Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-f46jp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-07T11:27:21.831Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Further studies on the response of lactating ewes to dietary protein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

J. J. Robinson ,
I. McHattie ,
J. F. Calderon Cortes  and
J. L. Thompson
J. J. Robinson
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
I. McHattie
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. F. Calderon Cortes
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
J. L. Thompson
Affiliation:
Rowett Research Institute, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB2 9SB
Get access

Abstract

Four experiments were made during early lactation on individually penned Finnish Landrace × Dorset Horn ewes, each suckling two lambs. In Experiment 1, 14 ewes of mean body weight 74 ± 2·4 kg received daily, 1·9 kg dry matter, 20 MJ of metabolizable energy and 300 g of crude protein from a diet (H) containing hay, barley and fish meal. Reduction of the daily crude protein intake of half the ewes to 225 g by replacing fish meal with barley (diet L) in week 2 of lactation resulted in a decrease (P< 0·01) in daily milk yield of 0·53 kg (17%) compared with no change for ewes remaining on diet H. The effect was reversed by returning the ewes to diet H at the end of week 3. In Experiment 2 the use of four ewes fitted with abomasal cannulae showed that the additional non-ammonia nitrogen reaching the abomasum when fish meal was given was used with an efficiency of 0·51 for the production of milk nitrogen. In Experiment 3, involving 20 ewes, a restriction in protein intake for more than 10 days in early lactation by replacing the fish meal with barley depressed subsequent milk yield. In Experiment 4, 24 ewes were given either fish meal, soya bean meal or groundnut meal as protein supplements. In early lactation fish meal was superior by 0·40 and 0·43 kg of milk per day to soya bean meal and groundnut meal respectively, and this was attributed to the greater quantity of non-ammonia nitrogen reaching the abomasum in the fish meal compared with the soya bean meal and groundnut meal supplements. The commercial significance of the results is discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 29 , Issue 2 , October 1979 , pp. 257 - 269
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Clark, J. H. 1975. Lactational responses to postruminal administration of proteins and amino acids. J. Dairy Sci. 58: 1178–1197.Google Scholar
Corbett, J. L. 1968. Variation in the yield and composition of milk of grazing Merino ewes. Aust. J. agric. Res. 19: 283–294.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cowan, R. T., Robinson, J. J., Greenhalgh, J. F. D. and McHattie, I. 1979. Body composition changes in lactating ewes estimated by serial slaughter and deuterium dilution. Anim. Prod. 29: 81–90.Google Scholar
Davidson, J., Mathieson, J. and Boyne, A. W. 1970. The use of automation in determining nitrogen by the Kjeldahl method, with final calculations by computer. Analyst, Lond. 95: 181–193.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flatt, W. P., Moore, L. A., Hooven, N. W. and Plowman, R. D. 1965. Energy metabolism studies with a high producing lactating dairy cow. J. Dairy Sci. 48: 797–798 (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Itaya, K. and Ui, M. 1965. Colorimetric determination of free fatty acids in biological fluids. J. Lipid Res. 6: 16–20.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Marsh, W. H., Fingerhut, B. and Miller, H. 1965. Automated and manual direct methods for the determination of blood urea. Clin. Chem. 11: 624–627.Google Scholar
Mathieson, J. 1970. The automated estimation of chromic oxide. Proc. Nutr. Soc. 29: 30A–31A (Abstr.).Google Scholar
Meat and Livestock Commission. 1973. Feeding the ewe. Tech. Rep. No. 2. Meat and Livestock Commission, Bletchley, Bucks.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland and Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland. 1975. Energy allowances and feeding systems for ruminants. Tech. Bull. 33. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Moe, P. W., Tyrrell, H. F. and Flatt, W. P. 1971. Energetics of body tissue mobilization. J. Dairy Sci. 54: 548–553.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ørskov, E. R., Grubb, D. A. and Kay, R. N. B. 1977. Effect of postruminal glucose or protein supplementation on milk yield and composition in Friesian cows in early lactation and negative energy balance. Br. J. Nutr. 38: 397–405.Google Scholar
Palmer, D. W. and Peters, T. 1969. Automated determination of free amino groups in serum and plasma using 2, 4, 6 tri-nitrobenzene sulphonate. Clin. Chem. 15: 891–901.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Papas, A. 1977. Protein requirements of lactating Chios ewes. J. Anim. Sci. 44: 672–679.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ranawana, S. S. E. and Kellaway, R. C. 1977. Responses to postruminal infusions of graded levels of casein in lactating goats. Br. J. Nutr. 37: 67–79.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, J. J. 1977. Response of the lactating ewe to variation in energy and protein intake. Eur. Ass. Anim. Prod. 28th A. Study Meet., Brussels, S 12: 1–11.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J., Fraser, C., Gill, J. c. and McHattie, ssssssssssssI. 1974. The effect of dietary crude protein concentration and time of weaning on milk production and body-weight change in the ewe. Anim. Prod. 19: 331–339.Google Scholar
Robinson, J. J., Fraser, C. and McHattie, I. 1975. The use of progestagens and photo-periodism in improving the reproductive rate of the ewe. Amis Biol. anim. Biochim. Biophys. 15: 345–352.Google Scholar
Roy, J. H. B., Balch, C. C., Miller, E. L., Ørskov, E. R. and Smith, R. H. 1977. Calculation of the N requirement for ruminants from nitrogen metabolism studies. In Proc. 2nd int. Symp. Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, pp. 126–129. Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Satter, L. D. and Roffler, R. E. 1977. Calculating requirements for protein and nonprotein nitrogen by ruminants. In Proc. 2nd int. Symp. Protein Metabolism and Nutrition, pp. 133–136. Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, Wageningen.Google Scholar
Spires, H. R., Clark, J. H., Derrig, R. G. and Davis, C. L. 1975. Milk production and nitrogen utilization in response to postruminal infusion of sodium caseinate in lactating cows. J. Nutr. 105: 1111–1121.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stevenson, Audrey E. and Clare, N. T. 1963. Measurement of feed intake by grazing cattle and sheep. IX. Determination of chromic oxide in faeces using an Auto Analyzer. N.Z. Jlagric. Res. 6: 121–126.Google Scholar
Whitehead, R., Cooke, G. H. and Chapman, B. T. 1967. Problems associated with the continuous monitoring of ammoniacal nitrogen in river water. Automation in analytical chemistry. Technicon Symposium 11: 337–380.Google Scholar