Effects of dietary deficiencies of energy, protein and calcium on the pregnant ewe. I. Body composition and mineral content of the ewes

Abstract

SUMMARYForty 6½-year-old Scottish Blackface ewes were used in an experiment to investigate the effects of low protein and low calcium (Ca) intakes during pregnancy on body composition and mineral contents. Six sheep were slaughtered at the commencement of the experiment as controls; 28 were used in a 2 × 2 factorial experiment in which semipurified diets containing 11·8 and 6·0% crude protein (CP) and 1·2 and 0·11% Ca in the dry matter were offered to maintain non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies in the plasma at levels comparable to those found in hill sheep in winter. All ewes were slaughtered after parturition and the carcase dissected into soft tissue and skeleton fractions. Both fractions were dissolved in HNO3and the fat and mineral contents measured.