Hostname: page-component-7dd5485656-gs9qr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-10-30T22:41:06.624Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Effect of restricted food intake, before and/or after mating, on the reproductive performance of Greyface ewes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

S. M. Rhind ,
W. A. C. McKelvey ,
S. McMillen ,
R. G. Gunn  and
D. A. Eiston
S. M. Rhind
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
W. A. C. McKelvey
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
S. McMillen
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
R. G. Gunn
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 0PY
D. A. Eiston
Affiliation:
Scottish Agricultural Statistics Service, King's Buildings, Mayfield Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JZ
Get access

Abstract

The effect on the reproductive performance of Greyface (Border Leicester × Scottish Blackface) ewes of a low level food intake and associated loss of live weight from either 14 days before mating, or from the time of mating, until 11 to 26 days after mating, was investigated. Ewes (252) were allocated to one of three treatments with ewes within each treatment divided into two flocks (flock A: 16 ewes per treatment; flock B: 68 ewes per treatment). Ewes of treatment LL were given a ration providing proportionately 0·5 estimated metabolizable energy (ME) requirements for maintenance from 2 weeks before mating. Those of treatment HL were given a daily ration providing 1·5 estimated ME requirements for maintenance until mating and the restricted ration thereafter. Ewes of treatment HH were given the higher ration throughout the experimental period. Flock A ewes were slaughtered at 11 days post mating and flock B ewes at between 18 and 26 days post mating. Treatment differences in the ovulation rates of flock A ewes were not statistically significant but in flock B, ewes of treatment LL had a lower mean ovulation rate (1·81) than those of treatments HL (2·23) and HH (2·09) (P < 0·001). The lower ovulation rate of LL ewes relative to HL ewes in flock B was reflected in a lower mean potential lambing rate per ewe pregnant than in the HL treatment (1·58 v. 1·79; P < 0·01) and per ewe put to the ram (1·37 v. 1·65; P < 0·01). HL ewes had a slightly lower mean potential lambing rate per ewe pregnant (1·79 v. 1·97; P < 01) and per ewe put to the ram (1·65 v. 1·82; P < 0·05) than HH ewes. Ova wastage rates of LL + HL and HH ewes were 0·26 and 014 (P < 001) respectively at 24 days post mating. Values for LL and HL ewes (0·27 and 0·25 respectively) were not significantly different.

Estimated mean conceptus lengths were 370, 500 and 1400 μin for LL, HL and HH ewes respectively (P < 0·05).

It is concluded that low food intake before mating reduced the mean ovulation rate and low intakes after mating compromised embryo growth rate and induced a higher rate of ova wastage; this increase in the incidence of ova wastage was not significantly exacerbated by the low levels of intake prior to mating.

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 48 , Issue 1 , February 1989 , pp. 149 - 155
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1989

Access options

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

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

REFERENCES

Boland, M. P., Gordon, I. and Kelleher, D. L. 1978. The effect of treatment by prostaglandin analogue (ICI-80, 996) or progestagen (SC-9880) on ovulation and fertilization in cyclic ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 91: 727–730.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cumming, I. A. 1972. The effect of nutritional restriction on embryonic survival during the first three weeks of pregnancy in the Perendale ewe. Proceedings of the Australian Society of Animal Production 9: 199–203.Google Scholar
Edey, T. N. 1969. Prenatal mortality in sheep: a review. Animal Breeding Abstracts 37: 173–190.Google Scholar
Edey, T. N. 1970. Nutritional stress and pre-implantation embryonic mortality in Merino sheep, 1967. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 74: 193–198.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gunn, R. G. 1983. The influence of nutrition on the reproductive performance of ewes. In Sheep Production (ed. Haresign, W.), pp. 99–110. Butterworths, London.Google Scholar
Gunn, R. G. and Maxwell, T. J. 1978. The effects of direction of live-weight change about mating on lamb production in Greyface ewes. Animal Production 26: 392 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
McCullagh, P. and Nelder, J. A. 1983. Generalised Linear Models, pp. 24–28. Chapman and Hall, London.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McKelvey, W. A. C. and Robinson, J. J. 1986. Embryo survival and growth in the ewe — recent studies on the effects of nutrition and on novel techniques for the recovery and transfer of embryos. Rowett Research Institute Annual Report, pp. 9–24.Google Scholar
MacKenzie, A. J. and Edey, T. N. 1975. Short-term undernutrition and prenatal mortality in young and mature Merino ewes. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 84: 113–117.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parr, R. A., Cumming, I. A. and Clarke, I. J. 1982. Effects of maternal nutrition and plasma progesterone concentrations on survival and growth of the sheep embryo in early gestation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 98: 39–46.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Parr, R. A. and Williams, A. H. 1982. Nutrition of the ewe and embryo growth during early pregnancy. Australian Journal of Biological Sciences 35: 271–276.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Parr, R. A., Williams, A. H., Campbell, I. P., Witcombe, G. F. and Roberts, A. M. 1986. Low nutrition of ewes in early pregnancy and the residual effect on the offspring. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 106: 81–87.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Robinson, J. J. 1986. Nutrition and embryo loss in farm animals. In Embryonic Mortality in Farm Animals (ed. Sreenan, J. M. and Diskin, M. G.), pp. 235–248. Martinus Nijhoff, The Hague.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rowson, L. E. A. and Moor, R. M. 1966. Development of the sheep conceptus during the first fourteen days. Journal of Anatomy 100: 777–785.Google ScholarPubMed
Vincent, I. C., Williams, Hill. and Hill, R. 1985. The influence of low-nutrient intake after mating on gestation and perinatal survival of lambs. British Veterinary Journal 141: 611–617.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wilmut, I., Sales, D. I. and Ashworth, C. J. 1986. Maternal and embryonic factors associated with prenatal loss in mammals. Journal of Reproduction and Fertility 76: 851–864.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed