In the commercial ruminant production situation when feed is limited, some animals are better able to maintain condition and productive capacity. These animals are often called ‘better doers’. In the sheep meat industry, lower than expected growth rates of lambs sired by sires of high genetic merit for weaning weight are occurring, with the primary cause identified being nutritional constraints (Oddy and Wamsley 2013). While some animals perform poorly during this time, others appear to perform well, maintaining or gaining wool growth or fibre diameter.
The majority of nutrients ingested by ruminants are absorbed through the rumen epithelium. Through research we are conducting in a bigger project (‘The gateway to selecting for nutrient efficient livestock- ‘Better doers’ B.GBP 0024), evidence has emerged at the cellular level in the rumen epithelium proteins that feed intake and certain nutrients in the blood may be correlated. We want to test this hypothesis and see how these associations may be linked to wool growth in growing lambs (6mth +).
There is clear linkage with the wool industry in that the project will look for underlying mechanisms confering superior wool growth and characteristics that may be selected for in sheep at a young age.