Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-xbtfd Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-03T05:13:05.115Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Growth patterns in sheep: wool growth during weight loss and subsequent compensatory growth

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

B. W. Butler-Hogg
B. W. Butler-Hogg
Affiliation:
School of Agriculture and Forestry, University of Melbourne, Parkville, 2052, Australia
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Wool growth rates (WGR) of individual sheep were measured by a patch-sampling technique, during periods of developmental growth, body-weight loss (which ranged from 21 to 34% of original body weight, at rates between 60 and 150g/day) and subsequent compensatory growth under ad libitum feeding.

There was a ‘lag phase’ of about 30 days before WGR appeared to be affected by changes in direction of the animals' growth paths.

During body-weight loss WGR declined about 300% more than the percentage change in body weight, with the duration of nutritional stress exerting a greater influence than the rate of body-weight loss.

During compensatory growth in body weight, the relationship between WGR and rate of body-weight change was initially negative. Sheep required between 11 and 14 weeks to reach the WGR of 21 g/day found during developmental growth. Compensatory growth of wool did not occur.

Duration of the nutritional stress, rather than its severity (as indicated by rate of body-weight loss), was the more important determinant of the time taken for the sheep to regain normal levels of wool growth after the commencement of ad libitum feeding.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 102 , Issue 1 , February 1984 , pp. 105 - 109
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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

Allden, W. G. (1968). Undernutrition of the merino sheep and its sequelae. II. The influence of finite period of arrested growth on the subsequent wool growth, fleece development, and utilization of feed for wool production of lambs. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 19, 639–648.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Allden, W. G. (1979). Feed intake, diet composition and wool growth. In Physiological and Environmental Limitations to Wool Growth (ed. Black, J. L. and Reis, P. J.). CSIRO Division of Animal Production, The University of New England Publishing Unit, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.Google Scholar
Allden, W. G. & Scott-Young, R. (1964). The summer nutrition of weaner sheep: herbage intake following periods of differential nutrition. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research, 15, 989–1000.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Arnold, G. W., McManus, W. R. & Bush, I. G. (1964). Studies in wool production of grazing sheep. I. Seasonal variation in feed intake, liveweight, and wool production. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 4, 392–403.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Black, J. L., Robards, G. E. & Thomas, R. (1973). Effects of protein and energy increases on the wool growth of merino wethers. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 24, 399–412.Google Scholar
Bradford, G. E., Weir, W. C. & Torell, D. T. (1961). The effect of environment from weaning to first breeding on lifetime production of ewes. Journal of Animal Science 20, 281–287.Google Scholar
Butler-Hogg, B. W. & Tulloh, N. M. (1982). Growth patterns in sheep: the effects of weight losses on compensatory growth and feed intake in Corriedale sheep. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 99, 641–649.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Clark, N. T. & Kohn, C. D. (1964). The measurement of seasonal wool production – a comparison between midside sampling and a dye-banding technique. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 4, 90–91.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Daly, R. A. & Carter, H. B. (1955). The fleece growth of young Lincoln, Corriedale, Polwarth, and fine Merino maiden ewes under housed conditions and unrestricted and progressively restricted feeding on a standard diet. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 6, 476–513.Google Scholar
Farrell, D. J., Leng, R. A. & Corbett, J. L. (1972). Undernutrition in grazing sheep. I. Changes in the composition of the body, blood and rumen contents. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 23, 483–497.Google Scholar
Ferguson, K. A. (1962). The relation between the responses of wool growth and body weight to changes in feed intake. Australian Journal of Biological Science 15, 720–731.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Giles, J. R. (1968). The effect of different levels of nutrition from weaning to seventeen months of age on the lifetime production of Merino ewes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 8 149–157.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, N. McC. & Searle, T. W. (1979). Studies on weaned lambs before, during and after a period of weight loss. 1. Energy and nitrogen utilization. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 30, 513–523.Google Scholar
Hogg, B. W. (1977). The effects of growth patterns on body composition and compensatory growth in sheep. Ph.D. thesis, University of Melbourne.Google Scholar
Lyne, A. G. (1964). Effect of adverse nutrition on the skin and wool follicles in Merino sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 788–801.Google Scholar
Moran, J. B. (1970). The effect of level of feed intake on wool growth rate and fleece characteristics. Journal of Australian Institute of Agricultural Science, pp. 40–41.Google Scholar
Morris, L. R. (1961). Photoperiodicity of seasonal rhythm of wool growth in sheep. Nature 100, 102–103.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nagercke, B. N. (1979). The effect of photoperiod on wool growth. In Physiological and Environmental Limitations to Wool Growth (ed. Black, J. L. and Reis, P. J.). CSIRO, Division of Animal Production, The University of New England Publishing Unit, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.Google Scholar
Panaretto, B. A. (1964). Body composition in vivo. XI. The composition of ewes during prolonged undernutrition. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 15, 771–787.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pattie, W. A. & Williams, A. J. (1967). Selection for weaning weight in merino sheep. 3. Maintenance requirements and the efficiency of conversion of feed to wool in mature ewes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 7, 117–125.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Piper, L. R. & Dolling, C. H. S. (1969). Efficiency of conversion of food to wool. IV. Comparison of sheep selected for high clean wool weight with sheep from a random control group at three levels of dietary protein. Atistralian Journal of Research 20, 561–578.Google Scholar
Schinckel, P. G. (1960). Variation in feed intake as a cause of variation in wool production of grazing sheep. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 11, 585–594.Google Scholar
Schinckel, P. G. & Short, B. F. (1961). The influence of nutritional level during pre-natal and early postnatal life on adult fleece and body characters. Australian Journal of Agricultural Research 12, 167–176.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sharkey, M. J., Davies, I. F. & Kenny, P. A. (1962). The effect of previous and current nutrition in wool production in Southern Victoria. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 2, 160–169.Google Scholar
Sokal, R. S. & Rohlf, E. J. (1976). Biometry. San Francisco: W. H. Freeman and Co.Google Scholar
Winter, W. H., Tulloh, N. M. & Murray, D. M. (1976). The effect of compensatory growth in sheep on empty body weight, carcass weight and the weights of some offals. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 87, 433–441.CrossRefGoogle Scholar