Carry-over effects of ewe nutrition and birth rank during the previous pregnancy on the milking performance during the subsequent lactation of Romney ewes

• Published in: Animal production science Vol. 51; no. 2; pp. 102 - 110
• Main Authors: van der Linden, D.S, Kenyon, P.R, Jenkinson, C.M.C, Peterson, S.W, Blair, H.T
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing 2011
• Subjects: birth rank; ewe milk; ewes; lactation; lambs; liveweight gain; maternal nutrition; milk yield; milking; pregnancy; Romney; ruminant nutrition; sheep feeding
• ISSN: 1836-0939
• DOI: 10.1071/AN10088

This study investigated whether selection for ewe size and nutrition during the previous pregnancy would affect the lactational performance of the ewe and liveweight gain of her lamb(s) in the subsequent year. A subgroup of singleton-bearing Romney ewes were milked once a week, for 7 consecutive weeks. Singleton-bearing 'light' ewes that gave birth to twins in the previous year had reduced milk yields from Day 21 of lactation (L21) onwards in the present year compared with those that gave birth to singletons in the previous year. Lambs born to light ewes had reduced liveweight gain from birth to L21 compared with those born to 'heavy' ewes. Singleton-bearing ewes in the present year that were fed maintenance and gave birth to twins in the previous year, produced less milk from L21 onwards compared with those that were maintenance-fed and singleton-bearing in the previous year. Singleton lambs born to milked ewes that were fed maintenance and gave birth to twins in the previous year, had lower liveweight gain from birth to L21 in the present year compared with lambs born to ewes fed maintenance and gave birth to singletons in the previous year. In the entire population, lambs born to ewes fed maintenance and that gave birth to twins in the previous year were lighter at L21 than lambs born to ewes fed ad libitum and bearing twins in the previous year. This indicates that if nutrition is suboptimal, or the ewes are lighter in the previous year, those that were twin-bearing are more likely to rear lighter lambs in the present year. Therefore, farmers need to take these points into consideration when devising feeding plans for the present year.