Feeding supply of suckling Martinik ewes reared in intensive conditions: effects of supplement levels and litter size

Abstract

-Experiments were carried out to determine the effects of supplementation upon milk production and growing performances of Martinik hair sheep. Ewes weighing 49 kg LW were used in a 2-season experimental study. In the first trial, 3 energy supplement levels were offered to ewes suckling single lambs. The adjusted level (A, 8 ewes) was supplied to ensure that the litter had a daily weight gain (DWG) of 250 g. High (H, 8 ewes) and low (L, 8 ewes) levels were 150% and 75% of level A, respectively. In the second trial, comparative use of the H level was studied with 3 animal requirement levels: ewes suckling single lambs (SI, same ewes as H ewes), twins (TW, 8 ewes) and triplets (TR, 6 ewes), respectively. The experimental design was replicated in a second lambing season. The basal diet was chopped Digitaria decumbens hay (0.6 UFL, 4.6% CP) offered ad libitum. Supplements were composed of maize (65%), soya bean (3%), fish meal (8%) and dehydrated alfalfa (24%). The milk production (MP) of ewes on the L diet was lower (P < 0.05) than that of ewes on the A and H diets: 1142, 1415 and 1518 g . d -1 , respectively. H-fed ewes fattened during the lactating period while A and L ewes respectively maintained and lowered their body condition score (BCS). Differences recorded for lamb DWG were low, but this trait reached a maximum of 248 g . d -1 . MP varied significantly (P < 0.05) according to the litter size. Individual DWG was different for single, twin and triplet lambs (P < 0.001): 261, 188 and 143 g . d -1 , respectively. In intensive breeding conditions, recommended daily energy allowances taking into account a good BCS of ewes for successive reproduction are 1.47 UFL for single-suckling ewes and 2.17 UFL for twin-suckling ewes, in order to obtain a DWG of the litter of 250 and 400 g . d -1 , respectively.Martinik ewes / supplementation / milk production / pre-weaning growth Résumé -Alimentation des brebis allaitantes Martinik élevées dans des conditions intensives : effets de différents niveaux de concentrés ou de la taille de portée. L'effet de la complémentation sur les performances des ovins allaitants a été étudié chez les brebis à poils Martinik pesant 49 kg de G. Alexandre et al. 214

Intake and milk production of suckling ewes reared at pasture in humid tropics according to the post-grazing residue management

“…Concerning the PDI/UFL ratio, our values which were 73 to 105 g PDI/UFL, ranged within the values reported in a previous study [2], for ewes reared indoors receiving balanced diets (88 to 96 g PDI/ UFL) and were only 18% less than the INRA recommendations for lactating ewes of 50 kg LW [18].…”

“…In studies led with suckling ewes reared indoors [2], the recommendation of total energy supply was 1.11 UFL per kg milk produced. In the present study at pasture, a level of 1.51 UFL resulted in a production of 1.2 kg of milk on average.…”

“…However, tropical forage even when fertilised and irrigated is of moderate food value [4,22], which is a major limiting factor in animal production. Providing supplements allows very high animal performances as shown in a previous study with the same genotype [2] but such a practice is expensive and not well adapted to tropical conditions. It is therefore necessary to optimise the use of forages at pasture and develop management approaches for harvesting high-quality forages.…”

A note on the changes in the preweaning growth of Pelibuey lambs

“…This result agrees with various studies on Pelibuey lambs reporting that single lambs show 8% more in BW at weaning than twin lambs (Carrillo et al 1987). In this regard, postnatal growth is limited by the level of maternal nutrition and other environmental factors that affect milk production (Bell et al 1987, Alexandre et al 2001, Martínez-González et al 2015. In this study, both types of ewes (single and multiple lambing) had a similar nutritional management during lactation, a situation that probably puts in disadvantage the ewes with two lambs, since nutrient needs in this type of ewes are higher (NRC 2007), a fact that may have adversely affected the level of milk production, individual consumption of milk and lamb BW.…”

Effects of defaunation on digestion of fresh Digitaria decumbens grass and growth of lambs

“…According to the French feeding system, the energy of the four diets allows an ADG greater than 200 g/day (the growth potential), whereas the amount of protein could only permit an ADG of 150 g/day. The maximum growth observed in the intensive system, with the Ovin Martinik lambs was 250 g/day (Alexandre et al, 2001).…”