Voluntary Food Intake of Pregnant Ewes

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Abstract
The voluntary intake by ewes of silage (experiment 1) and hay (experiment 2) declined in the last few weeks of pregnancy. The severity of the decline was inversely related to subsequent lamb birth weight in some cases. When pregnant ewes were fed on straw, hay or barley (experiment 3) the decline in voluntary intake started during the 15 th and 16th weeks of pregnancy with each feed despite wide differences in their chemical and physical properties and levels of intake. Although physical compression of the rumen by the growing uterus might explain the results of experiments 1 and 2, such a theory is not adequate to explain the results of experiment 3 and a possible alternative theory is discussed. There was usually an increase in food intake in mid pregnancy before the onset of the decline in the last few weeks. Copyright © 1970. American Society of Animal Science. Copyright 1970 by American Society of Animal Science

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