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The effects of selenium and vitamin E (Vit. E) were evaluated on the macro-elements and their relationships were also surveyed. Lambs were divided into 4 groups of control, Vit. E, sodium selenite and sodium selenite/Vit. E (Se/E). Sodium selenite (0.1 mg.kg−1) and Vit. E (8 mg.kg−1) were administered. The mean blood selenium was high in sodium selenite. Selenium only in the Se groups was continuously increased. The lowest and highest blood selenium were in Vit. E and sodium selenite, respectively. The mean serum macro-minerals were within the normal range. The trend of calcium and magnesium in the selenium groups was to increase until day 60, but phosphorus was to decline. The lowest and highest calcium were observed in the control and sodium selenite groups, for magnesium in Vit. E and control groups, and for inorganic phosphorus were in the control group, respectively. The comparison of minerals showed that selenium had a significant increase from day 14 to 90 in sodium selenite. Selenium showed the most positive relationships with calcium and inorganic phosphorus in Vit. E and sodium selenite. Overall, selenium was correlated with macro-minerals on day 90 and overall sampling times were with calcium. In conclusion, administration of selenium with Vit. E increased selenium, which was more observed in the sodium selenite group. Sodium selenite alone or with Vit. E had no effect on the macro-minerals. The least correlation was observed between selenium and macro-minerals in the Se/E administration. The correlation between macro-minerals was positive. It was concluded that the effect of sodium selenite on treatment and prevention of selenium deficiency was more effective than other groups. Vit. E per selenium did not change the selenium concentration. Selenium administration was associated with an increase in calcium level and their co-administration is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding low-protein (LP) diets with essential amino acids could be an effective strategy for ruminants from economic, health and environmental perspectives. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of rumen-protected methionine and lysine (RML) in the LP diet on growth performance, innate immunity, and gut health of growing lambs. After 15 days of adaption, sixty-three male Hulunbuir lambs aged approximately 4 months were allotted to three dietary groups and each group had three pens with seven lambs for 60 days. The dietary treatments were as follows: a normal protein diet (14.5% CP, positive control; NP), LP diet (12.5% CP, negative control; LP), and LP diet with RML (12.5% CP, LP + RML). Lambs fed with LP + RML diet showed improved villus architecture and gut barrier function than those fed with the other two diets. The mRNA expressions of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α, interferon-γ, toll-like receptor-4, and myeloid differentiation primary response 88 were downregulated in most regions of the intestinal segments by feeding the LP + RML diet. Compared with the NP diet, feeding lambs with the LP diet increased the abundance of Candidatus_Saccharimonas in all regions of the intestinal tract and reversed by feeding the LP + RML diet. Lambs in the LP + RML diet group had lower abundance of Erysipelotrichaceae_UCG-009 and Clostridium_sensu_stricto_1 than those in the LP diet group. The results showed that supplementing RML in the LP diet exhibited beneficial effects on host immune function, intestinal mucosal integrity, and microbiota composition. Key points: • Adding methionine and lysine in a low-protein diet improve the intestinal mucosal growth and integrity. • Feeding a low-protein diet with methionine and lysine enhance the innate immune status. • Adding methionine and lysine in a low-protein diet alter the intestinal microbiota composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep keepers need suitable strategies to improve animal immunity and the quality of their products. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of nano-selenium (nano-Se) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) on an antioxidant statue, trace minerals, and mRNA expression of glutathione peroxidase 1 (GPX1) and selenoprotein W1 (SEPW1) genes in the liver and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPARγ) and stearoyl COA desaturase 1 (SCD1) genes in fat-tail of male Moghani lambs. Thirty male Moghani lambs, three months old and average weight 30.00 ± 0.25 kg, were assigned to a completely randomized design in a 2×3 factorial arrangement with dietary supplementation of nano-Se (0, 1.00 and 2.00 mg kg-1 dry matter) and CLA (0.00 and 15.00 g kg-1 dry matter). The lambs were slaughtered at the end of the experiment, on day 90 of the experiment. Results showed that dietary inclusion of nano-Se significantly improved antioxidant enzymes glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in blood, however, did not show any differences in trace mineral treatments. The analysis of qPCR showed that nano-Se inclusion at the highest level (2.00 g kg-1 dry matter) enhanced gene expression of GPX1 (0.64 vs 0.34) and SEPW1 (0.72 vs 0.35) in the liver. Dietary inclusion of CLA increased the expression of PPARγ (0.63 vs 0.38) and decreased SCD1 (0.63 vs 0.33) genes in fat-tail. It could be concluded that selenium inclusion in the growing lamb's diet could improve antioxidant status, however, no synergistic interaction was observed along with CLA on the mentioned parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sheep have been shown to be genetically diverse but this genetic diversity has not been fully described, there are still many sheep populations which have not yet been studied. The purpose of this study were to investigate the polymorphism in the calpain gene (CAPNS1) in Iraqi awassi sheep by using PCR-SSCP method, and their relationship to growth traits. A 192-bp fragment of exons 5 and 6 including intron region of the CAPNS1 gene was amplified and subjected to PCR-SSCP method to screen for polymorphisms. The observed variants had exhibited different distributions in the analyzed samples in terms of the targeted 192 bp amplicons. Were detected five CAPNS1 genetic patterns according to SSCP technology A, B, C, D, and E. Results of sequence analysis revealed five nucleotide substitutions at nt 44, nt 64, nt 94, nt 103 in a part of intron 5, and nt 154 in a part of exon 6 (SNP position). The substitutions at exon 6 nt154 T > C, this SNP is a silent mutation {GGT (Glycine) > GGC (Glycine)}, which creates no substitution effect for amino acid sequence of CAPNS1 protein. Were found Three alleles named C, G and T. Also showing insertion of 'A' nucleotide at nt (72-73) in a part of intron 5. This genetic variation is in non-coding DNA, therefore it is difficult to conclude how this polymorphism may affect the CAPNS1 gene activity. The lambs used in the present study were weaned at three months of age. The average weight gain for weaning weight, six, nine, and twelve months were also recorded the overall average gain 21.62 ± 0.61, 31.32 ± 0.59, 37.51 ± 0.76, 41.42 ± 0.68, and 19.80 ± 0.40 kg, respectively. The results obtained in this study showed the importance of genotypes as sources of variation, where there was significant (P <0.05) effect of genotype in different economic growth traits used in the analysis. Also the study results showed that the breed is unbalanced because the calculated x2 values are greater than the tabular in all positions of the studied CAPNS1 gene, The imbalance, according to Hardy Weinberg rule, may be due to the possibility of out breeding. It may be the result of non-random mating for several years in awassi sheep populations. The results confirmed that the PCR-SSCP is an appropriate tool for determining genetic variability in CAPNS1 locus. Since this gene could be considered as a candidate gene of growth and meat quality traits in sheep and may affect lamb quality parameters., further study may be conducted to ascertain the association of these genotypes with the growth and carcass/ meat quality traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Highlights • Canola oil improved the meat quality of lamb. • The amount of intramuscular fat was higher in the supplemented group. • Canola oil decreased the percentage of SFA in lamb meat. • The atherogenic and thrombogenic indices of lamb meat were decreased by canola oil. Abstract This study investigated the effect of canola oil on meat quality of Araucano creole lambs. Twenty-four Araucano creole lambs (5 months of age) were used for this study. The lambs were randomly divided into two groups and fed ad libitum amount of diet consisting of concentrate (40%) and pea straw (60%) without added fat for the control group and with the addition of 50 mL of canola oil (three times per week; 150 mL a week) for the treatment group for a period of 90 days. The liveweight, physicochemical parameters (pH, intramuscular fat (IMF), colour, water holding capacity (WHC) and tenderness) and fatty acid profile of twenty-four Araucano creole lambs were assessed. Administering canola oil to Araucano creole lambs during the finishing diet did not show significant differences in liveweight between groups, although lamb from Canola group presented slightly higher liveweights compared to control group (32.20 vs. 33.89 kg, for control and Canola groups, respectively). Statistical analysis showed that lamb meat from the control group had lower (P < 0.001) WHC (lost: 14.57 ± 0.44%) than those from the canola group (lost: 11.42 ± 0.43%). Regarding tenderness, samples from Canola group presented slight lower values (5.90 vs. 6.15 kg/cm2, for Canola and control groups, respectively). The colour of the meat was also affected by canola oil, showing higher (P < 0.001) redness (17.90) and lower (P < 0.05) hue angle (34.90) in lambs from Canola group compared to the control one. Canola oil significantly modified the amount of IMF (4.65 vs. 5.65%, P < 0.05, for control and Canola groups, respectively). Regarding fatty acids, the effect canola oil in the diet increased the monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) (1665.08 vs. 2446.3 mg/100 g of meat, P < 0.001, for control and Canola groups, respectively) and the polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) (422.9 vs. 530.9 mg/100 g of meat, P < 0.01, for control and Canola groups, respectively). In addition, canola oil improved the n 6/ n 3 ratio (5.42 vs. 4.64, P < 0.05, for control and Canola groups, respectively). Moreover, canola oil reduced thrombogenic index (TI) values (1.37 vs. 0.99, P < 0.001, for control and Canola groups, respectively). It was concluded that administering canola oil to lambs during fattening period could be an important strategy to improve the meat quality and may increase the amount of intramuscular fat with a healthier fatty acid profile (oleic acid, CLA and eicosapentaenoic acid). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Leucine supplementation to early weaned lambs is beneficial to their health. • Leucine supplementation increased activity of T-AOC and GSH-PX in plasma. • Supplementation of leucine decreased concentration of H 2 O 2 and d -lactate in plasma. • Leucine supplementation improved dressing percentage and decreased drip loss of meat. Abstract This study investigated the effects of leucine supplementation on the performance of pre- and post-weaning of early weaned Hu lambs. Thirty lambs of five-day-old, with an average body weight of 3.60 ± 0.73 kg, were assigned randomly to the control or leucine group, with each group having 5 replicate pens. Lambs in the leucine group received 7.1 g/kg total feed dry matter leucine in milk replacer from 10 days of age onward. Blood samples were collected from one lamb of each replicate randomly to determine plasma metabolites, oxidative stress indicators and immunize variables when lambs were early weaned at 30 days of age. After weaning, one lamb of each replicate was kept in their same pen and fattened to 120 days old. These lambs (5 lambs per treatment) were slaughtered to determine the carcass traits and drip loss of muscle. Growth performance before weaning did not differ (P > 0.05) between the control and leucine group. Leucine supplementation increased (P < 0.05) plasma concentrations of asparagine, isoleucine and leucine, and total antioxidant capacity and glutathione peroxidase activity. Supplementation of leucine decreased (P < 0.05) concentrations of blood urea nitrogen, blood ammonia, and d -lactate. Compared to the control group, the leucine group achieved a higher dressing percentage (P < 0.05). Furthermore, leucine supplementation decreased (P < 0.05) the drip loss of mutton at both 24h and 48h. Collectively, these results indicate that leucine supplementation can enhance the antioxidant and immune status and help maintain the health of early weaned Hu lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Energy and nitrogen loss in feces were high for lambs fed the diet containing 24% SBP. • The metabolisable energy intake and heat production were not affected by SBP level. • The highest values of retention of energy in fat and total tissue were observed in the diet containing 16% SBP. Abstract This experiment investigated the effects of dietary sea buckthorn pomace (SBP) supplementation on energy partitioning, substrate oxidation, and carbon and nitrogen balance in ram lambs. A total of 40 1/2 Dorper × 1/2 thin-tailed Han male lambs (BW = 22.2 ± 0.92 kg, Age = 120 ± 11 d; mean ± SD) were randomly selected and equally divided into 4 groups. Diets were formulated isonitrogenously and contained different levels of SBP: 1) 0% SBP (control); 2) 7.8% dry matter (DM) SBP (8SBP); 3) 16.0% DM SBP (16SBP); and 4) 23.5% DM SBP (24SBP). The lambs were fed in individual stalls for 50 d and then determine nutrients digestibility. Gas exchange was then determined using a polycarbonate head box designed for small ruminants. DM and crude protein (CP) intake were greater for 24SBP (2.1 and 0.29 kg/d) than for control (1.28 and 0.24 kg/d) or 8SBP (1.84 and 0.24 kg/d). The treatment diets did not result in difference in metabolisable energy (ME) intake and heat production (HP). Energy and nitrogen loss in feces were higher for lambs fed the 24SBP than for other groups. The nutrient oxidation contribution to the heat production (OXP/HPx, OXCHO/HPx, and OXF/HPx) was not affected by treatment diets (P > 0.228). The highest values of retention of energy in fat (RE fat) and total tissue (RE total) were observed in 16SBP diet. The results indicated that sea buckthorn pomace can be incorporated in the diet of ram lambs, and inclusion of 16% SBP in the diet had no detrimental effect on energy metabolism and resulted in an increase in energy retention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the cost of diarrhoea in lambs on dairy sheep farms located in Grosseto (Italy). Farmers’ profits have recently declined due to a stable product price but increasing production costs. Animal diseases have a cascade of effects on farm productivity. Lamb enteric disease outbreaks, which result in mortality in the herd and reduced weight gain, can drastically compromise the income of farmers. An economic analysis of the impact of an outbreak of diarrhoea in lambs was thus performed, evaluating the cost of disease based on the main visible production losses (such as mortality, reduced weight gain and variation in milk production). A sensitivity analysis was also conducted by applying different observed ranges of prevalence and mortality associated with the disease. Finally, an economic scenario analysis was performed, considering different in-farm management options for delivering lambs to the abattoir, i.e. early, standard and late delivery. The results showed that a dairy sheep farm with around 300 lambs that delivers them to the abattoir at 30 days of age would experience a loss of between 50 and 1200 Euro during an outbreak of diarrhoea with a prevalence of 34.21 (23.54–44.88)% and a mortality of 15.69 (9.98–21.4)%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb performance was evaluated in four integrated crop-livestock (ICL) systems. The ICL areas were previously planted with maize and marandu palisade grass in December 2013. ICL systems 1 and 2 were also seeded with pigeon pea. After harvesting in April 2014, black oats were sown in rows (ICL 1 and 3) or by broadcast seeding (ICL 2 and 4). Each ICL area was divided into 12 paddocks of 225 m 2 to be grazed by young sheep from July 23 to September 30, 2014. To determine if the pasture remained contaminated by free-living stages of sheep gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) after approximately ten months without animals in the area, 12 worm-free “tracer” lambs (n = 3/ ICL system) grazed each ICL pasture for 14 consecutive days in July 2015 and were later housed in pens, where they remained for another 14 days. The tracer lambs acquired no worm infections, demonstrating that the area was cleared after 300 days without animals. To evaluate GIN infection and uncastrated male lamb performance, we used 60 (n = 15/ system) Poll Dorset x Corriedale (crossbred) sheep with mean body weights of 24.4 ± 3.4 kg from July to September 2015 and 48 (n = 12/ system) Texel x Corriedale sheep with body weights of 26.4 ± 3.5 kg from June to September 2016. Lambs were allocated to the following groups: Group 1 rotated on the 12 ICL1 paddocks; Group 2 rotated on the 12 ICL2 paddocks; Group 3 rotated on the 12 ICL3 paddocks; and Group 4 rotated on the 12 ICL4 paddocks. Each paddock was grazed by sheep twice for three days, with a 33-day interval between grazing. At the end of the day the lambs were supplemented with concentrate plus silage. Groups 1 and 2 received mixed silage made of maize, marandu palisade grass and pigeon pea and groups 3 and 4 received mixed silage made of maize and marandu palisade grass. Faecal and blood samples were taken from all the animals every two weeks, and body weight was recorded on the same occasion. Nematode faecal egg counts (FEC), packed cell volume and total plasma protein means did not differ (P > 0.05) between the four lamb groups. In 2015, throughout the experimental period, the FEC decreased in all animals, with 6733 and 1407 eggs per gram (EPG) on average at the beginning and end of the trial, respectively. At the beginning of the trial in 2016, the animals had mild GIN infections (1077 EPG on average), and the individual faecal egg counts did not exceed 10,000 EPG during the trial. In decreasing order, Haemonchus spp., Trichostrongylus spp. and Cooperia spp. third stage larvae were found in the faecal cultures in both years. The performance of lambs were similar in the four ICL systems (P > 0.05), in the first and second years, the daily weight gains were 0.192 ± 0.05 kg and 0.221 ± 0.06 kg, respectively. In conclusion, a period of withdrawal of contaminated sheep results in plots free of infective larvae. The use of clean pastures during the dry season, in the different ICL systems, associated with a good nutrition plan, resulted in progressively declining degrees of GIN infections and satisfactory daily weight gain of young sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: To determine the effects of early rearing system on meat quality traits, fatty acid and amino acid profiles of meat, 48 Hu lambs were selected and randomly divided into four treatments: control lambs were ewe‐reared from birth to 60 days of age (ER), while treatment lambs were segregated from their dams at 10, 20 and 30 days of age, then artificially reared with milk replacer until 60 days of age (EW10, EW20 and EW30, respectively). All lambs had no access to the milk replacer or their dams from 61 to 90 days. Creep feed was supplied ad libitum to all lambs from 15 to 90 days of age. Artificially reared lambs (EW10, EW20 and EW30) had higher (p < .05) creep feed intake, average daily gain, slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, meat ether extract content, bright meat color (lightness and yellowness) than ewe‐reared lambs. The content of unsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids in EW10 and EW20 were greater (p < .05) than that in ER, whereas the proportions of saturated fatty acids in EW10 and EW20 were lower than that in ER (p < .05). The percentages of C18:0, C18:2, C18:3 and the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids and saturated fatty acids of artificially reared lambs were greater than ewe‐reared lambs (p < .05). The meat proportions of leucine, alanine and proline were higher (p < .05) in artificially reared lambs than ewe‐reared ones. Finally, the artificially reared system increased meat production and changed the fatty acid and amino acid profiles of meat, and it would be appropriate to rear Hu lambs artificially from 10 days with milk replacer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty-four fattening lambs were randomly assigned to two groups (completely randomized design) to assess effects of feeding a pelleted total mixed ration (PTMR) on growth performance and rumen fermentation characteristic of lambs. Dietary treatments were PTMR and unpelleted total mixed ration (UPTMR). During a 56-d fattening period, growth and digestibility were measured and samples of blood and rumen fluid were collected. At the end of the fattening period, lambs were slaughtered and digestive tracts were collected and evaluated. Dietary PTMR increased dry matter intake and average daily gain ( P  <  0.001) of lambs, but did not significantly affect feed conversion rate, increased apparent digestibility of dietary crude protein ( P  <  0.001), ash-free acid detergent fiber ( P  <  0.001), ether extract ( P  < 0.01), and starch ( P  <  0.001), but did not change apparent digestibility of dietary dry matter and amylase-treated ash-free neutral detergent fiber. Feeding PTMR increased concentrations of high density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P  <  0.05) and decreased low density lipoprotein cholesterol in plasma ( P  <  0.05) and hence was beneficial to health of lambs by modulating cholesterol metabolism. Feeding PTMR altered rumen fermentation and increased the ratio of acetate to propionate in rumen fluid ( P <0.001). Furthermore, PTMR increased rumen papilla height and density ( P  < 0.001), decreased crypt depth of duodenum ( P  <  0.05) and hence increased the ratio of villus length to crypt depth and mucosal layer thickness of duodenum ( P  < 0.001), jejunum ( P  <  0.01), and ileum ( P  <  0.01). In conclusion, feeding PTMR increased growth performance of fattening lambs; this was attributed to improvements in gastrointestinal tract development, rumen fermentation characteristics and cholesterol metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hypothesis of this study was that arginine supplementation would overcome negative effects of restricted maternal feed intake during the last two-thirds of gestation on ewe performance and positively affect postnatal lamb growth and development. Multiparous, Rambouillet ewes (n = 32) were allocated to 3 treatments in a completely random design at 54 ± 3.9 d of gestation. Dietary treatments were 100% of nutrient requirements (control, CON), 60% of control (restricted, RES), or RES plus a rumen-protected arginine supplement dosed at 180 mg/kg BW once daily (RES-ARG). Ewes were penned individually in a temperature-controlled facility. At parturition, lambs were immediately removed from dams and reared independently. At day 54 ± 3 of age, lambs were stunned using captive bolt, exsanguinated, and organs were collected and weighed. Ewe BW from day 68 of gestation through parturition was greater (P = 0.03) in CON compared with RES or RES-ARG. Similarly, ewe BCS from day 68 of gestation through parturition was greater (P = 0.03) in CON than either RES or RES-ARG. Total ewe colostrum mass (g) at 3 h after parturition was greater (P = 0.001) in CON than RES or RES-ARG. Lamb birth weight was greater (P = 0.04) in CON than RES ewes and tended (P = 0.10) to be greater in CON vs. RES-ARG. Lambs born to CON ewes had greater (P = 0.03) BW than lambs from RES ewes at 7, 14, and 33 d postpartum. On day 19, lambs from CON and RES-ARG ewes both had greater (P = 0.04) BW than lambs from RES ewes (12.0 and 11.5 vs. 10.3 ± 0.41 kg, respectively). Lambs born to CON and RES-ARG ewes had greater (P = 0.04) ADG than lambs from RES ewes on day 19 (355.0 and 354.0 vs. 306.4 ± 15.77 g, respectively). Lambs from CON and RES-ARG ewes also had greater (P = 0.02) girth circumference than lambs from RES ewes on day 19 (55.4 and 54.6 vs. 51.3 ± 0.97 cm, respectively). On day 54, lambs from RES-ARG ewes had greater (P = 0.003) curved crown rump length than lambs from RES ewes (99.8 vs. 93.9 ± 1.28 cm, respectively). Adrenal glands in lambs from CON dams had greater (P = 0.01) mass than adrenal glands in lambs from RES dams. Livers from lambs born to RES-ARG ewes weighed more (P = 0.05) than livers from lambs born to RES ewes. These results confirm our hypothesis that arginine supplementation during the last two-thirds of gestation can mitigate offspring, but not maternal negative consequences associated with restricted maternal nutrition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of forage concentration on sorting, nutrient intake and feeding behaviour of growing lambs. Twelve weaned lambs were exposed, in a crossover design with 7‐day periods, to each of two treatment diets: (i) lower‐concentrate diet (LC; 40.0% concentrate) and (ii) a higher‐concentrate diet (HC; 60.0% concentrate). Alfalfa hay was used as forage source. Sorting was determined by subjecting fresh feed and ort samples to particle separation and expressing the actual intake of each particle fraction as a percentage of the predicted intake of that fraction. Lambs sorted against long particles (>19 mm) on both treatments. On the LC diet, lambs sorted for medium particles, whereas animals fed the HC diet did not sort for or against medium particles. Lambs sorted for fine particles (<1.18 mm) on both treatments (p < .05). The extent of sorting for the fine particles was greater on the LC diet compared with the HC diet (p < .05). Dry matter intake was increased by increasing the concentrate content of the diet. Intake per visit and eating rate increased, and total chewing time was decreased in lambs fed HC diet. In conclusion, lambs sorted most against the longest particles and for the fine particles. Furthermore, feed sorting behaviour is affected by the forage level, and lambs sorted more for the fine particles in the LC diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation was conducted to estimate the breeding values and genetic trends for body weight (BW), scanning fat depth (SFD) and scanning muscle depth (SMD) of Karayaka lambs (n= 1059) at 140 ± 3.36 day of age. Experiments were conducted in a nucleus flock of Karayaka sheep under a selective breeding program to increase productivity at research farm of Gaziosmanpasa University between the years 2006 - 2011. Breeding values were estimated with ASREML software. While genetic trend for BW and SMD showed a smooth ascending trend, SFD exhibited a descending trend throughout the experimental period. The genetic trend for BW, SFD and SMD of Karayaka lambs were observed as 0.433 kg / year, - 0.00686 mm / year and 0.00786 mm / year, respectively. The results showed that applying of a selection program on BW, SMD and SFD characteristics would increase BW and SMD values and decrease SFD value in Karayaka lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caffeine is routinely given to preterm infants hours after birth to treat apnea of prematurity. In view of it’s success, earlier administration in the delivery room is being considered, but little is known about how caffeine may effect the cardiovascular changes during the fetal to neonatal transition. Our aim was to determine the effect of prenatal caffeine administration on haemodynamic parameters in ventilated preterm lambs immediately after birth. Methods: Catheters (carotid artery and jugular vein) and ultrasonic flow probes (pulmonary artery and carotid artery) were implanted in preterm lambs (~126 ±2 days of gestation; term is 147 days), immediately before delivery by caesarean section. Before the cord was clamped, lambs were intubated and a caffeine (10mg/kg caffeine-base; n = 9) or saline (n = 5) infusion was given intravenously to the ewe and lamb over a 15-minute period. Two minutes after clamping the cord, ventilation commenced with a sustained inflation (35 cm H2O for 30 seconds) followed by ventilation for 30 minutes (target tidal volume of 6-8ml/kg). Results: Blood gas parameters and rectal body temperature were not different between the two groups. Changes in pulmonary blood flow (PBF) and carotid blood flow (CBF) did not differ significantly between groups. PBF increased significantly after ventilation onset in both groups (caffeine p = 0.022, saline p <0.001) and remained elevated thereafter. CBF did not increase but decreased after SI in the caffeine group. Blood pressure, heart rate, and peripheral oxygen saturation did not differ between groups at any stage of the study. Conclusion: Prenatal caffeine infusion had no significant effect on acute haemodynamic parameters in ventilated preterm lambs during the cardiorespiratory transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the results of studying the biological growth and development of young stock of different types of intra-breeding degeres fat-tailed breed of sheep. The experimental part of this work was carried out in the new environmental conditions of breeding for this breed of sheep in the foothill zone of the South-East of Kazakhstan, Almaty region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of ensiling gliricidia ( Gliricidia sepium Jacq.) with cassava on silage quality as well as the growth performance, digestibility, ingestive behavior and carcass traits in lambs. Gliricidia was ensiled with cassava leaves at varying proportions of inclusion (0, 200, 400 and 600 g/kg) for 75 days and fed as a total mixed ration (TMR) at 700 g/kg, while a concentrate mixture was fed at 300 g/kg to 32 castrated Santa Ines crossbred lambs with an average weight of 18.9 ± 2.0 kg. The pH, N-NH 3 , density, butyric and acetic acid contents and dry matter losses (DML) of the gliricidia silages decreased linearly ( P  < 0.05) with cassava inclusion, but there was a linear increase ( P  < 0.05) in the contents of dry matter (DM), non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC), total carbohydrates (TC), and lactic and propionic acids. Including cassava leaves in the gliricidia silage increased ( P  < 0.05) the intake (g/d) of DM, CP, EE, NDFap and NDFap (%BW) by the lambs, but there was no effect on the digestibility of DM, CP, EE, and NDFap or the time spent feeding, ruminating, idling and chewing. There was a slight tendency toward a quadratic increase in the NFC digestibility coefficient ( P  = 0.084). The inclusion of cassava leaves in the gliricidia silage linearly increased ( P  < 0.05) the final weight, total weight gain, average daily gain, and hot and cold carcass weights of the lambs, but there was no influence on the carcass traits ( P  > 0.05). However, the weights of the commercial cuts and non-carcass components linearly increased ( P  < 0.05) with the inclusion of 600 g/kg of cassava in the gliricidia silage. Therefore, it is recommended to combine gliricidia with 600 g/kg of cassava leaves to improve the fermentation pattern and chemical composition of gliricidia-cassava silage, and offering the silage in lamb diets increases the nutrient intake, performance, morphometric measurements and carcass and non-carcass components as well as the yields of both prime commercial cuts, such as the loin and ham, and typical foods, such as sheep "buchada". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to assess if partial replacement of rapeseed oil (RO) with fish oil (FO) combined with dietary supplementation of various antioxidants (carnosic acid – CA, selenized yeast – SeY and selenate – Se(VI)) influences the profile of biohydrogenation products, intermediates and conjugated fatty acids (CFA) in the rumen content and selected tissues of lambs. Thirty Corriedale male lambs were divided into 5 groups and fed for 35 days isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets: basal diet enriched with 30 g RO/kg (Group 0 – control), diet enriched with 20 g RO/kg and 10 g FO/kg (Group I) or diets with combined addition of 20 g RO/kg, 10 g FO/kg and antioxidants (Group II supplemented with 1 g CA/kg; Group III with 1 g CA/kg and 0.35 mg/kg Se as SeY; Group IV with 0.35 mg/kg Se as Se(VI)). Applied dietary modification significantly affected the lipid transformation in the rumen. Replacement of RO by FO to the greater extent affected the profile of conjugated than non-conjugated intermediates in all samples. Collateral supplementation of antioxidants acted synergistically with FO in case of CFA content in the rumen content whereas in tissues the impact of antioxidants was antagonistic to FO. Se-compounds influenced CFA amounts in the most potent way, although dependent on their chemical form. Inorganic form (Se(VI)) reduced conjugated biohydrogenation intermediates contents in lamb livers while its organic chemical form (SeY) stimulated deposition of CFA and CD in femoral muscles. Partial replacement of RO by FO resulted in preferential incorporation of CFA isomers into liver and dorsal muscle. A complex insight into PUFA metabolism in the rumen was possible due to consideration of both steps (isomerisation and biohydrogenation) as well as plethora of possible intermediates and arising products (especially conjugated). Our results indicate that isomerisation and biohydrogenation are strongly affected by the Se-compounds. The influenced depended on the chemical form of these compounds: SeY strongly influenced the isomerization of both LA and ALA, whereas inorganic Se modified the biohydrogenation of ALA. So, it can be stated that aside from phytochemicals, Se-compounds have also an ability to modify processes occurring in rumen and thus may lead to favorable modification of FA profile of edible part of ruminant carcass, which is of utmost importance from the consumer point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nutritional requirements of sheep during late gestation increase as a consequence of high fetal growth, mammary tissue development and colostrum synthesis. While prepartum energy supplementation is a nutritional strategy to improve lamb postnatal performance in thermoneutral environments, this has not been studied under heat stress. This study aimed to evaluate effects of maternal energy supplementation during the last third of pregnancy on post-weaning feedlot performance and thermoregulation capacity of heat-stressed male lambs born from multiple births. Twenty Dorper x Pelibuey entire male lambs with initial body weight of 18.2 ± 0.4 kg, aged 2.7 mo (weaned) and born in multiple pregnancies were used in a 32 d feeding study. Treatments were based in the prenatal origin of the lambs: 1) ewes fed 100 ( n  = 10, Control) and 2) 125% ( n  = 10, Supplemented) of metabolizable energy requirements from day 100 of gestation to lambing. Lambs were housed outdoor in individual pens under summer environment conditions in an arid region (temperature = 36 ± 4.4 °C and temperature-humidity index = 81 ± 3.9 units). Overall feedlot performance was not affected by pre-partum maternal feeding, although lower (P = 0.04) growth rate and feed efficiency occurred during the last 8 d of the study in lambs born from supplemented ewes. Rectal temperature, respiratory rate and hair coat temperature during daytime were unaffected by prepartum supplementation. Serum concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, urea, total protein and thyroid hormones were similar between lambs born from control and supplemented ewes. It is concluded that, in hair sheep breeds, prepartum energy supplementation did not alter overall post-weaning productive performance and thermoregulation capacity of heat-stressed male lambs that were born in multiple pregnancies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present research was undertaken to determine the effect of application animal six models including or ignoring maternal genetic and/or maternal permanent environmental effects based on single and multi-trait animal model analyses and choose the most efficient method of selection to improve body weight traits in Rahmani lambs on genetic base. Current findings pointed to increase phenotypic variances of weight traits by increasing lamb's age. Maternal environmental effects shared approximately 13% (ranged from 11% to 20%) of the whole phenotypic variation for body weight traits in multi-trait analysis and thereafter declined significantly for all the traits especially in single-trait analysis. The results show the significance of including at least one maternal component with covariance between direct and maternal effect for genetic evaluation body weight traits and high direct heritability estimates denoted possibility to use weight traits as selection criteria due to their direct response to genetic improvement through direct selection method and their economic importance in mutton production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined effects of birth year, herd type, age of dam, lamb sex, birth type and lamb color on birth weight in Hemsin lambs using the regression tree method. The study used the data obtained from 9113 Hemsin lambs born between 2007-2010. The average birth weight of Hemsin lambs was found to be 3.55 kg and the standard deviation was 0.727 kg. Significant differences were found in birth weights of Hemsin lambs according to birth year (P<0.001), birth type (P<0.001) and lamb sec (P<0.01), whereas no statistically significant difference was found according to herd type, age of dam and lamb color (P>0.05). According to the regression tree diagram, the most important factors affecting birth weight of Hemsin lambs were birth year, birth type, sex, herd type and age of dam. The absence of lamb color in the regression tree diagram indicates its insignificant effect on birth weight. The low risk value (0.456) and high R-Squared value (0.862) of the regression tree model shows that the model is sufficient to explain birth weight. Variables of birth year, birth type, sex, herd type and age of dam explained 86.2% of the variation in birth weight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implementation of precise farming technology is very important for productivity increasing of livestock. One of the highest components of the production costs is feeding expenses. An automatic concentrate feeding stations (AFS) can ensure economic feed distribution and intake registration for animals individually. The aim of this research was to study the possibility and benefits of using AFS in fattening of lambs. Results show that during all the research average number of daily visits to AFS per lamb were 13 ± 0.2 visits, average daily live weight gain per lamb was 254 ± 15.7 g. For 1 kg lamb live weight gain 5.35 kg concentrate was used. More intesively acitivity periods of lambs was noted during following hours of day time: 02:00-02:59, 08:00-09:59 and 19:00-20:59. Significant (P = 0.05) moderate positive correlation (r = 0.470) was found between average daily number of visits to the AFS per lamb and total amount of concentrate consumed during the research per lamb. Significant (P = 0.05) strong negative correlation (r = -0.806) was found between average daily number of visits to the AFS per lamb and average amount of concentrate consumed during one visit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this study were to determine factors affecting lamb birth weight (BWT) and differences between BWT of the largest and smallest littermates (BWTD) and to assess the relative importance of BWT and BWTD on lamb survival and growth to weaning. Records from twin (n = 5369) or triplet (n = 1664) litters born on pasture were utilised. Breeds included Coopworth, Romney, Perendale, composite and Texel. Ewe and sire breed, age and weight of the dam, sex, and number of lambs born (NLB) affected BWT. Neither embryo loss nor ovulation pattern (i.e. all ova released from one ovary or some from each) were associated with BWT. Dam weight and NLB affected BWTD but dam age, sire or dam breed did not. Loss of an embryo reduced BWTD, and BWTD was lower when the ewe ovulated from both ovaries versus only one ovary for twins, but not triplets. Whereas BWT was moderately heritable (h 2  = 0.20), BWTD was not heritable (h 2  = 0.003). Lamb survival was positively associated with BWT. Lambs with BWTD > 1.3 kg were less likely to survive (73.3%) than those from litters of smaller BWTD (range 82.8–85.7% survival). Growth rate of twin and triplet lambs was positively associated with BWT. Surprisingly, lambs from litters with moderately high BWTD had slightly greater (approximately 3%) growth rate than those from lambs of low to intermediate BWTD. Thus, while large BWTD were negatively associated with survival, BWT itself, which was moderately heritable, appeared to be a stronger driver of lamb survival and average daily gain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of the inclusion of sunflower cake in the diets of lambs on meat quality. Forty male, uncastrated Santa Ines lambs with an initial average body weight of 20.9 ± 0.41 kg were used in a completely randomized design with four treatments. The lambs were fed 500 g/kg hay and 500 g/kg concentrate (corn, soybean meal, urea, ammonium sulfate and sunflower cake) in their diet, and the experimental treatments were 0, 10, 20, and 30% sunflower cake inclusion (DM basis). The inclusion of sunflower cake in the diet did not affect (P > 0.05) the content of ash and protein, overall acceptance, or sensory aroma of the lamb meat. Total lipids and moisture content of the longissimus lumborum muscle increased linearly (P ≤ 0.05) with sunflower cake inclusion. The C16:0, ΣSFA, ΣMUFA:ΣSFA ratio, Δ–9 desaturase enzyme and atherogenicity index in the longissimus lumborum muscle decreased linearly (P ≤ 0.05) with sunflower cake inclusion in lamb diets, whereas a linear increase occurred (P ≤ 0.05) in C12:0, C18:0, ΣMUFA, ΣPUFA, ΣPUFA:ΣSFA and ΣPUFA:ΣMUFA ratios, Σn–6, Σn–3, desirable fatty acids, h:H index, elongase activity, and flavor, tenderness and juiciness sensory qualities in lamb meat. Among the panelists, the highest preference (35.9%) was for meat with 30% sunflower cake inclusion in the diet. Sunflower cake up to 30% of total DM can be included in the diet of Santa Ines lambs, because lipid nutritional quality and the sensory qualities of the lamb meat increase, in addition to improvement in nutraceutical compounds, such as the CLA content, and in the AI, PUFA:SFA and PUFA:MUFA ratios, desirable fatty acids content and h:H ratio, which are beneficial to the health of consumers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two comparative in vitro and in vivo experiments were accomplished to assess the effects of Moringa oleifera root bark (MRB) and ionophore antibiotic monensin as dietary feed additives for ruminants' diets. In the in vitro experiment, the effects of graded levels of MRB (0, 25 and 50 g/kg DM) and monensin (40 mg/kg DM) on ruminal fermentation and degradability parameters were evaluated using the semi-automatic gas production (GP) system. Results were subjected to regression analysis (dose-response analysis) and ANOVA to select the MRB effective dose. In the in vivo experiment, eighteen Barki lambs (BW; 25 ± 3.1 kg) were randomly allotted into three dietary treatments (n = 6/treatment) as: control (basal diet without additive), monensin (40 mg/kg DM) and MRB (25 g/kg DM). The experiment lasted for 70 days to collect ruminal samples and evaluate lamb performance, while the subsequent 7 days were assigned for the nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance trial. The GC–MS analysis of MRB showed that the most abundant phytochemicals were organosilicons, alkaloids and benzoic acid ester. Results of the in vitro assay showed that both MRB doses inhibited (P < 0.01) CH 4 production (ml/g DM) without adverse effects on GP and degradability compared to control. Diet supplemented with 25 g MRB/kg DM resulted in the highest increase (P = 0.03) of propionate compared to control. Ammonia concentration was decreased (P < 0.01) by monensin, while protozoal counts were not affected by all experimental diets. The in vivo effects of MRB on ruminal fermentation profile were different from those of in vitro assay. MRB enhanced (P < 0.05) the total short chain fatty acids, acetate production and nutrients digestibility, while monensin enhanced propionate (P < 0.01) compared to other diets. Both monensin and MRB exhibited similar reductions (P < 0.01) in protozoal counts, urine N excretions and estimated CH 4 produced per unit of body weight gain while enhanced (P < 0.05) the body N retention, average daily gain, and feed efficiency compared to control. These results suggested that, although MRB was less effective than monensin, it favourably modified the ruminal fermentation process and nutrients digestibility, thus it could be used as a novel dietary feed additive for ruminant diets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of breed (Suffolk, Charollais), sex (ram, ewes) and litter size (singles, twins, triplets) on the growth ability of lambs from birth to 300 days of age. Insignificantly higher (p > 0.05) birth weight (4.47 ± 1.07 kg), weight in 30 days (13,87 ± 3.28 kg), 100 days (36.51 ± 5.80 kg) and 300 days (79.00 ± 13.64 kg) was found in the lambs of the Suffolk breed. Higher birth weight was also associated with larger body dimensions in the Suffolk breed (height at withers 42.43 cm, diagonal length of body 43.60 cm). In 100 days, the lambs of Charollais were slightly bigger, in 300 days the height at withers and the diagonal length of body were nearly the same in both breeds. Higher growth intensity was recorded in rams (DG0-300: Ram = 239.87 g. day-1, Ewe = 221.67 g. day-1). With regard to the litter size, higher growth intensity was found in singles (234.77 g. day-1) when compared to lambs from twins (226.10 g. day-1) or triplets (225.63 g. day-1). Keywords: lamb, growth, Suffolk, Charollais [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about biological significance of effects of dietary Boron (B) and Calcium (Ca) interaction on health and production of farm animals. This is a preliminary investigation to evaluate the effects of B supplementation in lambs fed diets with (normal) or without adequate (low) levels of Ca. Twenty-four crossbred ram lambs were randomly distributed into four groups with six animals each in a 2x2 factorial design namely, normal-Ca diet (NCa) and low-Ca diet (LCa) fed without or with 40 ppm B (NCaB-40 and LCaB-40). The lambs were fed paddy straw and hybrid napier hay-based total mixed ration (60 roughage: 40 concentrate) during 180 days experimental period. Compared to control, the LCa diet lowered (P<0.01) average daily gain of lambs, but B-supplementation (LCaB-40) of the same nullified the effect. The lowered (P<0.05) total antioxidant activity and humoral immune response in lambs fed LCa diet were restored (P>0.05) to become at par with the control (NCa) upon supplementation of B (LCaB-40). The mRNA expression of SOD1 was lowered (P<0.05) due to LCa diet feeding which too was normalized on B-supplementation to become at par (P>0.05) with the control (NCa). Further, B-supplementation restored lowered (P<0.05) SOD1 gene expression on LCa diet, but enhanced (P<0.05) that in NCaB-40 group, when compared to the control (NCa) diet fed animals. However, these variations were not reflected in the SOD activity in the erythrocytes. The cell-mediated immune response was higher (P<0.05) in lambs fed LCa and LCaB-40 groups and there was no significant interaction between the levels of either Ca or B in diets with the period of immune response measurement. B- supplementation of LCa diet ameliorated tissue degenerative changes in liver and kidney. It was concluded that feeding LCa diet to lambs resulted in reduced growth rate, total antioxidant activity, humoral immune response along with degenerative changes in liver and kidney tissues, but B-supplementation of such diet restored most of these changes and ameliorated histopathological alterations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an experiment with 32 male growing Florina (Pelagonia) lambs, effects of replacing barley grain, sunflower meal and wheat bran with partly destoned exhausted olive cake (PDEOC) and soybean meal on productivity, carcass characteristics, meat chemical composition and meat fatty acid (FA) composition was determined. In the 56 day experiment, lambs were randomly allocated into four dietary treatments (PDEOC0, PDEOC80, PDEOC160, and PDEOC240) of 8 lambs each and accommodated in individual floor pens. Lambs had an initial body weight (BW) of 16.7 ± 1.81 kg, and were fed one of four isonitrogenous (crude protein 162 g/kg, dry matter − DM basis) and isoenergetic (net energy for gain 6.11 MJ/kg, DM basis) concentrate mixtures ad libitum and alfalfa hay (0.2 kg DM/lamb/day). The PDEOC was added to the concentrate mixture at inclusion levels (as mixed basis) of 0, 80, 160, and 240 kg/t for treatments PDEOC0, PDEOC80, PDEOC160, and PDEOC240, respectively. No differences (P > 0.05) occurred among PDEOC treatments in final BW (29.9 kg), BW gain (0.24 kg/day), DM intake (0.97 kg/day), and feed conversion ratio (4.07 kg DM intake/kg BW gain). Moreover, meat chemical composition and carcass characteristics were not affected (P > 0.05) with increased PDEOC feeding, except for the fat color, fat firmness, wetness and overall acceptability of carcasses that linearly increased with increasing PDEOC supplementation. Oleic and palmitic acids were the predominant FA in intramuscular fat of all treatments. FA were not affected (P > 0.05) with increased PDEOC feeding, except for the lauric acid which decreased (P = 0.018), as well as the α-linolenic acid which increased (P = 0.020). PDEOC supplementation, at levels up to 240 kg/t of concentrate mixtures, in isonitrogenous and iso (net energy) energetic diets for growing lambs did not affect their performance and carcass characteristics, while it improved carcass qualitative traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rumen microbiota plays a large role in the digestion of consumed feeds in ruminant livestock and likely influences feed efficiency. The objective of this study was to determine associations of diet and feed efficiency status with rumen microbial profiles in growing lambs. Growing wethers were fed either a concentrate- (C; n = 39) or forage-based (F; n = 38) diet. Individual feed intake was measured over a 49 d intake trial and initial, mid and final BW were recorded for estimation of feed efficiency. Rumen fluid samples were collected at the end of the trial, and DNA for sequencing was extracted from the rumen fluid of the 10% lowest ranking and highest ranking wethers for feed efficiency on each diet. Paired-end reads were filtered, quality trimmed and compared with a database of known 16S rDNA genes. Operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were defined as sequence clusters with ≥ 97% identity in a 16S rDNA database; 349 prokaryotic OTUs were present in at least one animal. Of these OTUs, 27 were affected ( P ≤ 0.05) by the interaction of diet with feed efficiency status, 44 were affected ( P ≤ 0.05) by the main effect of diet, and 11 were affected ( P ≤ 0.05) by the main effect of feed efficiency status. These results confirm that diet is a major influence on composition of the rumen microbiome. Also, key microbial species may play important roles in the regulation of feed efficiency, and those species may differ according to diet composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The number of oocytes obtained from lambs after FSH treatment is far greater than those acquired from adult ewes. However, these oocytes typically have reduced viability in comparison with adult ewe oocytes. However, the molecular mechanisms of differences in viability between lamb and ewe oocytes remain unknown. In the present research, we applied iTRAQ coupled with LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis in order to investigate the proteomic expression profile of granulosa cells from lambs and ewes following stimulation with FSH. We detected 5649 proteins; 574 were differentially expressed between adults and juveniles. Based on Gene Ontology enrichment and KEGG pathway analysis, the majority of DEPs are participated in metabolic processes, ribosome and MAPK signaling pathways. Expression levels in ewes turned out to be lower than lambs. Protein interaction network analysis generated by STRING identified MAPK1, SMAD2, SMAD4, CDK1, FOS and ATM as the major findings among 54 significant differentially expressed of proteins. Quantitative real-time PCR analysis was applied to verify the proteomic analysis. These proteins which were identified in lambs may contribute to the reduction of oocyte quality compared to adults. The present research provides understanding of the molecular mechanism for follicle development in lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neurogenesis, the process by which neurons are generated in the brain from progenitor cells, occurs in the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the subgranular zone (SGZ) in the adult human brain. Recently, rodent studies have demonstrated that exercise can increase neurogenesis in the SGZ; however, it is unclear if exercise also has this effect in more complex mammalian brains. The overarching aim of this study was to explore whether exercised-induced neurogenesis occurs in larger mammalian brains more representative of human brains and to explore the use of a model for exercising large animals such as sheep. For these studies, 6 male twin lambs had a structured exercise regime for 4 wk and 6 other twin male lambs were kept in an open field pen. All lambs were injected with bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), a thymidine analog that is incorporated into the DNA of proliferating cells. Immunoperoxidase was used to visualize and quantify BrdU-positive cells in the SVZ and SGZ. Overall, no significant change in the number or distribution of BrdU-positive cells was observed in the lamb SVZ and SGZ with exercise or colabeling of BrdU with mature neuronal or glial markers in the exercised and nonexercised lamb SVZ and SGZ. Overall, this study provides a novel methodology to investigate the effects of imposed exercise on large animals and exerciseinduced neurogenesis in animals with gyrencephalic brains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three bedding materials, sawdust, rice husk and double layer of sawdust used during transportation to slaughterhouse were compared. Sixty light male lambs of Merino breed were used in the present study. Welfare physiological indicators (glucose, lactate, creatinine, lactate dehydrogenase, creatine kinase, cortisol and catecholamine) sampled before and immediately after the transportation, and carcass microbial quality (total viable counts, Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp.) in three different sites of carcass (rump, flank and neck) were assessed. Bedding material during transport did not affect any of the physiological indicators analysed, except for creatinine, which was lower in lambs transported with rice husk. Bedding material had no effect on carcass microbial quality. Sampling site affected values of Enterobacteriaceae and Pseudomonas spp. The lowest values for Enterobacteriaceae count were found in the neck, while Pseudomonas spp. presented the highest count in the flank site. In conclusion, under the conditions of the present study, all substrates tested could be recommended as bedding material during transport, without showing significant differences on animal-welfare indicators or carcass microbiological quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Key points Cerebral haemodynamic response to neural stimulation has been extensively studied in adults, but little is known about cerebral haemodynamic response in the fetal and neonatal brain., The present study describes the cerebral haemodynamic response measured by near infrared spectroscopy to somatosensory stimulation in newborn lambs, in comparison to recent findings in fetal sheep., The cerebral haemodynamic responses in the newborn lamb brain can involve an increase in oxyhaemoglobin (oxyHb), or a decrease of oxyHb suggestive of reduced perfusion and oxygenation., Positive correlations between changes in oxyHb and mean arterial blood pressure were found in newborn but not fetal sheep, which suggests the result is unlikely to be due to immature autoregulation alone., In contrast to adult studies, hypercapnia increased the changes in cerebral blood flow and oxyHb in most of the lambs in response to somatosensory stimulation., Abstract The neurovascular coupling response has been defined for the adult brain, but in the neonate non-invasive measurement of local cerebral perfusion using near infrared spectroscopy or blood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imaging have yielded variable and inconsistent results, including negative responses suggesting decreased perfusion and localized tissue tissue hypoxia. Also, the impact of permissive hypercapnia ( [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The purpose of the present investigation was to measure pelt follicle characters after birth and to determine the relationship among pelt and follicle characters in fat-tailed Gray Shirazy sheep. Skin samples were taken from 150 lambs at 1 and at 120 days of age and from their parents (18 rams and 150 ewes) using a biopsy punch (8 mm in diameter) from the right mid-side of the body. Several sections of 8 μm were then prepared, mounted, and stained on glass slides to determine follicle characteristics. The least square means of primary (P) follicle density/mm2 in skin of 1- and 120-day-old lambs were 14.6 and 7.1 for males and 15.4 and 7.0 for females, respectively. The least square means of secondary (S) follicle density/mm2 in skin of male and female lambs were 33.3 and 34.7 for 1-day-old and 21.7 and 20 for 120-day-old lambs, respectively. S/P ratios in 1- and 120-day-old lambs were 2.9 and 3.6 in males and 2.7 and 3.4 in females, respectively. There was no significant difference between sex of lambs for follicle density/mm2 of skin and S/P ratio in lambs of 1 and 120 days old. The correlation coefficient between 1-day-old follicle characters and final score of pelt was not significant, but for 120-day-old follicles it was moderate and significant. Correlation coefficients between pelt traits in newborn lambs were significant. Results indicate that although the density of follicles and the S/P ratio were moderate in fat-tailed pelt lambs, there was no correlation between them and the final score of pelt. Further studies are needed to determine whether other follicle characters like follicle curvature, follicle depth, and follicle group size would have a high correlation with final score of pelt to assess skin characters objectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Early experience with low-quality roughage has the potential to improve its utilization in ruminants. Objectives: This study determined the effects of early experience with low-quality roughage on dry matter intake (DMI), body weight (BW) and the hepatic metabolism of lambs. Methods: Ten lambs (3 month old) were randomly allocated to two treatments: the low-quality roughage group (LR) or the control group (C). The study lasted 7 months. In the first 4 months, LR was fed low-quality roughage, whereas C was fed normal roughage. In the last 3 months, both groups were fed low-quality roughage. Dry matter intake (DMI) was determined at the 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th months (P1, P2, P3 and P4). Analysis of liver tissue metabolomics were carried out in P2 and P3. Results: DMI was greater in LR than C in P1 ( p < 0.05), but did not differ in P2. In P3 and P4, DMI was greater in LR than in C ( p < 0.01). The concentration of five glycolysis/gluconeogenesis intermediates, some lipid metabolism-related metabolites, six amino acids and several amino acid metabolism-related metabolites were different between treatments in P2. From P2 to P3, concentrations of these metabolites changed in LR. However, no difference was found between treatments in P3. Conclusion: Feeding low-quality roughage to lambs early in life influenced hepatic glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, fatty acid oxidation and amino acid metabolism. However, for lambs who had no early experience with low-quality roughage, similar alterations were induced in the liver after 1 month of eating low-quality roughage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Intra-uterine growth restriction (IUGR) is associated with persistent metabolic complications, but information is limited for IUGR infants. We determined glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) and insulin sensitivity in young lambs with placental insufficiency-induced IUGR. Lambs with hyperthermia-induced IUGR (n = 7) were compared with control lambs (n = 8). GSIS was measured at 8 ± 1 days of age, and at 15 ± 1 days, body weight-specific glucose utilization rates were measured with radiolabeled D-glucose during a hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp (HEC). IUGR lambs weighed 23% less (P < 0.05) than controls at birth. Fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were not different between IUGR and controls for either study. First-phase insulin secretion was enhanced 2.3-fold in IUGR lambs compared with controls. However, second-phase insulin concentrations, glucose- potentiated arginine-stimulated insulin secretion, and β-cell mass were not different, indicating that IUGR β-cell have an intrinsic enhancement in acute GSIS. Compared with controls, IUGR lambs had higher body weight-specific glucose utilization rates and greater insulin sensitivity at fasting (1.6-fold) and hyperinsulinemic periods (2.4-fold). Improved insulin sensitivity for glucose utilization was not due to differences in skeletal muscle insulin receptor and glucose transporters 1 and 4 concentrations. Plasma lactate concentrations during HEC were elevated in IUGR lambs compared with controls, but no differences were found for glycogen content or citrate synthase activity in liver and muscle. Greater insulin sensitivity for glucose utilization and enhanced acute GSIS in young lambs are predicted from fetal studies but may promote conditions that exaggerate glucose disposal and lead to episodes of hypoglycemia in IUGR infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty Farafra male lambs aged 3-4 months and weighed 15.59 ±1.99kg randomly distributed into two groups (10 animals each). First group kept in semi-open shaded yard and the second in open yard with double asbestos roof pen. The experiment lasted 140 days (23 May to 10 October 2015). Feed of animals in the two groups consisted of 75% concentrate feed mixture and 25% corn silage. All animals offered feed three times per day (at 8 am, 1 and 6 pm). The results showed significant increase (P >0.05) in total body weight gain of the first group than the second group (21.67 vs.19.38 kg) and average daily gain (0.154 vs. 0.138 kg). Dry matter intake was slightly higher in first group than the second one (1.071 vs.1.035 kg/h/d) and the same with feed conversion efficiency (6.95vs.7.50). At the morning there were no significant differences between the first and second groups in relative humidity (70.2 vs. 67.8), temperature humidity index (71.1 vs. 72.3), respiration rate (34.97 vs. 41.99), while rectal temperature was significantly (P<0.05) lower in the first group than the second (39.35 vs. 39.5). At afternoon the relative humidity was significantly (P<0.001) lower in the first group than the second (32 vs. 47.3). Temperature humidity index was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the first group than the second (90.6 vs. 84). Respiration rate was significantly (P<0.05) higher in the first group than the second (59.95vs.51.35) and rectal temperature was higher in the first than the second group (39.70 vs.39.63). The results indicate that rearing Farafra lambs in semi-open shaded yard is better than in open yards with double asbestos roof pen in productive and physiological performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty male lambs (31.53 ± 3.8 kg initial LW) were used in a 70-d feedlot finishing trial. Dietary treatments consisted of a conventional corn-based finishing diet supplemented with 0, 2, 4 or 6 g tannin extract/kg dietary dry matter. The tannin extract (TAN) contained a minimum of 70% tannin, comprised of a 50:50 blend of both condensed and hydrolyzable forms. Supplemental TAN increased (linear effect, P < 0.01) water consumption. During the initial 28-d period, TAN effects on growth performance were not appreciable except for a tendency toward increased gain to feed ratio (quadratic effect, P = 0.08), and increased (quadratic effect, P = 0.04) estimated dietary net energy (NE); responses being maximal at the 4 g/kg level of TAN supplementation. In contrast, during the remaining 42 d period TAN supplementation decreased gain to feed ratio (linear effect, P < 0.05) and dietary NE (linear effect, P < 0.01), and increased ( P < 0.01) observed-to-expected dry matter intake (DMI). Overall, TAN supplementation decreased (linear effect, P = 0.02) dietary NE, and increased (linear effect, P = 0.02) observed-to-expected DMI. Based on LSD mean separation, this effect was largely attributable a marked decrease in apparent efficiency of energy utilization at the 6 g/kg level of TAN supplementation. There were no effects of treatments on carcass characteristics or chemical composition of shoulder. It is concluded that long-term supplementation of tannins may not enhance growth performance or carcass characteristics in finishing lambs, and may decrease energy utilization of the diet when is supplemented beyond 4 g/kg DM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to evalaute meat qaulity characteristics of imported chilled lambs in Saudi Arabia. Eighteen Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle samples of three imported breeds (Sawakni, Pakistani and Australi) were used. Moisture and ether extract contents were significantly (P<0.05) different between the breeds. The breeds also showed significant (P<0.05) differences in yellowness (b*), water-holding capacity (WHC) and cooking loss percentage (CL). The best overall acceptability was showed by Australi breed followed by Pakistani. The superior WHC ratio was attained by Pakistani breed, while Austali breed showed the best CL%. The highest myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) value was scored by Pakistani breed followed by Australi. It is concluded that Australi breed was the best between the tested breeds followed by Pakistani and lastly Sawakni based on its superiority over the other two breeds in all sensory evaluation components. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our hypothesis was that increasing the inclusion level of dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS) to feedlot lambs would increase growth and the inclusion of lasalocid (LAS; Bovatec, Alpharma, LLC, Bridgewater, NJ) would increase ADG and G:F, while not affecting digestibility, ruminal VFA concentration, and ruminal pH. Furthermore, we hypothesized that rations containing LAS and higher levels of DDGS would cause increased ruminal hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) concentrations. Two hundred forty crossbred (Suffolk x Rambouillet) lambs (31.9 ± 5.87 kg BW; approximately 90 d of age) were allocated to 6 treatments in a completely randomized design with a 3 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Lambs were placed into 24 feedlot pens (4 pens/treatment; 10 lambs/pen) for a 111 d finishing study. Main effects included concentration of DDGS (0, 15, or 30% DM basis) and inclusion of LAS (0 or 22.05 g/metric ton LAS) resulting in treatments of: 1) 0% DDGS without LAS (0DDGS-NL), 2) 0% DDGS with LAS (0DDGS-L), 3) 15% DDGS without LAS (15DDGS-NL), 4) 15% DDGS with LAS (15DDGS-L), 5) 30% DDGS without LAS (30DDGS-NL), and 6) 30% DDGS with LAS (30DDGS-L). Two-day weights were taken at the beginning and end of the experiment. Two-hundred-eighteen lambs (64.8 ± 7.99 kg BW) were slaughtered on d 112 at a commercial abattoir and carcass data collected. The inclusion of LAS increased (P ≤ 0.02) final BW, ADG, G:F, and HCW. As DDGS in the ration increased to 30%, DMI decreased linearly (P = 0.03) while G:F increased linearly (P = 0.03). A second study was conducted utilizing the same treatments to evaluate N and S balance, ruminal VFA and H2S concentration, and ruminal pH in 24 crossbred wethers (Suffolk x Rambouillet; 41.2 ± 12.23 kg BW). Daily urinary sulfur excretion and ruminal H2S concentration were linearly increased (P < 0.001) as DDGS increased in the ration. Total ruminal VFA concentration linearly decreased (P = 0.002) as DDGS increased in the ration. The inclusion of LAS increased (P = 0.02) ruminal pH. The results confirm our hypothesis that LAS increased overall growth and increasing DDGS increased ruminal H2S concentration but did not influence growth. We reject the hypothesis that the combined effects of LAS and DDGS would have no effect on rumen pH and VFA concentrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study was to determine certain meat quality traits of Herik lambs finished under the intensive husbandry conditions. Twenty single male lambs with an average final weight of 42 kg were used in the study. Concentrate feed and fresh water were given ad libitum, whereas 300 g of alfalfa per lamb per day was provided. At 24 h postmortem, the pH levels were 5.51, 5.63, and 5.24 for musculus longissimus dorsi, musculus semitendinosus, and musculus semimembranosus, respectively. The corresponding Warner- Bratzler shear force values (P < 0.001) of cooked meat were 3.359, 2.318, and 3.601 respectively. At 24 h postmortem, the L*(42.18) and a* (19.95) values of Herik lambs were near the acceptable values of L*(34-35) and a*(19.00). At 72 h postmortem, cooking loss and water holding capacity were 34.78% and 10.55%, respectively. Chemical composition traits, namely dry matter (26.35%), protein (22.21%), ether extraction (2.98%), and ash percentage (1.02%), were similar to those of other indigenous breeds. Consequently, these results indicated that the meat of Herik lambs may be suitable for sale after the lambs are raised under an intensive fattening system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methionine was demonstrated to be the most limiting amino acid for growing sheep when microbial protein is the predominant source of absorbable AA, but its specific requirement was not well quantified. The indicator amino acid oxidation (IAAO) method is based on the concept that when the most limiting amino acid (LAA) is deficient for protein synthesis, then all other AAs will be oxidized. With increasing intakes of the LAA, IAAO will decrease until the requirement for the LAA is met, and there is no further change in the indicator oxidation afterwards. Therefore, the catabolism of 13 C-Phe was used to indicate the effects of varying duodenal infusing levels of Met on the oxidation rate by 4-month-old Kazakh lambs (30.8 ± 0.4 kg BW). After a 6-d adaptation period, the IAAO test was conducted on d 7. Each lamb received a priming dose of 0.67 mg/kg BW of 13 C-Phe injected via the jugular vein, together with 0.18 mg/kg BW of NaH 13 CO 3 at time 0. Then, constant infusions [1.33 mg 13 C-Phe/(kg h) −1 ] were started. Breath samples were collected prior to and half-hourly between 90 and 210 min after the start of the 13 C-Phe infusions. An estimate of the mean Met requirement was determined by a breakpoint analysis of the rate of 13 CO 2 released by 13 C-Phe oxidation, with a 2-phase linear regression model. The oxidation rate of 13 C-Phe decreased (P < 0.001) with increasing amounts of methionine infused in a dose-dependent fashion up to 1.65 g/day, and it was not different from 1.65 to 2.15 g/day (P > 0.05). The mean Met requirement was estimated to be 1.28 ± 0.11 g/day of supplementation. The total postruminal minimum requirement of Met would be 2.02 g/day when the basal passage of Met (0.74 g/day) was summed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty Hampshire lambs (31 ± 4 kg BW) in individual metabolism cages were used in a 10-treatment by 2-period (n = 4) trial to evaluate the interaction between protein supplementation and sulfate water on intake and metabolic responses when lambs were fed low-quality grass hay (Megathyrsus maximus; 6.4% CP, 79.5% NDF). The treatment structure was a 2 × 5 factorial: 2 water qualities (WQ; low-sulfate [LS] and high-sulfate [HS]; 442 and 8,358 mg/kg total dissolved solids, respectively) and 5 soybean meal levels (SBM; 0%, 0.25%, 0.50%, 0.75%, and 1.00% BW/d). After 15 d of adaptation, periods consisted of 5 d for determination of forage and water intake, nitrogen balance, and digestion measurements (d 16 to 20) and 1 d for blood sampling and determination of ruminal hydrogen sulfide (H2S) concentration (d 21). Supplemental SBM × WQ interactions were significant for forage OM intake (P = 0.04) and total OM intake (P = 0.04), whereas a tendency was observed for total tract digestible OM intake (P = 0.07). Intake values of LS lambs were higher than those of HS lambs (P < 0.05) in only the first and second levels of SBM. Water intake increased linearly (P < 0.01) with SBM level but was not affected by WQ (P = 0.39). Water quality and SBM supplementation affected total tract OM digestibility (TTOMD; P < 0.01); LS lambs had lower TTOMD than HS lambs (P < 0.01). Plasma urea N increased linearly in response to SBM (P < 0.01) but was not affected by WQ (P = 0.11). Nitrogen balance was not affected by SBM × WQ interaction (P > 0.12), except for N utilization (N retained/N intake ratio; P < 0.01). Regardless of WQ, N intake (P > 0.01), N urine (P > 0.01), and N balance increased linearly (P > 0.01) with SBM level. Water quality adversely affected N intake and N balance, although at the highest level of SBM no differences in N balance were observed between LS and HS lambs (P = 0.85). No changes due to WQ were observed for either urea reabsorbed by kidneys (P = 0.63) or glomerular filtration rate (P = 0.30), but renal function was affected by SBM level (P < 0.01). There was a supplemental SBM × WQ interaction for ruminal H2S concentration (P < 0.01) due mainly to a greater concentration from 0.25% BW SBM in HS than in LS lambs. In conclusion, these results confirmed the existence of an interaction between sulfate water and supplemental protein, which alters intake and metabolic responses when lambs are fed low-quality grass hay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of canola, soybean and fish oils on performance, cellulase enzyme activity, microbial protein synthesis and the fatty acid profile of longissimus muscle in fattening lambs. Thirty-five male lambs with an initial body weight of 27.8 ± 2 kg were used in a completely randomized design for an 84-day feeding period. The experimental treatments included: (1) control diet (without oil), (2) diet with 3% fish oil, (3) diet with 3% canola oil, (4) diet with 3% soybean oil, (5) diet with 1.5% fish oil + 1.5% canola oil (FO + CO), (6) diet with 1.5% fish oil + 1.5% soybean oil (FO + SO), (7) diet with 1.5% canola oil + 1.5% soybean oil (CO + SO). No differences were found among treatment of soybean oil, canola oil, FO + CO and control treatment for Daily weight gains (DWG). However, the diets which contained fish oil, FO + SO and CO + SO had lower DWG. Oil supplementations did not affect dry matter intake, feed conversion ratio and hot carcass weight ( P > 0.05). Ruminal pH and ammonia nitrogen did not differ among treatments. Oils had no effect on concentrations of serum glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride and blood urea-N concentrations ( P > 0.05). No significant differences were found among treatments for purine derivatives and the microbial N ( P > 0.05). The particulate material and total activity of carboxy methyl-cellulase (CMM) were negatively affected by inclusion of oils in feeds ( P < 0.05). No differences were observed for the microcrystalline-cellulase activity (MCC) among treatments ( P > 0.05). The particulate material had the highest enzyme activity in different fractions of CMC and MCC. The most abundant fatty acid was oleic (C18:1 cis-9), followed by palmitic (C16:0) and stearic (C18:0). The lambs fed with fish oil had the highest the C20:5n-3 and C22:5 or C22:6n-3. The concentrations of saturated fatty acids significantly reduced with different oil supplementations ( P < 0.05). The oil supplementations effectively decreased n-6 to n-3 ratio in the longissimus muscle compared with the control diet ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, soybean, canola and fish oils up to 3% separately or binary-blend of these oils in equal proportions (also up to 3%) can be used in diet of fattening lambs. In addition, inclusion of oils in ration improved the meat content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially the level of long-chain n-3 fatty acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Incomplete pedigree data due to multiple-sire mating systems is an issue for extensive sheep livestock production systems that leads to inefficiency in genetic selection programs. Although paternity testing technologies can deal with this challenge, their costs prevent the systematic testing of all offspring born, often being restricted to the replacement breeding stock (i.e., a non-random sample of individuals). This may result in important biases during genetic evaluations for traits expressed early in life, where animals can be pre-selected on the basis of their phenotypic performance, and poor performing individuals (most of them with poor genetic merit), are preferentially discarded. The potential bias due to the joint impact of this pre-selection and the specific cohort of lambs tested for missing paternity data was evaluated on simulated lamb growth data. Genetic evaluations where performed on different scenarios depending on the pre-selection criterion for the replacement breeding stock (>150, >200, >250 or >275 g/d) and availability of pedigree data. The results suggested a relevant impact on the ability of genetic evaluation models to capture the additive genetic variance (simulated heritability, h 2 =0.2), and h 2 moved from slight (h 2 =0.225±0.004) to severe overestimations (h 2 =0.618±0.002) when pre-selection criterion rose from 150 g/d to 275 g/d and with sire data restricted to the replacement breeding stock. This impact was attenuated when sire data was unknown for all individuals (h 2 <0.25), low levels of pre-selection, or when recovering sire data for 10–20% of discarded lambs (additional increases marginally attenuated the bias and improvements were almost absent from ~50% of the lambs). The complete loss of sire data impaired genetic evaluations and revealed moderate-to-low accuracies ( r a ) for predicted breeding values. Scenarios with both moderate and high pre-selection criteria on lamb growth reported remarkable reductions on r a when sire data was only available for replacement individuals. When sire data was also available for a percentage of discarded lambs, r a increased, although the marginal benefit was almost negligible when paternity testing was applied to at least half of the discarded lambs. The expected genetic gain exhibited a similar behavior. As a whole, if sire data is only available for replacement individuals, pre-selection criterion must be minimal to avoid relevant biases during genetic evaluation. If not, the statistical performance of genetic evaluation procedures without sire data was similar or even better than the one obtained with sire data restricted to the replacement breeding stock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects on growth performance, digestibility, and blood metabolites of lambs during pre- and post-weaning period of inclusion of a commercial probiotic (PRO) containing a mixture of two strains of Pediococcus, Pediococcus acidilactici (1×106 colony-forming unit [cfu]/g) and Pediococcus pentosaceus (1.3×106 cfu/g), with dextrose as the carrier compound compared to a diet based on concentrate mixture and wheat straw. Methods: In exp. 1, 24 male lambs of about 15±2.6 d age and initial body weight (BW) of 5.52±0.6 kg were randomly allocated into three groups. One group received control diet without additives, and remainders received control diet supplemented with 0.5 or 1 g PRO/lamb/d. Daily feed intake and biweekly BW were recorded. In exp. 2, five lambs, (initial BW = 29.72±1.15 kg, age = 6.54±0.32 mo) were used as experimental animals in a digestion trial. They were fed the same diets as in Exp. 1. Results: The supplementation of PRO did not result in any significant differences in milk intake, average daily gain (ADG), or total gain between treatments during the pre-weaning period. Total dry matter intake tended to be greater (p = 0.07) with addition of PRO in the post-weaning diets. During post-weaning phase, the final BW, ADG, total gain, and feed conversion ratio of the lambs receiving PRO treatments tended to be greater (p=0.10) than the control group. Addition of PRO in post-weaning diet decreased (p=0.01) blood urea and cholesterol concentrations. With the exception of ether extract digestibility, all nutrients digestibility were improved with inclusion PRO in the post-weaning diets. Conclusion: Lambs that received PRO in post-weaning diet appeared to show a better performance than lambs in pre-weaning period. Addition of the probiotic in the post-weaning diet trended towards improved dry matter intake, growth performance, feed conversion ratio, and nutrients digestibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lamb rearing is a key point to ensure good quality at the end of the production cycle. Fostering and artificial rearing are techniques commonly used when natural rearing is compromised. However, there is a lack of research investigating their impact on the product’s quality, especially when lambs are slaughtered late, around 6 months of age. The current study investigated the effects of artificially reared and fostered lambs on growth, carcass and meat quality. The three foster methods under study were birth fluids, cervical stimulation combined with birth fluids and restraint. Animals were weaned at 3 months of age, and processed at 6 months of age. Artificially reared lambs presented lower weight gains than ewe reared ones at young ages. They also presented worse conformation scores at the processing plant. No differences could be found for growth rates, carcass or meat quality among the foster methods tested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shearing is a common practice for lamb hygiene and health, which can also influence the animal survival and productivity in stressful environments. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of shearing on performance and some metabolic and physiological parameters of fattening lambs exposed to ambient heat stress. Thirty -two male Dalagh fattening lambs (32.4 ± 5.7 kg), 3.5 ± 0.5 months of age, were selected from a herd existing at the research station of the University of Gonbad Kavoos (temperate mild-latitude zone of Iran). Lambs were divided into two groups, maintained individually and fed with a mixture of alfalfa hay and concentrate with free access to drinking water. One group was completely shorn while the other group was left unshorn, and both groups were reared for 10 weeks (July-Sept.) with mean ambient temperature of 29.3°C. Feed intake and liveweight changes were recorded weekly whereas metabolic parameters were measured daily. Fasting blood samples were collected three times a week and used for blood metabolites and hormone assays. Results showed that shearing has no effects on feed intake and weight gain over the study. Feed conversion ratio was improved (P < 0.05) by shearing (10.70 vs 13.26 kg/kg). Shearing also caused a decline in lamb rectal temperature (P < 0.05), whereas heart rate remained unchanged. Respiratory rate was lower in shorn lambs (P < 0.001), whereas blood glucose, urea and total protein levels were not affected. Serum concentrations of thyroxine declined in shorn lambs compared with unshorn lambs (P < 0.05), but cortisol level was unchanged between groups. In conclusion, the study showed that when lambs are kept sheltered under heat stress conditions, shearing appears to induce energy retention via reducing some vital activities such as respiration and heat loss leading to enhanced feed efficiency. The decrease in thyroxine level can be considered as the possible underlying mechanism for the decline observed in rectal temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]