Environmental Temperature Influences Diet Selection and Growth in Early-Weaned Lambs

Subject Areas : Camel

M.S. Simeonov ¹ , I. Stoycheva ² , D.L. Harmon ³

1 - Research Agricultural Institute, Stara Zagora, Bulgaria
2 - Research Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria
3 - Department of Animal and Food Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA

Received: 2020-03-12 Accepted : 2020-05-31 Published : 2022-03-01

Keywords: Nutrition, body weight, lambs, temperature,

Abstract :

The objective of the present study was to trace the influence of environmental temperature on growth and feed consumption in early-weaned lambs from dairy sheep breeds. The experiment was conducted in 2015 at the experimental farm of the Institute of Forage Crops, Pleven, Bulgaria using 36 lambs of the Blackhead Pleven sheep breed. The animals were divided into three groups (12 animals per group). Each group was divided into 6 sub groups (2 lambs per pen and divided into three experimental premises, each with a different environmental temperature. The lambs reared at an average temperature of 12.6 ˚C grew significantly faster (P<0.01), than the lambs reared at 5.1 ˚C and -3.0 ˚C. The animals grown at an average temperature of -3.0 ˚C, consumed a larger quantity of maize (P<0.01) and a lower amount of pelleted protein concentrate (PPC, P<0.01). In the animals grown at an average temperature of 12.6 ˚C, the tendency for consumption is reversed (higher PPC consumption and less maize). In this case, when the lambs were grown at a temperature of 12.6 ˚C the percentage of crude protein in the dry matter chosen is the highest at 22.0%.

References:

Ames D. and Brink D. (1977). Effect of temperature on lamb performance and protein efficiency ratio. J. Anim. Sci. 44(1), 136-144.

Ames D., Brink D.R. and Willms C.L. (1980). Adjusting protein in feedlot diets during thermal stress. J. Anim. Sci. 50, 1-6.

AOAC. (2005). Official Methods of Analysis. 18^th Ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, Washington, DC., USA.

Blaxter K. and Wainman F. (1961). Environmental temperature and the energy metabolism and heat emission of steers. J. Agric. Sci. 56(1), 81-90.

Cezar M.F., Souza B.B. and Souza W.H. (2004). Evaluation of physiological parameters of sheep from Dorper, Santa Inês and their crosses in climatic conditions of northeast semi-arid. Ciên. Agrotec. 28, 614-620.

Christopherson J. and Kennedy P. (1983). Effect of the thermal environment on digestion in ruminants. Canadian J. Anim. Sci. 63(3), 477-496.

Christopherson J., Hudson R. and Christopherson M. (1979). Seasonal energy expenditures and thermoregulatory response of bison and cattle. Canadian J. Anim. Sci. 59(3), 611-617.

Delfino J. and Mathison G. (1991). Effects of cold environment and intake level on the energetic efficiency of feedlot steers. J. Anim. Sci. 69(11), 4577-4587.

Grzych M. (2010). Webinar Portal for Forestry and Natural Resources. http://www.forestrywebinars.net/webinars/planning-and-design-of-livestock-watering-systems/ Accessed Jun 26, 2014.

Jassim E., AL-Musawi J., Hassan S. and Muhammad S. (2015). Effect of cold stress on some blood parameters of sheep and goats. Int. J. Sci. Res. 6(1), 1617-1620.

Kang H., Lee I., Piao M., Gu M., Yun C., Kim H., Kim K. and Baik M. (2016). Effects of ambient temperature on growth performance, blood metabolites, and Immune cell populations in Korean cattle steers. Asian Australasian J. Anim. Sci. 29(3), 436-443.

Kennedy P. and Milligan L. (1978). Effect of cold exposure on digestion, microbial synthesis and nitrogen transformations in sheep. British J. Nutr. 39(1), 105-117.

Keskin M., Gül S., Şahin A., Kaya Ş., Duru M., Görgülü Ö., Şahinler S. and Biçer O. (2007). Effects of feed refreshing frequency on growth and carcass characteristics of Awassi lambs. South African J. Anim. Sci. 37(4), 248-255.

Li Y., Christopherson R., Li B. and Moibi J. (2000). Effects of a beta-adrenergic agonist (L-644,969) on performance and carcass traits of growing lambs in a cold environment. Canadian J. Anim. Sci. 80, 459-465.

Mohamed S.S. (2012). Effects of level of feeding and season on rectal temperature and blood metabolites in desert rams. Acad. J. Nutr. 1, 14-18.

Moibi J.A., Christopherson R.J. and Okine E.K. (2000). In vivo and in vitro lipogenesis and aspects of metabolism in ovines: Effect of environmental temperature and dietary lipid supplementation. Canadian J. Anim. Sci. 80, 59-67.

NRC. (1985). Effect of Environment on Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals. National Academy Press, Washington, DC., USA.

NRC. (2007). Nutrient Requirements of Small Ruminants, Sheep, Goats, Cervids, and New World Camelids. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA.

Sahin A., Keskin M., Biçer O. and Gül S. (2003). Diet selection by Awassi lambs fed individually in cafeteria feeding system. Livest. Prod. Sci. 82(2), 163-170.

Salam S., Khan H.M., Shah A.A., Mir M.S. and Dar P.A. (2016). Effect of cold and nutritional stress on blood metabolites of corridale sheep in Jammu and Kashmir. Indian J. Small Rumin. 22(2), 36-39.

Schanbacher B.D., Hahn G.L. and Nienaber J.A. (1982). Effects of contrasting photoperiods and temperatures on performance traits of confinement-reared ewe lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 55, 620-626.

Seedorf J., Hartung J., Schröder M., Linkert K.H., Pedersen S., Takai H., Johnsen J.O., Metz J.H.M., Groot Koerkamp P.W.G., Uenk G.H., Phillips V.R., Holden M.R., Sneath R.W., Short J.L., White R.P. and Wathes C.M. (1998). Temperature and moisture conditions in livestock buildings in Northern Europe. J. Agric. Eng. Res. 70(1), 49-57.

Seinfeld J.H. and Pandis S.N. (1998). Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics: From Air Pollution to Climate Change. Wiley, New York.

Statistica. (2006). Statistica for Windows. StatSoft Inc., Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA.

Vachon M., Morel R. and Cinq-Mars D. (2007). Effects of raising lambs in a cold or a warm environment on animal performance and carcass traits. Canadian J. Anim. Sci. 87, 29-34.

Vázquez-Vela M.E.F., Torres N. and Tovar A.R. (2008). White adipose tissue as endocrine organ and its role in obesity. Arch. Med. Res. 39, 715-728.

Von Keyserlingk G. and Mathison G. (1993). The effect of ruminal escape protein and ambient temperature on the efficiency of utilisation of metabolisable energy by lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 71(8), 2206-2217.

West J. (2003). Effects of heat stress on production in dairy cattle. J. Dairy Sci. 86, 2131-2144.

Yamamoto S. (1989). Estimation of heat production from heart rate measurement of free living farm animals. Japan Agric. Res. Quart. 23(2), 134-143.

Young B. (1981). Cold stress as it affects animal production. J. Anim. Sci. 52, 154-163.

Young B. (1983). Ruminant cold stress: Effect on production. J. Anim. Sci. 57, 1601-1607.