Effect of Pre and Post Weaning Diet Quality on Puberty Age and Tail Measures in Kurdish Female Lambs

Abstract

To determine the value of pre and post weaning nutrition on puberty age, some hormonal concentrations and tail measures in ewe lambs, a total of 40 clinically health Kurdish female lambs (30±8.6 d and weighing 10.2±3.4 kg) were randomly allocated to one of two experimental diets in pre-weaning period: high quality diet (HQD, 2.50 Mcal ME/kg dry matter (DM) and 148 g CP/kg DM) or low quality diet (LQD, 2.02 Mcal ME/kg DM and 87 g CP/kg DM). At weaning, one half of lambs from each group was randomly separated and assigned to HQD or LQD. So there were four treatment groups in post-weaning period: H-H (HQD pre-and post-weaning); H-L (HQD pre-weaning and LQD post-weaning); L-H (LQD preweaning and HQD post-weaning) and L-L (LQD pre and post-weaning, control group). Within the post-weaning, serum progesterone concentrations was greater for ewe lambs fed at H-H group than for other groups (P<0.05). Serum insulin concentration was affected by the diet quality at both periods (P<0.05). Leptin concentration was affected by treatment and ewe lambs of L-H group had higher leptin concentrations (P<0.05). Diet plan in the pre-pubertal period was affected tail measures in 120 and 210 days of ages (P<0.05).