Diet Of Ewes Research Articles

Including magnesium sulfate in the diet of twin-bearing ewes in the last week of gestation improves the adaptation of lambs to extrauterine life

Including magnesium sulfate in the diet of twin-bearing ewes in the last week of gestation improves the adaptation of lambs to extrauterine life

Effect of the Replacement of Wheat Straw by Spent Mushroom Substrate in the Diet of Dairy Ewes during Late Lactation on Milk Production, Composition, Oxidation Stability and Udder Health

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of different dietary levels of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) at the expense of wheat straw (WS) on milk characteristics in dairy sheep. Thirty ewes at their final stage of lactation (145 ± 5 days after parturition) were randomly assigned into three groups; control (C), provided with a diet consisting of concentrates, alfalfa hay and WS, and SMS1 and SMS2, where WS was replaced by SMS at 50 or 100%, respectively. The experiment lasted for 28 days, and milk yield, composition, somatic cell count (SCC) and oxidative stability were monitored weekly, while milk fatty acid and immune cell profile were also determined on day 28. No significant differences were found in produced milk quantity, fat, protein, lactose, total solids non-fat, SCC and fatty acid profile between the experimental groups. However, milk oxidative stability was significantly improved as an effect of SMS (p < 0.001). At the same time, milk polymorphonuclear leukocyte percentage was decreased in SMS2 group (p < 0.05). As indicated, SMS seems to be a promising agro-industrial by-product for ewes’ diet that could improve milk oxidative stability, without negatively affecting milk yield, composition and ewe health status, contributing in the context of sustainability, circular economy and protection of natural resources.

The addition of Citrus aurantium leaves and tomato pomace in the diet of Awassi ewes and the impact on milk composition and matured cheese

The purpose of this study was to use concentrated feed alternatives with other less expensive feed alternatives in feeding the Awassi ewes and the impact on milk composition and matured cheese. A total of twenty Awassi ewes were used, they were selected in the middle of lactation and divided into two homogeneous groups with weights (47±1.7 kg) and aged 3-4 years, given two different servings of feed (1.5 kg/sheep/day) Milk composition was measured weekly, to make cheese, raw milk control (CON) and Citrus aurantium leaves and tomato pomace (CALTP) is kept separately and chilled. Results indicated that fat and total solid content were high in milk and cheese manufactured in the diet that contained CALTP; the proportion of medium-chain fatty acids (c10-c16) and free fatty acids was lower compared to the diet (CON). While the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) in the diet increased CALTP. Therefore, the inclusion of CALTP in the diet is helpful because it has a positive impact on the composition of milk and mature cheese, reduces the cost of the diet and helps recycle byproducts.

Enteric methane emission reduction potential of natural feed supplements in ewe diets.

Research into the potential use of various dietary feed supplements to reduce methane (CH4) production from ruminants has proliferated in recent years. In this study, two 8-wk long experiments were conducted with mature ewes and incorporated the use of a variety of natural dietary feed supplements offered either independently or in combination. Both experiments followed a randomized complete block design. Ewes were offered a basal diet in the form of ad libitum access to grass silage supplemented with 0.5kg concentrates/ewe/d. The entire daily dietary concentrate allocation, incorporating the respective feed supplement, was offered each morning, and this was followed by the daily silage allocation. In experiment 1, the experimental diets contained 1) no supplementation (CON), 2) Ascophyllum nodosum (SW), 3) A. nodosum extract (EX1), 4) a blend of garlic and citrus extracts (GAR), and 5) a blend of essential oils (EO). In experiment 2, the experimental diets contained 1) no supplementation (CON), 2) A. nodosum extract (EX2), 3) soya oil (SO), and 4) a combination of EX2 and SO (EXSO). Twenty ewes per treatment were individually housed during both experiments. Methane was measured using portable accumulation chambers. Rumen fluid was collected at the end of both experiments for subsequent volatile fatty acid (VFA) and ammonia analyses. Data were analyzed using mixed models ANOVA (PROC MIXED, SAS v9.4). Statistically significant differences between treatment means were considered when P < 0.05. Dry matter intake was not affected by diet in either experiment (P > 0.05). Ewes offered EO tended to have an increased feed:gain ratio relative to CON (P < 0.10) and SO tended to increase the average daily gain (P < 0.10) which resulted in animals having a higher final body weight (P < 0.05) than CON. Ewes offered EX1 and SO emitted 9% less CH4 g/d than CON. The only dietary treatment to have an effect on rumen fermentation variables relative to CON was SW, which enhanced total VFA production (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the A. nodosum extract had inconsistent results on CH4 emissions whereby EX1 reduced CH4 g/d while EX2 had no mitigating effect on CH4 production, likely due to the differences in PT content reported for EX1 and EX2. SO was the only dietary feed supplement assessed in the current study that enhanced animal performance whilst mitigating daily CH4 production.

Supplementation strategies for ewes during gestation and lactation.

Concentrated supplementation of ewes is a strategy to increase productivity. The objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementation in the diet of ewes before, during and in the final third of pregnancy and lactation on, the performance and production and composition of colostrum and milk. Forty animals were distributed in a completely randomized design, into the following treatments: CONT = control treatment with mineral salt supplementation only, SSREPRO = supplementation started 20 days before the estrus synchronization (ES) protocol, SSPREG = suplementação a partir da confirmação da gestação (60 days after ES), and SEPREG = supplementation in the third end of pregnancy (90 days after ES). Supplementation adoption changed (P < 0.05) the intake of organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, the percentage of total digestible nutrients, and digestibility of dry matter, acid detergent fiber, non-fiber carbohydrates, and ether extract with their respective intake, in addition to colostrum and milk production and composition and animal performance. No difference (P > 0.05) was observed for organic matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber digestibility and total digestible nutrient intake. Thus, supplementation in the final third of pregnancy may result in heavier lambs at weaning, reduction in slaughter time.

Fish Oil Supplementation as an Omega-3 Fatty Acid Source during Gestation: Effects on the Performance of Awassi Ewes and Their Offspring.

The primary aim of this research was to assess the impact of supplementing fish oil into the diet of pregnant Awassi ewes on various aspects of the dam's productive performance, offspring birth weight, colostrum yield and quality, milk production and composition, postpartum offspring performance, and the composition of fatty acids in milk. In this study, two different fat sources, namely palm oil (PO) and fish oil (FO), were utilized, with both being included at a rate of 2.4% of dietary dry matter (DM) during the initial 65 days of gestation (early gestation stage), and then at 2.1% DM from day 65 of gestation until lambing (late gestation stage). The study subjects were Awassi ewes with a body weight (BW) averaging 57 ± 1.5 kg and an age of 3.5 ± 1.2 years. These ewes were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments: (i) a diet containing only palm oil from day 0 to day 150 of pregnancy (PO, n = 15); (ii) a diet containing palm oil from day 0 to day 65 of pregnancy, followed by a diet containing fish oil from day 66 to day 150 of pregnancy (POFO, n = 16); (iii) a diet containing fish oil from day 0 to day 65 of pregnancy, followed by a diet containing palm oil from day 66 to day 150 of pregnancy (FOPO, n = 16); (iv) a diet containing only fish oil from day 0 to day 150 of pregnancy (FO, n = 16). Within each treatment, ewes were housed in three replicates, with each replicate further divided into three subgroups. The first two subgroups each contained eight ewes, while the third subgroup contained nine ewes. In addition, each treatment contained 10 primiparous and 15 multiparous ewes. The results indicated that the POFO treatment led to significant increases (p < 0.05) in birth weight, gestation length, and colostrum IgG concentration. However, it also resulted in a decrease (p < 0.001) in colostrum production and a reduction (p < 0.001) in the percentage of milk fat and milk protein. Furthermore, the milk from the POFO treatment exhibited higher levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) (p < 0.001) compared to the PO and FOPO treatments, while the milk saturated fatty acids (SFA) were lower (p < 0.001). In conclusion, the addition of fish oil at a rate of 2.1% DM during the late pregnancy period showed promise for enhancing birth weight, colostrum IgG concentration, and the PUFA content in the milk.

Effect of adding inorganic selenium to the diet of Osimi ewes on wool characteristics

Effect of adding inorganic selenium to the diet of Osimi ewes on wool characteristics

The effect of maternal organic manganese supplementation on performance, immunological status, blood biochemicaland antioxidant status of Afshari ewes and their newborn lambs in transition period.

It has been documented that adequate maternal manganese (Mn) status is vital for performance and health of ewes and their newborn lambs. However, required level and form of dietary Mn in ruminants are not well defined. The current study was conducted to evaluate the effect of maternal organic Mn supplementation on performance, immunological status, blood biochemicaland antioxidant status of Afshari ewes and their newborn lambs in transition period. For this purpose, various organic Mn concentrations were utilized as a supplementary ingredient in formulating the diets of ewes. The ewes were randomly allocated into three groups, fed with 0, and 80 mg/kg organic Mn supplemented diet. At the end of the experiment, the parameters including the performance of newborn lambs, as well as biochemical factors, immune statusand antioxidant status in ewes and their newborn lambs were evaluated. The results showed a significant increase in the plasma concentrations of Mn, glucose, insulin, thyroid hormones (T3 , T4 )and enzymatic antioxidants (SOD, GPX , CAT) in ewes and their newborn lambs that were treated with maternal organic Mn. Moreover, inorganic Mn treatments, the concentration of IgG in newborn lamb's plasma, and colostrum of ewes increased. According to this research, organic Mn acts as a valuable and safe supplementary material that could be exploited for enhancing health of ewes and their newborn lambs.

The quality of meat in milk fed lambs is affected by the ewe diet: A review

Several scientific publications have highlighted the importance of feeding management practices in improving the nutritional properties of milk from dairy ewes. Meat production quality from suckling lambs is based on the use of milk as exclusive or near exclusive dietary component. There is considerable evidence that lamb meat contains many important nutrients and bioactive compounds that play an important role in consumer health. This paper examines the different quality characteristics of lamb meat from ewes fed different diets to improve milk quality. To conduct this research, we consulted different scientific databases and acquired relevant documents that studied the relationships between the dietary treatment of lactating ewes and the performance of their suckling lambs (growth and carcass traits) as well as the meat quality in terms of nutrient content (fat and protein in particular), bioactive compounds content (fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidant molecules), color, odor and flavor. The extent of change in meat carcass traits and meat quality of suckling lambs due to different feeding strategies applied to ewes was evaluated and discussed. This overview of the knowledge on the relationship between the milk quality and suckling lamb quality can be useful for production and communication strategies development for the lamb meat industry.

The effects of dietary addition of acetic acid on milk yield and composition in Awassi ewes at an early stage of lactation

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of acetic acid at different levels on milk yield and composition. A total of eighteen Awassi ewes in the early stage of lactation were used in this study, with average body weight (37.631.84) and ages (3–4 years). Animals were allocated to three treatments; the first treatment was control fed with a basal diet without additives (T1). Acetic acid (98%) was added to the concentrate feed daily before feeding by 5 mL/ewe daily in T2 and 10 mL/ewe in T3 after dilution 1:10 with tab water. Results indicate an insignificant increase in ewes' body weight in T2 and T3, which were 40.41 and 41.11 kg compared to T1 at 37.93 kg. Actual milk yield was not affected while fat corrected milk Increased in T3 was 390 g/day compared to T2 with 323 g/day. Milk fat percentage increased (p ≤ 0.05) in T3 at 6.26% as compared to T1 and T2 at 5.65% and 5.43%, respectively, while fat yield was higher (p ≤ 0.05) in T3 at 23.85 g/day than in T2 17.58 g/day. This was reflected in increased milk energy (p ≤ 0.05) in the T3 at 953 kcal/kg compared to T2 at 858 kcal/kg. From the results, it can be concluded that acetic acid can be used as an additive to the ewes diet, and effect positively in ewes’ weight and milk fat.

Immunity and Behaviour of Lambs Born from Ewes Fed a Flushing Diet Containing EPA and DHA

Nutrition can influence lamb survival and the immune status during the neonatal phase until weaning.  This study aimed to investigate the effect of flushing of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) from Lemuru fish oil in the Ewe's diet on lamb immunity and survival. Twenty-eight neonatal lambs were divided into four treatments according to Ewe's diet. Four treatments: control concentrate (P1), flushing concentrate with 6% palm oil (P2), flushing concentrate with 3% lemuru oil and 3% palm oil (P3), and flushing concentrate with 6% lemuru oil (P4). The Ewe were fed Napier grass and concentrated in a 30:70% ratio based on dry matter. Ewe and their lambs remained together until weaning at about two months of age. The parameter observed in ewes was colostrum Immunoglobulin G (IgG).  The parameters in the Lamb are blood Ig G, neonatal behavior of the Lamb, physiological response, and hematology of the Lamb at birth and weaning. The results showed that feeding P4, P3, and P2 to the Ewe resulted in a shorter latency to stand-in lamb (P0.05). P1 has higher leukocytes (P0.05) during weaning than P2 and P3. P1 has the same leukocyte as P4. Treatment has a non-significant effect (P0.05) on Ig G and physiological response. In conclusion, administering 6% Lemuru oil containing EPA and DHA twice can shorten the latency to stand in newborn lambs.

The Effect of Incorporating Date Waste and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae into the Diet of Ouled Djellel Ewes during Early Lactation and Late Lactation

The Effect of Incorporating Date Waste and Saccharomyces Cerevisiae into the Diet of Ouled Djellel Ewes during Early Lactation and Late Lactation

137 Supplementing the diet of twin-bearing Merino ewes with rumen protected arginine during mid-to-late gestation increases circulating arginine concentration

137 Supplementing the diet of twin-bearing Merino ewes with rumen protected arginine during mid-to-late gestation increases circulating arginine concentration

Effect of yeast probiotic supplements in the diet of young ewes on the metabolic activity of rumen microbiota

1. Ahlam R.A., 2011. Utilization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae supplementation for feeding goats in South Sinai. Egypt. J. Nutr. Feeds 14, 169–181 Google Scholar

ВПЛИВ ЗГОДОВУВАННЯ ДОБАВКИ ЗООФІТОПЛАНКТОНУ НА ОБМІН РЕЧОВИН І ВІДТВОРНІ ПОКАЗНИКИ ОВЕЦЬ ПОРОДИ ЛАКОН

Продуктивні якості овець залежать від породності, годівлі й утримання, віку тварини, місяця лактації, кількості ягнят, яких вигодовує вівцематка. Вирішення цієї проблеми можливе лише за умови розведення та утримання тварин. Своєю чергою головною ланкою утримання тварин є їх повноцінна годівля. На сьогодні загальний рівень годівлі низький, а її повноцінність не відповідає вимогам. Важливим резервом поповнення потреби у високобілкових кормах, кормовому протеїні та біологічно активних речовинах у наш час можуть бути флора й фауна водоймищ. Вивчали показники відтворних властивостей вівцематок та обміну речовин за умови включення в раціон комбікорму з вмістом у його складі протеїново-мінеральної добавки з аквакультури річки Дністер. Дослідження ґрунтується на проведенні науково-господарського досліду на вівцематках молочно-м’ясної породи лакон за місяць до парування та дає змогу стверджувати, що згодовування протеїново-мінеральної добавки з аквакультури в раціонах вівцематок дослідних груп сприяло заплідненості маток під час першого осіменіння. Результати досліджень вказують на те, що жива маса маток у різні періоди досліду змінювалася. Встановлено, що за період підготовки до осіменіння жива маса маток контрольної групи збільшилася на 3,11 кг, а першої та другої дослідних груп – на 3,67 кг і 3,94 кг відповідно, що більше за контрольну групу тварин на 18% (Р&lt;0,05) і 26,6% (Р&lt;0,01). Унаслідок дослідження встановлено, що жива маса маток контрольної групи за період лактації зменшилася на 9,0 кг, або 11,79%; маса маток першої дослідної групи – на 7,27 кг, або 8,9%; маса маток другої дослідної групи – на 5,5 кг, або 7,57%; маса маток третьої дослідної групи – на 8,24 кг, або 11,5%. Встановлено можливість і доцільність введення в комбікорми вівцематок породи лакон 3–12% протеїново-мінеральної добавки з аквакультури річки Дністер замість ячменю. За комплексною оцінкою найвища ефективність спостережена за доз ПМДА в комбікормі маток у межах 7% за масою комбікорму.

Effect of myrtle leaves integration in sheep diet and its addition as powder on leg meat' oxidative stability, physicochemical, microbiological and sensory properties during storage.

The synthetic antioxidant improved the shelf life of meat products; however, consumers start to reject them for health reason. For this, the natural antioxidants like Myrtle distillate leaves (MDL) could be an interesting alternative and potential natural antioxidant given their richness in bioactive compounds. This study aimed to test the effect of myrtle distillate leaves (MDL) as natural antioxidant in premortem phase as diet of cull ewes and in postmortem phase in form of powder added to deboned legs on meat' quality. All ewes received individually 500 g of hay and 750 g of concentrate for Control (C) group; for Myrt group, the concentrate was partially replaced (400 g) by pellets containing 30% MDL and 350 g concentrate. For each ewe, both legs were used for the experiment; one leg was treated with MDL powder and the other with Control. Meat from ewes' fed MDL presented better scores for red color, aftertaste and juiciness, than control group. Meat treated with MDL powder showed the highest values of total phenolic, α-tocopherol content and redness score with lower lipid oxidation (p < .05). The microbiological quality of meat was not affected by MDL. Myrtle distillate leaves could be used in different forms, in order to obtain higher meat product quality.

Microencapsulated herbal components in the diet of Lacaune ewes: impacts on physiology and milk production and quality

This study aimed to determine whether the addition of a microencapsulated herbal blend (MHB) based on thymol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde in dairy sheep feed would improve production efficiency, milk quality, and animal health. Thirty lactating Lacaune ewes were divided into three groups: Control (T0), 150 mg blend/kg of feed (T150), and 250 mg blend/kg of feed (T250). Milk was measured before the beginning of the experiment (d 0), at the end of the adaptation period (d 15), and during the experiment (d 20). In milk samples, was measured the composition, somatic cell count (SCC), reactive oxygen species (ROS), lipoperoxidation (LPO), and total antioxidant capacity. The MHB improved the milk production (only T150 vs. T0 sheep on d 20), productive efficiency and feed efficiency, and reduced the milk SCC (only T250 vs. T0 sheep, on d 20), ROS and tended to reduce the milk levels of LPO (only T250 vs. T0 sheep on d 20). Also, MHB reduced the blood levels of neutrophils and ROS (only T250 vs. T0 sheep on d 20) and increased total protein and globulin levels. Thus, a microencapsulated blend of thymol, carvacrol, and cinnamaldehyde improved the productive performance and milk quality of sheep.

Lactation performance and feed utilization of Rahmani ewes fed with either a newly produced bacteriocin-like substance or a commercial bacteriocin

The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of feeding a newly produced bacteriocin-like substance from Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis (PNP) with a commercial bacteriocin (NISEEN-S; CNP) in lactating Rahmani ewe diets. In experiment 1, the effects of four levels (500, 1,000, 1,500, and 2,000 unit/kg substrate, dry matter (DM) basis) of both bacteriocins on in vitro ruminal fermentation kinetics, total gas production (TGP), methane production (CH4), and nutrient degradability were determined. In experiment 2, 2 wk before the expected parturition, 30 multiparous lactating Rahmani ewes (mean ± SD: 2 ± 0.3 parity, 46.8 ± 2.5 kg body weight, 23 ± 2.7 mo of age, and 370 ± 13 g/d of previous milk production) were equally divided into three treatments in a complete randomized design for 90 d. The ewes in the control treatment were offered a diet composed of 600 g of concentrate feed mixture, 300 g berseem hay, and 100 g of faba bean straw (Control), or supplemented with produced bacteriocin like substance (PNP) or commercial (CNP) bacteriocin at 500 unit/kg feed (DM basis). In experiment 1, both PNP and CNP linearly and quadratically decreased (P < 0.001) CH4 production; however, PNP and CNP at 500 unit/kg feed quadratically increased fiber degradability (P < 0.01). In experiment 2, both PNP and CNP increased (P < 0.05) nutrient digestibility, and ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetate, and propionate, while decreasing ruminal ammonia-N. The PNP treatment increased (P < 0.05) blood total proteins and albumin, while PNP and CNP treatments increase serum glucose. Both PNP and CNP treatments increased (P < 0.05) daily milk production and milk efficiency, without affecting the concentration of milk components. Both PNP and CNP are recommended to improve feed utilization and milk production, with superior results detected for PNP at 500 unit/kg feed daily.

Effect of the Dietary Royal Jelly Supplementation in Ewes of Bulgarian Dairy Synthetic Population on the Body Weight of the Lambs and the Milk Composition

The aim of the experiment was to assess the effect of the royal jelly supplementation in the diet of ewes from Bulgarian Dairy Synthetic Population on the body weight of the lambs and the milk composition. The trial was carried out with 20 ewes and their lambs, reared in the experimental sheep farm of the Institute of Animal Science- Kostinbrod, Bulgaria and lasted 30 days during the suckling period. The animals had the same date of lambing and lambs’ body weight, and were divided into two groups, each containing 10 ewes. The feeding was according to the standards for this category of ruminants with ad libitum access to water, as each ewe from the supplemented group received twice a week 300 mg freeze dried royal jelly. The body weight of the lambs was controlled at the beginning and at the end of the trial period, and the weight gain was calculated. The chemical and the fatty acid composition of the milk was measured in individual samples. The fatty acid composition was used to calculate the atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indices. The live weight (LW) and the average daily gain (ADG) differed between the groups of lambs according to the dietary royal jelly supplementation. The lambs of the ewes that had received the supplement displayed higher LW (P=0.0138) and ADG (P=0.0062). The physicochemical composition of the milk showed lower fat content (P=0.0142) and higher density (P=0.0200) in the ewes receiving royal jelly. Significant increase of C18:0 and decrease of C17:1 proportion was observed. Additionally, the contents of the polyunsaturated С20:4n-6, С22:5n-3 and C22:6n-3 was considerably diminished in the milk of the group that received royal jelly. The results so far demonstrated the potential of the royal jelly to manipulate the fatty acid profile of the ewes’ milk.

Overnutrition of Ewe in Late Gestation and the Impact on Placental Efficiency and Lamb's Performance.

The objective of the study was to evaluate energy or energy/protein supplementation in the ewe diet, in the last third of gestation, on maternal placental and endocrine characteristics, as well as its effects on the behavior of neonatal lambs and productive performance until weaning. A total of 128 ewes were used, and the experimental diet was fed from 100 days gestation until lambing, with the birth of 172 lambs. The ewes were distributed into three treatments: CTL (control, n = 43) with metabolizable energy (ME) and crude protein (CP) intake according to NRC (1985); ME (energy supplementation, n = 44) plus 21% ME; and MECP (energy/protein supplementation, n = 41) plus 26% ME and CP. Body weight, body condition score, serum hormone concentrations, placental characteristics, lamb performance and behavior, and production efficiency of the ewe from lambing to weaning were measured. ME and MECP ewes were heavier before (p = 0.006) and just after lambing (p = 0.002) and had higher serum triiodothyronine (p = 0.001) and cortisol (p = 0.004) concentrations on the day of lambing. ME ewes had higher placental efficiency (p = 0.036) and lower total cotyledon weight (p = 0.011). ME and MECP diets increased both lamb birth weight (p = 0.015) and weaning weight (p = 0.009). Production efficiency at birth and at weaning was not influenced (p > 0.05) by treatments. Lamb behavior was influenced by the ME and MECP diets, reducing the time to kneel (p ≤ 0.05), to try to stand (p ≤ 0.05), and the latency to stand (p ≤ 0.005). It is concluded that overnutrition in the last third of gestation was positive for the ovine production system, with improved production rates, hormonal profile, placental characteristics, and neonatal behavior.