Hostname: page-component-84b7d79bbc-rnpqb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-29T04:46:50.387Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of cereal and protein supplements to swedes (Brassica napus) on intake and performance of pregnant and lactating ewes kept indoors

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. E. Vipond
Affiliation:
North of Scotland College of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
E. A. Hunter
Affiliation:
North of Scotland College of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
Margaret E. King
Affiliation:
North of Scotland College of Agriculture, 581 King Street, Aberdeen AB9 1UD
Get access

Abstract

Individually 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.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1982

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Barry, T. N. 1980. Responses to abomasal infusions of casein plus methionine in lactating ewes fed fresh pasture. N. Z. Jl agric. Res. 23: 427431.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Castle, M. E. and Watson, J. N. 1979. Silage and milk production: a comparison between soya, groundnut and single-cell protein as silage supplements. Grass Forage Sci. 34: 101106.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, S. 1977. Evaluation of root crops for fattening store lambs. An Fords Taluntais Anim. Prod. Res. Rep., 1975, pp. 157159.Google Scholar
Fitzgerald, S. 1979. Replacement of concentrates with roots in the diet of early-weaned lambs. Anim. Prod. 28: 455(Abstr.).Google Scholar
MacDearmid, A. 1978. Changes in the chemical composition and nutritive value of forage crops. Anim. Prod. 26: 376377 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Morrison, F. B. 1959. Feeds and Feeding. 22nd ed., p. 782. Morrison Publishing, Clinton, la.Google Scholar
Ørskov, E. R., Andrews, R. P. and Gill, J. C. 1969. Effect of replacing rolled barley with swedes or potatoes on the intake and rumen volatile fatty acid composition of lambs. Anim. Prod. 11: 187194.Google Scholar
Reid, J. F. S. and Martinez, A. A. 1975. A modified refractometer method as a practical aid to the epidemiological investigation of disease in the neonatal ruminant. Vet. Rec. 96: 177179.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J. J., McDonald, I., Fraser, C. and Crofts, R. M. J. 1977. Studies on reproduction in prolific ewes. I. Growth of the products of conception. J. agric. Sci., Camb. 88: 539552.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J. J., McHattie, I., Calderon cortes, J. F. and Thompson, J. L. 1979. Further studies on the response of lactating ewes to dietary protein. Anim. Prod. 29: 257269.Google Scholar
Vipond, J. E. 1980. The study of factors affecting the intake and utilisation of feeds during pregnancy and lactation of the ewe. Ph.D. Thesis, Fac. Sci. Univ. Aberd.Google Scholar
Wainman, F. W., Dewey, P. J. S. and Boyne, A. W. 1979. Feedingstuffs Evaluation Unit, Second Report, 1978. Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Edinburgh.Google Scholar
Wilkins, R. J., Fenlon, J. S., Cook, J. E. and Wilson, R. F. 1978. A further analysis of relationships between silage composition and voluntary intake in sheep. In Proc. 5th Silage Conf., Ayr, pp. 3435.Google Scholar