Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of feeding energy levels during the last third of gestation and lactation on performance of ewes and lambs up to weaning. The experiment was carried out in the sheep raising sector of Universidade Estadual de Londrina (UEL), from August to December of 2007. Thirty-two adult lambs with 105 days of gestation, average live weight of 57.55 kg and average body condition scores of 3.42 were used in the beginning of the experiment. The animals were confined in collective pens, distributed randomly in three treatments: 2.4; 2.2 and 2.0 Mcal of metabolizable energy (ME)/kg of dry matter (DM). Feed supply was ad libitum during the last third of gestation and lactation. Weaning occurred at 70 days. Body weight, body condition score and milk production of ewes and body weight of the lambs were analyzed. There were no significant differences for body weight and body condition of ewes at lambing; however, the level of 2.4 Mcal enabled better results for those characteristics at weaning and higher gain in weight and body condition scoring during the experiment. Severe energetic restriction (2.0 Mcal ME/kg DM) determined lower average daily milk production. Lambs from levels 2.4 and 2.2 presented similar weights in all measurements and were superior to those in level 2.0. Lambs from level 2.4 presented higher average weight gain from birth to weaning. The energetic restriction upon lambs at the end of gestation and during lactation limits the performance of ewes and lambs up to weaning.
Highlights
Ewes go through periods of different nutritional needs throughout the year, according to their physiological state, and one of the most critical is the last part of their gestational period (NRC, 2007)
The animals were confined in collective pens, distributed randomly in three treatments: 2.4; 2.2 and 2.0 Mcal of metabolizable energy (ME)/kg of dry matter (DM)
The improvement of the nutritional level of ewes in this period, besides increasing the viability of lambs, reduces the occurrence of dystocia, synchronizes milk letdown with lambing and minimizes sheep mortality rate by pregnancy toxemia (Minola & Goyenechea, sd)
Summary
Ewes go through periods of different nutritional needs throughout the year, according to their physiological state, and one of the most critical is the last part of their gestational period (NRC, 2007). The improvement of the nutritional level of ewes in this period, besides increasing the viability of lambs, reduces the occurrence of dystocia, synchronizes milk letdown with lambing and minimizes sheep mortality rate by pregnancy toxemia (Minola & Goyenechea, sd). According to Minola & Goyenechea (sd), during the first two thirds of the gestational period, the differentiation process of fetus tissues and organs take place, and, in the final third, a development process responsible for. The main causes of lamb death from starvation are related to maternal feeding, pre and postnatal (Avendaño & Imbarach, 2002; Souza et al, 2009), and with the behavior of the mother and the offspring (Minola & Goyenechea, sd)
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