Published in Scientific Papers. Series D. Animal Science, Vol. LXV, Issue 1
Written by Ion BUZU
The aim of this research was to identify the impact of hypodynamics on the particularities of the interior of Karakul sheep, raised in different conditions of maintenance. The research was conducted on three similar batches of Karakul sheep, 150 heads in each batch. They were raised in different conditions, from the age of 3 months to 32 months. During the winter (December-March), the sheep from all batches were traditionally kept in stables in paddocks and fed with a mixture of chopped fodder, according to the zootechnical norms. During the summer (April-November), the sheep from Batch I (control) were kept grazing with daily movement at a distance of up to 10-15 km. The experimental Batch II sheep were maintained in the summer at the stable with daily active walking at a distance of 2-3 km. The sheep from Batch III were maintained throughout the experiment, at the stable under hypodynamic conditions. Sheep from batches II and III during the summer were fed green mangers, according to the zootechnical norms. It was found that in sheep in Batches III and II, the degree of oxygen saturation of arterial blood was significantly lower, compared to that of sheep in Batch I, by 7.4 and 2.8% (td = 5, 81 and 2.89; P <0.001 and P <0.01). At the same time, in sheep in Batches III and II, the degree of oxygen saturation of venous blood was significantly higher, compared to that of sheep in control Batch I, with 64.6 and 29.2% (td = 5.52 and 2.35; P <0.001 and P <0.05). In Batches III and II sheep, the level of oxygen utilization by body tissues was significantly lower compared to that of Batch I sheep, respectively by 40.1 and 17.4% (td = 7.43 and 3.06; P <0.001 and P <0.01). Sheep in Batch III significantly outnumbered their contemporaries in Batch I by 1.04 kg or 41.1% (td = 9.15; P <0.001) of gross internal fat deposited in the body after slaughter, by 1.80 kg or 7.5% (td = 2.61; P <0.05), after cutting yield, by 3.17 or 6.6% (td = 2.82; P <0.05) and after mass of the omasum, with 28 g or 29.2% (td = 5.65; P <0.01). At the same time, the sheep from Batches II and III, yielded significantly to the contemporaries from Batch I, after the development of internal organs, such as: liver, heart, lungs, kidneys, stomach, rumen, abomination and small intestine, by 14.4-37.9% (P <0.05 - 0.01). In the Batch III sheep, there was an obvious tendency to decrease, compared to the control Batch, the quality of the furskins, expressed by the weight of the furskins of Sort I, by 12.9% (td = 1.88; P <0.1).
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