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- Title
Maternal Supplementation with Dietary Betaine during Late Gestation Increased Ewe Plasma Creatine and Lamb Thermoregulation under Field Conditions.
- Authors
Brougham, Billie-Jaye; Weaver, Alice C.; Swinbourne, Alyce M.; Tscharke, Megan R.; Munn, Amy L.; Kelly, Jennifer M.; Kleemann, David O.; van Wettere, William H. E. J.
- Abstract
Simple Summary: Perinatal twin lamb mortality reduces productivity and reproductive efficiency in Australian sheep meat and wool enterprises. This study investigated whether supplementing 4 g of betaine into the diets of twin-bearing Merino ewes during late pregnancy would improve lamb viability measures and survival to weaning under field conditions. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with betaine increased plasma creatine concentrations in ewes at day 130 of gestation and lamb rectal temperature within 4–24 h following birth. While the findings of this study provide some new, promising results, more research in the field is required before supplementation with betaine during late gestation can be used as an on-farm strategy to improve lamb viability and survival. Twin lamb mortality is a significant economic problem impacting the Australian sheep industry. Maternal betaine supplementation improved lamb vigour and early post-natal survival when ewes and lambs were housed indoors, suggesting that betaine may be beneficial to feed under extensive pasture systems. This study investigated whether maternal betaine supplementation during late gestation would improve Merino twin lamb live weight, thermoregulation, vigour and survival to weaning under field conditions. Ewes received dietary betaine at either 0 g/day (CTL; n = 115) or 4 g/day from day 110 of gestation (dG 110) until ~49 days post-partum (pp) (BET; n = 115). Measures indicative of lamb viability and survival were collected within 4–24 h of birth and at ~49 days pp and ~93 days pp. BET ewes had higher creatine and creatinine concentrations at dG 130 than CTL ewes (p < 0.05). BET lambs had a higher rectal temperature within 4–24 h following birth than CTL lambs (p < 0.05). CTL lambs were heavier at ~49 days pp and grew faster from birth to ~49 days pp than BET lambs (both p < 0.05). The time taken after release from the researcher to first suckling was quicker in the CTL lambs than BET lambs (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that supplementing betaine increased creatine concentration in twin-bearing ewes and thermoregulatory capacity in neonatal lambs under extensive grazing systems.
- Subjects
DIETARY supplements; SHEEP industry; BETAINE; LAMBS; ANIMAL weaning
- Publication
Animals (2076-2615), 2024, Vol 14, Issue 17, p2605
- ISSN
2076-2615
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.3390/ani14172605