Feeding twin-bearing Merino ewes above the metabolisable energy requirements for maintenance during late gestation increases the duration of parturition of the first-born lamb

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dc.contributor.authorMunn, A.L.
dc.contributor.authorVan Wettere, W.H.E.J.
dc.contributor.authorSwinbourne, A.M.F.
dc.contributor.authorWeaver, A.C.
dc.contributor.editorJacob, R.
dc.date.issued2024
dc.description.abstractContext. In Australia, approximately 53% of lamb deaths are caused by dystocia. One of the main welfare concerns in the sheep industry is under- and overfeeding ewes, which may be contributing to cases of dystocia. Aims. This pilot study aimed to investigate how increasing energy intake affects the duration of parturition and predictors of lamb survival. Methods. On Day 100 of gestation (dG), 20 twin-bearing and 10 singleton Merino ewes were selected and allocated to three treatment groups; (1) singleton ewes fed at 1.0× maintenance levels (n = 10); (2) twin-bearing ewes fed at 1.0× maintenance levels (n = 10) or (3) twin-bearing ewes fed at 1.25× maintenance (n = 10). Ewes were housed indoors in individual pens. Urine and blood were sampled from ewes on dG 130, 140, then daily from dG 145 through to parturition, and blood was sampled at the onset of parturition and 30 min post-partum. Urine was analysed for pH and blood was analysed for metabolic parameters, mineral concentration and acid–base balance. Predictors of lamb survival from birth to 24 h consisted of weight, rectal temperature, blood glucose and lactate, and body morphology. Key results. Serum calcium in late gestation and blood base excess pre-parturition were higher in Singletons 1M compared with Twins 1M (P < 0.05). The Twins 1.25M group took longer to give birth to the first-born lamb (104.4 ± 21.1 min) compared with the Twins 1M group (44.1 ± 6.6 min; P = 0.015). There were no differences in the predictors of lamb survival measures between the twin-bearing groups (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Ewes from the Twins 1.25M group took significantly longer to give birth to the first-born lamb. There were no other significant findings between the twin-bearing groups, including lamb liveweight, however, lambs born to ewes from the Twins 1.25 group were numerically heavier, which may explain the increase in parturition length. Implications. Feeding ewes above maintenance did not provide any production benefitsto metabolic health or any other physiological parameters. Producers should avoid overfeeding ewes during late gestation.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityAmy L. Munn, William H. E. J. van Wettere, Alyce M. F. Swinbourne and Alice C. Weaver
dc.identifier.citationAnimal Production Science, 2024; 64(15):AN24158-1-AN24158-11
dc.identifier.doi10.1071/an24158
dc.identifier.issn0816-1089
dc.identifier.issn0816-1089
dc.identifier.orcidMunn, A.L. [0000-0002-8215-6329]
dc.identifier.orcidVan Wettere, W.H.E.J. [0000-0001-8176-4122]
dc.identifier.orcidSwinbourne, A.M.F. [0000-0002-6267-6562]
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/2440/142843
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherCSIRO Publishing
dc.rights© 2024 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons AttributionNonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND).
dc.source.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.1071/an24158
dc.subjectcalcium; glucose; ketone bodies; maternal supplementation; Merino; nutrition; parturition; sheep
dc.titleFeeding twin-bearing Merino ewes above the metabolisable energy requirements for maintenance during late gestation increases the duration of parturition of the first-born lamb
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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