Effects of Pre-Pubertal Nutrition Plan on Blood Metabolites and Some Physiological Responses in Kurdish Female Lambs at Weaning and Breeding

BACKGROUND: Pre-pubertal nutrition managements are considered essential for animal health, optimizing production and reproductive performance in livestock. OBJECTIVES: In this study, the effects of dietary low and high energy and protein provisions on body growth, blood metabolites and inherent safety index were investigated in pre-pubertal Kurdish female lambs. METHODS: We fed 40 healthy Kurdish female lambs (30±8.6 days old and weighing 10.2±3.4 kg) were randomly divided into one of two experimental diets in pre-weaning period: high energy and protein (HEP, 2.50 Mcal ME/kg dry matter (DM) and 148 g CP/kg DM) or low energy and protein (LEP, 2.02 Mcal ME/kg DM and 87 g CP/kg DM). At the time of weaning, one half of lambs from each group was randomly separated and assigned to HEP or LEP. So there were four treatment groups in post-weaning period: H-H (HEP pre- and post-weaning); H-L (HEP pre-weaning and LEP post-weaning); L-H (LEP pre-weaning and HEP post-weaning) and L-L (LEP pre and post-weaning, control group). Treatment effects on dry matter intake, milk intake, serum metabolite profiles, inherent safety index and growth were examined. RESULTS: Pre-pubertal plane were significantly affected above mention parameters at post- weaning period (P