Influence of dietary palm oil supplementation on serum lipid metabolites, carcass characteristics, and lipid composition of carcass tissues of growing ram and ewe lambs.

The objective of this research was to determine the influence of dietary palm oil supplementation on carcass characteristics and lipid composition of tissues from growing lambs. Twenty-eight Suffolk x Hampshire lambs were weaned at 60 d of age (average 36 kg BW) and assigned to a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement consisting of diet (control [NPO] or 10.6% added dietary palm oil [PO]) and sex (ram vs ewe). The NPO diet (77% forage and 23% concentrate) contained 11.2% CP and 2.66 Mcal of ME/kg. Palm oil replaced molasses in the PO diet. Lambs were individually given ad libitum access to feed for 60 d to a final BW average of 50.1 kg. Lipid composition of the longissimus muscle and corresponding subcutaneous (s.c.) adipose tissue was determined by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC). Lambs fed PO were fatter (P less than .01) than lambs fed NPO (.77 vs .56 cm, s.c. fat). Diet had no effect on cholesterol content of lean tissue; however, feeding PO increased the saturated fatty acids of lean tissue. The s.c. fat from lambs fed PO had less (P less than .01) cholesterol (64.79 vs 89.67 mg/100 g) and more saturated fatty acids than that from lambs fed NPO. Ewes were fatter (P less than .01) than rams, yet they had less cholesterol content in the s.c. adipose tissue (68.71 vs 85.74 mg/100 g). High amounts of dietary palm oil fed to growing lambs caused changes in fatty acid deposition and cholesterol metabolism and may be a useful investigative tool to study lipid metabolism in growing ruminants.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Nitrogen metabolism of lactating ewes fed rumen-protected methionine and lysine.

Twenty multiparous, crossbred, black-faced ewes and their newborn twin lambs were assigned to one of four dietary treatments in a 2 x 2 factorial experiment to examine the effects of increased supply of CP or a mixture of encapsulated methionine and lysine or both on the performance of ewes and their nursing twin lambs. Ewes were fed ad libitum amounts of either a 10.2% low CP diet or a 16.2% moderate CP diet with or without additional encapsulated amino acids. Nitrogen metabolism trials were conducted simultaneously on both ewes and lambs at wk 2, 4, and 8 of lactation. Analyses were conducted for blood urea N, plasma 3-hydroxybutyrate, lactate, NEFA, insulin, and amino acids (plasma, feed, and milk). Ewe DMI, BW, BW gain, and milk yield were not changed by dietary treatments. Balance of N and N digested were increased by moderate CP treatment. The portion of retained N used for milk synthesis was increased by low CP treatment. Methionine and total branched-chain amino acids were increased by encapsulated amino acids and by protein treatment. Gains in BW and N balance were increased in lambs nursing ewes fed protected amino acids. Increased growth of nursing lambs would be an important beneficial effect of supplementing diets of ewes with encapsulated methionine and lysine.

Attempted transmission of Sarcocystis bovicanis from cows to calves via colostrum.

Sixteen pregnant cows were divided into four equal groups. Groups 1 and 2 were uninoculated controls; Groups 3 and 4 received 60,000 and 120,000 S. bovicanis sporocysts per os, respectively, about 30 days before expected parturition. Stained smears of colostrum from each quarter of the udder of each cow were examined microscopically for zoites. As a bioassay for infectious zoites in colostrum of acutely infected cows, colostrum from infected Group 4 cows was fed to calves from control Group 1 cows. Calves in Groups 2 and 3 received colostrum from their dams. Calves in Group 1 received colostrum from uninoculated normal cows. All calves were killed at 61 to 68 days of age and their tissues examined microscopically for Sarcocystis cysts. Because zoites were not found in colostrum smears and cysts were not found in calf tissues, it was concluded that lactogenic transmission of S. bovicanis did not occur.