Serum Immunoglobulin Concentrations In Normally Suckled And Bovine-Colostrum-Fed Djallonke Lambs During The First Seven Days Postpartum

2014

English

The study was undertaken to determine the serum immunoglobulin concentrations in 18 normally suckled and 18 bovine colostrum fed lambs during the first seven days of life. It was also to con- firm the assertion that bovine colostrum could be used as an effective alternative source of serum immunoglobulins for lambs. The lambs were randomly allocated to two groups immediately after birth, and lambs in the first group received bovine colostrum soon after birth and at 6-hour intervals till 48 hours postpartum after which they had access to their dams' milk The second group of lambs suckled their dams and served as controls. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations of both groups of lambs were estimated using the refractometer method. There was non-measurable pre-colostral serum immunoglobulin concentrations in the lambs. The mean serum immunoglobulin concentrations in the normally suckled lambs at 48 hours and 7 days postpartum were significantly (p<0.05) higher than those of the bovine colostrum fed lambs. The peak serum immunoglobulin concentration for the bovine colostrum-fed lambs occurred at 12 hours postpartum as against 18 hours for the normally suckled lambs. Thereafter, there was a gradual decline in the serum immunoglobulin concentrations up to 7 days postpartum. The non-significant (p<0.05) difference in the growth rate at 21 days postpartum between the two groups of lambs and the high survival rate (80.3%) of the bovine colostrum fed lambs are indications that bovine colostrum is effective in offering protection to lambs.

Osei, D. Y.; Osafo, E. L. K.; Apori, S. O.; Hagan, J. K.