The effects of additional organic trace minerals on some production traits and determination of tissue accumulation and elimination levels in pregnant ewes and their newborn lambs

This study was carried out to evaluate live body weight change between last one month of pregnancy and post partum 35 days in ewes, live body weigths of ewes and their lambs at lambing, body weight gain of lambs at 35th day, milk production, mastitis incidence, accumulation levels of minerals in serum, wool and elimination levels of minerals by feaces fed diets supplemented with organic copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) reduced 25% of NRC (1985) recommendations .Fourty six syncronized Kıvırcık ewes for lambing and their offsprings were used in the study. Pregnant ewes were divided equally into two experimental groups given rations supplemented with inorganic or organic copper and zinc. Each treatment group was containing 23 ewes in the experiment.In the last month of the pregnancy, sheep fed rations containing wheat straw, corn and soybean meal formulated to 139.6 g/kg crude protein (CP) and 1932.20 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME) and during lactation period they fed rations with 162.3 g/kg CP and 2112.78 kcal/kg ME in dry matter (DM) basis. During the trials inorganic group received 7 mg/kg DM copper sulphate, 20 mg/kg DM zinc sulphate while organic group received 5.25 mg/kg DM copper chelat 2-Hydroxy?4-methylthiobutyrate) and 15.0 mg/kg DM zinc chelat (2-Hydroxy?4-methylthiobutyrate) in the ration. Individual feeding was applied to sheep during the experiment.The offspring received only from their mothers? milk from lambing to 35 days old.There were no statistically significant difference between the average body weight of groups at the beginning, lambing and the end of trial.There were no statistically significant differences between mean body weight gains of the lamb groups at the end of the trial.At the end of the experiment, mean serum copper levels in treatment groups were higher (P>0.05). The average serum zinc level was numerically higher in the treatment group.It was determinated that serum copper (P>0.05) and zinc levels (P<0.01) in lamb treatment groups were higher in the present experiment.At the end of the experiment the avarage wool copper level in ewes was higher in treatment group (P<0.01). Beside this, the differences between avarage wool zinc levels were not statistically significant in the study.At the end of the trial, the mean copper and zinc level differences between treatment groups were not statistically significant.There was no statistical significance between the group means of cupper and zinc accumulations on the lambswool.The average fecal copper level in control group was higher in ewes fed inorganic copper. In addition to this, average fecal zinc level was higher than the control group significantly (P<0.01).Milk productions were monitored at the 7, 21 and 35th days of the lactation period and there were no significant differences between the experimental groups.There was no mastitis case was seen in the experiment.As a conclusion, it was determined that supplementation of organic mineral sources to ewe rations at level of 25% less than NRC (1985) recommendations had similar or better results compared to groups supplemented with inorganic mineral sources.