A herb and legume sward mix increased ewe milk production and ewe and lamb live weight gain to weaning compared to a ryegrass dominant sward

This study investigated the potential of a mixed herb sward to improve production of multiple-bearing ewes and their offspring compared to a ryegrass dominant sward. Forty four twin-bearing (twin) and 42 triplet-bearing (triplet) mixed-aged Romney ewes that were a maximum of 140 days pregnant (P140)...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Animal feed science and technology 2011-02, Vol.164 (1), p.1-7
Main Authors: Hutton, P.G., Kenyon, P.R., Bedi, M.K., Kemp, P.D., Stafford, K.J., West, D.M., Morris, S.T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal productions
Biological and medical sciences
Ewe
Feed and pet food industries
Food industries
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Herb
Lactation
Lamb
Legume
Live weight gain
Sheep
Terrestrial animal productions
Vertebrates
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Summary:This study investigated the potential of a mixed herb sward to improve production of multiple-bearing ewes and their offspring compared to a ryegrass dominant sward. Forty four twin-bearing (twin) and 42 triplet-bearing (triplet) mixed-aged Romney ewes that were a maximum of 140 days pregnant (P140) were randomly allocated to one of two nutritional treatments being: a mix of chicory, plantain, white and red clover (Herb), or a ryegrass dominant sward (Ryegrass) to form the following groups: twin Ryegrass n = 22, triplet Ryegrass n = 20, twin Herb n = 22 and triplet Herb n = 22. Ewes and their lambs remained on these herbage treatments until 66 days after the mid-point of lambing (L66). By L66, ewes grazing the Herb treatment compared to ewes on the Ryegrass treatment were heavier (P
ISSN:0377-8401
1873-2216
DOI:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2010.11.014