Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T09:23:17.634Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The potential for improving physiological, behavioural and immunological responses in the neonatal lamb by trace element and vitamin supplementation of the ewe

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 April 2008

J. A. Rooke ,
C. M. Dwyer  and
C. J. Ashworth
J. A. Rooke*
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
C. M. Dwyer
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
C. J. Ashworth
Affiliation:
Sustainable Livestock Systems, SAC, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
*
E-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Neonatal lamb mortality represents both a welfare issue (due to the considerable suffering and distress) and an important production inefficiency. In lambs, approximately 80% of mortality can be attributed to the starvation–mismothering–exposure complex and occurs in the first 3 days after birth. It was the object of this review to determine the micronutrient(s) most likely to have a positive effect on neonatal lamb survival when included above the requirement for that micronutrient. Micronutrients discussed were Co, Cu, I, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn, vitamins A and E and n-3 fatty acids. For Co, Fe, Mn and Zn, there was no evidence of positive responses to supplementation. Cu and I had toxicity thresholds that were sufficiently close to requirement that supplementing above requirement presented a risk of inducing toxicity. In the case of vitamin A, while serum concentrations indicated that sub-optimal status did exist, long-term buffering from liver stores (from grazing) makes experimentation difficult and practical benefits to supplementation unlikely. Therefore, the most likely candidates for supplementation were Se, vitamin E and fatty acids. Fatty acid supplementation with fish oils or docosahexaenoic acid-containing algal biomass consistently improved lamb vigour but it is unlikely that supplementation will be economic. Positive responses to Se supplementation throughout gestation were recorded. However, in many studies the Se status of control ewes was marginal and there is a need for more studies where control ewes are clearly adequate in Se. Positive responses to vitamin E supplementation above requirement in the last-third of gestation were observed but the optimum dietary inclusion of vitamin E and period of feeding during pregnancy still require clarification.

Keywords

lamb mortalitysheepsupplementationtrace elementsvitamins
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 2 , Issue 4 , April 2008 , pp. 514 - 524
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2008

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

Agricultural Research Council 1980. The nutrient requirements of ruminant livestock. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Slough, UK.Google Scholar
Ali, HA, Ezzo, OH, El-Ekhnawy, KE 1998. Effect of zinc supplementation on reproductive performance of Barki ewes under practical field condition. Veterinary Medical Journal Giza 46, 77–87.Google Scholar
Ali, A, Morrical, DG, Hoffman, MP, Al-Essa, MF 2004. Evaluation of vitamin E and selenium supplementation in late gestation on lamb survival and pre-weaning growth. Professional Animal Scientist 20, 506–511.Google Scholar
Apgar, J, Everett, GA, Fitzgerald, JA 1993. Dietary zinc deprivation effects parturition and outcome of pregnancy in the ewe. Nutrition Research 13, 319–330.Google Scholar
Avci, M, Karakilcik, Z, Kanat, R 2000. Effects of vitamins A, E and selenium on reproductive performance and serum levels of some biochemical parameters in ewes, and birth weight and survival rates in their lambs. Turkish Journal of Veterinary and Animal Science 24, 45–50.Google Scholar
Baguma-Nibasheka, M, Brenna, JT, Nathanielsz, PW 1999. Delay of preterm delivery in sheep by omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturates. Biology of Reproduction 60, 698–701.Google Scholar
Boland, TM, Brophy, PO, Callan, JJ, Quinn, PJ, Nowakowski, P, Crosby, TF 2004. The effects of mineral block components when offered to ewes in late pregnancy on colostrum yield and immunoglobulin G absorption in their lambs. Animal Science 79, 293–302.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boland, TM, Brophy, PO, Callan, JJ, Quinn, PJ, Nowakowski, P, Crosby, TF 2005a. The effects of mineral supplementation to ewes in late pregnancy on colostrum yield and immunoglobulin G absorption in their lambs. Livestock Production Science 97, 141–150.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boland, TM, Keane, N, Nowakowski, P, Brophy, PO, Crosby, TF 2005b. High mineral and vitamin E intake by pregnant ewes lowers colostral immunoglobulin G absorption by the lamb. Journal of Animal Science 83, 871–878.Google Scholar
Boland, TM, Callan, JJ, Brophy, PO, Quinn, PJ, Crosby, TF 2006. Lamb serum vitamin E and immunoglobulin G concentrations in response to various maternal mineral and iodine supplementation regimens. Animal Science 82, 319–325.Google Scholar
Boland, TM, Hayes, L, Murphy, JJ, Callan, JJ, Sweeney, T, Crosby, TF 2007. The effects of iodine supplementation to the pregnant ewe on immunoglobulin G, vitamin E, T3 and T4 levels in the newborn lamb. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2007, 114.Google Scholar
Capper, JL, Wilkinson, RG, Kasapidou, E, Pattinson, SE, Mackenzie, AM, Sinclair, LA 2005. The effect of dietary vitamin E and fatty acid supplementation of pregnant and lactating ewes on placental and mammary transfer of vitamin E to the lamb. The British Journal of Nutrition 93, 549–557.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Capper, JL, Wilkinson, RG, Mackenzie, AM, Sinclair, LA 2006a. Polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation during pregnancy alters neonatal behavior in sheep. The Journal of Nutrition 136, 397–403.Google Scholar
Capper, JL, Wilkinson, RG, Mackenzie, AM, Sinclair, LA 2006b. The effect of supplementing pregnant ewes with marine algae or linseed on milk yield, milk composition and lamb growth rates. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, 8.Google Scholar
Chen, CY, Carstens, GE, Gilbert, CD, Theis, CM, Archibeque, SL, Kurz, MW, Slay, LJ, Smith, SB 2007. Dietary supplementation of high levels of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids to ewes during late gestation reduces thermogenesis in newborn lambs by depressing fatty acid oxidation in perirenal brown adipose tissue. The Journal of Nutrition 137, 43–48.Google Scholar
Cheng, Z, Elmes, M, Abayasekara, DRE, Wathes, DC 2003. Effects of conjugated linoleic acid on prostaglandins produced by cells isolated from maternal intercotyledonary endometrium, fetal allantochorion and amnion in late pregnant ewes. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1633, 170–178.Google Scholar
Cheng, Z, Elmes, M, Kirkup, SE, Abayasekara, DRE, Wathes, DC 2004. Alteration of prostaglandin production and agonist responsiveness by n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids in endometrial cells from late-gestation ewes. The Journal of Endocrinology 182, 249–256.Google Scholar
Cheng, Z, Abayasekara, DRE, Wathes, DC 2005a. The effect of supplementation with n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids on 1-, 2- and 3-series prostaglandin F production by ovine uterine epithelial cells. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1736, 128–135.Google Scholar
Cheng, Z, Elmes, M, Kirkup, SE, Chin, EC, Abayasekara, DRE, Wathes, DC 2005b. The effect of a diet supplemented with the n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid linoleic acid on prostaglandin production in early- and late-pregnant ewes. The Journal of Endocrinology 184, 165–178.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Crosby, TF, Boland, TM, Brophy, PO, Quinn, PJ, Callan, JJ, Joyce, D 2004. The effects of offering mineral blocks to ewes pre-mating and in late pregnancy on block intake, pregnant ewe performance and immunoglobulin status of their progeny. Animal Science 79, 493–504.Google Scholar
Daniels, JT, Hatfield, PG, Burgess, DE, Kott, RW, Bowman, JG 2000. Evaluation of ewe and lamb immune response when ewes were supplemented with vitamin E. Journal of Animal Science 78, 2731–2736.Google Scholar
Dawson, LER, Edgar, H 2005. Effect of source and level of fish oil for ewes in late pregnancy on subsequent performance. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2005, 141.Google Scholar
Donald, GE, Langlands, JP, Bowles, JE, Smith, AJ 1994. Subclinical selenium insufficiency. 6. Thermoregulatory ability of perinatal lambs born to ewes supplemented with selenium and iodine. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 34, 19–24.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duncan, WR, Morrison, ER, Garton, GA 1981. Effects of cobalt deficiency in pregnant and post-parturient ewes and their lambs. The British Journal of Nutrition 46, 337–344.Google Scholar
Elmes, M, Tew, P, Cheng, Z, Kirkup, SE, Abayasekara, DRE, Calder, PC, Hanson, MA, Wathes, DC, Burdge, GC 2004. The effect of dietary supplementation with linoleic acid to late gestation ewes on the fatty acid composition of maternal and fetal plasma and tissues and the synthetic capacity of the placenta for 2-series prostaglandins. Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1686, 139–147.Google Scholar
Elmes, M, Green, LR, Poore, K, Newman, J, Burrage, D, Abayasekara, DRE, Cheng, Z, Hanson, MA, Wathes, DC 2005. Raised dietary n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid intake increases 2-series prostaglandin production during labour in the ewe. The Journal of Physiology 562, 583–592.Google Scholar
Fisher, GJ, MacPherson, A 1991. Effect of cobalt deficiency in the pregnant ewe on reproductive performance and lamb viability. Research in Veterinary Science 50, 319–327.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gabryszuk, M 1994. The effect of selected minerals and vitamin E on the reproduction of the Polish Merino sheep. II. Reproduction and rearing lambs. Animal Science Papers and Reports 12, 53–61.Google Scholar
Gabryszuk, M, Klewiec, J 2002. Effect of injecting 2- and 3-year-old ewes with selenium and selenium-vitamin E on reproduction and rearing of lambs. Small Ruminant Research 43, 127–132.Google Scholar
Gambling, L, McArdle, HJ 2004. Iron, copper and fetal development. The Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 63, 553–562.Google Scholar
Gentle KL, Scott-Baird E, Pickard RM, Beard AP, Butler G and Edwards SA 2006. Supplementation of pregnant ewes diets with docosahexaenoic acid reduces lamb suckling latency. Proceedings of the 40th Congress ISAE, Brighton.Google Scholar
Gentry, PC, Ross, TT, Oetting, BC, Birch, KD 1992. Effects of supplemental d-α-tocopherol on preweaning lamb performance, serum and colostrum tocopherol levels and immunoglobulin G titers. Sheep Research Journal 8, 95–100.Google Scholar
Hansen, SL, Spears, JW, Lloyd, KE, Whisnant, CS 2006. Growth, reproductive performance, and manganese status of heifers fed varying concentrations of manganese. Journal of Animal Science 84, 3375–3380.Google Scholar
Haughey, KG 1993. Perinatal lamb mortality – its investigation, causes and control. Irish Veterinary Journal 46, 9–28.Google Scholar
Interdepartmental Working Party 1983. Mineral, trace element and vitamin allowances for ruminant livestock. Agricultural Development and Advisory Service. Her Majesty’s Stationary Office, London, UK.Google Scholar
Kott, RW, Ruttle, JL, Southward, GM 1983. Effects of vitamin E and selenium injections on reproduction and preweaning lamb survival in ewes consuming diets marginally deficient in selenium. Journal of Animal Science 57, 553–558.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kott, RW, Thomas, VM, Hatfield, PG, Evans, T, Davis, KC 1998. Effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation during late pregnancy on lamb mortality and ewe productivity. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 212, 997–1000.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kumagai, H, White, CL 1995. The effect of supplementary minerals, retinol and α-tocopherol on the vitamin status and productivity of pregnant Merino ewes. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 46, 1159–1174.Google Scholar
Langlands, JP, Donald, GE, Bowles, JE, Smith, AJ 1991. Subclinical selenium deficiency 2. The response in reproductive performance of grazing ewes supplemented with selenium. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 31, 33–35.Google Scholar
Lu, Y, Suliman, S, Hansen, HR, Feldmann, J 2006. Iodine excretion and accumulation in seaweed-eating sheep from Orkney, Scotland. Environmental Chemistry 3, 338–344.Google Scholar
Mackenzie, AM, Wilde, D, Pattinson, SE, Wilkinson, RG 2005. The effect of supplemental zinc source in late pregnancy and early lactation on the health and performance of ewes and lambs. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2005, 91.Google Scholar
McArdle, HJ, Andersen, HS, Jones, H, Gambling, L 2006. Fetal programming: causes and consequences as revealed by studies of dietary manipulation in the rat – a review. Placenta 27 (Suppl A), S56–S60.Google Scholar
McDonald, PC, Edwards, RA, Greenhalgh, JFD, Morgan, CA 2002. Animal nutrition, 6th edition. Pearson Education, Harlow, UK.Google Scholar
McDowell, LR, Williams, SN, Hidiroglou, N, Njeru, CA, Hill, GM, Ochoa, L, Wilkinson, NS 1996. Vitamin E supplementation for the ruminant. Animal Feed Science and Technology 60, 273–296.Google Scholar
Mellor, DJ, Stafford, KJ 2004. Animal welfare implications of neonatal mortality and morbidity in farm animals. The Veterinary Journal 168, 118–133.Google Scholar
Merrell, BG 1999. Effects of supplementing ewes with vitamin E in late pregnancy on sheep performance. Proceedings of Workshop on Vitamin E Requirement in Sheep. Harper Adams University College, UK, 20pp.Google Scholar
Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food 1990. UK Tables of nutritive value and chemical composition of feeding stuffs. Rowett Research Services Ltd, Aberdeen, UK.Google Scholar
Mitchell, LM, Robinson, JJ, Watt, RG, McEvoy, TG, Ashworth, CJ, Rooke, JA, Dwyer, CM 2007. Effects of cobalt/vitamin B12 status in ewes on ovum development and lamb viability at birth. Reproduction, Fertility and Development 19, 553–562.Google Scholar
Munoz, C, Carson, AF, McCoy, M, Dawson, LER, Gordon, A 2006. Nutritional status of ewes in early and mid pregnancy 2: Effect of selenium supplementation on ewe reproduction and offspring performance. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, 7p.Google Scholar
Munoz, C, Carson, AF, McCoy, MA, Dawson, LER, Irwin, D 2007. Effect of selenium supplementation on the performance of ewes from hill sheep systems. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2007, 113pp.Google Scholar
Pickard, RM, Beard, AJ, Seal, CJ, Edwards, SA 2005. Supplementation of ewe diets with algal biomass rich in docosahexaenoic acid for different time periods before lambing affects measures of lamb viability. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2005, 89pp.Google Scholar
Pickard, RM, Beard, AJ, Gentle, K, Scott-Baird, EC, Edwards, SA 2006. Lamb viability is improved by supplementing docosahexaenoic acid for a specific time period during late gestation. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, 6p.Google Scholar
Quirk, MF, Norton, BW 1987. The relationship between the cobalt nutrition of ewes and the vitamin B12 status of ewes and their lambs. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 38, 1071–1082.Google Scholar
Ramos, SBV, Stumpo, DJ, Kennington, EA, Phillips, RS, Bock, CB, Ribeiro-Neto, F, Blackshear, PJ 2004. The CCCh tandem zinc-finger protein Zfp3612 is crucial for female fertility and early embryonic development. Development 131, 4883–4893.Google Scholar
Rock, MJ, Kincaid, RL, Carstens, GE 2001. Effects of prenatal source and level of dietary selenium on passive immunity and thermometabolism of newborn lambs. Small Ruminant Research 40, 129–138.Google Scholar
Rose, MT, Wolf, BT, Haresign, W 2007. Effects of the level of iodine in the diet of pregnant ewes on the concentration of immunoglobulin G in the plasma of neonatal lambs following the consumption of colostrum. The British Journal of Nutrition 97, 315–320.Google Scholar
Sadurskis, A, Dicker, A, Cannon, B, Nedergaard, J 1995. Fatty acids recruit brown adipose tissue: increased UCP content and NST capacity. The American Journal of Physiology 269, E351–E360.Google Scholar
Sargison, ND, West, DM, Clark, RG 1998. The effects of iodine deficiency on ewe fertility and perinatal lamb mortality. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 46, 72–75.Google Scholar
Schulz, CL, Ross, TT, Salisbury, MW, Melton, L 1999. Effects of supplementing ewes with D-α-tocopherol on lamb serum and ewe colostrum immunoglobulin concentration and preweaning lamb growth. Journal of Animal Science 77 (suppl 1), 238.Google Scholar
Soliman, EB 2002. Effect of vitamin A supplementation on some physiological reactions of ewes and their male lambs during suckling period. Assiut Veterinary Medical Journal 47, 67–79.Google Scholar
Underwood, EJ, Suttle, NF 1999. The mineral nutrition of livestock, 3rd edition. CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Van Niekerk, FE, Cloete, SWP, Van der Merwe, GD, Heine, EWP, Scholtz, AJ 1995. Parenteral copper and selenium supplementation of sheep on legume-grass pastures: biochemical and production responses in lambs to maternal treatment. Journal of the South African Veterinary Association 66, 11–17.Google Scholar
Ward, MA, Caton, JS, Taylor, JB, Reed, JJ, Borowicz, PP, Vonnahme, KA, Redmer, DA, Reynolds, LP 2006. Effects of nutrient restriction and organically bound selenium and fetal organ mass in pregnant ewe lambs. Journal of Animal Science 83 (suppl 1), 225.Google Scholar
Wiener, G, Wilmut, I, Woolliams, C, Woolliams, JA, Field, AC 1984. The role of the breed of dam and of the breed of lamb in determining the copper status of the lamb. 2. Under a dietary regime moderately high in copper. Animal Production 39, 219–227.Google Scholar
Williams, RB, McDonald, I, Bremner, I 1978. The accretion of copper and of zinc by the foetuses of prolific ewes. The British Journal of Nutrition 40, 377–386.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williamson, JK, Riley, ML, Taylor, AN, Sanson, DW 1996. Performance of nursing lambs receiving vitamin E at birth or from dams that received vitamin E. Sheep and Goat Research Journal 12, 69–73.Google Scholar
Wu, G, Bazer, FW, Wallace, JM, Spencer, TE 2006. Intrauterine growth retardation: implications for the animal sciences. Journal of Animal Science 84, 2316–2337.Google Scholar
Xin, M, Davis, CA, Molkentin, JD, Lien, CL, Duncan, SA, Richardson, JA, Olson, EN 2006. A threshold of GATA4 and GATYA6 expression is required for cardiovascular development. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 103, 11189–11194.Google Scholar
Yaprak, M, Emsen, E, Emsen, B, Macit, M 2004. The influence of vitamin E supplementation during late pregnancy on lamb mortality and ewe productivity in Awassi ewes. Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances 3, 190–193.Google Scholar
Zile, MH 2001. Function of vitamin A in vertebrate embryonic development. The Journal of Nutrition 131, 705–708.Google Scholar