J. Anim Sci.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Godfrey, R. W.
Right arrow Articles by Dodson, R. E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Godfrey, R. W.
Right arrow Articles by Dodson, R. E.
J. Anim. Sci. 2003. 81:587-593
© 2003 American Society of Animal Science

Effect of supplemental nutrition around lambing on hair sheep ewes and lambs during the dry and wet seasons in the U.S. Virgin Islands1

R. W. Godfrey2 and R. E. Dodson

University of the Virgin Islands, Agricultural Experiment Station, St. Croix 00850

2 Correspondence:
RR2 Box 10,000, Kingshill (phone: 340-692-4042; fax: 340-692-4035; E-mail:
rgodfre{at}uvi.edu).

Pregnant St. Croix White and Barbados Blackbelly hair sheep ewes were used to evaluate the effect of supplemental nutrition around the time of lambing on ewe and lamb performance during the dry and wet seasons on St. Croix. Beginning 14 d before expected day of lambing (d 0) and for 21 d postpartum, one group of ewes was fed a pelleted supplement in addition to grazing guinea grass pasture (FEED). Other ewes in the flock grazed pasture only (CONTROL). This study was conducted during the dry season (June through September; FEED n = 14 and CONTROL n = 15) and during the wet season the next year (October through January; FEED n = 11 and CONTROL n = 12). The 24-h milk production of each ewe was measured on d 7, 21, 35, 49, and 63. Ewes were exposed to sterile rams equipped with marking harnesses to detect estrus during the postpartum period. The FEED ewes lost less weight postpartum during both seasons (P < 0.0001) and had higher milk production (P < 0.009) than CONTROL ewes during the dry season. During the dry season, the time to the first postpartum estrus did not differ (P > 0.10) between FEED and CONTROL ewes (46.9 ± 2.7 vs 52.9 ± 2.6 d, respectively). During the wet season, the time to first postpartum estrus was less (P < 0.07) in FEED than in CONTROL ewes (33.0 ± 3.1 vs 41.1 ± 2.9 d, respectively). The FEED ewes had higher lamb birth weight (P < 0.04) and weaning weight (P < 0.05) than CONTROL ewes (3.2 ± 0.1 and 12.2 ± 0.5 vs 2.9 ± 0.1 and 10.9 ± 0.5 kg, respectively) during the dry season. In the wet season, lamb birth weight and weaning weight were similar (P > 0.10) between FEED and CONTROL (3.2 ± 0.1 and 15.5 ± 0.7 vs 3.1 ± 0.1 and 15.3 ± 0.6 kg, respectively). Lambs born during the wet season had higher (P < 0.0001) ADG than lambs born during the dry season (194.4 ± 5.9 vs 127.7 ± 4.7 g/d, respectively). Strategic nutritional supplementation of hair sheep ewes may provide a method for increasing the weight of lambs produced during the dry season in the tropics, but it does not seem to be beneficial during the wet season.

Key Words: Forage • Lamb • Milk Production • Nutrition • Sheep • Tropics






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Copyright © 2003 by the American Society of Animal Science.