Undernutrition in grazing sheep. II.* Calorimetric measurements on sheep taken from pasture

Abstract

The fasting heat production (kilocalories per kilogram liveweight) of sheep normally kept at pasture decreased during a period of 4 months when their liveweight was declining owing to low availability of pasture herbage, but increased considerably after shearing in autumn. It subsequently remained higher than for well-nourished sheep, which showed an effect of loss of fleece for only a few weeks. In thin animals critical temperature was higher after shearing, and their rate of increase in heat production as ambient temperature fell below critical was greater than in sheep in good body condition. Energy expenditure per unit of horizontal locomotion or vertical ascent (calories per metre per kilogram) did not vary significantly with body condition, but total daily expenditure at pasture was probably greater for the undernourished sheep. These results, and energy expenditures at pasture calculated from estimates of carbon dioxide entry rate, were consistent with observations on ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids and body energy content. The observations indicated that maintenance requirements (kilocalories per kilogram liveweight) of undernourished grazing sheep might be up to 45% greater than those of well-nourished sheep, particularly during inclement weather. __________________ *Part I, Aust. J. Agric. Res., 23: 483 (1972).