Effect of dietary protein on growth performance, and serum biochemical index in late pregnant Hu ewes and their offspring

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of ewe growth performance, serum biochemical indicators and lamb growth and development at different protein levels in late pregnancy. A total of 15 pregnant ewes (46.4 ± 1.38kg initial BW) were assigned to 3 groups with 5 ewes in each group in a randomized block design. P1, P2 and P3 of three groups were fed diets with different levels of crude protein at 11.25%, 12.5% and 13.75% (low, medium and high) respectively, while the dietary energy levels remained unchanged. Choose ewes with the same body condition from 90 days of pregnancy to different protein diets during delivery, and feed the same diets during lactation. New-born lambs were left to suckle their dams freely for the first three days and were kept with their dams till weaning at 60 days of age. Dietary protein levels during late gestation showed no significant effect on the weight gain of ewes and their offspring in the late pregnancy (P > 0.05) but had significant effects on blood urea nitrogen (BUN), glucose (GLU), C-reactive protein (CRPL3) and ammonia nitrogen (NH3L) before parturition, and on triglyceride (TG) in lactating ewes. Dietary protein levels during late gestation had significant effects on birth height, body length, chest depth, chest circumference, straight crown hip length and curved crown hip length of lambs (P < 0.05) as well as on weaning body length, chest circumference, head width and head length (P < 0.05). The results showed that although different dietary protein levels during late gestation have no significant effects on growth performance of ewes, singleton, twins and triplets, it affects lambs' body shape and ewes' metabolism.Therefore, the optimum protein concentration for the growth of ewes and subsequent lambs in this experiment is 11.25%.

Effects of Phragmites australis Shoot Remainder Silage on Growth Performance, Blood Biochemical Parameters, and Rumen Microbiota of Beef Cattle

“…In the current study, the concentration of GLU in the mixed group was significantly lower than in the PSR silage and corn silage treatments, while the higher ADG was observed in the mixed group. These results were inconsistent with previous studies, and this might be related to species and feed composition ( 11 – 15 ). The concentration of BUN is perceived as an effective indicator to measure the metabolism of protein and amino acid, low BUN level indicates high nitrogen metabolism capacity ( 21 ).…”

“…The PICRUSt prediction results showed that amino acid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, replication and repair, membrane transport, translation, and energy metabolism were the dominant gene families at KEGG level 2, all of which are essential for survival, growth, and reproduction of gastrointestinal microbes ( 44 ). These results were similar to our previous studies in sheep ( 11 – 15 ). Among these gene families, unexpectedly, the genes associated with metabolism of cofactors and vitamins, cellular processes and signaling, metabolism, biosynthesis of other secondary metabolites, infectious diseases, signaling molecules and interaction, nervous system, and digestive system were significantly higher in the PSR silage diet than in the mixed and corn silage diets, while lipid metabolism was dramatically lower in the PSR silage diet than in the corn silage diet.…”

“…The PCR reactions were performed in 30-μl systems. For specific PCR amplified procedures, refer to Wang et al ( 14 , 15 ). The sequencing libraries were constructed by Ion Plus Fragment Library Kit 48 rxns (Thermo Scientific).…”

“…The sequencing libraries were constructed by Ion Plus Fragment Library Kit 48 rxns (Thermo Scientific). The Ion S5 TM XL platform to sequence was further used, and 407- to 412-bp single-end reads were generated ( 14 , 15 ).…”

Effects of pre-partum dietary crude protein level on colostrum fat globule membrane proteins and the performance of Hu ewes and their offspring

“…The nutrient requirements, especially protein requirements for ewes increase dramatically during the last 2 months of pregnancy (the late gestation) because this stage achieves 80% of the fetal growth and the development of the mammary gland for colostrum production ( 1 ). Previous studies showed that the appropriate protein nutrition for ewes during pregnancy has a positive effect on ewes' postpartum weight, colostrum production ( 2 ), and lambs' birth weight ( 3 ), and thus contributes to neonatal growth and development ( 4 ). Therefore, it is important to study the effect of ewes' protein intake during late pregnancy on milk composition and offspring growth.…”