The response of crossbred ewes given oats supplemented with urea, protein pellets or lucerne chaff

Abstract

Supplementation with 1.5% urea increased (P < 0.01) the dry matter intake by crossbred ewes fed oats (7.2% crude protein) during late pregnancy and lactation. The increase in intake by the ewes during lactation resulted in a higher weaning weight of single lambs (10.2 vs 18.6 kg, P < 0.01 ),and enabled twin lambs to attain a weaning weight of 12.9 kg. Unsupplemented ewes suckling twin lambs were removed from the experiment 3 weeks after lambing when their mean liveweight was only 35.3 kg compared with 51.0 kg 6 weeks before lambing. Additional increases in dry matter intake of the ewes and liveweight of the lambs at 6 weeks of age were obtained by adding iso-nitrogenous supplements of commercial protein pellets or lucerne chaff. Fewer (P < 0.05) twin lambs died within the first 7 days when the oats were supplemented with lucerne chaff. The results indicate that supplementation of low protein oats with urea increased the intake of crossbred ewes suckling single or twin lambs and the increase was particularly important for ewes with twin lambs. Additional benefits achieved by supplementing with protein pellets or lucerne chaff were not of practical or economic significance.