Steaming Up in Hassan Ewes and Its Impact on Growth Performance of Lambs under Confined Rearing System

A study was carried out to assess the impact of steaming-up on the growth performance of lambs in Hassan ewes. Supplementary feeding during advanced gestation in sheep will influence the growth of the foetus thereby improving the neo natal lamb performance. To assess this, the present experiment included a total of 18 ewes belonging to Hassan breed, which were randomly allotted into two groups. Group I (G-I) (n=9) were fed as per ICAR (2013) recommendations, and Group II (G-II) (n=9) were fed a ration exceeding ICAR standards during the last 45 days of gestation (Steaming-up). Uniform managemental practices and confined rearing of animals was practiced throughout the study period. Birth weight (kg) of the lambs and subsequently, every fortnightly body weight (kg) of lambs was recorded, during the pre-weaning period (90 days of age) and the average daily gain (g/d) was calculated. The survivability of the lambs was also assessed in the study. The average lamb birth weight was 2.45 ± 0.13 and 2.62 ± 0.15 for G-I and G-II, respectively, which did not differ significantly whereas, a significant (p<0.05) difference in body weight was observed between groups during the pre-lambing period, however, it remained non-significant during the initial pre lambing period. The average daily gain (ADG) of pre-weaned lambs in G-I and G-II, showed significantly (p<0.05) higher difference and the survivability of lambs recorded in G-I was 88.88 per cent whereas, the same in G-II was 100 per cent. Steaming-up showed a beneficial impact on the growth of lambs under confined rearing practice of Hassan sheep.