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A note on the relation between weights of alimentary tract contents, body fat and the uterus in Blackface ewes

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Janet Z. Foot
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. F. D. Greenhalgh
Affiliation:
The Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
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Summary

The relation between the weight of the alimentary tract contents and the weights of body fat and the uterus was examined in 23 Blackface ewes. Six ewes were not pregnant, five had single foetuses and 12 had twins. The pregnant ewes were slaughtered three or four days before their expected lambing date. There was a negative relation between uterine weight or body fat weight and the weight of alimentary tract contents. The effect of uterine weight was small and not significant when only the pregnant animals were considered. It was unlikely that physical restriction of the alimentary tract by the uterus played more than a minor role in limiting voluntary food intake under the conditions of this experiment.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1970

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References

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