This study investigated whether exposure of ewes to locoweed (Oxytropis sericea; Leguminosae) during gestation would affect ewe behaviour during parturition, ewe–lamb bonding and related behaviours postpartum, and maternal responsiveness of ewes to alien and own lambs. Twenty-nine nulliparous Columbia-Targhee ewes bearing a single fetus were divided into two feeding treatments: (1) locoweed (L,...

The effects of synbiotic supplementation to the Moghani suckling lambs diet were investigated using 18 lambs (initial BW 5-6 kg, age 3±2 day) were divided into 3 groups and fed experimental diets for 90 days. The dietary treatments were: 1) control (lambs were fed with mother’s milk, along with their normal diets), 2) control + 3 g of synbiotic and control and 3) control + 6 g of synbiotic for ...

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of restricting the ewe-lamb contact on the length of postpartum anestrous. We used 28 adult Pelibuey sheep and their young. One day after birth, females were randomly assigned to one of two testing groups. Restricted Suckling to 17 hours per day (RS, n = 17 sheep, n = 21 lambs), separation of ewes from lambs for 7 h / day (8:00 to 15:00 h). Unres...

1. Isolated lamb liver cells were prepared from 24h-starved animals by venous perfusion of the excised caudate lobe with buffer containing collagenase. On the basis of Trypan-Blue exclusion, rate of 02 uptake, adenine nucleotide content and retention of constitutive enzymes, these cells werejudged to be intact. 2. Isolated caudate-lobe liver cells showed rates of gluconeogenesis from O0mM-propi...

Parental care promotes offspring survival and, for livestock species, this care is provided solely by the mother. Maternal behaviour in the sheep has been exceptionally well-studied compared with other species and many of the underpinning biological processes leading to the expression of maternal care are known. In this review the current state of play with regard to the biology of maternal car...

AIM To investigate whether single-dose intravitreal injections of bevacizumab and ranibizumab transfer into milk. METHODS This study included lactating 12 sheep and a single 3-month old suckling lamb of each sheep. Two groups consisting of 6 sheep and their lambs were constituted; the ranibizumab group and the bevacizumab group before the administration of intravitreal injections, blood and m...

These studies used the suckling lamb as a model to determine the sources of cholesterol that are utilized for development of the central nervous system in the neonate. Lambs were studied at 1.3 and 16.4 days after birth. Over this 15-day interval, 14 g of new brain tissue were formed. About 9-10 mg of cholesterol were utilized daily for this new tissue growth. To determine the source of this ch...

Enhancing healthy fatty acids (FAs) in ewe milk fat and suckling lamb tissues is an important objective in terms of improving the nutritional value of these foods for the consumer. The present study examined the effects of feeding-protected lipid supplements rich in unsaturated FAs on the lipid composition of ewe milk, and subsequently in the muscle and subcutaneous adipose tissues of lambs suc...

A flock of 370 Dorset x Romney ewes with up to 96% autumn lambtng was developed without the aid of hormones. Data from flock and experimental records were used to compare the performance of autumnand spring-born lambs and their dams. Preliminary findings for three seasons show that ewes lambed in autumn had a greater spread of lambing, lower litter size and fewer perinatal lamb deaths. Growth o...