SEARCHRCTanimal_science, veterinary_medicine

RCT·animal_science, veterinary_medicine, reproductive_physiology, ruminant_nutrition·PMC10000197

Effects of the Level and Composition of Concentrate Supplements before Breeding and in Early Gestation on Production of Different Hair Sheep Breeds

Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI · 8 authors, 3 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 83%

POPULATION107 female hair sheep (27 Dorper, 41 Katahdin, 39 St. Croix); 35 multiparous and 72 primiparous; mean initial age 2.8 ± 0.20 years

INTERVENTIONHigh supplement (HS): 1% initial BW of a 1:3 soybean meal:rolled corn mixture (DM basis) for 162 days before breeding and early gestation

COMPARISONLow supplement (LS): 0.15% initial BW of soybean meal alone (DM basis) for 162 days before breeding and early gestation

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

This study examined how different levels and compositions of concentrate supplements before breeding and in early gestation affect production in three hair sheep breeds (Dorper, Katahdin, St. Croix) fed low-quality wheat straw. A higher supplementation level (1% body weight of a corn-soybean meal mix) significantly improved body weight gain, body condition, litter size (1.69 vs. 1.37), and total litter birth weight (6.68 vs. 5.60 kg) compared to a low level (0.15% body weight of soybean meal alone). The findings indicate that supplementing low-protein, high-fiber forage diets requires both energy and protein sources, not just protein alone, to optimize reproductive performance in hair sheep.

Full summary

4,750 CHARS

**Background:** The nutritional plane before breeding and in early gestation is critical for sheep reproductive performance, influencing ovulation rate, embryo quality, and uterine environment. Hair sheep breeds (Dorper, Katahdin, St. Croix) are increasingly important in US production systems, but optimal supplementation strategies for low-quality forage diets during these periods remain unclear. Previous work by Lourencon et al. showed that supplementing wheat straw with soybean meal alone vs. a corn:soybean meal mixture affected body weight and energy changes but did not significantly alter reproductive performance, raising questions about whether higher supplementation levels or extending treatment into early gestation would yield different results.

**Methods:** The experiment used 107 female hair sheep (27 Dorper, 41 Katahdin, 39 St. Croix) including 35 multiparous (mean age 5.6 ± 0.25 years) and 72 primiparous (mean age 1.5 ± 0.01 years) animals. Sheep consumed wheat straw (3.9% CP, 80.2% NDF) ad libitum and received either: LS (0.15% initial BW of soybean meal) or HS (1% initial BW of a 1:3 soybean meal:rolled corn mixture). The supplementation period lasted 162 days, with breeding occurring in two sets (days 84–90 and 97–103) using estrus synchronization with CIDR devices and PGF2α. Measurements included feed intake, body weight (days −7, 14, 49, 73, 120, 162, 198, 225), body condition score, four body mass indexes (BMI-WH, BMI-WP, BMI-GH, BMI-GP), blood constituents (glucose, lactate, NEFA, triglycerides, cholesterol, urea N, albumin, total protein, total antioxidant capacity), heart rate, and heat energy via indirect calorimetry. After day 162, all animals received HS and higher-quality forage for 63 additional days until lambing. Statistical analysis used SAS MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures with fixed effects of breed, supplement treatment, and their interaction.

**Key Results:** Wheat straw DM intake was significantly higher for LS vs. HS in all periods after period 1 (p < 0.05), with LS consuming 0.29, 0.49, 0.61, and 0.66% BW more straw in periods 2–5, respectively (23.5–49.9% greater relative to HS). However, total DM intake (% BW) was greater for HS in periods 2 and 3, and similar between treatments in periods 4 and 5. Body weight became significantly greater for HS from day 73 onward (p < 0.05), with differences of 7.0, 7.8, 15.1, 11.2, and 12.0 kg (13.6–31.3%) on days 73, 120, 162, 198, and 225, respectively. Average daily gain was greater for HS in all periods 1–5 (p < 0.05), with differences of 93, 106, 123, 71, and 113 g/day. In period 6 (all animals on HS), LS animals showed compensatory gain (110 vs. 22 g/day, p < 0.05). Body condition score was greater for HS on days −7, 49, 73, 120, and 162 (p < 0.05). All four BMI measures were greater for HS on day 162 (p < 0.05), with changes from day −7 to 162 significantly different between treatments (p < 0.01). Heart rate was greater for HS at all measurement times, and heat energy was 1.234 and 2.430 MJ/day greater for HS on days 49 and 73, respectively. Blood constituents showed significant supplement treatment × day interactions for all variables (p < 0.05). Birth rate tended to be higher for HS (96.3% vs. 78.0%, p = 0.063). Litter size was significantly greater for HS (1.69 vs. 1.37, p < 0.05), as was total litter birth weight (6.68 vs. 5.60 kg, p = 0.049). Individual lamb birth weight was not affected by supplement treatment (p = 0.787) but differed by breed (Dorper > St. Croix, p = 0.035). No breed × supplement treatment interactions were found for any reproductive variable (p > 0.05).

**Clinical Implications:** This study demonstrates that hair sheep breeds (Dorper, Katahdin, St. Croix) respond similarly to supplementation strategies, with no breed-specific advantages in reproductive performance. The key finding is that supplementing low-quality forage diets with both energy and protein sources (corn plus soybean meal at 1% BW) significantly improves reproductive outcomes compared to protein alone (soybean meal at 0.15% BW), even though the protein-only treatment partially compensated through increased straw intake. The 19.3% greater total litter birth weight and substantially higher birth rate (96.3% vs. 78.0%) with the higher-energy supplement have direct economic implications for sheep producers. The study also validates BMI-WH and BMI-WP as useful tools for assessing body condition, showing higher correlations with body weight than traditional BCS. For producers using low-quality forages, these results support supplementation strategies that include energy-dense feedstuffs alongside protein sources during breeding and early gestation, rather than relying on protein supplementation alone.

PICO

PPOPULATION

107 female hair sheep (27 Dorper, 41 Katahdin, 39 St. Croix); 35 multiparous and 72 primiparous; mean initial age 2.8 ± 0.20 years

IINTERVENTION

High supplement (HS): 1% initial BW of a 1:3 soybean meal:rolled corn mixture (DM basis) for 162 days before breeding and early gestation

OOUTCOME

Wheat straw DM intake, total DM intake, body weight, average daily gain, body condition score, body mass indexes, blood constituents, heart rate, heat energy, birth rate, litter size, individual lamb birth weight, total litter birth weight, gestation length

STUDY TYPE

RCT

SPECIALTY

animal_science

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

83% · B

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10000197

Effects of the Level and Composition of Concentrate Supplements before Breeding and in Early Gestation on Production of Different Hair Sheep Breeds

Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI

READ THE FULL PAPER

JUMP TO SECTION

ABSTRACT

Simple Summary The level of supplementation of low-quality forage diets before and in the early gestation period may influence the performance of different hair sheep breeds. Dorper, Katahdin, and St. Croix sheep consumed wheat straw ad libitum supplemented with 0.15% initial body weight (BW) of soybean meal or a 1:3 mixture of soybean meal and rolled corn at 1% BW for 162 days with 84 or 97 days pre-breeding. Supplement treatment by breed did not generally influence feed intake, BW, body condition and mass indexes, or reproductive performance. Although soybean meal given alone boosted straw intake, it resulted in lower total feed intake, litter size, and total litter birth weight compared with the higher level of supplementation. Body condition score and mass indexes and BW were affected by breed, but reproductive performance was not influenced. Therefore, hair sheep regardless of breed fed low-protein and high-fiber forage such as wheat straw should be supplemented at a higher level with consideration of the inclusion of a feedstuff(s) high in energy along with protein during these physiological periods. Abstract Female hair sheep, 27 Dorper (DOR), 41 Katahdin (KAT), and 39 St. Croix (STC), were used to determine influences of the nutritional plane before breeding and in early gestation on feed intake, body weight, body condition score, body mass indexes, blood constituent concentrations, and reproductive performance. There were 35 multiparous and 72 primiparous sheep, with initial ages of 5.6 ± 0.25 years and 1.5 ± 0.01 years, respectively (average overall initial age of 2.8 ± 0.20 years). Wheat straw (4% crude protein; dry matter [DM] basis) was consumed ad libitum and supplemented with approximately 0.15% initial body weight (BW) of soybean meal (LS) or a 1:3 mixture of soybean meal and rolled corn at 1% BW (HS; DM). The supplementation period was 162 days, with the breeding of animals in two sets sequentially, with the pre-breeding period 84 and 97 days, and that after breeding began at 78 and 65 days, respectively. Wheat straw DM intake (1.75, 1.30, 1.57, 1.15, 1.80, and 1.38% BW; SEM = 0.112) was lower ( p < 0.05), but average daily gain (−46, 42, −44, 70, −47, and 51 g for DOR-LS, DOR-HS, KAT-LS, KAT-HS, STC-LS, and STC-HS, respectively; SEM = 7.3) was greater ( p < 0.05) for HS than LS treatment during the supplementation period. Additionally, changes in body condition score during the supplementation period (−0.61, 0.36, −0.53, 0.27, −0.39, and −0.18; SEM = 0.058), and changes in body mass index based on height at the withers and body length from the point of the shoulder to the pin bone (BW/[height × length], g/cm 2 ) from 7 days before supplementation (day −7) to day 162 were −1.99, 0.07, −2.19, −0.55, −2.39, and 0.17 for DOR-LS, DOR-HS, KAT-LS, KAT-HS, STC-LS, and STC-HS, respectively; (SEM = 0.297) were affected by supplement treatment. All blood constituent concentrations and characteristics addressed varied with the day of sampling (−7, 14, 49, 73, and 162) as well as the interaction between the supplement treatment and the day ( p < 0.05), with few effects of interactions involving breed. Birth rate (66.7, 93.5, 84.6, 95.5, 82.8, and 100.0; SEM = 9.83) and individual lamb birth weight (4.50, 4.61, 4.28, 3.98, 3.73, and 3.88 kg; SEM = 0.201) were not affected by supplement treatment ( p = 0.063 and 0.787, respectively), although litter size (0.92, 1.21, 1.17, 1.86, 1.12, and 1.82; SEM = 0.221) and total litter birth weight (5.84, 5.74, 5.92, 7.52, 5.04, and 6.78 kg for DOR-LS, DOR-HS, KAT-LS, KAT-HS, STC-LS, and STC-HS, respectively; SEM = 0.529) were greater ( p < 0.05) for HS than for LS. In conclusion, although there was some compensation in wheat straw intake for the different levels of supplementation, soybean meal given alone rather than with cereal grain adversely affected BW, BCS, BMI, and reproductive performance, the latter primarily through litter size but also via a trend for an effect on the birth rate. Hence, the supplementation of low-protein and high-fiber forage such as wheat straw should include a consideration of the inclusion of a feedstuff(s) high in energy in addition to nitrogen.

CITATION EXPORT

Farida Belkasmi, Amlan Kumar Patra, Raquel Vasconcelos Lourencon et al.. Effects of the Level and Composition of Concentrate Supplements before Breeding and in Early Gestation on Production of Different Hair Sheep Breeds. Animals : an Open Access Journal from MDPI. (2023). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani13050814

AUTHORS

8 · 3 CENTRES

Farida Belkasmi, Amlan Kumar Patra, Raquel Vasconcelos Lourencon, Ryszard Puchala, Lionel James Dawson, Luana Paula dos Santos Ribeiro, Fabiola Encinas, Arthur Louis Goetsch

1American Institute for Goat Research, Langston University, Langston, OK 73050, USA
2Department of Agriculture Sciences, University Mohamed El Bachir El Ibrahimi, El Anasser 34030, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Algeria
3College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK 74078, USA

EDITOR / REVIEWER

Stephan Wildeus