with increasing litter number. At the 20th day, the DNA for litters of 2 was 8.9 mg/100 g bw and increased gradually with increasing litter size to 13.6 mg for litters of 12. The RNA also increased with increasing litter size up to 10.
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