Productivity in ewes of different genetic groups and body sizes
Journal Title: Journal of Animal Science Advances - Year 2013, Vol 3, Issue 5
Abstract
The aim of this work was to investigate the level of food intake in distinct genetic groups of sheep. Forty non-pregnant ewes were divided in four genetic groups (GG): large Santa Inês (LSI), small Santa Inês (SSI), crossbreeds (Santa Inês x Dorper) – CRUZ, and Bergamasca - BERG. The duration of the experiment was 26 days. The animals received daily 200 g of concentrate, as well as hay and water ad libitum. To evaluate the food consumption, hay leftovers were collected at 9 a.m. and at 4 p.m. At the beginning, middle and end of the experiment, in the morning, midday, and afternoon, blood samples and thermographs of the face and lateral part of the animals were taken. After the experiment they were bred to a ram and the weaning weight of the lambs measured. Significant statistical differences (P<0.01) were found in the hematocrit and plasmatic protein, also in the leukogram, for the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration and in platelets between the GG. The CRUZ group had the higher thermal values (P<0.05) for the forehead, body area, and groin temperatures and the lowest values for the rectum temperature compared to the SSI group. There were also statistical differences for food consumption, which was higher in the BERG group compared to the SSI group. Sheep from the SSI group presented the highest values for the white blood cells, and the lowest values for the packed cell volume and total plasmatic proteins. Smaller animals eat less than the larger ones, producing the same weight of lamb, so they producing more lambs per kg of food intake.
Authors and Affiliations
E. F. Gomes , H. Louvandini , B. S. L. Dallago , M. E. A. Canozzi , C. B. de Melo , F. E. M. Bernal , C. McManus
Keywords
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