The effect of ewe fatness on fetal weight at term was tested without the
confounding effects of placental weight and feed intake. We hypothesised that
fetal weights should be similar in fat or lean ewes with placentas of a
similar size, and tested the hypothesis by manipulating nutrition so that, at
mating, Merino ewes carrying a single fetus were in a medium (score
2·9, liveweight 46·6 kg) or lean (score 2·0, liveweight
40·6 kg) condition. They were maintained at this fatness difference
until slaughter at Day 146 of pregnancy when fetal, placental, and maternal
tissues were weighed and analysed for composition. Subgroups
(n = 8 per fatness group) slaughtered at Day 110,
a stage when most placental hypertrophy is complete but the majority of fetal
hypertrophy is yet to occur, confirmed that the treatments differed in ewe
fatness (3·82 v. 9·19 kg empty-body fat,
s.e.m. = 0·960; P < 0·001) but
not placental weight (487 v. 538 g, s.e.m. =
41·5, P > 0·05). By Day 146, fatness
differences (4·77 v. 9·56 kg empty-body
fat, s.e.m. = 0·960, P < 0·001)
and placental similarities (434 v. 502 g, s.e.m.
= 38·3, P > 0·05) were
maintained, and both groups produced fetuses of similar size (4408
v. 4382 g, s.e.m. = 204·6,
P > 0·05). However, the fetuses in the lean
ewes had 20% less fat/kg fat-free body weight (24
v. 30 g/kg, s.e.m. = 1·3,
P < 0·01). Fetal weight was correlated with
placental weight (r = 0·70;
P < 0·01) but not with ewe fatness. Fetal
fatness, however, was correlated with ewe fatness (r
= 0·69; P < 0·01). Ewe fatness
per se did not influence fetal size but did influence the deposition of fat in
the fetus, possibly via a greater ability of fatter ewes to partition more
glucose toward their fetus.