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Abstract
The effect of nutrition during pregnancy in hoggets has not been thoroughly examined under pastoral conditions in New Zealand. The aim of the present study was to determine if a high liveweight gain in pregnancy reduced hogget reproductive performance, and to determine the effect of this regimen on the liveweight of the hogget and her progeny in lactation. Mated, synchronised hoggets, from day 5 of pregnancy, were managed to either: gain 100 g/day in total liveweight throughout pregnancy (Medium), gain 100 g/day until day 36 of pregnancy followed by 200 g/day for the remainder of pregnancy (Medium/High) or to gain 200 g/day throughout pregnancy (High). Actual average daily liveweight gains for Medium and High group hoggets were 134.3 and 223.7 g/day respectively. Average liveweight gains of Medium/High hoggets for the two periods were 103.3 and 237.2 g/day respectively. Significantly (P < 0.05) fewer High hoggets held to service compared to their Medium and Medium/ High counterparts (54.5 versus 78.2 versus 83.6% respectively). However, pregnancy scanning showed that there was no difference between groups in percentage pregnant (48.2 versus 44.5 versus 50.9% respectively), nor were there any differences in the percentage which lambed (44.6 versus 41.2 versus 48.3% respectively). Within birthrank there was no effect of hogget treatment on lamb birthweight. In late lactation, not only were lambs born to High hoggets significantly (P < 0.05) heavier than those born to Medium hoggets (17.69 versus 15.88 kg), the hoggets themselves were heavier (54.68 versus 47.80 kg respectively). These findings suggest that farmers should not avoid relatively high liveweight gains in pregnancy with hoggets. In fact, they may be beneficial.
