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A note on the sucking behaviour of twin lambs reared as singles

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

Roger Ewbank  and
Agnes C. Mason
Roger Ewbank
Affiliation:
Departments of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Clinical Studies, University of Liverpool
Agnes C. Mason
Affiliation:
Departments of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Clinical Studies, University of Liverpool
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Extract

The suggestion has been made (e.g. Anon, 1961; Brown, 1964; Spedding and Brown, 1961; Wixey, 1965) that a method of overcoming the inability of ewes to rear twin lambs well, may be to wean one lamb out of each pair at 2–4 weeks of age. The weaned lamb would be reared on concentrates and/or grass, and the remaining lamb, which would have access to the entire milk supply of the ewe, might then show a similar rate of growth to that of a lamb reared as a single from birth. Studies have also been made of the effect of the removal of one lamb out of twin pairs at 9 weeks of age (Cunningham and Maxwell, 1966) and at 12–16 weeks of age (Cunningham, 1964).

Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Production , Volume 9 , Issue 3 , August 1967 , pp. 417 - 420
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1967

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References

REFERENCES

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