Suplementação nutricional para ovelhas em final de gestação: parâmetros nutricionais e metabólicos

Abstract

The final third of gestation is the period of higher fetal growth, where the nutritional requirements of these animals are well beyond maintenance requirements, so supplementation with concentrate is a great alternative for this phase, since it improves birth weight of the lambs and body condition score (BCS) of the sheep thus improving the productive indexes of the herd. The objective was to evaluate the effect of supplementation with two levels of concentrate in the diet of pregnant sheep on body weight (BW), BCS, barrel circumference (BC), lamb weight, placental weight, dry matter intake and protein metabolites, energy and liver enzymes. The experiment was carried out at the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), Experimental Farm Capim Branco, during the months of July and August 2016. Thirty one sheep, crossbred (Santa Inês x Dorper), aged over two years, and weight average of 64.18 kg. The animals were housed in stalls equipped with feeder, drinker, salt shaker and concrete floor with use of sawdust. The treatments consisted of different levels of concentrate as a supplement, distributed completely randomly with measures repeated with time with two treatments and 21 repetitions in the treatment 300g and 20 repetitions in the treatment 400g, being given to the animal in order to obtain 10% of leftovers of the total offered of ration. The means of treatments were evaluated by the Tukey test at a significance level of 5%. The dry matter intake that increased throughout the experimental period, biometric measurements without significant difference, lamb weight at birth and weaning (P> 0.05%) were analyzed. Regarding energy metabolites, there was difference only for the analyzed period with increase of LDL (low density lipoprotein). Protein metabolites, urea, creatinine and albumin, had a reduction effect over the experimental period. The enzymes of hepatic activity only to aspartate amino transferase were influenced by the evaluation period. During birth, there was no statistical difference for the analyzed variables, except for the weight of the placenta that was superior in the treatment with 400 grams, as well as in the multiple deliveries compared to the simple deliveries. Supplementation of pregnant ewes in the final third of gestation was efficient in improving BCS at calving, without causing metabolic damage to the animals, obtaining an ideal birth weight of lambs.