Lamb Feeding Strategies During the Pre-Weaning Period in Intensive Meat Production Systems

Abstract

<p>The modern consumer of sheep meat requires uninterrupted market supply with qualitatively standardized meat, without excess fat and with high tenderness, which has encouraged producers to slaughter young sheep. A lamb’s diet during the pre-weaning phase was discussed in this review because it is of great importance for achieving success in a meat production system, given the high speed of lambs’ growth during their first weeks of life. Supplying palatable concentrate in creep-feeders from the first days of life promotes pre-stomach development and adapts the animal to a solid diet consumption; important processes for enhancing animal performance, since nutritional requirements, especially for energy, are high during this period and can only be met by milk for a short time. An early weaning technique can be adopted from 35 days old, when adequate nutritional support is provided. Unweaned lamb slaughtering combined with creep feeding and controlled feeding have superior effects to early abrupt weaning, probably by avoiding the adverse effects generated by post-weaning stress. The use of a milk replacer is seldom reported due to the difficulty in finding specific products for sheep and its high cost. Controlled suckling does not affect the performance of lambs. Further studies investigating lamb feeding strategies need to be developed during the pre-weaning period.</p>

Inoculation of Newborn Lambs with Ruminal Solids Derived from Adult Goats Reprograms the Development of Gut Microbiota and Serum Metabolome and Favors Growth Performance

“…ALP with greater levels was observed in newborn infants with the phenomenon of active bone growth and associated with an increasing intake of protein. 31 HDL which is also known as the "good cholesterol." TBA is a product of the catabolism of cholesterol in the liver and is associated with lipid metabolism.…”

“…The serum contents of GLU, TG, HDL, and LDL concentrations in serum are closely related to energy and lipid metabolism, and the ALP and TBA concentrations in serum reflect hepatic functions. ALP with greater levels was observed in newborn infants with the phenomenon of active bone growth and associated with an increasing intake of protein . HDL which is also known as the “good cholesterol.” TBA is a product of the catabolism of cholesterol in the liver and is associated with lipid metabolism.…”

Precocidade sexual de novilhas Nelore em rebanho sob seleção no Estado do Acre

“…As novilhas estudadas apresentaram, em média 600 gramas de ganho de peso diário, encontrando-se em acúmulo de gordura, segundo D'Occhio et al (2018). Urbano et al (2017) reafirmaram que animais que realizam deposição de gordura subcutânea são mais precoces. O crescimento segue uma ordem fisiológica onde crescem primeiro os tecidos nervosos na sequência ósseo e muscular, e por último tecido adiposo (Owens et al, 1993;Paulino et al, 2009).…”

Weight Development and Growth Curves of Grazing Santa Inês Sheep Supplemented with Concentrate in the Pre-Weaning Phase

“…These qualities are directly linked to the age at which the animal is slaughtered, necessitating accelerated production cycles to enhance the quality of sheep meat. It is hypothesized that enhancing the quality of meat reaching consumers could increase per capita consumption of this product [ 1 ]. Therefore, feeding strategies aimed at shortening the production cycle can contribute to and improve these quality parameters.…”