Nutrition for Lactation of Dairy Sheep

Abstract

The feeding of dairy sheep has to start exactly at the beginning of the last 2 months of gestation (the last third of gestation) and not after lambing. Indeed, during this critical physiological stage, the rumen is compressed by the uterus. Therefore, the ewe can no longer ingest the amount of food that can satisfy its ingestion capacity (2–2.5 kg DM/100Kg of weight/speed) which leads to a contro- versial situation therein the fact that on the one hand the needs are high (mainte- nance and gestation) and on the other hand the ingestion capacity is decreasing. To solve this issue, we should give the ewe a supplement based on good quality food that is not heavy and that favors rapid digestive transit. Thus, this supplement must be a concentrated feed distributed at a rate of 0.3 FU/ewe/day), during the last 2 months of gestation. This feeding technique makes it possible to have vigor- ous lambs at birth, a satisfactory colostrum production which makes it possible to give the lambs the antibodies, necessary for their passive immunity, and therefore reduce the perinatal mortality rate as well as allow for a good triggering of milk production which will be increased in the quantity produced and the peak of lacta- tion. In general, the ration must always be balanced in energy and protein. Indeed, if the ration is surplus in energy, it can cause the infertility of ewes. If it is the other way around, the urea will be stored in the liver and transformed into the urine. However, if the excess is intolerable, it will persist in the liver and cause mortality of the animals and diseases, such as alkalosis. In addition to proteins and energy, ewes must receive the necessary minerals, mainly Ca and P, during pregnancy and lacta- tion. A deficiency of Ca at the end of gestation will cause milk fever (hypocalcemia) which will not be recoverable later. Finally, excessive watering should be avoided after a water is cut to prevent diarrhea. Keywords: