A partial suckling regime increases milk production in Sarda dairy sheep without affecting meat quality of lambs

作者：Rassu S P G^*; Nudda A; Carzedda C; Battacone G; Bencini R; Pulina G

来源：Small Ruminant Research, 2015, 125: 15-20.

DOI：10.1016/j.smallrumres.2015.02.015

• Dairy sheep
• Suckling management technique
• Lamb meat
• Economic return

The collection of milk from dairy sheep has to be balanced with the need for the sheep to feed their lambs at the start of their lives. In Sardinia the sheep nurse their lambs for the first 30 days of their lives when the lambs are slaughtered to produce the traditional PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) Sardinian lamb. In this study the traditional Total Suckling (TS) system was compared with a Partial Suckling (PS) method in which the sheep were separated from the lambs during the day, milked in the evening, and then were allowed to nurse the lambs overnight. Since the removal of milk enhances milk production, a larger milk yield in the TS group was expected compared to the PS group. The production and composition of the milk were measured during the suckling period and for four weeks after lamb weaning. The growth rates of the lambs and the characteristics of their carcasses were measured after slaughter and an economic evaluation of the milk production to compare the two systems was conducted. Sheep in the Partial Suckling group produced 562 g of milk/day more than the sheep in the TS group during the suckling period and 168 g/day more milk than the sheep in the PS group after the lambs were slaughtered. This resulted in extra returns of about 10 (sic)/ewe compared to the traditional TS technique. Although the milk fat concentration was lower in the milk of the PS sheep during the nursing period (4.6% vs. 6.3%; P < 0.01) this rose to 5.4% as soon as the lambs were slaughtered and was not different from that of the TS group (5.6%; P > 0.05). There were no significant differences in the characteristics of the carcasses of the two groups of lambs, with the exception of the cold dressing percentage, which was significantly lower in carcasses from the PS group (60% vs. 65.5%; P < 0.05). It can be therefore concluded that PS allows harvesting more milk than the TS traditionally adopted by Sardinian shepherds thus resulting in greater returns from the sale of milk. In addition, this rearing system did not affect the production and quality of meat from the lambs.

• 出版日期2015-4