Stimulative feeding influence over milk production at Karakul of Botosani breed

Abstract

The main objective of the research carried out, was to determine the impact due to additional feeding on the specific performance of milk production in Botoșani Karakul sheep breed. In order to achieve the main objective of the research, two groups of adult females between three and six years of age were formed. Both lots were maintained under similar conditions, applying a traditional technology based on feeding them from the stock during the cold season and on pasture during the warm season. The experimental treatment was represented by the fact that L2 benefited from additional feeding applied 25 days before the mating date. This batch received a 170 g amount each morning consisting of a mixture of cultivated cereals (ground corn, sunflower meal, barley and oat grains). Live weight and body condition evaluation at mating time indicates a 2.41 kg higher live weight at L2 but also an improvement in body condition by 0.31 points. For live weight, a significant difference between groups was obtained for P≤0.05. Regarding the milk production obtained from the females in relation to the BCS assigned to L1 the biggest difference was between BCS = 3.0 and BCS = 1.5 and in L2 between BCS = 2.5 and BCS = 1.5, both situations being significant for P<0.01.