Impact of a live bacterial-based direct-fed microbial (DFM) postpartum and weaning system on performance, mortality, and health of Najdi lambs

Abstract

Abstract Among the non-nutritive additives available for lamb nutrition, direct-fed microbial (DFM) stands out for altering rumen fermentation and increasing animal productivity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of DFM and weaning systems on performance, mortality, and health of newborn lambs. A total of 60 newborn lambs were divided into 4 equal groups and assigned to one of 4 treatments: Control (C) without DFM and late weaning; T1, DFM and early weaning; T2, DFM and mid weaning; and T3, DFM and late weaning. Each lamb in the treated group received 3 doses of DFM (5 mL/lamb). The mortality was reduced by 80% compared to the control group. Lambs in the T2 and T3 with DFM groups had significantly (P < 0.05) higher body weight (BW) and body weight gain (BWG) than lambs in the C group. Glucose, creatinine, and urea nitrogen levels of T3 lambs were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in late weaning compared with the remining treatments. DFM supplementation and weaning system significantly (P < 0.01) reduced serum Zn concentration. These results suggest that the addition of DFM to the diet of newborn lambs and weaning at 60 days improves the overall performance and immunity of the lambs and consequently reduces the mortality rate.