Influence of the duration of the suckling period on the subsequent growth of lambs
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32636/01308521.2026-(79)-1-15Keywords:
lambs, weaning periods, live weight, average daily gain, compensatory growth, feedingAbstract
The article presents the results of a study to determine the impact of the duration of suckling period of lambs on their growth and development indicators up to 12 months of age. The research was conducted in the production conditions of commercial farm at the State Enterprise Experimental Farm "Hontarivka" of the Institute of Animal Science of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. Three experimental groups of lambs were formed according to weaning age: 45 days (very early weaning), 60 days (early weaning), and 90 days (traditional weaning), with 25 animals in each group. Growth performance was evaluated based on live body weight as well as absolute, average daily, and relative weight gains at key age periods up to one year of age. It was established that the duration of the suckling period had a significant effect on the subsequent growth dynamics of lambs. The highest live body weights at 180, 240, and 365 days of age were recorded in lambs weaned at 90 days. Differences between traditionally and very early weaned lambs were highly significant (Р < 0.001) across all monitored periods, with the maximum difference in live weight at 365 days reaching 9.7 kg. Analysis of variance confirmed a highly significant effect of weaning age on lamb live body weight at one year of age (η² = 19.4 %). At the same time, lambs weaned at 45 days exhibited signs of compensatory growth, manifested by higher relative live weight gains during the
180–240-day period. However, the activation of compensatory mechanisms did not fully eliminate the live weight lag by the end of the controlled rearing period. The obtained results indicate that the traditional duration of feeding with maternal milk provides more stable and predictable growth, whereas early and very early weaning require careful adjustment of feeding strategies to minimize negative effects and improve the efficiency of lamb rearing.
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