scholarly journals Effect of Feeding Feed Blocks Enriched with Different Sources of Protein on the Performance of Awassi Ewes during Late Pregnancy, Suckling and Milking Stages

2008 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
pp. 180-197
Author(s):  
Hadeel K. Ibrahim

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of feeding feedblocks (FB) enriched with different sources of protein on the performance ofAwassi ewes during late pregnancy, suckling and milking stages. Experiment(1) was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding feed blocks enriched withdifferent sources of protein on the performance of Awassi ewes during latepregnancy. Eighty pregnant Awassi ewes (mean live weight 09.91±0.31 Kg),aged 3-5 years were allocated into four groups according to ewes’ live weight.First group (T1) fed ordinary high energy FB (OFB) + straw (ad-libitum). Thesecond group (T2) fed FB enriched with cottonseed meal (FBCSM) + straw (adlibitum).The third group (T3) fed FB enriched with sunflower seed meal(FBSSM) + straw (ad-libitum). The fourth group (T4) fed barley grains + straw(ad-libitum) (Farmer practice). Experiment (2) was conducted to investigate theeffect of feeding high energy feed blocks enriched with different sources ofprotein on the performance of Awassi ewes during suckling and milking stages.Sixty-four Awassi ewes (mean live weight 03.62 ±1.13 kg), aged 3-5 years wereallocated into four groups according to ewes’ live weight and milk yield. Firstgroup (T1) fed OFB + barley grains + straw (ad-libitum). The second group(T2) fed FBCSM + barley grains + straw (ad-libitum). The third group (T3)FBSSM + barley grains + straw (ad-libitum). The fourth group (T4) fed barleygrains + straw (ad-libitum) (Farmer practice). The experimental diets were fedduring the last six weeks of pregnancy, 90 days during suckling stage and 45days during milking stage. The results of Experiment 1 indicated that despite nosignificant differences between the four groups on studied traits (ewes weightchanges and lambs birth weight), but there was a trend the groups (T1, T2 andT3) fed FB performed better than group T4 fed according to the farmer’spractice. Group T2 that was fed FBCSM had slightly better performance thangroups T1, T3 and T4, which were fed OFB, FBSSM and farmer, practice dietsrespectively. 

1999 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 355-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Le Cozier ◽  
E. Ringmar-Cederberg ◽  
S. Johansen ◽  
J. Y. Dourmad ◽  
M. Neil ◽  
...  

AbstractFrom 74 to 180 days of age, a complete diet was offered either ad libitum (AL) or at proportionately 0·8 of the observed consumption (R) to two groups of purebred Yorkshire gilts, comprising 128 and 127 animals, respectively. Half of the animals in each group was served at the first detected oestrus, and the other half at the third detected oestrus, according to a plan defined at the start of the experiment. Animals which failed to show oestrus before 240 days of age were culled.At 100 kg live weight (LW), AL gilts were younger (-20 days) and had thicker backfat (+2.3 mm) than R gilts. At the first detected oestrus, AL females were also younger (198 v. 203 days), heavier (127 v. 117 kg LW) and fatter (17·8 v. 14·7 mm backfat thickness) than R gilts. No difference between feeding treatments during rearing was observed in the percentage of females detected on heat before day 240. Seventy-three animals were culled from the start of the experiment until service, half of them (54%) failing to show oestrus. At service, LW and backfat thickness in the four treatments ranged from 117 to 148 kg LW and 14·9 to 19·7 mm, respectively. The body fatness, estimated from the ratio of backfat to LW, was higher in AL than in R gilts (0·14 and 0·12 , respectively), whereas no difference was observed between E1 and E3 gilts (0·13 on average). After the first service 15% of the gilts came back into heat but the conception rate was not affected by feeding treatment during rearing.


1970 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. T. Treacher

SUMMARY1. Scottish Half-bred ewes carrying twin foetuses were fed individually to make live-weight gains in the last six weeks of pregnancy of (1) 20%, (2) 10% and (3) 0% of their live weight in week 14 of pregnancy. In lactation the ewes were fed ad libitum. The lambs were removed 12 to 16 hr after parturition and the ewes were machine-milked twice daily for the first six weeks of lactation.2. Total birth weights per ewe of twin lambs from the treatments were (1) 10·10 kg, (2) 9·44 kg and (3) 8·18 kg and differed significantly.3. The level and pattern of voluntary intake in lactation did not differ significantly between the treatments. Total dry-matter intakes in the six weeks of lactation were (1) 121·9 kg (2) 105·9 kg and (3) 109·5 kg.4. The pregnancy treatments affected the level of milk production and the shape of lactation curves. The total yields in the first six weeks of lactation were (1) 58·8 kg, (2) 43·5 kg and (3) 26·9 kg. Higher contents of fat and protein and the lower content of lactose in the milk from treatment-3 ewes on days 1 and 3 of lactation indicated a slower onset of lactation in these ewes. Between days 7 and 35 of lactation the contents of fat and SNF were lowest on treatment 3 but the differences were not significant.5. The live-weight changes in lactation, which were in inverse order to the gains in late pregnancy, were (1) 3·4 kg, (2) 5·5 kg and (3) 9·5 kg.


1979 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 133-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. N. Peart ◽  
J. M. Doney ◽  
W. F. Smith

SummaryMilk yield of 2-year-old Scottish Blackface and of East Friesland × Scottish Blackface ewes rearing single or twin lambs was estimated by the oxytocin method on 1 day each week up to the 14th week of lactation. Both groups of ewes had been reared from birth under good nutritional conditions. They were housed in individual pens from mid-pregnancy and offered a liberal ration of a pelleted concentrate food until parturition. Similar food was offered ad libitum during lactation.The cross-bred ewes rearing singles or twins produced significantly more milk in the first 12 weeks (181 and 258 kg respectively) than did pure Blackface ewes in the same period (144 and 208 kg respectively). The pattern of lactation differed between breeds. Cross-bred ewes attained higher maximum yields between the second and sixth weeks (2·37 and 3·32 kg/day, respectively, for single- and twin-suckled ewes) than did the Blackface ewes (1·97 and 2·88 kg/day). The yield from the cross-breds was sustained at a higher level throughout lactation. In the third 4-week period cross-bred ewes rearing single and twin lambs produced 116 and 92%, respectively, of their yield in the first 4 weeks whilst Blackface ewes produced 87 and 65%, respectively.In the sixth week of lactation the milk produced by the two breed groups was similar in quality (mean value of solids-not-fat 11·04% and fat 5·48%) but by the 11th week the fat percentage of milk produced by Blackface ewes had increased significantly to 7·34% whereas that of the cross-breds had remained almost unchanged.Single-suckled ewes gained weight throughout lactation but twin-suckled ewes remained relatively constant. Lambs reared as singles by cross-bred or Blackface ewes reached a mean live weight of 36·2 and 35·0 kg at 102 days of age, respectively, compared with 33·6 and 30·1 kg for twin lambs. Food intake of all ewes increased until the fifth or sixth week of lactation.


Author(s):  
Isobel C. Vincent ◽  
R. Hill ◽  
H. LI. Williams

To investigate the suitability of using high levels of British (high glucosinolate) rapeseed meal (RSM), 80 adult Suffolk-Mule ewes of mean live-weight 64.8 kg (s.e. 0.5) were divided into four balanced groups. Three of the groups were allocated to a concentrate diet containing 20% RSM as the major protein supplement: extracted (B), expeller (C) and extruded (D). The control group (A) was given a diet containing 16.5% soyabean meal (SBM) as the only protein supplement. The remainder of these pelleted diets consisted of barley, molassine meal, oat husks, minerals and vitamins. All four diets contained similar levels of protein and energy.The ewes were fed 0.7 kg/day during maintenance, 1 kg/day durino mating and increasing amounts from late pregnancy up to a maximum of 2.5 kg/day during lactation. Barley straw was available ad libitum. The ewes were weighed twice monthly. Jugular blood samples were taken monthly for thyroxine (T4) and thiocyanate (-SCN) analyses of plasma, also every five days during mating and the first two months of pregnancy for profiles of progesterone in plasma. The ewes were exposed to raddled entire rams for six weeks during November and December.


1999 ◽  
Vol 68 (3) ◽  
pp. 365-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Le Cozier ◽  
E. Ringmar-Cederberg ◽  
L. Rydhmer ◽  
N. Lundeheim ◽  
J. Y. Dourmad ◽  
...  

AbstractA 2 x 2 factorial experiment was designed in order to study the effects of feeding level during rearing and of mating policy on the reproductive performance and food intake of first- and second-litter sows. Gilts were offered food during rearing eitherad libitum(AL) or at 0·8 of the AL level (R) and served either at first (E1) or third (E3) detected oestrus. A total of 160 out of the 243 animals that started the experiment were culled by the end of the second lactation, with significantly more R than AL animals (71 and 60%, respectively). During the first pregnancy, the R sows gained more live weight (LW) and backfat thickness (BF) than their AL contemporaries (+5 kg and +1.2 mm, respectively) and lost less BF during the first lactation (1.2 mm less). At weaning, no difference remained in LW or BF between AL and R sows (174 kg LW on average). The E3 females gained less LW during both pregnancies compared with those on the E1 treatment, but they remained heavier until the second weaning (208 kg, on average). During the first lactation, R consumed more food during the weeks 2 and 3 (by 0·5 kg/day, on average) than those reared previously on the AL regime, and no difference was observed between E3 and E1 females. No difference in food consumption was noted during parity two. However, when measured over the first two parities, lean animals consumed more food than fat animals. The size and the weight of the litter at birth or at weaning were not influenced by the treatment prior to service. The weaning-to-oestrus interval was longer during parity one than during parity two (5·7 and 5·0 days, respectively;P< 0·01) but it was not affected by feeding or mating treatment.


1982 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 131-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Vipond ◽  
E. A. Hunter ◽  
Margaret E. King

ABSTRACTIndividually penned Finnish Landrace × Dorset Horn and Suffolk × Scottish Halfbred ewes were used to study the effects of supplementing diets based on ad libitum swedes. Supplementing a pregnancy diet of ad libitum swedes plus 225 g of hay with 454 g of a barley/soya bean meal supplement per day had no effect on swede intake or ewe performance in terms of the birth weight and survival of lambs born. Level of swede intake during late pregnancy was constant.In early lactation, ewes offered ad libitum swedes plus 225 g hay per day were supplemented with 454 g of either barley or soya bean meal daily. Soya bean meal supplementation resulted in a 014 increase in swede intake to give a daily intake of 113g dry matter per kgM 0·7·5 and a total live-weight gain of 218kg in early lactation compared with a loss of 2·53 kg by barley-supplemented ewes. Lamb daily gain increased by 54g per day. The results are discussed in relation to trends towards the housing of ewes and current feeding practices for lactating ewes.


Author(s):  
B. G. Merrell ◽  
J. J. Hyslop

Supplementing hill ewes during late pregnancy with hay plus self-help feed-blocks is an established feeding system. However, there is considerable individual and seasonal variation in feed-block intake (Lippert and Milne, 1986) which can limit their effectiveness. This experiment evaluated an alternative system for supplementing hill ewes, during late pregnancy (6 weeks before lambing), based on molassed sugar beet feed (MSBF).One hundred and eighteen single-bearing Swaledale ewes were allocated to one of two treatments; 1. Control - supplemented with hay plus feed-blocks (HB), 2. Supplemented initially with MSBF (nuts), being replaced by a blend (50:50 fresh weight basis) of MSBF and pelleted distillers barley grains (BDG) (MSBF/BDG).The experiment commenced on 18 February 1993. Hay feeding was restricted to 300 g/head/day (HB). High energy (HE) and extra high energy (EHE) feed-blocks, were offered free access (at a rate of one block per 20 ewes). MSBF and MSBF/BDG were fed at a flat rate of 375 g/head/day. HE and MSBF were fed between 18 February and 26 March, being replaced by EHE and MSBF/BDG between 27 March and 10 May. Crude protein (g/kg dry matter (DM)) and metabolisable energy (MJ/kg DM) values were 144 and 9.2; 174 and 9.4; 178 and 10.2; 108 and 12.5; 174 and 12.8 for hay, HE, EHE, MSBF and MSBF/BDG respectively. The ewes were out-wintered on hill grazings.


1998 ◽  
Vol 1998 ◽  
pp. 101-101
Author(s):  
S. E. Pattinson ◽  
A. Locke ◽  
C. M. Minter

Within early lambing systems, there is a heavy reliance on concentrate feeding in late pregnancy. Therefore, the possibility of replacing conventional dietary ingredients (e.g. barley, fishmeal) with cheaper by-products, such as sugar beet pulp and brewers grains, is of particular interest. Pelleted distillers barley grains fed with molassed sugar beet nuts have been shown to be a suitable feed for pregnant ewes (Merrell and Hyslop, 1994). However, some health problems have been noted when feeding malt distillers wet grains (Vipond and Lewis, 1993). The objective of this trial was to investigate the effect of feeding grainbeet (a mix of 5 parts brewers grains to 1 part molassed sugar beet pulp) on ewe performance, colostrum production and lamb performance.


1991 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Everts

ABSTRACTA long-term experiment was designed to study the effect of feeding different sources of crude fibre during pregnancy on the reproductive performance of sows. The four treatments imposed during pregnancy were: C, a control compound diet; CS, the same control diet with additional chopped straw (0·2 kg/day); CM, the same control diet in which 0·25 kg was replaced daily by 1·5 kg maize silage; and CFR, a compound diet with a higher crude fibre content. In total 567 sows were used. On the treatments C, CM, CS and CFR the number of sows was 147, 142, 147 and 133 respectively. The sows remained on the experiment for five successive parities on a treatment or until the moment of culling. Feeding levels were about 32 MJ digestible energy (DE) per day during the first months of pregnancy and about 40 MJ DE per day in the last month of pregnancy. During lactation the feeding level ranged between 75 and 90 MJ DE per day.In sows giving birth to five litters, the effect of parity was calculated irrespective of the treatments. The optimum litter size was observed in the fourth litter and the percentage of successful services within 10 days post weaning stabilized after the third parity. The live weight of the sows increased gradually up to the fifth parity.Compared with the sows on the control treatment the proportional changes in consumption of the sows on the other treatments were: 0·45 more crude fibre, up to 0·02 more digestible energy and up to 0·06 less digestible protein.There were only slight differences in reproductive performance. The mean number of weaned piglets per sow per year were 19·7, 19·3, 20·1 and 20·2, respectively for the treatments C, CM, CS and CFR. Higher piglet birth weights were observed for sows on the CM treatment and a higher proportion of the culled sows had leg disorders. On the CS treatment a higher number of weaned piglets per litter was observed and this was due to the higher number of piglets born and lower piglet mortality during lactation. The sows on this treatment tended to have more difficulty in becoming pregnant after the third and fourth parities. The sows on the CFR treatment had the highest body weights and had a higher number of litters per year mainly due to lower numbers returning to service and less nonproductive days. The results from this experiment gave no clear evidence that either the inclusion of roughage or a higher crude fibre content in the diet improved reproductive performance.


1968 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 345-357 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. A. Cole ◽  
J. E. Duckworth ◽  
W. Holmes ◽  
A. Cuthbertson

1. Over the weight range 23–50 kg live weight, pigs were fed either ad libitum or to a restricted scale. From 59 to 91 kg live weight, eight pairs of barrows and eight pairs of gilts were fed on each of two diets varying in nutrient density. The effects of feed restriction, nutrient density of the diet and sex on voluntary feed intake, performance and carcass characteristics were studied.2. Pigs which had been restricted grew more slowly and contained less fat and more lean at 50 kg live weight.3. When restricted pigs were offered feed ad libitum from 59 to 91 kg live weight they ate more and had higher daily intakes of digestible energy than pigs liberally fed in early life.4. There was evidence of compensatory growth in pigs which had received the restricted diet, but there was no significant difference in feed utilization between restricted and ad libitum pigs. It was concluded that the compensatory growth was largely the result of increased appetite.5. Pigs finally fed on a low energy diet, in comparison with those on a high energy diet, ate more feed but less digestible energy indicating that appetite was physically limited. Efficiency of conversion of digestible energy to live weight was similar on both treatments. A higher proportion of acetic acid was produced in the caecum of pigs fed the low energy diet. Pigs receiving the low energy diet had lower killing-out percentages not entirely caused by differences in the weight of the gut and its contents. The carcasses of pigs on the low energy diet were leaner than those on the high energy diet.6. Barrows consumed more digestible energy per day than gilts, required more feed and digestible energy per unit live-weight gain, had lower killing-out percentages, shorter carcasses, larger backfat measurements and smaller eye-muscle areas as estimated by A × B measurements. Barrow carcasses contained less dissected lean and more fat than gilts' carcasses.7. The results are discussed in relation to other work and it is concluded that voluntary feed intake is influenced by the nutrient density of the diet and the level of energy requirement of the pig, which may be affected by previous nutritional history.


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