Lactation and growth of three contemporary lines of grade Targhee sheep developed from the same genetic base were characterized by three experiments performed over a period of 2 yr. Two lines (HW and DH) had been selected for 120-d weaning weights for 24 yr prior to beginning these experiments. A third line (C) was a randomly selected control. Year I experiment contrasted 10 DH with 7 C ram lam...

We suggested that food preference depends on the interplay between flavour and post-ingestive effects, and we predicted that protein-restricted lambs would acquire preferences for foods paired with supplemental sources of N, including urea (Expts 1 and 2), casein (Expt 3), and gluten (Expt 4). In each experiment, twenty lambs, in two groups of ten, were conditioned as follows: on odd-numbered d...

The effect of forage and breed of lambs on the fatty acid profile of intramuscular fat in m. longissimus lumborum (LL) and depot fat (SCF) above this muscle was investigated. The study was carried out in two replications on 36 Koluda sheep (KS) and Ile de France×KS (IF×KS) ram-lambs fattened intensively to 32–37 kg of body weight. Lambs were fed ad libitum the same concentrate mixture and diffe...

The study was conducted to evaluate and compare the effects of feed additives on ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility and performance of lambs fed diets containing 60% wet brewers grains (WBG). In Experiment 1, two simultaneous trials were conducted. Fifty intact (20.2±0.8 kg BW) lambs were used in a feedlot trial and 10 (rumen cannulated; 32±1 kg BW) in a digestion trial. The pH, volat...

The onset of puberty in prenatally growth-restricted versus normally grown lambs of both sexes, born in April and housed under natural photoperiod, was examined. Singleton pregnancies were established and adolescent ewes were offered a high or moderate nutrient intake throughout gestation. Placental mass was reduced (P < 0.001) in high compared with moderate intake dams and resulted in the birt...

Targhee ewes with single or twin lambs were used in four trials during early lactation through weaning to evaluate ewe milk production (MP), kilograms of lamb weaned, and forage intake by ewes and lambs. During Trial 1, ewes with lambs were individually penned, fed .45 kg of barley-ewe-1.d-1 and allowed ad libitum access to chopped alfalfa hay. Trials 2, 3, and 4 were conducted on three differe...

Bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds have suffered recent declines across their previous range, and desert bighorn sheep (O. c. mexicana) are listed as an endangered species in New Mexico. One factor affecting growth rates of these populations is low and variable lamb recruitment. Capturing and radio-collaring lambs can provide opportunities for collecting valuable information on factors poten...

Thirty-two crossbred wether lambs (initial live-weight 31 kg) were fed on a diet (metabolizable energy (ME) 12.8 MJ/kg) ad lib. (ADLIB) or restricted to maintain body-weight (MAINT) for a 21 d period. On days 0, 7, 14 and 21, four lambs per treatment were slaughtered, visceral organs weighed and tissues sampled. During the 21 d period, ME intake in ADLIB lambs increased quadratically with an av...

In this study, serum FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) concentrations of prepubertal 48 female Norduz lambs born in Sheep Farm of Agricultural Faculty of Yüzüncü Yıl University were determined. Lambs were born in February, and within a month. After the parturition, live weights of ewes and lambs were recorded. The lambs were kept with their dams for three months. The lambs were fed adlibitum b...

Awassi is a multi-purpose sheep breed. Awassi lambs being finished are usually offered an 18% crude protein (CP) diet. The growth rate of Awassi lambs is lower than other meat breeds. Therefore, this high content of dietary CP is questionable. The objective of this study was to estimate the optimum CP level for finishing Awassi lambs. Fifty male Awassi lambs (23.0+/-1.2kg) were fed five high co...