The effects of an intraruminal load of 3 litres of water on body water movements was compared in Sardi sheep during the last month of pregnancy, lactation and a non-pregnant, non-lactating control period. Before the water load, rumen fluid volume, estimated by polyethylene glycol was similar in pregnant, compared to control, animals and 27% higher in lactating sheep. After the water load, rumen...

The effect of undernutrition during July-September on oestrus and ovulation rate in Janury-April was investigated in lactating and dry Corriedale ewes. The low levels of nutrition imposed from July resulted in a 5 to 10 kg difference in liveweight in September but thereafter liveweights had equilibrated with control ewes by December. This undernutrition decreased the probability of ovulating ea...

Three experiments were conducted with ewes to determine the effects of pregnancy and(or) supplemental protein source on amino acid absorption and digestive criteria. In Exp. 1, four mated and five nonmated ewes fitted with abomasal and ileal cannulas were offered 272 g of cracked corn/d and ad libitum alfalfa hay (22% CP). Mated ewes absorbed greater quantities (P less than .10) and percentages...

Ten non pregnant, non lactating Corriedale ewes ate an average of 148 g fuzzy whole cotton seed per sheep per day and their mean weight fell from 40.3 to 32.2 kg over an eight week period. Two of the sheep died. A similar group of ewes, offered a mixture of 227 g of cottonseed and 227 g of wheat per sheep per day, usually ate all the ration. At the end of an 18 week period, there were no signif...

knowledge on animal requirement, available forage and its quality is fundamental for successful livestock and range management. since sheep is dominant grazing animal of rangelands in iran and there are over 27 sheep breeds and each breed has special body size, physiological condition and consequently different daily nutrition requirement, animal unit should be determinated for dominant breed o...

The aim of the present study was to test whether serum concentrations of leptin in ewes vary with a daily rhythm. For this purpose, we examined 24 h serum leptin profiles of ewes exposed to natural photoperiodic conditions and subjected to two different feeding schedules (regular feeding and fasting). The results show for the first time the existence of daily rhythm of plasma leptin in regularl...

Five Chios and five Friesian rams were used to study the effect of season on semen production. Semen samples were collected with an artificial vagina. In spite of the large variation of most of the semen characteristics among rams of the two breeds, seasonal variation in semen quantity (volume, concentration and total number of spermatozoa per ejaculate) and quality (percentage of motile sperma...

Grain legumes are feedstuffs with high nutritional value that could replace soybean in dairy sheep nutrition. This be beneficial terms of economic efficiency and environmental sustainability. However, research regarding their potential effects on animal performance is scarce. The objective was to assess milk production body condition score (BCS) intensively reared ewes after replacing meal a mi...