FLUSHING, SUCKLING AND SEXUAL MATURITY OF SMALL RUMINANTS FED DIET CONTAINING SILAGE OF TRITICALE, BERSEEM OR ITS MIXTURE

Abstract

objective of this study was to investigate the effect of three types of silage (triticale, berseem and their combination) supplemented to concentrate fed mixture (CFM) on productive, as suckling milk amount, growth rate of newborns and reproductive efficiency, as fertility rate and sexual development of male lambs to be used as sires. Two small ruminate breeds (ewes and does) were assigned into three treatment groups. Forty-two ewes (n=14 ewe in each treatment) and fifty-seven does (n=19 does in each treatment). All animals were received diets at 21 days pre-mating season (as flushing diet) up to weaning. The feeding treatments (T) offered as following: T1 contained 60% CFM + 40% triticale silage, T2 included 60% CFM + 40% admixture silage (50% triticale and 50% berseem) and T3 contained 60% CFM + 40% berseem silage. To determine suckling milk amount of maternal; twelve ewes (n=4 in each treatment) and eighteen does (n=6 in each treatment) symmetrical in reproductive and productive characteristics were used. The maternal in suckling treatment were received the same T1, T2 and T3 diets mentioned above. In respect of the newborn growth rate, all suckling lambs and kids from birth up to weaning were used. In sexual maturation evaluation, fifteen healthy Rahmani lambs with normal genitalia, aged 150 days and at initial body weigh (22.21±0.42 kg) were allocated into three treatments; five lambs / treatment. Results showed that ewes and does in T2 group had a higher reproductive performance, parity patterns and reproductive ability than those in other treatments (T1 and T3). The clearly differences wereobserved among the dietary treatments during suckling period of ewes and does. The maternal fed on T2 produced more (P<0.05) amounts in suckling milk than those maternal fed T1 and T3. Consequently, T2 improved (P<0.05) newborns growth rate compared to newborns in either T1 or T3 groups. Furthermore, T2 group achieved better (P<0.05) sexual developments (i.e., age at puberty, body weight, scrotal circumference, testicular diameter, testicular length, testicular volume and semen characteristics at puberty) than T1 and T3 groups. These findings indicate that the inclusion of admixture silage has no adverse effects on productive and reproductive performance, suckling milk production and growth rate of newborns. Admixture silage causes earlier sexual maturation and goodness semen parameters of Rahmani male lambs. Thus, mixing more than types of silage may be a promising strategy nutrition in the future.