The relationship between nutrition and intestinal health in newborn lambs

Abstract As with all animals, the period in their lives when lambs are most vulnerable is the period before and immediately after birth. Because this period (the suckling period) is the period of clinging to life in an environment open to microorganism contamination after the sterile uterine environment. It is very important that this difficulty can be reduced with good care and feeding practices that must be applied during this period and that the puppy lamb can have a healthy and highly productive life during this risky period and in the future. Regulation and enhancement of the intestinal microbiome is a crucial aspect for optimizing the health and performance of farm animals. This is mainly because diet and management practices greatly affect the intestinal microbiota, resulting in changes in nutrient utilization and the immune system. The intestinal health of newborn lambs is affected by feeding manipulations, as in other ruminants. In this review, the suckling period and digestive system development in newborn lambs are mentioned. Additionally, this review discusses some practices to manipulate intestinal development and microbial colonization in order to improve the production and health of newborn lambs at an early age when they are most susceptible to enteric diseases.