Reproductive Performance and Blood Metabolites Concentration in Iranian Afshari Ewes Fed Calcium Salts of Fatty Acids (CSFA) in Flushing Period

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with calcium salts of fatty acids using 48 Afshari ewes randomly allocated to four treatments. All groups used in flushing period and only the source of energy were different between rations. The ewes were divided into four groups: A-barely grain; group B-received 5% of CSFA with source of flaxseed oil (w3); group C-received 5% of CSFA with source of sun flower oil (w6) and group D-control (only received basal diet) . Treatments A, B and C improved fertility and lambing rates. Treatment C with 18 and control with 10 lambs represented the highest and the lowest number of progeny respectively. Our results indicate that using CSFA with different profiles increase metabolite levels related to reproductive. In conclusion, using CSFA supplementation in flushing period was effective on reproductive performance of Iranian Afshari ewes