Influence of lambing type on body weight changes and productive efficiency of Blackbelly × Pelibuey multiparous ewes in lactation. Technical note

Abstract

During lactation, ewes have a high demand for nutrients, which is frequently not met by voluntary intake in grazing, a situation that causes a reduction in body weight. The objective of this study was to determine the influence of the type of lambing and number of week postpartum on the change in body weight of multiparous hair ewes and that of their lambs during lactation. The study was carried out with productive information from 11 Blackbelly × Pelibuey ewes at their fourth lambing and their 17 lambs. Ewes and lambs were weighed at lambing and every seven days until day 56 postpartum and daily weight gain was recorded. GLM and MIXED procedures were used for statistical analysis. Type of lambing affected the body weight at day 56 postpartum, weight gain during lactation, daily weight gain during lactation (P0.05) on daily weight gain of lambs. Then it was concluded that in multiparous Blackbelly × Pelibuey ewes, type of lambing explains the variation in body weight changes and productive efficiency. While number of weeks pospartum explains the variation in daily weight gain of ewes and lambs.

Keywords

• Humid tropics
• litter
• postpartum
• pre–weaning growth