Applied Animal Nutrition-I

FEEDING OF PREGNANT EWES AND EWES AFTER LAMBING

• Gestation period of ewes is about 143-151 days, on an average 147 days.
• During the first half of gestation period the growth of foetus is not so rapid and thus the maintenance requirement of nutrients can take care of pregnancy during early half of gestation period. But a precaution should be taken to avoid underfeeding during this period.
• During later half of gestation period, the rate of growth of foetus increases with the result increasing nutrients requirement for its nourishment and that’s why extra allowance of feed should be given during this period. For this purpose following concentrate mixture can be used.

Ingredients	Parts
Maize/Jowar/Bajra	30 parts
Groundnut oil cake	20 parts
Rice Bran	40 parts
Molasses	7 parts
Mineral Mixture	2 parts
Sodium chloride	1 part.

• This concentrate mixture should be given to about 150-250 gm/day in addition to 8-9 hrs of grazing on good pasture or grasses.

• If grazing is not practiced, this concentrates mixture should be supplemented with vitamin preparation @ of 25g/100 kg. of feed.
• The excessive energy intake during last 6 weeks of gestation leads to fattening which results in birth difficulty in single bearing ewes. Whereas low energy intake can result in low birth weight with reduced viability in lambs, perhaps pregnancy toxemia may result in ewes.
• The advantage of extra allowances of feed given during the last half gestation period are as below:
  • It increases birth weight of lambs.
  • It reduces number of weak or crippled lambs.
  • It reduces chance of lambing paralysis which occurs just before lambing.
  • It increases milk of ewes and thereby avoids tendency for disowning their own lambs.

Feeding ewes after lambing

• Immediately after lambing the concentrate ration for ewes should be reduced which may otherwise lead to conditions like swollen udder and other udder complications.

• During this period good quality hay, legume should be given along with a little quantity of concentrates (about 50-100 gm).