Effect of gestation-lactation diet calcium and zinc levels and of parenteral vitamins A, D and E during gestation on ewe body weight and on lamb weight and survival

Data on ewe body weights and on lamb birth and weaning weights and survival rates were recorded on a total of 557 multiparous Rambouillet, Hampshire X Suffolk and Synthetic I (composite of Finnish Landrace, Rambouillet and Polled Dorset) ewes in two experiments started after the first trimester of gestation. In Exp. 1, a 2 X 2 factorial arrangement of treatments included all combinations of low (.24% in gestation and .48% in lactation), or high (.80%) dietary Ca and low (20 ppm) or high (74 ppm) dietary Zn. No effect of dietary Ca or Zn level and no Ca X Zn interaction with respect to number of lambs born or weaned, birth weight, weaning weight or survival rate of the lambs or body weight of the ewes was shown. Mean number of lambs born was 1.63 +/- .71 with a survival rate of 85.0 +/- .3% and a weaning weight (59 d) of 19.4 +/- 4.4 kg. Experiment 2 was a repeat of Exp. 1 except that two intramuscular injections of vitamins A, D and E (d 65 and 93 of experiment) were given to one-half of the ewes in each diet group. There was no effect of dietary Ca or Zn level or of vitamin administration on ewe body weight changes, number of lambs born (1.89 +/- .55), survival rate (86.6 +/- .3%), lamb birth weight 4.6 +/- 1.5 kg) or lamb weaning weight (23.2 +/- 7.2 kg). Blood plasma Ca, inorganic P and Mg concentrations of ewes in late pregnancy were unaffected by diet or vitamin injections.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)