Ewes – and lambs – benefit from protein supplementation during pregnancy
Protein supplementation can improve the body weight of both ewes and lambs facing worm infection pressures and it can also reduce ewe faecal egg counts (FEC) during lactation.
The latter finding has important implications for reducing pasture larvae contamination and reducing the infection risk for naïve lambs during their early life, according to the SAC’s Alemayehu Kidane, who presented the results of a trail, carried out in conjunction with Greece’s University of Thessaly Greece, to investigate the effects of metabolisable protein supplementation on parasite control and ewe and lamb performance in ewes trickle infected with the abomasal nematode Teladorsagia circumcincta at three different infection levels.
“Nematode egg excretion by periparturient ewes is the main source of infection for their immunologically naïve lambs. It has been shown that periparturient metabolisable protein (MP) supplementation can reduce nematode egg excretion,” said Mr Kidane, who hypothesised that the magnitude of beneficial effects of MP supplementation during the trial would be higher at the highest level of infection due to the expected nutrient drain on the host.
During the trial, 72 ewes, scanned for twin pregnancy at nine weeks before lambing, were infected with either 1,000, 5,000 or 10,000 infective T. circumcincta larvae, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from day-42 until day 25. From day-24, ewes of each group were restrictedly fed at 0.9 times their metabolisable energy requirement and either 0.8 or 1.3 times their assumed MP requirement.
Diets consisted of one third chopped hay and two thirds concentrates. Ewes and their lambs were weighed weekly and within 12 hours of lambing. Ewe faecal egg count (FEC, eggs per gram fresh faeces) was assessed twice a week.
“Immediately post lambing, ewes fed the higher amount of MP were heavier than the lower rate ewes (67.9kg compared to 65.4kg) but this was not affected by level of infection or the nutrition and infection interaction,” said Mr Kidane.
These effects were maintained throughout lactation, with both high and low protein supplemented ewes weighing 67.1kg and 64.6kg by day25. Litter birth weight was not affected by the level of maternal MP nutrition, level of infection or their interaction and averaged 9.8kg. Litters from ewes fed the higher amount of protein grew faster than litters from ewes fed a lower rate – 708g/day compared to 651g/day – but litter growth was not affected by level of infection or the nutrition and infection interaction.
“The effect of time on FEC tended to be significant both during pregnancy and early lactation. The interaction effects between MP and level of infection were not significant for FEC during late pregnancy and early lactation,” he added.
“All first order and second order interactions with time were not significant during periparturient period. Late pregnancy FEC was affected by level of infection but not by MP nutrition. In contrast, increased MP supply reduced FEC during lactation but the level of infection only tended to be significant. Throughout the study, FEC decreased with increasing level of infection.”
Presented to the British Society of Animal Science Annual Meeting, March 31 to April 2, 2008, Scarborough, UK.
Full details: Kidane A, Houdijk S, Athanasiadou BJ, Tolkamp I and Kyriazakis I: “Effects of the periparturient metabolisable protein nutrition on ewes subjected to different infection pressures with the abomasal nematode Teladorsagia circumcinta.”
summary (pdf) Presentation_094kidane (pdf)
For further information visit http://www.bsas.org.uk/Publications/Annual_Conference_Proceedings/or contact BSAS on 0131 445 4508 or bsas@sac.ac.uk
