Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LXVII, Issue 1
Written by Nicolae Tiberiu CONSTANTIN, Andra SIPOS
The neonatal period in small ruminants in the Northern Hemisphere usually starts in December. It is around this critical period that 10-12% of lambs and kids die in the first 72 hours of life because of poor colostrum quality and quantity. Concerning this fact, it is of importance that all pregnant ewes have adequate access to forages for a good colostrum quality, indispensable for the lasting growth of newborns lambs. To demonstrate the passive transfer of immunoglobulins from the colostrum, 10 samples of colostrum were collected from 10 individual ewes, followed by 10 samples of serum from their resulting lambs in the first day after lambing and at 8 days of age. The colostrum and protein serum levels were tested with: refractometry, using zinc sulfate turbidity test, qualitative sodium sulfite turbidity test. From all the colostrum samples collected, just 2 of them presented an acceptable quality of immunoglobulins. By negative correlation, the lambs’ levels of serum protein in day 1 and day 8 were high in all newborns. Although the current preliminary results are somewhat inconclusive, they outline the importance and practical significance of colostrum quality monitorization in ewes.
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