Abstract
The objective of the present study was to determine the needs of milk intake (MI) and their components (i.e., lactose, fat, protein, and energy) to increase the average daily gain (ADG) of Pelibuey lambs during the pre-weaning period. Data of 62 lambs were used (35 males and 27 females; 32 of single lambing and 30 twins). All lambs were housed in individual pens with their mothers during the first 45 days post-lambing, without access to mother’s food. Every 10 d, MI was estimated by the double lamb weighing method, and then, the intake of each milk component was calculated, considering both milk chemical composition and its estimated intake. The ADG was associated with MI and its components through a linear regression analysis. All milk variables were highly (P < 0.05; 0.69 ≤ r ≤ 0.85) correlated with ADG. The ADG explained (P < 0.0001) between 48 and 72% of the variation observed for MI and its components, being lower for fat intake and higher for MI. Given the positive slope parameter (β1), an increase of one kilogram of body weight required intakes of 3.1 kg of milk, 117 g of fat, 203 g of protein, 187 g of lactose, or 16.8 MJ of energy. In conclusion, Pelibuey lambs to gain one kilogram of live weight during the pre-weaning period need to consume 3.1 kg of milk having an adequate amount of protein, fat, lactose, and energy.
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Acknowledgments
The authors are grateful for the assistance of engineer Walter Lanz Villegas, who granted access to the facilities of the Centro de Integracion Ovina del Sureste (CIOS).
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The authors are also grateful for the research grant provided by the Programa de Fomento a la Investigación through the project “Eficiencia energética madre/cría en ovinos de pelo” (PFI: UJAT-DACA-2015-IA-02).
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Chay-Canul, A.J., Ptáček, M., Macías-Cruz, U. et al. Requirements of milk intake and intake of milk components for pre-weaning growth of Pelibuey lambs. Trop Anim Health Prod 53, 20 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02436-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02436-x