Resilience of Lambs to Limited Water Availability without Compromising Their Production Performance
Al-Haidary, Yusuf A. Adeniji , Musafau O. Sanni , Khalid A. Abdoun *, Emad M. Samara, Mohamed A. Al-Badwi, Majdi A. Bahadi, Ibrahim A. Alhidary and Ahmed A. . 2020
Simple Summary: Feeding a pelleted diet under the prevailing water scarcity in arid regions, coupled
with the low moisture content of that diet, raises the question about the precise level of water
restriction that lambs can tolerate without compromising their production performance. Therefore,
this study aimed to evaluate the production performance of lambs subjected to di erent levels of
water restriction, which in the long run could help in the rationalization of the water consumption of
the livestock production sector in arid and semi-arid regions. Lambs subjected to drinking-water
restriction demonstrated ecient water use and conservation by drastically reducing water loss in
feces and urine. Although dry-matter intake was decreased as a result of restricting water intake,
the animals still gained reasonable body weight. It is surprising that the eciency of nitrogen
utilization was improved with the increasing level of water-intake restriction. The findings of the
study revealed that lambs could tolerate up to 33% of water-intake restriction, depending on the
climatic conditions and the type of diet.
Abstract: Water scarcity is a common phenomenon in arid and semi-arid regions, which could
have tremendous e ects on livestock production. This study aimed to determine the level of water
restriction that lambs fed on a pelleted diet can tolerate without compromising their production
performance. A total of 24 male Najdi lambs were housed individually and randomly allocated into
three equal groups, namely ad libitum water intake, 33% water-intake restriction, and 67% water-intake
restriction. Dry-matter intake, feed conversion ratio, and average daily gain were decreased (p < 0.05)
with the increasing level of water restriction. Water restriction had also reduced (p < 0.05) nutrient
digestibility. The water-conserving ability of the water-restricted lambs was manifested by the
production of concentrated and lower (p < 0.05) quantities of urine and feces. Meanwhile, serum
osmolality and concentrations of albumin, total protein, urea-N, glucose, and non-esterified fatty
acids were increased (p < 0.05) with the increasing levels of water restriction. It is surprising that
lambs subjected to 67% water restriction retained more (p < 0.05) nitrogen relative to intake and had
better (p < 0.05) eciency of nitrogen utilization. It was strongly evident that lambs could tolerate
water-intake restriction of up to 33% without compromising their production performance.
Keywords: growth; nutrient metabolism; Najdi sheep; water restriction
1. Introduction
Abstract
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Abstract
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Simple Summary: Feeding a pelleted diet under the prevailing water scarcity in arid regions, coupled
with the low moisture content of that diet, raises the question about the precise level…